Forex / Asia news

TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - Moody's Investors Service said it may upgrade its credit ratings on Japanese government bonds, as the government's fiscal reform efforts and economic recovery have helped enhance prospects for Japan's sovereign debt balance...

SINGAPORE (Thomson Financial) - Oil prices continued lower in subdued morning trade in Singapore, with the market quiet due to the US Independence Day holiday and ahead of a weekly US energy inventory report.At 10:28 am (0228 GMT), New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in August, was down 21 cents at 71...

TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - Japanese government bond prices ended Wednesday's morning session lower, tracking falls overnight in US and European bond prices.The surprisingly poor demand at Tuesday's auction of new 10-year government bonds also weighed on sentiment...

SYDNEY (Thomson Financial) - The US dollar was steady against other major currencies in morning trading here Wednesday as players remained on the sidelines before the Independence Day holiday in the US.Thin liquidity is expected to persist until Thursday's announcements about interest rates in the UK and the euro zone...

NEW YORK (AP) - The dollar hovered at 26-year-lows against the British pound Tuesday, and remained within sight of a record low against the euro as buyers waited to see when interest rates in Europe might rise.The 13-nation euro traded as high as $1.3633 before settling back to $1...

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (AP) - Tens of millions of dollars pouring into Olympic bid campaigns. PR companies, lobbyists and spin doctors working frantically. Rumors of dirty tricks swirling behind the scenes.Intrigue was rampant on Monday in the final 48 hours before the vote on the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics, leading some senior International Olympic Committee officials to say that the bidding process has gotten out of control and needs to be curbed...

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - The dollar remained weak with the latest data on US pending home sales and factory orders offering little support.The latest set of figures on the US housing market revealed the sector is still struggling, with pending home sales down 3...

SINGAPORE (Thomson Financial) - The Purchasing Mangers' Index (PMI) last month rose to its highest level this year at 52.3 points from 50.0 in May on the back of a surge in new orders and exports, the Singapore Institute of Purchasing&Materials Management said...

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - The pound remained near 26-year highs against the dollar amid expectations of further monetary tightening in the UK at the same time as housing concerns continue to dog thinking about the US economic outlook.While the Bank of England's rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee is expected to raise its key repo rate another quarter point to 5...

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - The pound struck a new 26-year high against the dollar this morning as the markets positioned themselves for the expected Bank of England rate hike on Thursday.Ongoing concerns about the US housing market continue to weigh on the US currency, raising the prospect that the US Federal Reserve will not be changing its interest rates soon, thereby giving other currencies like the pound a yield attraction...

TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Toshiro Muto reiterated the central bank's stance on interest rates Tuesday, saying the monetary authority will adjust its rates gradually and in accordance with developments in the economy and prices...

SEOUL (Thomson Financial) - South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-Soo on Tuesday said there should be no discrimination against foreigners after a free trade agreement (FTA) was signed with the United States.Han also instructed cabinet ministers to drum up public support for the free-trade pact which awaits parliamentary approval...

TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - Japanese government bond prices closed Tuesday's session narrowly mixed, with a weak result from an auction of new 10-year government bonds triggering a wave of selling in the afternoon.Losses here pared back earlier gains, driven by the solid performance of US Treasury prices Monday...

SYDNEY (Thomson Financial) - The US dollar was little changed against major currencies in Tuesday afternoon trading in Asia astraders await fresh leads.The release of US pending home sales and factory orders data for May later Tuesday are the nextfocus for market participants who will also be wary of declining US bond yields of late which areweighing on the greenback...

TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - The lowest accepted price at Tuesday's auction of 1.9 trillion yen worth of 10-year Japanese government bonds was 100.08 yen, giving a yield of 1.890 percent, the Ministry of Finance said.Of the successful bids, 98.1 percent were made at the lowest price, the ministry said...

SINGAPORE (Thomson Financial) - Oil prices fell in Asian trade Tuesday on profit-taking but the dip is likely to be brief amid strong concerns over low US gasoline supplies.At 10:54 am (0254 GMT), New York's main contract, light sweet crude for August delivery, was 12 cents lower at 70...

TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - Japanese government bond prices ended Tuesday's morning session narrowly mixed, as many investors remained on the sidelines amid an absence of strong new cues.Neither yesterday's June quarter Tankan survey results nor comments from Bank of Japan board member Kiyohiko Nishimura -- who reiterated Monday the need for gradual adjustments to interest rates in line with the recovering economy -- excited market participants...

TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - Japan's Ministry of Finance said Tuesday it has set a coupon of 1.9 percent on 1.9 trillion yen worth of ten-year government bonds it will auction today.At the last auction of 10-year paper on June 5 it set a coupon of 1.8 percent...

TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - A member of the Bank of Japan's policy board, Kiyohiko Nishimura, has said the central bank needs to adjust interest rates gradually and prudently, in line with the pace of the improvement in the economy."The policy rate should be adjusted gradually to the trend of general economic conditions, and the timing of policy change should depend on the pace of economic improvement," Nishimura told a meeting of the Brookings Institution...

SYDNEY (Thomson Financial) - The US dollar was only slightly lower against the yen and little changed against the euro in morning trading here, but the market continues to favor selling the greenback because of falling US bond yields.Expectations of increases over the coming months in interest rates everywhere but in the US, including a rise of 25 basis points by the Bank of England Thursday, will remain a burden on the greenback...