--------------(Snapshot at 8:20 a.m./2120 GMT)-----------------
FOREX (vs Late Sydney) DEBT FUTURES (Night Session) 0.9002 (0.8907) 90-DAY (MAR) 95.75 (95.74) 0.6604 (0.6605) 3-YR (MAR) 95.02 (95.05) 82.37 (81.69) 10-YR (MAR) 94.36 (94.05) 1.2838 (1.2798) US10-YR 3.78 (3.79)
AU$S/Term range *Support *Resistance *RSI-14 *MA-10 *MA-20
*0.8700/9050 *0.8940 *0.9037 *53.30 *0.8882 *0.8876
----------------------------(Feb 22)---------------------------
* Australian dollar offshore trading range $0.8912-0.9014.
* Aussie recovers ground to rise above 90 U.S. cents. It is at fresh 25-year high versus the pound and hovers just below decade highs against the bruised euro.
* Pound under pressure after weak retail sales numbers, helping the Aussie to climb to 0.5805 pence in early deals in Asia, its highest level since 1985. The Aussie is firm at 0.6607 euro. The euro recovered some lost ground on the greenback after U.S. inflation data showed the Federal Reserve was unlikely to be in hurry to raise rates.
* U.S. consumer price index numbers in January were more benign than expected and reinforced the view that the Fed will not be moving soon to raise the fed funds rate..
* Expectations that the Fed will hike the fed funds rate got a boost after it raised the discount rate by 25 basis points to 0.75 percent on Thursday.
* The Aussie was also helped by expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will continue to tighten policy in the coming months.
* On Friday, RBA Governor, Glenn Stevens said rates could be raised by as much as 100 basis points as the bank moves towards a more normal monetary policy setting. He identified what he thought was the 'normal' level of local rates as being 50-100 basis points above the current 3.75 percent cash rate. .
* Markets are betting on a 40 percent chance that local rates will rise 25 basis points to 4.0 percent on March 2.
* Firmer commodity prices also supported the Aussie. The CRB index was up 0.6 percent. Australia is one of the world's top sellers of commodities so firm commodity prices tend to help the Aussie at the margins.
* Australian bond futures were lower as uncertainty about future rate hikes kept most investors on the sidelines.
* Three-year bonds were indicated 0.03 points lower at 95.02 while the 10-year was down 0.02 point at 94.36.
(Reporting by Anirban Nag)
((anirban.nag@ThomsonReuters.com; Reuters Messaging; anirban.nag.reuters.com@reuters.net; +61 2 9373 1871))
Keywords: MARKETS AUSTRALIA BONDS/FOREX (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
* Australian dollar offshore trading range $0.8912-0.9014.
* Aussie recovers ground to rise above 90 U.S. cents. It is at fresh 25-year high versus the pound and hovers just below decade highs against the bruised euro.
* Pound under pressure after weak retail sales numbers, helping the Aussie to climb to 0.5805 pence in early deals in Asia, its highest level since 1985. The Aussie is firm at 0.6607 euro. The euro recovered some lost ground on the greenback after U.S. inflation data showed the Federal Reserve was unlikely to be in hurry to raise rates.
* U.S. consumer price index numbers in January were more benign than expected and reinforced the view that the Fed will not be moving soon to raise the fed funds rate..
* Expectations that the Fed will hike the fed funds rate got a boost after it raised the discount rate by 25 basis points to 0.75 percent on Thursday.
* The Aussie was also helped by expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will continue to tighten policy in the coming months.
* On Friday, RBA Governor, Glenn Stevens said rates could be raised by as much as 100 basis points as the bank moves towards a more normal monetary policy setting. He identified what he thought was the 'normal' level of local rates as being 50-100 basis points above the current 3.75 percent cash rate. .
* Markets are betting on a 40 percent chance that local rates will rise 25 basis points to 4.0 percent on March 2.
* Firmer commodity prices also supported the Aussie. The CRB index was up 0.6 percent. Australia is one of the world's top sellers of commodities so firm commodity prices tend to help the Aussie at the margins.
* Australian bond futures were lower as uncertainty about future rate hikes kept most investors on the sidelines.
* Three-year bonds were indicated 0.03 points lower at 95.02 while the 10-year was down 0.02 point at 94.36.
(Reporting by Anirban Nag)
((anirban.nag@ThomsonReuters.com; Reuters Messaging; anirban.nag.reuters.com@reuters.net; +61 2 9373 1871))
Keywords: MARKETS AUSTRALIA BONDS/FOREX (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.