China Exports Drop in January as Challenges Flow into New Year

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China exports dropped in January, while imports also fell, adding to economic challenges confronting the world’s biggest trading nation.

Overseas shipments declined 6.6 percent in January in yuan terms from a year earlier, the customs administration said on Monday, compared with a 2.3 percent increase in December. Imports extended a stretch of declines to 15 months, falling 14.4 percent, leaving a trade surplus of 406.2 billion yuan ($62.3 billion).

The decrease suggests the yuan’s depreciation since August has yet to result in a sustained boost to the competitiveness of China’s factories.

Source : Bloomberg

Japan Economy Contracted Again in Final Quarter of 2015

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Japan’s economy contracted in the final three months of 2015 as the nation struggles to break free of a cycle of expansion and contraction despite more than three years of the Abenomics program.

Gross domestic product shrank an annualized 1.4 percent in the three months ended Dec. 31, following a revised 1.3 percent gain in the third quarter, the Cabinet Office said on Monday in Tokyo. The median estimate of 33 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News was for a 0.8 percent decline.

Weakness in private consumption was the biggest contributor to the contraction, undermining Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s policies to spur inflation and growth in the world’s third-largest economy. The yen appreciated 6.6 percent against the dollar this month even after increased monetary stimulus and attempts by government officials to quell its volatile rise.

The economy’s performance has see-sawed over the past three years since Abe returned as prime minister, even as BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda has ratcheted up monetary easing in concert with government efforts to spur higher wages, consumer spending and investment.

Source : Bloomberg

Dolar Menyentuh 3,5 Bulan Terendah Terhadap Euro

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Dolar melemah terhadap euro dan yen pada hari Kamis karena investor kehilangan kepercayaan pada kemampuan bank sentral untuk memacu pertumbuhan dan menstabilkan pasar.

Mata uang AS jatuh ke 15-bulan rendah terhadap yen, dan tiga setengah bulan terendah vs euro di awal sesi, namun memangkas penurunan setelah hari berlalu.

Indeks dolar AS ICE, indeks kekuatan dolar terhadap sekeranjang enam mata uang rivalnya, turun 0,4% dan berada di 95,4830.

Pada tahun-tahun sejak krisis keuangan hebat, investor mengharapkan terlalu banyak dari bank sentral dengan percaya kebijakan moneter yang longgar bisa memicu kenaikan berkelanjutan dalam pertumbuhan, kata Kit Juckes.(frk)

Gold Futures Spike to its Highest Level in a Year

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Gold futures jumped 4.5% on Thursday to settle at their highest level in about a year as steep losses in global stock markets helped to lift the metal's investment appeal.

April gold rose $53.20 to settle at $1,247.80 an ounce on Comex, after tapping an intraday high of $1,263.90. The settlement was the highest since Feb. 5, 2015.

Source: MarketWatch