外汇市场最新讯息

May 5, 2021

United States (US): US Services Index Unexpectedly Pulls Back Off All Time High

After reporting an unexpected slowdown in US manufacturing growth earlier this week, the Institute for Supply Management released a report on Wednesday showing the pace of U.S. service sector growth also unexpectedly slowed in the month of April. The ISM said its services PMI edged down to 62.7 in April after jumping to an all-time high of 63.7 in March. A reading above 50 still indicates growth in the service sector, but economists had expected the index to inch up to 64.3. The unexpected dip by the headline index partly reflected a slowdown in the pace of growth in business activity, as the business activity index slumped to 62.7 in April from 69.4 in March. On the other hand, the ISM said the employment index rose to 58.8 in April from 57.2 in March, reaching its highest level since September of 2018. Looking ahead, much better health conditions, reopenings, and the release of pent-up demand will allow badly damaged services to recoup their losses at a brisk pace. Supply chain and hiring challenges within services, as well as ripple effects from the goods sector, will drag on growth. However, these issues won't pose a lasting drag as the economy returns to full health. 05/05/2021 - 07:23AM (RTTNews)

New Zealand: Unemployment Rate Drops To 4.7% In Q1

New Zealand dollar traded at 0.7207 U.S. cents at 9:00 am PST.

The jobless rate in New Zealand came in at a seasonally adjusted 4.7% in Q1 of 2021, Statistics New Zealand said on Wednesday. That was shy of estimates for 4.9%, which would have been unchanged from the previous three months. The employment change was 0.6% on quarter, steady from the three months prior but surpassing expectations for 0.2%. The participation rate was 70.4% in Q1 - beating forecasts for 70.3% and up from 70.2% in the previous quarter. The underutilization rate rose to 12.2% in the March 2021 quarter, up from 11.8% last quarter. For men, the underutilization rate rose to 10.1%, up from 9.7%. For women, the underutilization rate rose to 14.7%, up from 14.3%. The employment rate rose to 67.1%, up from 66.8% last quarter. For men, the employment rate fell to 72.0%, down from 72.1% last quarter. 05/04/2021 - 10:25PM (RTTNews)

European Union (EU)

Euro traded at 1.1996 against USD at 9:00 am PST. 

Spain: Unemployment Falls For Second Straight Month

Spain's unemployment decreased for the second straight month in April with the easing of restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic, data released by the labor ministry showed Wednesday. Unemployment fell by 39,012, or 0.99%, in April from the previous month. This followed a decline of 59,149 in March. The number of people out of work was 3.91 million in April. Unemployment among young people aged below 25 decreased by 1,909 or 0.53% from the previous month. According to the data published by the statistical office last week, the unemployment rate fell to 15.98% in Q1 from 16.13% in Q4 of 2020. 05/05/2021 - 04:06AM (RTTNews)

Switzerland: Consumer Prices Increase For First Time In 15 Months

Swiss Franc traded at 0.9135 against USD at 9:00 am PST. 

Switzerland's consumer prices rose for the first time in fifteen months in April, data from the Federal Statistical Office showed on Wednesday. The CPI grew 0.3% YoY in April, after a 0.2% fall in March. This was in line with economists' expectation. On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.2% in April, after a 0.3% increase in the previous month. This was in line with economists' expectation. Prices for fruiting vegetables, clothing and hotel accommodation increased in April, while prices for heating oil and berries declined. The core CPI remained unchanged yearly in April and rose 0.2% from the previous month. 05/05/2021 - 01:54AM (RTTNews)

United Kingdom (UK): GBP Steady As Outright Majority For Scottish Nationalist Seen Unlikely

British Pound traded at 1.3904 against USD at 9:00 am PST. 

GBP was unchanged against USD on Wednesday morning as a poll showed Scotland’s main pro-independence party was unlikely to win an outright majority in Thursday’s election, a blow to its hopes for a referendum on separating from UK. The Scottish National Party wants a majority in the devolved parliament to demand another referendum, although PM Johnson has repeatedly said he will not grant one. For this reason, the impact of the election’s results on the GBP are expected to be limited. Analysts expect the impact of the Scottish elections on GBP to be very limited, they argued adding that regardless of the result, most don’t expect an imminent vote on independence. Policymakers of BoE meet on Thursday when the central bank will publish its May Monetary Policy Report. 05/05/2021 - 01:32AM (RTTNews)