Asian session: The Swiss Franc traded near the strongest since October 2011

00:01 United Kingdom Rightmove House Price Index (MoM) March +3.3% +1.6%

00:01 United Kingdom Rightmove House Price Index (YoY) March +6.9% +6.8%

00:30 Australia New Motor Vehicle Sales (MoM) February -3.5% +0.1%

00:30 Australia New Motor Vehicle Sales (YoY) February -3.0% -3.5%

The Swiss Franc traded near the strongest since October 2011 as the West prepares to impose sanctions against Russia after a referendum in Crimea, supporting demand for safer assets. European Union foreign ministers will meet in Brussels today to discuss travel bans and asset freezes on some Russian officials as Vladimir Putin’s government prepares to annex the region in Ukraine’s south.

The yen retreated following last week’s steepest advance since January as Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc said the Bank of Japan may be starting to embark on dovish rhetoric, helping to cap its gains.

The yuan will be able to trade today as much as 2 percent on either side of a daily central bank reference rate, from 1 percent previously, the People’s Bank of China said in a statement on its website on March 15. The move underscores pledges from China’s leaders to make the exchange rate more market based and promote freer movement of capital for investment purposes.Demand for the Aussie increased after Bill Evans, the chief economist Westpac Banking Corp., wrote in research that he no longer expects the Reserve Bank of Australia to cut rates this year, following signs of improvement in employment, consumption and business confidence.

EUR / USD: during the Asian session, the pair traded in the range of $ 1.3900-15

GBP / USD: during the Asian session, the pair traded in the range of $ 1.6625-45

USD / JPY: during the Asian session, the pair rose to Y101.60

It was a relatively dull session for the euro amid ongoing worries about tension in Ukraine.