Explore the world.

Assess underlying market conditions and fundamentals in the world's major economies.

World
Global
Americas
United States
Canada
Mexico
Europe
Euro Area
United Kingdom
Asia Pacific
China
Japan
Australia

Stay ahead.

Follow the biggest stories in markets and economics in real time.

Analysis
Blog
Views
Calendar

Subscribe

Get insight into the latest trends and developments in global currency markets with breaking news updates and research reports delivered right to your inbox.

After signing up, you will receive regular newsletters from Corpay, and may unsubscribe at any time. View Corpay’s Privacy Policy

Breaking Market Wire, Asia Pacific

26 Apr 2023

Inflation breathing space for the RBA

On net, the Q1 Australian CPI underwhelmed expectations, with the data confirming that inflation, which is the rate of change in consumer prices, ‘peaked’ at the end of 2022. In terms of the numbers, headline inflation stepped down from 7.8%pa to 7.0%pa. While this was slightly less than what the consensus of economists was factoring in, it was below the RBA’s February 2023 projections (mkt 6.9%pa, RBA ~7.3%pa). At the same time, trimmed mean (the RBA’s preferred core inflation gauge) eased a bit more than anticipated, slowing from 6.9%pa to 6.6%pa (mkt and RBA ~6.7%pa). A closer look at the...

Read More Read More
18 Apr 2023

China’s sector divergence & AUD/EUR

China’s activity batch for March, which included Q1 GDP, confirmed that the economic rebound following the shift away from the COVID zero policy is unfolding. GDP growth was a bit stronger than predicted, with China’s economy expanding by 2.2% over Q1. As a result, annual growth momentum stepped up to 4.5%pa. A look across the underlying drivers shows that, as per other economies when COVID health/mobility restrictions were lifted, spending by households is doing the heavy lifting as pent-up demand is unleashed. Retail sales rose 5.8%pa over Q1 compared to the same period last year. Less encouraging was the underwhelming...

Read More Read More
13 Apr 2023

MAS assuming the brace position

At its 14 April policy review, the Monetary Authority of Singapore surprised markets by maintaining “the prevailing rate of appreciation” of the SGD NEER. The MAS also held the width and center of the currency band steady. This reflected the MAS’ relatively more downbeat view of global and domestic growth, and expectations inflation will slow materially over 2023 (see below for more details). In the words of the MAS, given the “intensifying risks” to growth and unfolding turn in inflation, it judges the current SGD NEER appreciation path “is sufficiently tight and appropriate for securing medium-term price stability”. As the...

Read More Read More
13 Apr 2023

Australian labour market: As good as it gets

The Australian labour force report is notoriously volatile, and the March data generated yet another, albeit positive, surprise. Employment rose more than anticipated, with 53,000 jobs added in the month. This follows the ~64,000 jobs created in February. The mix was also favorable, with full-time employment leading the way (+72,200 in March). Labour market conditions remain tight. The employment-to-population ratio is historically high (now 64.4%), as is the participation rate, while unemployment is still very low. At 3.5% the unemployment rate remains near the lowest it has been since the early-1970’s. Indeed, on the monthly data going back to 1978,...

Read More Read More
04 Apr 2023

RBA: over and out

In what we think was a somewhat finely balanced decision the RBA finally ‘paused’ its rate hiking cycle at the April meeting. After raising rates aggressively since kicking things off in May 2022 (the RBA delivered a cumulative 350bps worth of hikes over the previous 10 meetings, the fastest and most abrupt tightening cycle since at least the 1980s), the RBA kept the cash rate steady at 3.6% for the second straight month. While the RBA held firm in April it has kept the door open to doing more down the track. However, further moves have become far more contingent...

Read More Read More

About

Contact

Data and information on this website is provided “as is” and for informational purposes only. Information on the website does not bind Corpay in any way; nor is it not intended as advice, a recommendation or an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial products. Data and other information are not warranted as to completeness or accuracy and are subject to change without notice. All charts or graphs are from publicly available sources, or our proprietary data. Nothing in this material should be construed as investment, financial, tax, legal, accounting, regulatory or other advice or as creating a fiduciary relationship. Corpay disclaims any responsibility or liability to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, for any loss or damage arising from any reliance on our use of the data in any way. You should contact your Corpay sales representative for clarification on the range of financial instruments available in your jurisdiction. Copyright Cambridge Mercantile Corp. 2022.