WTI Oil rose to a three week high as government report showed stockpiles fell 592,000 barrels last week and US gasoline demand increased to six month highs. Gold rose to a one week high as mounting political unrest in Ukraine boosted demand for the metal as a safe haven asset.
US stocks fell from all-time highs sending benchmark indexes down from all-time highs as investors resumed selling in small cap and internet shares as company’s earnings were scrutinized. The S&P500 fell 0.50 percent after climbing above 1900 for the first time yesterday.
Yesterday’s trading session saw the Aussie Dollar make a short rally to test April’s highs coming from increased speculation the RBA will raise interest rates later this year. This fuelled more risk appetite buying and drove the market almost 50 points higher. However this was short lived as the overnight session managed to subdue this enthusiasm and we are now trading near yesterday’s open.
Overnight the main market mover was the US Dollar falling against a basket of major currencies for the first time in four days as Treasury yields declined on speculation the ECB will introduce easing measures to boost the EU economy by next month. The Euro slowed its recent selling as traders started to take profits following a solid week of selling waiting for further confirmation from tonight’s European Inflation numbers out of France and Germany.
The Greenback saw a better than expected PPI m/m number coming in at 0.6% compared to a forecast of 0.2%. This is a good indicator of consumer inflation, as this shows that when producers charge more for goods and services that the higher costs tend to be passed on the consumer. The market will be looking at Core CPI, Unemployment Claims and Philly Fed Manufacturing Index data tonight to see movements against the Aussie.
The jigsaw mats market is stable at the moment. There is sufficient supply even though demand is currently high. There continues to be demand from a broad range of users. May will see the arrival of yet another shipment of 40mm jigsaw mats for Ezymats. There is also talk of other thicknesses like 20mm and 300 and a high likelihood of vinyl mats hitting the market.
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