00:30 Australia Building Permits, m/m February +6.8% -1.7% -5.0%
00:30 Australia Building Permits, y/y February +34.6% +23.2%
The dollar rose to the highest level in more than two months against the yen before a private report today that may show stronger U.S. jobs growth. Figures today from the ADP Research Institute may show companies in the U.S. added 195,000 jobs in March after boosting positions by 139,000 the previous month, according to the median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.
The Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index probably rose to 53.5 last month from 51.6 in February, the lowest since 2010, analysts in a separate poll predicted. The Tempe, Arizona-based group will release the figures tomorrow.
Economists forecast the Labor Department will say on April 4 U.S. employers added 200,000 jobs jobs in March after boosting positions by 175,000 the previous month.
The yen dropped against the euro as gains in Japanese stocks damped demand for the local currency and before the European Central Bank decides policy tomorrow. ECB policy makers will probably keep the region’s benchmark interest rate at a record-low 0.25 percent tomorrow, according to all but three of the 57 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The euro area will probably avoid outright deflation as a “soft” recovery gradually reduces spare capacity in the economy, ECB Vice President Vitor Constancio said at a press conference in Athens yesterday. An initial estimate on March 31 showed consumer prices in the region gained 0.5 percent last month from a year earlier after rising 0.7 percent in February.
EUR / USD: during the Asian session, the pair rose to $ 1.3805
GBP / USD: during the Asian session, the pair traded in the range of $ 1.6620-35
USD / JPY: during the Asian session, the pair rose to Y103.95
UK construction PMI at 0830GMT the morning focus.