FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATES – AUSTRALIA

Want to know where the $A is going? Here’s where to look

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Philip Baker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 24 : 15-May-15

The Australian dollar was trading at around $US0.81 on 14 May 2015, and US economic data is likely to be a major influence on its outlook in the near-term. Most of the recent data suggests that US economic growth remains subdued, and the timing of the first interest rate rise in six years will depend on the state of the economy. BetaShares CEO David Bassanese believes that US economic data will improve, which would most likely result in a rate rise in either June or September.

CORPORATES
BETASHARES CAPITAL LIMITED, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, BT FINANCIAL GROUP PTY LTD, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, STANDARD LIFE PLC, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Aussie tipped to tread water until US lifts rates

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Rose Powell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 12-May-15

The Australian dollar was buying $US0.7893 late in trading on 11 May 2015. The currency was not unduly affected by an interest rate cut in China, while Westpac’s Robert Rennie expects it to trade at around the $US0.78 level for some time. He forecasts that it will fall to around $US0.73 by late September, while Thomas Averill of Rochford Capital does not expect further monetary policy easing in Australia.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, ROCHFORD CAPITAL PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, SOCIETE GENERALE SA

RBA baulks at 2pc cash rate, for now

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 8-Apr-15

The Australian dollar rallied to $US0.7690 on 7 April 2015, after the Reserve Bank left the cash rate on hold at 2.25 per cent. There was widespread expectation among financial market watchers that the central bank would reduce the cash rate, but they have priced in a 76 per cent chance of a rate cut in May. Vimal Gor of BT Investment Management and Paul Dale of Capital Economics both believe that the Reserve Bank missed a chance to put downward pressure on the dollar

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, BT INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED – ASX BTT, CAPITAL ECONOMICS LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, JAMIESONCOOTEBONDS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Pre-emptive $A spike attracts ASIC interest

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Vesna Poljak
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 8-Apr-15

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission will investigate further unusual currency trading activity on 7 April 2015. The Australian dollar again rose suddenly shortly before the Reserve Bank revealed that it had left the cash rate on hold. The corporate regulator is looking into similar trading activity in the previous two months. The dollar was buying $US0.7699 late in trading, and Richard Yetsenga of the ANZ Bank expects it to remain at around this level in the near-term

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, RESERVE BANK OF INDIA, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Commentators look forward as ASX 200 flirts with 6000

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by John Wasiliev
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 24-Mar-15

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index continued to test the 6,000-point level again on 23 March 2015. Ric Spooner of CMC markets expects it to rise above 6,000 points in the near-term, adding that if the benchmark index finds support above this level it could potentially rise to around 6,180. Meanwhile, ThinkForex’s Matt Simpsons says the Australian dollar is likely to trade within the range of $US0.755 to $US0.7912 in the near-term

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CMC MARKETS PTY LTD, THINKFOREX, IG MARKETS LIMITED, OANDA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, RESMED INCORPORATED – ASX RMD, WESTFIELD CORPORATION – ASX WFD, QUAY EQUITIES PTY LTD, HC SECURITIES

Eslake breaks ranks with rates call

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Stephen Cauchi
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 17-Mar-15

The Australian dollar was buying $US0.764 late in trading on 16 March 2015, ahead of the release of the minutes from the Reserve Bank’s monthly board meeting. Bank of America Merrill Lynch economist Saul Eslake expects the cash rate to be reduced by 25 basis points in May, followed by rate rises in both December and February. He also forecasts that the dollar will be trading at $US0.73 in December and $US0.68 by the end of 2016

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, BANK OF AMERICA AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, BLOOMBERG LP, BT INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED – ASX BTT, ING AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED

Australian dollar could plummet below US60c: Credit Suisse

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Karen Maley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 & 17 : 10-Mar-15

The Australian dollar was buying $US0.7693 late in trading on 9 March 2015, and Ric Deverell of Credit Suisse is bearish about the currency’s outlook. He expects the dollar to fall below the $US0.70 level, and warns that it could potentially fall below $US0.60. He cites factors such as the prospect of monetary policy tightening in the US later in 2015, which will in turn discourage the carry trade. Deverell is also upbeat about the Australian economy, noting that it is still relatively strong

CORPORATES
CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD

Spike in $A seconds before rates call

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sally Rose, Jonathan Shapiro, Gareth Hutchens
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 5-Mar-15

Concerns about insider trading in the foreign exchange market has intensified after the Australian dollar rose by 0.5 per cent less than a minute before the Reserve Bank announced that the cash rate would remain on hold in March 2015. The currency had fallen by 0.8 per cent only seconds before the previous rate announcement in February. Currency experts such as the Commonwealth Bank’s Richard Grace support the Australian Securities & Investments Commission’s decision to investigate the irregular trading activity

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, BLOOMBERG LP, THOMSON REUTERS PLC

Rate pause clobbers share prices

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jacob Greber, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 4-Mar-15

The Australian sharemarket fell sharply and the dollar rallied after the Reserve Bank defied expectations and left official interest rates on hold on 3 March 2015. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index ended the session at 5,933.9 points, and Tony Paterno of Ord Minnett says it is now unlikely to breach the 6,000-point level in the near-term. The central bank has maintained its easing bias, with governor Glenn Stevens indicating that there may be further rate cuts if this is deemed appropriate

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, ORD MINNETT GROUP LIMITED, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, AUSBIL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, CONTANGO ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, RP DATA LIMITED, CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Commodity currencies ‘could fall too far’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Vesna Poljak
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 24-Feb-15

The Australian dollar was buying $US0.7831 late in trading on 23 February 2015. Citigroup is bearish about the outlook for the currency over the next 12 months, forecasting that it will continue its downward momentum. Meanwhile, Citigroup’s Todd Elmer believes that so-called "commodity currencies" remain overvalued, but he warns of the potential for them to be oversold

CORPORATES
CITIGROUP INCORPORATED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND, BANK OF CANADA