Japan's manufacturing activity expands faster

Japan

The nation's manufacturing activity expanded at a faster rhythm compared to the economists' forecasts, amid the new orders having improved, following the positive indication that the Japanese domestic demand is gaining momentum.

Japan's Manufacturing PMI to 51.9

The Flash Markit/Nikkei Japan Manufacturing PMI escalated to 51.9, for December, and surpassed November's 51.3 figure, thus resuming above the threshold of 50, signaling expansion.

Australian dollar

Australia's dollar, following the rise of the nation's employment data, stabilized versus the U.S. dollar. The AUD/USD pair traded at 0.7411.

The NZD/USD traded lower at 0.70875, declining 0.45%. The U.S. dollar index reached the 102.51 zone, rising 0.47%.

Australia

Australia's employment change climbed from 15.2K to 39.1K. The analysts estimated the indicator to appreciate 20.0K.

The Australian rate of unemployment rose from 5.6% to 5.7% and did not meet the economist' and the analysts' estimations for stabilization at 5.6%.

Gold

The precious metal, gold, devalued during the Asian session. The gold futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange in the Comex Division traded to $1,144.35 a troy ounce, dropping 1.66% while the silver futures traded to $16.832 a troy ounce, plunging 2.26%

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