Thanks Highlandlad! 1pm - 'Economic news' courtesy reminder time...

Thanks Highlandlad!

1pm - 'Economic news' courtesy reminder time Traders!

'Market Focus' in the US this evening

"A dip in exports could weaken Democratic opposition to the extension of tax cuts." [Source: nasdaq.com., Mark Pender]

'Market Reflections' from the last trading session (09.12.2010)

"A very welcome decline in weekly jobless claims adds further to an increasingly positive outlook for the economy. Yet the news is offset by Democratic resistance in Congress that may stall the extension of tax cuts, the prospect of which has driven interest rates sharply higher this week. Rates ended mixed to lower today with the 30-year yield down five basis points to 4.40 percent.

Other economic news included a big build for wholesale inventories which, together with factory inventory data and strong retail sales, offer an early indication for a healthy quarter-to-quarter build in total inventories. The wholesale data show enormous price-related surges for farm products reflecting October's jump in agricultural prices that extended into November. Titan Machinery, a heavy equipment distributor based in the Plains States, lifted guidance after reporting a sales surge in its October quarter.

Stocks ended virtually unchanged for a third straight day with the Dow at 11,370. The dollar index also ended little changed as did oil and gold." [Source: nasdaq.com., Mark Pender]
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Of note in the US this evening:-

International Trade [ Market moving indicator]
[International trade is composed of merchandise (tangible goods) and services. It is available nationally by export, import and trade balance. Merchandise trade is available by export, import and trade balance for six principal end-use commodity categories and for more than one hundred principal Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) system commodity groupings. Data are also available for 36 countries and geographic regions. Detailed information is reported on oil and motor vehicle imports. Services trade is available by export, import and trade balance for seven principal end-use categories.]

Consumer Sentiment [ Merits extra attention]
[The University of Michigan's Consumer Survey Center questions 500 households each month on their financial conditions and attitudes about the economy. Consumer sentiment is directly related to the strength of consumer spending. Consumer confidence and consumer sentiment are two ways of talking about consumer attitudes. Among economic reports, consumer sentiment refers to the Michigan survey while consumer confidence refers to The Conference Board's survey.]

Treasury Budget [ Merits extra attention]
[The U.S. Treasury releases a monthly account of the surplus or deficit of the federal government. Changes in the budget balance of the annual fiscal year (which begins in October) are followed as an indicator of budgetary trends and the thrust of fiscal policy.]

Trade Balance (Oct) [ Moderate volatility expected]
[The Trade Balance released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau is a balance between exports and imports of total goods and services. A positive value shows trade surplus, while a negative value shows trade deficit. It is an event that generates some volatility for the USD. If a steady demand in exchange for US exports is seen, that would turn into a positive growth in the trade balance, and that should be positive for the USD.]

Import Price Index (MoM) (YoY) (Nov)
[The Import Price Index released by the US Department of Labor informs the changes in the price of imported products into the US.The higher the cost of imported goods, the stronger the effect they will have on inflation, redunding in a higher probability of a rate rise. Generally, a high reading should be taken as positive (or bullish) for the USD, while a low reading is seen as negative (or bearish).]

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... AND ...
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Of note in Australia on Monday of next week:-

Please note there is no noteworthy 'Economic news' due to be released in Australia on Monday.

[Sources used: nasdaq.com; bloomberg.com; fxstreet.com; dailymarkets.com; www.dailyfx.com; & ozforex.com.au]
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ASX Market Watch (widget snapshot)



Gold Spot Price atm (Kitco)

... and the DOW futures are currently Up 11 pts atm (Live)!