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Malaysia is on Friday scheduled to release February figures for imports, exports and trade balance, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity.

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House prices in the UK increased for a second consecutive month in March and is likely to show a moderate upward trend all through the year, according to a report released by Halifax on Friday. The house price index rose 0.2 percent month-on-month in March, following a 0.5 percent increase in February and a 0.3 percent fall in January. This was weaker than expected 0.3 percent increase.

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Job growth in the U.S. slowed dramatically in March, according to new data released by the government on Friday. The figure came in well below expectations, hurt by a decline in the retail sector and by the loss of government jobs. The unemployment rate ticked down, but only as participation in the labor market reached its lowest level in decades.

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German factory orders grew much more than expected in February underpinned by both domestic and foreign demand, signaling that conditions may have improved in the first quarter. Factory orders grew 2.3 percent in February from the prior month, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology said Friday. The increase reversed January's revised 1.6 percent drop.

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Eurozone's retail sales decreased in February after recording a modest rise in the previous month with consumers turning more cautious in their spending as the crisis-stricken currency-bloc struggles hard to recover from the ongoing recession.

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The dollar’s performance this past week was something of a mixed bag given the heavy fundamental crosswinds from other central bank decisions.

What a week for the Japanese Yen. The JPY traded to fresh monthly highs ahead of the heavily-anticipated Bank of Japan rate decision, but a shocking BOJ result forced the USDJPY to its biggest two-day surge since the heights of the financial crisis in 2008.

Gold is softer at the close of trade this week with the precious metal off by nearly 1.5% to trade at $1573 in New York on Friday. Price action this week saw a surge in volatility with bullion testing the critical support range between $1550- $1555 noted last week.




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Monday, April 8
Japan is to release official data on the current account, which is linked to currency demand.

Tuesday, April 9
The BoJ is to publish the minutes of its most recent policy meeting. The minutes give investors important insights into economic conditions from the bank’s perspective.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is to speak; his comments will be closely watched for indications of the future possible direction of monetary policy.

Wednesday, April 10
The Federal Reserve is to publish the minutes of its most recent policy meeting. The minutes give investors important insights into economic conditions from the bank’s perspective.
The U.S. is also to release government data on the federal budget balance.

Thursday, April 11
Japan is to produce official data on core machinery orders, a leading indicator of production.
The U.S. is to publish the weekly government report on initial jobless claims and official data on import prices.

Friday, April 12
Japan is to release official data on tertiary industry activity, a leading economic indicator.
The U.S. is to round up the week with official data on retail sale, producer price inflation and business inventories, as well as preliminary data from the University of Michigan on consumer sentiment.


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Japan posted a current account surplus of 637.4 billion yen in February, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday - bouncing into the green after three straight months of deficit. The headline figure topped forecasts for a surplus of 435.4 billion yen following the 364.8 billion yen deficit in January. The 47 percent annual decline in the current account also beat expectations for a 59.1 percent contraction following the 19.1 percent annual decline a month earlier.

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Japan saw a current account surplus of 637.4 billion yen in February, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday - down 47.0 percent on year.

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Japan is on Monday scheduled to release February figures for its current account, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Also due are March figures for bankruptcies and results for the eco watchers survey.

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