The AUD has opening relatively unchanged this morning due to the quiet offshore trading session as the US and UK markets were closed for public holidays.
The Australian dollar opens weaker today at 0.8450 against the US dollar after pushing back from Friday's early offshore rally above 0.8500.
Oil climbed above $74 per barrel on Monday in line with a timid recovery across financial markets, but still logged its biggest monthly loss in 18 months after the European economic crisis raised the prospect of reduced fuel demand.
The European Central Bank warned on Monday that euro zone banks face up to 195 billion euros in a second wave of potential loan losses over the next 18 months due to the financial crisis, and disclosed it had increased purchases of euro zone government bonds.
Oil crept above $74 on Monday in line with a timid recovery across financial markets, but was set for its biggest monthly loss in 18 months after European economic crisis raised the prospect of reduced fuel demand.
Apple Inc said it sold 2 million iPads since launching the touch-screen tablet in the United States nearly two months ago and taking it to nine international markets this past weekend.
Advanced economies face years of anemic growth and the risk of a double-dip recession as their citizens cope with sluggish employment and highly indebted governments, economist Nouriel Roubini said on Monday.
The European Central Bank disclosed increased purchases of euro zone government bonds on Monday as Spain assured investors it would reform its rigid labor market even if employers and trade unions cannot agree.
Jobless rate falls amid gradual economic recovery - Central bank weighed 25 bps rate rise in May - Peso unfazed by data amid U.S. holiday
The Swiss government failed to act swiftly to prevent a credit and tax crisis that had endangered banking giant UBS AG in 2008-2009 and could have sunk the Swiss economy, a parliamentary report said on Monday.
Gold is marginally lower and threading water in most currencies today with markets subdued as the London Stock Exchange and Wall Street are closed for a national holidays.
Resignations from BP Plc's fuel oil team have extended globally, with the departure of three traders from its U.S. office, including the team leader, and the head trader in London, three industry sources said on Monday.
Retailers are expected to show a sizable increase in sales for the month of May, but erratic trends of consumer spending could grow more pronounced over a seasonally weaker period for shopping.
The euro steadied from recent falls and world stocks were becalmed on Monday with a Chinese warning about risks to global growth and a downgrade of Spain's credit heightening investor caution in holiday-thinned trade.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao warned on Monday that global economic growth remained vulnerable to sovereign debt risks and the possibility of a second downturn, but said his own nation's growth remained on track.
The euro steadied on Monday but remained under pressure after Fitch downgraded Spain's credit rating and France said keeping its top credit rating may be a stretch without tough budget cuts.
Two U.S. Federal Reserve officials said on Monday that the euro zone debt crisis has added some uncertainty to the economic outlook but the impact is not yet big enough to influence the interest rate policy of the United States.
The heads of the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank on Monday both singled out emerging economies as key to global financial stability.
Britain and Europe are the world's costliest places to buy Apple Inc's new iPad computer, with prices around a quarter higher than in the United States, a new study has found.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the world economy depends ever more on emerging markets to maintain strong domestic growth and economic and financial stability.
The Australian Dollar has come off from its recent high on Friday night of 0.8550 as investors trimmed their positions ahead of the long weekend in the US (Memorial Day today) and the UK (May Bank today as well).
(Reuters Health) - If milk does the heart good, it might do the heart better if it comes from dairy cows grazed on grass instead of on feedlots, according to a new study.
