Asian session: yen rose bofore Haruhiko Kuroda Speach

Data:

00:30 Australia RBA Bulletin Quarter I

01:45 China HSBC Manufacturing PMI (Preliminary) March 50.4 51.2 51.7

04:30 Japan All Industry Activity Index, m/m January +1.8% -1.1% -1.4%

The yen rose against the dollar as markets await Haruhiko Kuroda’s first press briefing as central bank governor.

New Zealand’s dollar rose against all of its major peers after data showed the nation’s economy grew at the fastest pace in three years last quarter. Data show gross domestic product rose 1.5% in Q4 from Q3, exceeding the 0.9% median estimate.

In the event the FOMC kept monetary policy unchanged but tweaked the economic paragraph: it kept the $85-billion/month pace of Quantitative Easing buying of bonds, said it will reinvest and roll such holdings. It also kept the key fed funds rate still at 0%-0.25%, and pledged exceptionally low rates until the U.S. sees 6.5% unemployment rate and long-term inflation of 0.5% point above 2% inflation for a "considerable time. Dollar fell slightly against major peers after FOMC Statement and Federal Reserve Press Conference.

EUR/USD: the pair was trading in the $1.2930 - $1.2955.

GBP/USD: during the Asian session the pair consolidated above $1.5100, reach $1.5120 area.

USD/JPY: during the Asian session the pair fell in the area of Y95.70.

Data gets underway from 08:00 GMT, when the French March flash manufacturing and services PMI will start the release of flash European data.

German March flash PMIs are expected at 08:30 GMT, to be followed at 09:00 GMT by the release of the Eurozone flash manufacturing and services PMI.

At 11:00 GMT, the March CBI Industrial Trends Survey will be released.

Across the pond, the data calendar starts at 12:30 GMT, with the release of Canadian January retail sales and the US jobless claims data for the March 16 week.

The level of initial jobless claims is expected to rise 8,000 to 340,000 in the March 16 employment survey week after falling by 10,000 in the previous week.

Further US data is expected from 14:00 GMT, with the release of the March Markit PMI (flash) data. Also at 1400GMT, the January FHFA Home Price Index and February Existing Home Sales data will cross the wires.