FOREX

Britain's top share index was 0.5 percent lower in mid-session trade on Tuesday as investors paused for breath after a four-day winning streak, with falls in banks and miners offsetting gains in some defensive issues.

U.S. stock index futures were slightly lower on Tuesday as investors digested earnings from retailers and awaited a report expected to show U.S. industrial production rose for a fourth straight month.

The dollar rebounded on Tuesday from Monday's 15-month lows after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke made rare comments about the dollar, encouraging traders to trim longer-term bets against the currency.

The imperative of greater global currency stability means the world can no longer rely, as it has done since the end of the gold standard, on a currency issued by a single country, the head of the IMF said on Tuesday.

Setting interest rates plays a role in averting crises, but whether they should be set according to asset prices is still an open question, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Janet Yellen said on Tuesday.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday nudged Chinese President Hu Jintao to allow the yuan currency to appreciate at a landmark summit in Beijing.

With no local economic data released yesterday the Australian dollar bounced around between 0.9320 and 0.9350 for the majority of the Asian day searching for direction. The directionless trade continued well into the evening and throughout the European session only coming to life in North American exchange. Consumer Spending data out of the U.S surprised to the upside triggering a surge in demand for equities and riskier assets in general which benefited the Aussie dollar. At its peak the AUD/US...

The U.S. central bank is monitoring the declining value of the dollar closely as part of its commitment to both jobs growth and price stability, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Monday. In a rare commentary on the value of the dollar, Bernanke drew a link between its current weakness and inflation risks.

A stronger yuan is part of the policy mix that Beijing needs to increase domestic consumption and help ease global imbalances, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Monday.

U.S. stock index futures gained on Monday, taking a cue from rising global markets, as a weaker dollar lifted commodities prices in a potential boost to natural resource stocks.

Japan's prime minister called his trade chief careless on Monday for revealing GDP figures in a speech to business executives ahead of their official release, a slip that raised doubts about government handling of sensitive information.

Offshore markets bet on hefty yuan gains over the next year even after Beijing rebuffed calls for the currency to rise, signalling resistance to change during U.S. President Barack Obama's first visit to China.

Interbank lending rates remained pinned on Monday by the abundance of excess cash in the system but comments from a host of central bankers are likely to be closely scrutinised for further clues on exit strategies.

The dollar slipped on Monday as traders took a lack of agreement on currencies among Asian and U.S. leaders as a cue to sell the greenback, even as speculation of a near-term yuan appreciation cooled.

South Korea's central bank has asked the U.S. Federal Reserve to extend a $30 billion swap agreement for a safety net, as the existing credit line is due to expire on Feb. 1, 2010, a local newspaper reported.

The European Union hopes the United States and China will act according to pledges to address global foreign exchange rates, the EU's Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said on Monday.

The Aussie dollar shrugged off weak European GDP data to hold on to support at 0.9260 and rally on Friday night. Greenback weakness emerged following disappointing University of Michigan and Trade Balance data which assisted the Aussie in its rally to finish the week on its highs at 0.9340. The week ahead sees the release of several key figures with the RBA's minutes to the recent meeting kicking off proceedings on Tuesday to be followed by more RBA speak on Wednesday and the release of Q3 Wage ...

The Indian economy could expand between 6 and 7 percent in the year to March 2010 despite a bad monsoon, the finance minister said on Saturday as data showed accelerating inflation in October. Speaking in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, Pranab Mukherjee said there were risks to an early global economic recovery and signs asset price bubbles were re-emerging.

U.S. consumer sentiment fell in early November amid a grim outlook for future job prospects, although separate data showing rising imports in September raised some hopes of renewed U.S. economic growth.

The dollar fell across the board on Friday after unexpectedly weak trade deficit and consumer sentiment figures stoked worries about the outlook for a U.S. economic recovery. Gains in the U.S. stock market also helped boost risk appetite, pressuring the safe-haven greenback and lifting the euro and higher-yielding currencies such as the Australian and New Zealand dollars.

French oil major Total (TOTF.PA) has admitted safety breaches and to polluting ground water, in connection with an explosion at a fuel depot in England in 2005.

The dollar edged lower on Friday, paring some of the previous day's gains following a bout of profit-taking in perceived riskier currencies, with focus on the release of euro zone gross domestic product data.

The dollar edged lower on Friday, paring some of the previous day's gains, while the euro garnered support following the data that showed the euro zone economy had finally pulled out of recession in the third quarter.

China's Commerce Minister said on Friday that use of safeguard measures by a certain large country violates international pledges against protectionism.

U.S. President Barack Obama headed into talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Friday in which he will likely try to smooth strained ties as the allies adjust to a rising China.

The euro zone economy jumped out of recession in the third quarter, data showed on Friday, but with slightly less spring than expected after growth in the area's top three economies fell short of market forecasts.

The head of the International Monetary Fund said on Friday that capital flows to emerging markets reflected the positive outlook for those economies but warned that they can destabilise currencies and asset prices.

News, details on corporate bond issues in the European markets on Friday

U.S. monetary authorities did not intervene in the foreign exchange markets in the third quarter as the dollar fell broadly against major and emerging market currencies, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said.