Foreign exchange market. Asian session: U.S. dollar mixed after FED interest rate decision and FOMC statement

(Time/ Region/ Event/ Period/ Previous/ Forecast/ Actual

00:30 Australia Export Price Index, q/q Quarter IV -3.9% 0.0%

00:30 Australia Import Price Index, q/q Quarter IV -0.8% +0.9%

07:00 United Kingdom Nationwide house price index January +0.2% +0.4% +0.3%

07:00 United Kingdom Nationwide house price index, y/y January +7.2% +6.6% +6.8%

The U.S. dollar traded mixed against its major peers. Yesterday the Federal Open Market Committee gave a confident outlook on higher inflation and lower unemployment which can be seen as indication that the FED will stick to its plan on hiking interest rates in 2015 for the first time since 2006. The bank will take "international developments" into account when deciding on the exact timing. All members of the FOMC unanimously backed the statement as solid economic growth fuels optimism despite a stronger dollar and slumping oil prices. The dollar gained against the Japanese yen but traded lower against the euro and sterling.

The Australian dollar traded at its weakest since July 2009 as market participants expect that the central bank is likely to cut rates on February 3^rd. Australia's Import Prices rose from -0.8% in the previous quarter by +0.9% in the fourth quarter of 2014. Export Prices for the fourth quarter have a reading of 0.0% compared to -3.9% in the previous period.

New Zealand's dollar halted its fall and declined slightly after trading at the weakest since 2011 on Wednesday slumping by 1.9% on comments of the RBNZ that it's prepared to lower interest rates. The New Zealand central bank held the overnight cash rate steady at 3.5%.

The Japanese yen traded lower against the greenback on Thursday. Japanese Retail sales for the month of December rose by +0.2%, below expectations of an increase by +0.9%. In the previous month Retail Sales rose by 0.4%. A set of economic data is due late in the day including Household Spending, the National CPI and Industrial Production.

EUR/USD: the euro traded slightly stronger against the greenback

(time / country / index / period / previous value / forecast)

08:55 Germany Unemployment Change January -27 -13

08:55 Germany Unemployment Rate s.a. January 6.5% 6.5%

09:00 Eurozone Private Loans, Y/Y December -0.9%

09:00 Eurozone M3 money supply, adjusted y/y December +3.1%

10:00 Eurozone Business climate indicator January 0.2

10:00 Eurozone Economic sentiment index January 100.8 101.4

10:00 Eurozone Industrial confidence January -4.0 -4.7

11:00 United Kingdom CBI retail sales volume balance January 61

13:00 Germany CPI, m/m (Preliminary) January 0.0% -0.7%

13:00 Germany CPI, y/y (Preliminary) January +0.2% 0.0%

13:30 U.S. Initial Jobless Claims January 307

15:00 U.S. Pending Home Sales (MoM) December +0.8% +0.6%

21:45 New Zealand Building Permits, m/m December +10.0%

21:45 New Zealand Visitor Arrivals December +3.1%

23:30 Japan Unemployment Rate December 3.5% 3.5%

23:30 Japan Tokyo Consumer Price Index, y/y January +2.1%

23:30 Japan Tokyo CPI ex Fresh Food, y/y January +2.3% +2.2%

23:30 Japan Household spending Y/Y December -2.5% -2.5%

23:30 Japan National Consumer Price Index, y/y December +2.4%

23:30 Japan National CPI Ex-Fresh Food, y/y December +2.7% +2.6%

23:50 Japan Industrial Production (MoM) (Preliminary) December -0.6% +1.3%

23:50 Japan Industrial Production (YoY) (Preliminary) December -3.7%