Andrea ForexMart

 $1000 Draw  ForexMart clients can now get a chance to win $1,000 by joining ForexMart’s Chance Bonus offer. Simply deposit at least $300 or more in your trading account and you will automatically become qualified for the raffle.  Winners of the Chance Bonus offer will be chosen via random electronic draws. The $1000 is automatically credited every Monday to one of the eligible accounts which met the conditions of the raffle during the previous week. The Chance Bonus offer can also be mixed with other types of ForexMart bonuses. Clients can also opt to cancel their Chance Bonus eligibility by sending us a notification e-mail at [email protected].

 Philip Hammond to Allocate $676 Million to Boost UK Tech  UK Chancellor Philip Hammond has announced that he will be utilizing Wednesday’s budget to offer more than 550 million pounds or over $676 million sourced from the National Productivity Fund in order to improve the country’s technology and innovation sector. The said funds will be directed to developments in robotics, artificial intelligence, and even electric vehicles, according to a statement released by the Treasury. In addition, Hammond also plans to improve 5G mobile network coverages in UK by way of this particular funding.

 The current Money Fall contest has already started on March 6, 2017 and will end on March 10, 2017.  You can register for the next competition which will take place from March 13, 2017 to March 17, 2017  Note: Registration for the next competition finishes 1 hour before the contest starts. Â

 Investors Shift Focus from Trump Statement to Fed Movements  Investors are now shifting their focus from Donald Trump’s Congress address to the timing of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hike in spite of Trump’s speech lacking significant details. This has been a cause of relief for Japanese investors, since a shift in the market focus would offer some sort of buffer for the Japanese yen, whose value seems to be consistently weakening during the past trading sessions. The JPY increased its losses for the third consecutive day, while Japanese equities posted rallies during the past session.

 Consumer Confidence of the Eurozone Plummeted  The consumer confidence of UK for this month declined while the British currency weakened. The prices rose and wage growth dwindled which influenced the Britain’s economic powerhouse.  The monthly household sentiment of GfK had a dipped and stayed below zero for the 10th month. The level for major purchases also decreased which implied that British citizens probably controlled their expenditures.  Another assessment by YouGov coupled with the Centre for Economics and Business Research is the job security index which further decline reaching its lowest result three years ago.  After the Brexit referendum, the private consumption as well as the services industry have compelled the economy, however, it set out some signs of economic strain. During the EU exit, the inflation increased as the energy cost climb higher together with the 16 percent cut in the sterling pound.  Furthermore, the growth of credit had a steep decline in December whilst retail sales inched up at its slowest pace since January 2014.

 Expected Shift in Crude Futures as Much as $2B Will Put an End to Oil Glut  In the upcoming week, the passive investment funds are expected to rise to $2 billion from long-term to short-term crude futures, while the energy market surges after OPEC output reduced its supply. This is expected to put an end to global oil glut accumulated over two years of price war. Excessive oil supply in international inventories drove the prices to multiple year lows.  The Brent contract LCOK7 price established at $56.31 a barrel on May, while the LCOM7 price settled at $56.55 a barrel in June.On the other hand, the limit for the West Texas Intermediate crude remains the same. The gap between the first month and the subsequent month on Brent contracts LCOc1-LCOc2 has tightened from 79 cents down to 5 cents. However, both June and December contracts LCOM7-Z7 traded closely on Friday.

 The current Money Fall contest has already started on February 27, 2017 and will end on March 3, 2017.  You can register for the next competition which will take place from March 6, 2017 to March 10, 2017  Note: Registration for the next competition finishes 1 hour before the contest starts.

 Brazil Eased Inflation Rate Less than 5 percent in February  Brazil lowered its inflation rate less than 5 percent halfway February for the first time since 2012. This was done to recuperate the economy after its two-year-long recession. The inflation target of Central bank comes in at 4.5 percent and they are open for further price easing. This would also be a big help for President Michel Temer who is seeking support in Congress.  On one side, the consumer prices slowed down quicker than expected which could force the authorities to ease their target for 2019. The reports will be publicized on Wednesday morning (1200 GMT) and at the same time, the central bank is anticipated to curtail its rates by 75 basis points from a two-year low of 12.25 percent.

