The Australian equity market is pointed to a slightly weaker open today after the Dow finished 62 points lower 12240.11, the blue-chip measure’s fifth straight loss. The S&P500 index shed 4.22 points to close at 1300.67 as lawmakers indicated they were no closer to reaching an agreement to the increase of the debt ceiling and avoiding default.
The stalling of the U.S. debt-ceiling debates has convinced many investors that the government is on track to lose its triple-A credit rating. Attention on the subject intensified late Thursday as House Republican leaders aimed for an evening vote on their latest proposal to cut spending and increase the borrowing limit. The action follows weeks of squabbling between the White House and Congress.
The AUDUSD traded down from highs of 1.1076 overnight to as low as 1.0977, traders seem to be sitting on the fence awaiting for the House of Representatives vote later on Friday.
The USDCHF (see above chart) dropped to a record for the fourth straight day trading down as low as 0.7990 as the US house of representatives headed towards a showdown. At time of writing this report the USDCHF has bounced slightly to sit at 0.8014.
WTI crude had a unexciting evening finishing the US session at 97.44 after US jobless claims dropped to the lowest level in almost four months, this signals that the fuel consumption may increase as the weakness in the jobs markets lightens.
Source Bloomberg, Dow Jones News
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INDICES |
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Last Traded |
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SPI 200 future |
4427 |
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S&P500 Index |
1300.67 |
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Dow Jones Indus. Avg |
12240.11 |
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FTSE 100 Index |
5873.21 |
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COMMODITIES |
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Last Traded |
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Gold |
1615.65 |
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Oil (Nymex) |
97.13 |
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CURRENCIES |
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Last Traded |
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AUDUSD |
1.0999 |
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EURUSD |
1.4325 |
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GBPUSD |
1.6360 |
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USDJPY |
77.77 |









