Forex

Full Text: RBA’s Lowe Keeps Benchmark Interest Rate at 1.5%

Published

8 years ago

April 4, 2017

RBA’s Lowe Keeps Benchmark Interest Rate at 1.5%

The following is a reformatted version of a statement published Tuesday on the Reserve Bank of Australia’s website, after Governor Philip Lowe and his board kept the overnight cash-rate target at 1.5 percent.

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 1.50 percent.

Conditions in the global economy have improved over recent months. Both global trade and industrial production have picked up. Labor markets have tightened in many countries. Above-trend growth is expected in a number of advanced economies, although uncertainties remain. In China, growth is being supported by higher spending on infrastructure and property construction. This composition of growth and the rapid increase in borrowing mean that the medium-term risks to Chinese growth remain. The improvement in the global economy has contributed to higher commodity prices, which are providing a significant boost to Australia’s national income.

Headline inflation rates have moved higher in most countries, partly reflecting the higher commodity prices. Core inflation remains low. Long-term bond yields are higher than last year, although in a historical context they remain low. Interest rates have increased in the United States and there is no longer an expectation of additional monetary easing in other major economies. Financial markets have been functioning effectively.

The Australian economy is continuing its transition following the end of the mining investment boom. Recent data are consistent with ongoing moderate growth. Most measures of business confidence are at, or above, average and non-mining business investment has risen over the past year. At the same time, some indicators of conditions in the labor market have softened recently. In particular, the unemployment rate has moved a little higher and employment growth is modest. The various forward-looking indicators still point to continued growth in employment over the period ahead. Wage growth remains slow.

The outlook continues to be supported by the low level of interest rates. Lenders have recently announced increases in mortgage rates, particularly those paid by investors. Financial institutions remain in a good position to lend. The depreciation of the exchange rate since 2013 has also assisted the economy in its transition following the mining investment boom. An appreciating exchange rate would complicate this adjustment.

Inflation remains quite low. Headline inflation is expected to pick up over the course of 2017 to be above 2 percent. The rise in underlying inflation is expected to be a bit more gradual with growth in labor costs remaining subdued.

Conditions in the housing market continue to vary considerably around the country. In some markets, conditions are strong and prices are rising briskly. In other markets, prices are declining. In the eastern capital cities, a considerable additional supply of apartments is scheduled to come on stream over the next couple of years. Growth in rents is the slowest for two decades.

Growth in household borrowing, largely to purchase housing, continues to outpace growth in household income. By reinforcing strong lending standards, the recently announced supervisory measures should help address the risks associated with high and rising levels of indebtedness. Lenders need to ensure that the serviceability metrics that they use are appropriate for current conditions. A reduced reliance on interest-only housing loans in the Australian market would also be a positive development.

Taking account of the available information, the Board judged that holding the stance of monetary policy unchanged at this meeting would be consistent with sustainable growth in the economy and achieving the inflation target over time.

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Samed Olukoya

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Naira

Naira Gains on Dollars at NAFEX, Others at Black Market

Published

8 hours ago

October 9, 2024

Iyanuoluwa Martins

The Naira gained a value of N73.39 to close the Tuesday session at N1,561.76/$1 at the official window, pulling a 4.5 percent gain in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX).

According to data obtained from the FMDQ Securities Exchange, this is compared to N1,635.15/$1 published in the preceding session on Monday.

Turnover published on the FMDQ Group website stood at $253.68 million, indicating that the session’s turnover rose by 100.9 percent. This is a decrease of $127.44 million compared to $126.24 million published the previous day.

The domestic currency also witnessed a gain against the British currency but closed flat on the Euro on Tuesday.

On the Pound Sterling, the local currency made an appreciation of N43.82 to wrap the session at N2,131.62/£1 from N2,175.44/£1 that it sold at the previous session.

Meanwhile, against the Euro, the Nigerian currency closed at N1,788.98/€1.

