Data:
00:30 Australia Consumer Price Index (QoQ) (Q4) 0.4%
00:30 Australia Consumer Price Index (YoY) (Q4) 2.7%
03:35 Japan BoJ Interest Rate Decision (Jan 25) 0.1%
The dollar fell toward a two-month low against the euro before Federal Reserve policy makers begin a two-day meeting amid speculation accelerating U.S. growth won’t be enough to prompt a tightening of monetary policy.
The greenback weakened before data this week forecast to show home prices dropped by the most since December 2009 while the U.S. economic expansion quickened.
Australia’s currency slid after a government report showed consumer prices rose at the slowest pace in almost two years. The yen was near a two-month low against the euro as Asian stocks advanced amid signs the global recovery is building momentum, boosting demand for higher-yielding assets.
EUR/USD: the pair bargained in the field of $1,3690.
GBP/USD: the pair decreased in around $1,5930.
USD/JPY: the pair bargained within the limits of Y82,30-Y82,65.
UK data at 0930GMT includes the first estimate of Q4 GDP as well as the public finance forecasts, which are for public sector net borrowing (PSNB), public sector net borrowing excluding financial interventions (PSNBX) and the public sector net cash requirement (PSNCR). PSNB is expected to slip to stg18.1 billion with PSNBX at stg20.6 billion and PSNCR fairly steady at stg17.0 billion. The GDP forecasts highlight the uncertainty over the impact of bad weather late in the year and the extent of the slowdown. Analysts' forecasts range from flat on the quarter to up 0.6%, with a median forecast of 0.4% q/q, compared with up 0.7% on the quarter in Q3.
US data starts at 1245GMT with the weekly ICSC-Goldman Store Sales data. US data continues at 1355GMT with the weekly Redbook, which is followed at 1400GMT by the latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index.
US data also includes Consumer Confidence at 1500GMT, which is released at the same time as State Unemployment data, the FHFA Home Price Index and also the latest Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index. The index of
consumer confidence is expected to rise to a reading of 54.3 in January after falling in December. The Michigan Sentiment index suggested that consumers were slightly more pessimistic than in December.