Soft Greenback Pushes Aust Dollar Higher

Falls in the greenback have helped the Australian dollar climb higher. At 12pm (AEDT) on Tuesday, the local currency was trading at US75.46 cents, up from US74.94 cents on Thursday. The greenback lost ground overnight after weaker-than-expected US economic data reduced concerns about potential interest rate rises. BK Asset Management managing director Kathy Lien says it’ll be a pivotal week for the greenback, which will impact the Aussie’s...

Gold Holds Advance as Investors Weigh Fed Rate Path, Inflation

Gold held a gain from a one-month low as investors weighed the outlook for U.S. interest rates this year after data on Monday showed the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation slowed last month. Bullion for immediate delivery traded at $1,220.88 an ounce at 9:02 a.m. in Singapore, from $1,221.71 on Monday, when it closed 0.4 percent higher in a rebound from $1,208.38, the lowest intraday level since Feb. 23, according...

China Stocks Drop in Early Trade With Tech Shares Leading Losses

China stocks dropped for a second day, with technology and property companies leading losses as Hong Kong’s market reopened after the Easter break. The Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.5 percent to 2,944.276 as of 9:41 a.m. local time, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell 0.4 percent to 8,665.77. Developers declined on the mainland on Monday after Shenzhen joined Shanghai in introducing measures late last week to...

Asia Stocks Fall as Japan Goes Ex-Dividend, Pharma Shares Slide

Asian stocks fell for the first time in three days as health-care companies led losses and more than two-thirds of the companies in Japan’s Topix index traded without the right to the next dividend. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slipped 0.4 percent to 127.55 as of 9:01 a.m. in Tokyo. The gauge is up 7.1 percent since the start of March, on course for the best month since October. The Topix slid 0.8 percent. Data Monday showed the Federal...

Japan Stocks Fall as Over 1,500 Topix Members Trade Ex-Dividend

Japanese stocks fell, paring the Topix index’s first monthly advance in four months, as more than two-thirds of the companies in the measure traded without the right to receive the next dividend. The Topix declined 1 percent to 1,368.79 at 9:01 a.m. in Tokyo, with all of the 33 industry groups sinking. The measure is on course for a 5.5 percent gain in March. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average retreated 0.8 percent to 16,997.61. More than...