Daily Morning Report 31/10/2012

The dollar softened against most major currencies on Wednesday as investors sold safe-haven dollars they acquired before Sandy, a hurricane that morphed into a post-tropical giant, and continues to dump snow and rain over the northeastern U.S.

While the country continues to assess the damage, investors sold safe-harbor USD and prepped to take up other positions to play clean up and recovery. Markets were closed in the U.S. earlier for a second day, though investors who bought dollars prior to the storm's landfall began to loosen up by Asian trading on Wednesday, selling
their dollars to play recovery, which weakened the USD against its Japanese counterpart.

Elsewhere, Australian building approvals have risen for a second consecutive month in September, putting the chances of an interest rate cut from the Reserve Bank of Australia next week further in doubt. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics total dwelling units approved increased 7.8 per cent in September, following a 6.4 per cent jump in August. That is a modest recovery from precipitous falls in July, when approvals fell 17.3 per cent. The approvals data is a leading indicator of future construction work, suggesting a return of confidence in the interest-rate sensitive housing sector.

Later Wednesday in the U.S., payroll processing firm ADP is to release a report on nonfarm payrolls, a leading indicator of private-sector job creation while the Canadian Bureau of Statistics is to announce GDP data.