 UK Policymakers Clamor for more Transparency in Offshore Territories  Policymakers in the UK are pressuring UK PM Theresa May to increase transparency with regards to the business guidelines for offshore territories, including the British Virgin Islands. A total of 80 Parliament members are clamoring for amendments to the Criminal Finances Bill which is slated to be returned to the House of Commons next week. According to these Parliament members, the lack of transparency with regards to the business dealings within offshore territories such as Cayman Islands and Bermuda might be used by criminals as an advantage to hide ill-gotten assets as well as curb tax policies.

 Greece Fears Economic Collapse Amid Debt Crisis  Greek people have withdrawn money from their accounts which exceed to £2billion as they fear the news regarding economic crash which will take place within 45 days. The Hellenic republic was alarmed about the possible scarcity of money in a period of five months because the country is affronted with repayments with an estimate of more than £5.1bn (€6bn), thus the country is unable to pay the total amount without any aid or restructuring.  Greece citizens were forbidden to take more than £1,540 (€1,800) every month from their accounts, however, the currency had continuously depleted at a very fast rate. There are speculations that the Government will fail to pay for the next settlement due in July.  Individuals which involves tourists were strained to wait in line in order to obtain cash from their respective banking machines.

 Thai Economy Records Slowest Annual Growth as Consumption Wanes  Thailand’s economy recorded its slowest growth rate in over a year during the previous quarter as the country’s private consumption waned. Thailand’s GDP data showed an expansion by 3% during the past quarter, its slowest annual recorded move. Thailand’s economy surged by 3.2% in 2016 as compared to 2.5% two years ago. This slow GDP growth was mainly attributed to the death of the Thai king followed by a major crackdown on illegitimate Chinese tourists, which also caused the country’s private consumption to drop. However, the Thai baht was among the best-performing currencies in Asia after it grew by over 2% against the USD.

The current Money Fall contest has already started on February 20, 2017 and will end on February 24, 2017. You can register for the next competition which will take place from February 27, 2017 to March 3, 2017. Note: Registration for the next competition finishes 1 hour before the contest starts. Â

 Inflation in China Open Possibilities for Tighter Policies  Producer price inflation in China has reached figures higher than expected bringing the price close to six-year highs as price of steel and other raw materials surged while Consumer inflation climbed to a three-year high as fuel and food prices rallied on data released on Tuesday. Both prices producer and consumer are expected to reach 6.3 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively for this year.  Some analysts see this price inflation as a short-term rally with rally in the possibility for food prices to be seasonal. Moreover, the increase in price pressure in China has induced speculations of  tighter monetary policy this year to boost economic growth and mainly because of credit risks concerns including leverage in the market.

Finance Minister Counters the Accusation Against ECB Â The European Central has been accused of altering the Euro exchange rate and this is being negated by the French Finance Minister Michel Sapin. They are believed to have a goal in completing trading and attain the competitive policy goals by a significant U.S. authority saying that Germany gains an advantage over grossly undervalued Euro for personal gains. Â Europe should still work harder to achieve former status prior to global financial crisis according to Sapin. Germany has to be more committed to restore into a better condition regarding its investments. At the same time, they are hopeful that the new president of the United States will recognize the significance of the European Union relationship with the United States. Â

 The current contest has already started on February 13, 2017 and will end on February 17, 2017. You can register for the next competition which will take place from February 20, 2017 to February 24, 2017.  Note: Registration for the next competition finishes 1 hour before the contest starts.

 Positive Reports Indicating Italy's Economic Recovery  Italy’s economy is performing well as it grew for the past three months signaling a stabilizing growth pace of the economy as statistics shown. Despite the uncertainty in the first half last year, the country was able to recover supported by the monthly report short-term economic forecasts by the national statistics agency ISTAT.  Results were further supported by the improving manufacturing sector, household purchasing power and higher investment. However, the consumer confidence index declines due to the current weak economic condition. On a brighter side, the business confidence has significantly advanced. This was greatly influenced by the manufacturing sector increased by 0.7% In November. Other sectors such as the foreign trade and and Household Consumption climbed by 2.2% and 0.3% respectively in the third quarter last year.  This remarkable results coincides with the expectations of the government and optimistic that this will lessen the fiscal adjustment needed from the European Union.

