Forex / Asia news

SEOUL (Thomson Financial) - South Korea's won extended its rally against the US dollar for a fourth day, rising past the 920 to the dollar level to hit a seven-month high, as investors bet on a rate hike by the Bank of Korea (BoK) next week, while the US Federal Reserve is seen keeping its rates on hold...

TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - Japan's monetary base fell 4.1 percent from a year before to 87.634 trln yen in June, dropping for the16th consecutive month, preliminary data from the Bank of Japan showed.The decline followed a 5.7 pct fall in May, when the monetary base posted a single-digit dip for thefirst time in 13 months...

NEW YORK (AP) - The dollar fell to a 26-year low against the British pound Monday ahead of an expected rate hike by the Bank of England later this week.The pound rose to $2.0173 -- its highest level versus the dollar since June 1981 -- in New York trading before retreating to $2...

WASHINGTON (Thomson Financial) - The largest US bilateral trade deal since the North American Free Trade Agreement is facing significant hurdles to being approved by Congress, in particular a hostile US auto industry that is warning the deal will do nothing to increase US auto exports to South Korea...

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - The dollar enjoyed a brief recovery after better than expected US industrial data but soon fell to a two-month low against the euro as wider economic concerns, particularly around the housing sector, hampered the currency...

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (AP) - Forced into a catch-up mode after a rocky campaign, Austria went on the offensive Sunday in the final days before the vote on the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics.Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer, the first of three heads of government to come to Guatemala to push his country's bid, said Salzburg can't compete with the money thrown behind rival bids from Russia and South Korea but has the ready-built venues, safe conditions and passionate crowds that the others can't offer...

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - The euro struck a six-week high against the dollar after further solid economic data from the 13-nation single currency zone reinforced expectations the European Central Bank will raise borrowing costs at least twice more this year...

MANILA (Thomson Financial) - Asia may need to establish its own monetary fund if it is to cope with future financial shocks similar to that which rocked the region 10 years ago, a regional forum was told.An Asian Monetary Fund may be essential as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was unable to cope adequately with the Asian crisis when it started in July 1997, the forum hosted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was told...

JAKARTA (Thomson Financial) - Bank Indonesia (BI) is expected to further cut its benchmark interest rate, called the BI rate, by 25 basis points this week following the tame June consumer price index data.The BI board of governors will meet on Thursday to set the interest rate policy for this month...

JAKARTA (Thomson Financial) - Indonesia's trade surplus was 3.22 bln usd in May, little changed from the surplus of 3.21 bln usd in April, as both exports and imports rose during the month, Central Bureau of Statistics deputy chairman Pietojo said.Exports, at 9...

SEOUL (Thomson Financial) - The South Korean won surged to its strongest level against the US dollar so far this year as international institutions and South Korean exporters sold the greenback amid the dollar's fall against major international currencies...

SEOUL (Thomson Financial) - South Korea's consumer price index rose 2.5 pct from a year earlier in June due to higher service fees and housing rents as well as dearer industrial goods and fruits, preliminary data from the National Statistical Office showed...

SYDNEY (Thomson Financial) - The US dollar was weaker against the yen in afternoon trading here after the release of the results of the Bank of Japan's latest Tankan survey of business conditions which, the market considers, present few obstacles to an increase soon in Japanese interest rates...

SINGAPORE (Thomson Financial) - Private residential prices in the three months to June were up 7.9 pct quarter-on-quarter, after rising 4.8 pct in the first quarter, the Urban Redevelopment Authority said in its preliminary estimates.In the quarter to June, prices of non-landed properties in the core central region grew 7...

SINGAPORE (Thomson Financial) - Oil prices were lower in late morning Singapore trade on profit-taking, after striking 10-month highs in the US Friday, with the market remaining concerned about adequate gasoline (petrol) supplies in the United States...

TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - The results of the Bank of Japan's latest Tankan survey of business conditions show no improvement in the second quarter in business confidence among large manufacturers, which have supported the economic recovery in recent years, and some deterioration in confidence among smaller firms, which employ the bulk of Japanese workers...

TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - The average monthly cash earnings of a regular employee, including overtime and bonuses, fell 0.6 pct year-on-year to 274,091 yen in May, down for the sixth consecutive month, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said...

TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - Japanese government bond prices ended the morning session mostly higher, tracking rises in US bond prices Friday.The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 5.03 percent Friday from 5.11 percent late Thursday.Earlier Monday, the Bank of Japan's June quarter business sentiment survey, or Tankan, showedthe headline diffusion index of confidence among large manufacturers was plus 23 last month, the same as in March...

SEOUL (Thomson Financial) - South Korean exports extended their double-digit growth into a 17th month in June, fuelling hopes that exports, coupled with improvements in domestic demand may accelerate a recovery in Asia's fourth-largest economy.June exports grew 15...

SYDNEY (Thomson Financial) - The US dollar was trading higher against the yen and euro but a fall in US bond yields on Friday isexpected to cap further gains in the greenback due to lower US inflation measures.The Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation, the core PCE deflator, rose just 0...