NZD Fell On Soft Retail Sales

 | Aug 14, 2015 07:47AM ET

h2 Market Brief

China’s decision to modify the way the PBoC sets the reference rate for the renminbi has drove both FX and equity markets for the past few days. Asian equity market returns are mixed this morning while Asian EM currency keep sliding slightly lower as traders finish digesting the news. Market participants still have to fully integrate the new dynamic use to set the reference rate in order to be able to anticipate, to some extent, future PBoC’s fixings. However, markets are now fully aware that they will have to deal with a more volatile yuan in the future as the market will play a bigger role in setting the fix. On Friday morning, the PBoC set the mid-point of the currency’s reference rate at 6.3975, down -0.05% from a day earlier. In the equity market, returns are mixed in Asia with Japan’s Nikkei 225 down -0.37% while the broader TOPIX index lost -0.04%. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng edges lower by 0.04% while on the mainland, the Shanghai Composite adds 0.56% and the Shenzhen Composite 0.89%. S&P/ASX All Australian 200 shares fell -0.58% while in New Zealand, the stock market fell -0.72%.