It was a busier start to the day on the economic calendar this morning.
For the Japanese Yen
Industrial production fell by 2.1% in February, partially reversing a 4.3% rise in January. Economists had forecast for a 1.2% decline. According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Industries that mainly contributed to the decrease were:
- Motor vehicles.
- Electric machinery, and information, and communication electronics equipment.
- Chemicals (excl. inorganic, organic chemicals and medicine).
Industries that mainly contributed to the increase were:
- Production machinery.
- Transport equipment (excl. motor vehicles).
- Electronic parts and devices.
Forecasts are for production in March 2021 to fall by 1.9%. This was up from a forecasted 6.1% slide.
Production is projected to jump by 9.3% in April 2021.
For the EUR
It’s a busier day ahead on the economic calendar. French consumer spending and German unemployment figures are due out in the early part of the European session.
With parts of France reentering lockdown, we would expect the consumer spending figures to have a limited impact on the EUR.
Later in the day, prelim inflation figures for France, the Eurozone, and Italy are also due out.
With sensitivity over inflation lingering, the Eurozone numbers will influence.
Away from the economic calendar, COVID-19 news updates from the Eurozone will remain an area of focus.
At the time of writing, the EUR was flat at $1.1717.
For the Pound
It’s a relatively quiet day ahead on the economic calendar. Finalized 4th quarter GDP numbers area due out of the UK. Barring a marked downward revision, however, we don’t expect the numbers to have a material impact on the Pound.
Government plans to ease lockdown measures and news updates on vaccinations remain key near-term.
At the time of writing, the Pound was down by 0.03% to $1.3736.