Data from the black market showed that the Naira appreciated against the US Dollar, the UK Pound Sterling, the Euro, and the Canadian Dollar.

The local currency recorded a N14.28 gain to go from N1,681.67 per Dollar to N1,667.39/$1 while on the UK currency, the Naira rose to N2,132.13, a N24.10 gain from N2,156.23

For the Euro, the Naira pulled a N19.12 appreciation to close at N1,833.63 versus N1,852.75 and added 62 cents on the Canadian Dollar to close at N1,206.93 against Monday’s N1,207.55 per CAD.

Naira

Naira Set to Stabilise Against Dollar by Year-End, FSDH Bank Predicts

Published

8 hours ago

October 9, 2024

Yetunde Olugbenga

First Securities Discount House (FSDH) Merchant Bank Ltd has projected that the Naira will stabilise against the Dollar in the fourth quarter of 2024.

This projection was attributed to the commencement of Dangote Refinery operations and the October 1, announcement that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) has started Naira for crude with the 650,000 barrels a day refinery.

FSDH Merchant Bank Ltd report titled Priorities for Economic Stability in the Short-Term noted that the Naira’s stabilisation against the USD would be influenced by a reduction in foreign exchange pressure, particularly the Naira-for-crude initiative.

The Nigerian Naira has been on a downward spiral against the United States Dollar since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu removed subsidies and announced he had floated the local currency.

The Naira immediately plunged from about N750/US$ to over N1600/US$ across the nation’s key foreign exchange segments and eroded the profitability of import-dependent companies.

FSDH Merchant Bank noted that petroleum products account for 30-40% of Nigeria’s import bills. Therefore, Dangote Refinery is expected to ease that burden and further enhance the nation’s economy.

The report also highlights a 45.2% surge in trade surplus from a US$6.1 billion surplus in FY 2023 to US$8.9 billion for FY 2024.

Similarly, portfolio investment inflows increased due to the high interest rate. Still, the report noted that the surge in inflows is yet to crystalize.

Naira

Naira Weakens to N1,635/$1 at NAFEM, Sells N1,681/$1 at Black Market

Published

1 day ago

October 8, 2024

Iyanuoluwa Martins

Naira to Dollar Exchange- Investors King Rate - Investors King

The Naira depreciated against the US Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Monday, October 7 to N1,635.15/$1.

Analysis done by Investors King showed that the local currency lost 0.24 percent or N3.94 at the specialised window, according to data obtained from the FMDQ Securities Exchange.

This is compared to N1,631.21/$1 published in the preceding session on Friday.

This coincided with a drop in the turnover on Monday as secondary data showed an aggregate of $126.24 million on record, compared to the $239.36 million turnover reported on Friday.

This represents a drop of $113.12 million or 47.3 percent.

Last week, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced that it sold $543.5 million to authorised dealers and deposit money banks (DMBs) to reduce observed market volatility caused by demand from importers and seasoned demand for FX between September 6 and 30, 2024.

According to a statement issued by Omolara Duke, the Director of Financial Markets Department of the CBN, the transaction was through a two-way quote at the Nigeria Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) on 11 dealing days.

In a different pattern, the local currency closed flat against the Pound Sterling and appreciated on the Euro at the week’s opening session.

Trading against the British pound, the local currency closed at N2,175.44/£1 while it closed at the rate of N1,788.96 per Euro, a gain of N41.15 from N1,830.11.

The Naira also dropped against the US Dollar at the unofficial black market as it closed at N1,681.67 from N1,676.56 quoted on Friday. This signified a N5.11.

It followed the same pattern against the Pound Sterling and the Euro trading at N2,156.23/£1 and N1,852.75/€1 respectively, losing N2.40 and 60 Kobo from N2,153.83/£1 and N1,852.15/€1.

The local currency also declined by N5.37 on the Canadian Dollar as it fell to N1,207.55/CAD1 from N1,202.18/CAD1