Australia's Exports Climb as Coronavirus Cases Dwindle

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that the trade balance for September was at 5114 million, increasing from the previous month's 2643 million. 

Australia exports climbExports went up by 3 percent (month-to-month), after contracting by 4.2 percent in the previous month. On the other hand, imports declined by 1 percent after climbing by 2 percent in the previous month.

The number of reported COVID-19 cases have continued dwindling. The Victoria state government, one of the current epicenters of the virus, reported for the first time in four months that there were no new coronavirus cases within the past 24 hours. In the same way, new deaths were not reported in the last 24 hours

The regional government is now planning to lift some of the restrictions it had imposed to stop the advance of the pandemic. Victorian State Premier Daniel Andrews responded to the news by announcing that the pandemic is under control and it's now time to reopen the economy.

"Now is the time to open up. Now is the time to congratulate every single Victorian for staying the course," he said.

So far, 80,811 coronavirus cases have been reported in Australia, with a death toll of 979.

Japan's Economy Shows Moderate Sign of Improvement

The Japanese cabinet office reported on Monday that Japan's Leading Economic Index stood at 88.4 in August, hinting an improvement in the state of the Japanese economy, though the number still lagged analysts' expectations which predicted a reading of 88.8.

The Coincident Index, which also tracks the current state of the Japanese economy, was at 79.2 in August, below analysts' forecasts which predicted a reading of 79.4, up from 78.3 in July.

Despite these signs of improvement, the cabinet office commented that the current state of the Japanese economy remains severe despite the recent signs of improvement. Because of this, economic recovery may take some time.

By 4:19pm HK/SIN the US dollar was up 0.17 percent against the Japanese Yen, hitting the 104.86 level. The dollar also gained against the euro and the British pound. The sterling fell 0.268 percent against the greenback to $1.301, and the euro was down 0.287 percent to $1.183.

Ibeth Rivero

Ibeth contributes daily market commentary in both English and Spanish (both of which she speaks fluently) and she also manages the DailyForex mobile app to ensure that traders around the world are getting important market updates in real time.