USD/JPY is almost unchanged in the Monday session. Currently, the pair is trading at 114.70. In Japan, PPI climbed to 1.0%, matching the forecast. This marked a second straight gain after a long string of declines. Core Machinery Orders disappointed with a sharp decline of 3.2%, well short of the forecast of 0.0%. In the US, there is one minor event on the schedule. On Tuesday, the US releases PPI, with the index expected to slip to 0.1%.
Japanese manufacturing numbers were mixed last week. After over a year of declines, Preliminary Machine Tool Orders has posted two straight gains, including a strong gain of 9.1% in February. The BSI Manufacturing Index, based on a survey of large manufacturers, disappointed in the first quarter, dropping to 1.1 points. The markets had predicted a much stronger reading of 8.4 points.
The US economy continues to steam ahead at full speed, buoyed by a red-hot labor market. On Friday, Nonfarm Payrolls sparkled with a gain of 235 thousand. This easily beat the estimate of 196 thousand. The strong release makes it a virtual certainty that the Fed will raise rates by a quarter-point on Wednesday. Although a rate hike has been priced in by the markets, there have been disappointments in the past, so a rate move will likely give the dollar a boost against its major rivals, such as the euro. The solid job numbers also give President Trump a much-needed boost. Trump is under pressure to present an economic agenda, but the markets won’t mind giving him some additional breathing room with the economy performing well.
