Euro and dollar are generally lower this week so far on dull holiday trading. Volatility would increase as US will be back from holiday today. Asian markets are mixed after release of a batch of economic data. Data from China showed worsening in foreign trade again in August. Both exports and imports contracted more than expected and raised much doubt on the health of the economy. Exports dropped -6.1% yoy while imports dropped -14.3% yoy. Overall trade contracted -9.7% yoy. Trade surplus widened to USD 57.8b. PBoC said yesterday that the country's foreign exchange reserves dropped USD -93.9b in August to USD 3.56T. It's reported that capital outflow was a big concern while the central bank intervened in the markets to shore up the yuan and prevent capital outflow.
Released from Japan, Q2 GDP was finalized at -0.3% qoq, revised up from prior estimate of -0.4% qoq. GDP deflator was finalized at 1.5% qoq. Current account surplus widened to JPY 1.32T in July. From Australia, NAB business confidence dropped to 1 in August. New Zealand manufacturing activity rose 0.4% in Q2. UK BRC retail sales monitor dropped -1.0% yoy in August.
In US, San Francisco Fed president John Williams said that recent economic data were encouraging", "as good or better" than he expected. Nonetheless, he also noted that were some headwinds that grew larger than expected. He refrained from saying whether he preferred a rate hike in September. Back in June, Williams said that it's "a safer course in starting sooner and proceeding more gradually".
In Eurozone, ECB said that EUR 51.6b in securities were purchased in August with the quantitative easing program. That's much lower than EUR 61b and EUR 61b purchased in July and June. The slow pace of purchase was mainly a result of drying up liquidity during summer holiday. Overall, analysts noted that the program is still on track.
Looking ahead, Swiss unemployment rate, German trade balance and Eurozone GDP will be released today.