Aust dollar hits new nine-month high

The Australian dollar has soared to new heights as the greenback loses ground for a third straight day. At 7am (AEDT) on Friday, the local unit was trading at US76.67c, up from US76.47c on Thursday. The Aussie soared to US77.23c overnight, the highest level since last July. Meanwhile, the US dollar index fell to a new six-month low as the effects of US central bank boss Janet Yellen’s dovish speech linger. OANDA Australia and Asia Pacific...

Oil Futures Jump More Than 13% For The Month

Oil futures finished the month on Thursday with a gain of more than 13%, with prices finding support from falling U.S. production and the prospect of a freeze in output by major producers. May WTI crude settled at $38.34 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up 2 cents for the session. Prices gained about 13.5% for the month and 3.5% for the quarter, according to FactSet. Source: marketwatc...

Asia Stocks Fall After Best Month Since October Before Jobs Data

Asian stocks fell, following the best monthly advance since October, as Japanese corporate sentiment slumped and investors awaited the release of U.S. monthly jobs data. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slid 0.9 percent to 127.75 as of 9:15 a.m. in Tokyo. The gauge climbed 8.2 percent last month, ending a tumultuous quarter for global markets. Equities have rebounded from lows in February as the Federal Reserve reassured investors that it...

Japan Stocks Fall for Fourth Day as Corporate Sentiment Slumps

Stocks fell for a fourth day in Tokyo, after the benchmark equity index capped a 13 percent quarterly drop, as a report showed corporate sentiment deteriorated to near a three-year low. The Topix index dropped 1.5 percent to 1,327.43 at 9:14 a.m. in Tokyo, with all of its 33 industry groups declining. The measure is headed for a 2.4 percent loss this week. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 1.4 percent to 16,531.16 on Friday after the...

Hong Kong shares dip on profit taking, Hang Seng sheds over 5 pct in Q1

Hong Kong's benchmark share index retreated from near three-month highs on Thursday as some investors took profits from a jump in the previous session as fears of a near-term U.S. interest rate hike receded. The Hang Seng index ended down 0.1 percent at 20,776.70 points, while the China Enterprises Index gained 0.3 percent to 9,003.25. For the month, the Hang Seng gained 8.7 percent, but was still down 5.2 percent in the first quarter...