 Indonesia Economy Rose to 5.02%  The Gross Domestic Product of Indonesia beefed up by 5.02 percent in 2016 versus 4.88 percent in 2015 based on the report of Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released on Monday. However, the Austronesian nation declined during the Q4 with a year-over-year decrease in GDP by 4.94 percent with the previous 5.02 percent in Q3.  The chief of BPS, Suhariyanto mentioned the government expenditure also dropped to 4.05 percent during the fourth quarter of 2016 followed by a budget curtailment which causes for a slower annual percentage compared with the same quarter in 2015 with an increase of 7.12 percent.  The adjusted public spending regarded as being caused by austerity measures led by the administration of Joko “Jokowi” Widodo with an estimated Rp 137 trillion (US$10.27 billion) trimmed budget.  Furthermore, the figures for imports and exports grew slower with 1.74 percent only while 2.27 percent in 2016 accordingly. Investments mounted to 4.48 percent in the previous year.  The household consumption of Indonesia is considered the largest factor for the country’s GDP reaching 56 percent within the total percentage, the increase is approximately 5.01 percent.

 Asian Stocks Drop After JPY Haven Demand Surge  Asian equities experienced a decline following a JPY rally after the demand for the safe haven currency increased following various concerns surrounding political events worldwide. The Japanese Topix index decreased after a three-day high as the JPY recorded its highest value since November 2016 last Monday. This recent rally in equities caused by Trump’s policies have started to weaken as most investors are now worried with how the Trump administration plans to balance out its proposed tax cuts and added spending with its protectionist stance on international trade. Adding to risk are some EU countries where anti-establishment organizations are now gaining fuel prior to their respective national elections.

 Worst-Performing Economy in the Eurozone -  Italy  According to an analysis conducted in the euro zone, the economy of Italy has the worst condition among European Union countries after 18 years while the leading country is Germany.  The besieged Italian republic was witnessed to be the only nation within the region to have an economic decline equal to its population size during the year, 1998.  The state’s Gross Domestic Product is down to 0.4 percent within that period which performed worse than Greece as stated in the EU data from Bloomberg. Moreover, the current GDP of Italy grew by 6.2 percent, however, the number of all individuals is greater by 6.6 percent.  According to a Milan-based economist from UniCredit Bank AG, Loredana Federico, said in an interview that the country’s economy had a slow growth versus other nations. She also mentioned that it will tough for Italy to close the gap compared with other economic systems.

 USD Falls for Sixth Consecutive Week as NFP Data Disappoints  The US dollar fell for the sixth consecutive week and has recorded its lowest drop since July 2016 after the NFP report disappointed a lot of market players as the supposed effects of a highly positive hiring data was offset by the lack of wage-induced pressures. This was also further propelled by various uncertainties surrounding Trump’s policies regarding the USD, as well as his newly-imposed sanctions on Iran. The results of the NFP report were also not enough to compensate for the uncertainties brought about by the Fed’s refusal to give out hints on its next steps regarding the impending interest rate hike.

The current Money Fall contest has already started on February 6, 2017 and will end on February 10, 2017. Â You can register for the next competition which will take place from February 13, 2017 to February 17, 2017. Â Note: Registration for the next competition finishes 1 hour before the contest starts. Â

 Positive Outlook on Japan’s Economic Growth Forecast Caused BOJ to Maintain its Policy  The Bank of Japan adjusted higher its economic forecast on Tuesday. However, the monetary policy remained the same which is already anticipated. The GDP forecast for the year increased by 14% from 1.0% in October for this fiscal year. Its economic forecast was raised by 1.5% from 1.3% for this year and 1.1 percent from 0.9% in the following fiscal year. Alongside, the inflation of 2% is anticipated to increase as well for the fiscal year in 2018 since the medium to long-term inflation expectations has a positive outlook and halts is recent decline.  The Labor market is also doing well with rates tightening and the downtrend of the commodity prices is pushed higher by the increase in demand for International commodity prices. The currency yield-curve policy control approved on later September meeting of the central bank is expected to maintain its current stand despite the uncertainty brought by the new U.S. administration as one of their top trading trading partner.

 USD Drops, Asia Stocks Slump after Trump’s Immigration Ban Causes Unrest  The US dollar inched lower and asian stocks declined after the market suffered repercussions brought about by President Trump’s various implementing policies, including an immigration which has sparked outrage from a number of the world’s most influential leaders as well as some tech giants. Meanwhile, bonds rose in value along with gold prices. The US dollar traded within its lowest levels in over two months and has weakened significantly against all other major currencies. Oil prices also decreased in value for the second consecutive day this week.

Winners for the week of January 9 to January 13, 2017Â Â Â

 The current contest has already started on January 30, 2017 and will end on February 3, 2017. You can register for the next competition which will take place from February 6, 2017 to February 10, 2017.  Note: Registration for the next competition finishes 1 hour before the contest starts.