Halister News

(Bloomberg) -- Aussie dollar rallies over 1% after RBA minutes show the central bank had considered holding at the last policy meeting to await more information. Asian currencies are mostly higher with won and ringgit leading gains as regional stock markets and oil prices climb.

• Recent gains in oil prices have been stronger than expected, improving sentiment for riskier assets, Tsutomu Soma, Tokyo- based general manager of the fixed-income department at SBI Securities, says in interview
• MSCI Asia Pacific Index rises 0.6%; WTI advances 0.9%
• Australian dollar gains for two days
  • RBA discussed cutting rate on May 3 or awaiting more information
  • RBA minutes may be taken by market as second rate cut is less likely, Capital Economics says
• Won reverses two-day losses, to lead gains among Asian EM
  • S. Korean banks will join Shanghai yuan-won direct trading as market makers, Seoul Economic Daily reports
• Ringgit snaps two-day decline after WTI crude rose overnight to a six-month high
  • Swiss bank BSI said to be investigating employees and their dealings related to 1MDB
  • BNM will hold policy rate at 3.25% on May 19, survey shows
• Philippine peso advances for third straight day
  • Presumptive Philippine President Duterte’s PDP-Laban Party signing coalition pact with former Senate President Manny Villar’s Nacionalista Party
  • Duterte will offer Cabinet position to exiled founder of Communist Party of Philippines, Jose Maria Sison, who led armed rebellion against state
• Singapore dollar rallies for third straight day
  • April Non-oil domestic exports -7.9% y/y vs est. -8.4%
  • Zero appreciation currency policy working one month on; see chart story
• China’s yuan recovers from three-month low hit yesterday
  • PBOC raises reference rate 0.22% to 6.5200 per dollar
  • Chinese economy will expand 6.6% in 2Q: Bloomberg survey
  • Capital outflow pressure continued to ease in April, State Administration of Foreign Exchange says
  • President Xi urges local govts to promote supply-side reforms, according to CCTV report
• Yen little changed
  • Finance Minister Aso says G-7 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors will discuss FX as needed at Summit
  • Japanese net purchases of long-term securities in the U.S. climbed to net $42.7b in March from $10.7b in Feb., highest in Treasury Department data dating back to 1977
  • USD/JPY may rally to test resistance at 50-DMA of 110.28 in short-term if Japan’s 1Q GDP undershoots forecasts, Bloomberg strategist David Finnerty writes
• Indonesia rupiah gains
  • Bank Indonesia will probably focus on adopting new policy framework in Aug. before making any change to interest rates, Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro says