by GoLearn Forex
The FOMC meeting came and went without stirring the waters. In the Euro-zone and London, Equity Markets finished their sessions in positive territory ahead of the highly anticipated U.S FED rate decision. The accompanying FOMC statement was intentionally left mostly unchanged so as not to roil markets. It served its purpose well as the DJIA finished the day off slightly lower by 10.88 points to close at 10,441.12 while the tech heavy NASDAQ closed up 5.86 points to 2,206.91.
In the Currency Markets the Dollar followed Equity Markets finishing the session nearly flat against its G-7 counterparts. The AUD gave up .61% still reeling from CB comments that took on a more dovish tone in regards to any near term future rate hikes.
Oil soared to 73.54 during intra-day trading before leveling off the day at 72.66, a gain of $1.97. Gold climbed $12.70 an ounce to 1,137.90. On the Agricultural front Soybeans, Cotton and Sugar continued to rally while Copper, Wheat and Corn declined on Dollar strength.
On the economic data docket for today we have the BOJ rate decision to be announced, although no change is expected. In the U.K, Retails Sales are set to be released while in Canada CPI data will hit the wire. In the U.S, Jobless Claims will print as will the measure of Leading Indicators and the Philadelphia FED survey.
Upcoming Forex Events for December 17, 2009
GBP Retail Sales (MoM) Forecast 0.50% Previous 0.40%
CAD Core CPI (MoM) Forecast 0.10% Previous 0.10%
USD Initial Jobless Claims Forecast 470.00K Previous 474.00K
JPY Interest Rate Decision Forecast 0.10% Previous 0.10%