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Economic Data Puts the Loonie and the Greenback in Focus

By:
Bob Mason
Published: May 4, 2021, 02:29 UTC

With no major stats from the Eurozone to consider, economic data from Canada and the U.S will be in focus later today. Manufacturing PMI numbers from the UK also need considering.

US Economy

In this article:

Earlier in the Day:

It was a busier start to the day on the economic calendar this morning. The Aussie Dollar was in action early this morning.

Later this morning, the RBA is also in action. With the markets expecting the RBA to stand pat, the rate statement will be key.

For the Aussie Dollar

In March, the trade surplus narrowed from A$7.529bn to A$5.574bn. Economists had forecast a widening to A$8.000bn.

According to ABS,

  • Goods and services credits fell A$681m (-2%) to A$38,274m.
    • An A$708m fall in the export of non-monetary gold contributed to the fall in total exports.
    • Rural goods exports saw a modest A$28m fall, while the exports of general merchandise rose by A$128m.
    • Total services credits also weighed, falling by A$101m.
  • Imports rose by A$1,340m (4%) to A$32,700m.
    • General merchandise debits jumped by A$790m, with non-monetary gold imports up A$529m.
    • There were also increases in the imports of consumer goods (A$147m), capital goods (A$309m), and intermediate and other merchandise goods (A$334m).

The Aussie Dollar moved from $0.7745 to $0.77434 upon release of the figures. At the time of writing, the Aussie Dollar was down by 0.26% to $0.7743.

Elsewhere

At the time of writing, the Japanese Yen was down by 0.17% to ¥109.25 against the U.S Dollar, with the Kiwi Dollar down by 0.21% to $0.7186.

The Day Ahead:

For the EUR

It’s a quiet day ahead on the economic data front. There are no material stats due out of the Eurozone to provide  to provide the EUR with direction.

The lack of stats will leave the EUR in the hands of market risk sentiment on the day. Following disappointing GDP numbers from last week, the EUR could come under more scrutiny with little else to consider.

At the time of writing, the EUR was down by 0.13% to $1.2048.

For the Pound

It’s a quiet day ahead on the economic calendar. April’s finalized Manufacturing PMI is due out later today.

Barring a marked revision from prelim figures, however, the numbers should have a muted impact on the Pound.

With the UK economy continuing to open up, market optimism should continue to support the Pound at current levels ahead of the BoE policy decision on Thursday.

At the time of writing, the Pound was down by 0.20% to $1.3883.

Across the Pond

It’s a quieter day ahead on the economic calendar. March trade data and factory orders are due out later today.

While trade data will be of interest, factory orders will have the greatest influence on market risk sentiment.

At the time of writing, the Dollar Spot Index was up by 0.16% to 91.091.

For the Loonie

It’s a relatively busy day ahead on the economic calendar. Building permit figures and trade data are due out later today.

Expect the trade data to have the greatest impact on the Loonie. With the BoC’s shift in policy outlook, a marked widening in the trade surplus would deliver the Loonie with another boost.

At the time of writing, the Loonie was down by 0.12% to C$1.2294 against the U.S Dollar.

For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar.

About the Author

Bob Masonauthor

With over 20 years of experience in the finance industry, Bob has been managing regional teams across Europe and Asia and focusing on analytics across both corporate and financial institutions. Currently he is covering developments relating to the financial markets, including currencies, commodities, alternative asset classes, and global equities.

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