
German industrial output rose for a second month, boosting demand for higher-yielding assets.
Asian stocks advanced and on expectations the European Central Bank today will refrain from lowering interest rates amid signs the global economy is recovering.
The ECB will hold its main refinancing rate at a record low of 1 percent, and the Bank of England will keep its main rate at an all-time low of 0.5 percent at its meeting today
The Federal Reserve will start raising its benchmark rate in the third quarter of 2010, according to analysts’ forecasts compiled by Bloomberg.
Australia’s dollar rose as much as 1.2 percent to 90.16 U.S. cents, the most since August 2008, from 89.12 cents yesterday in New York.
New Zealand’s dollar fetched 74.01 U.S. cents from 73.64 yesterday. Earlier it touched 74.21 cents, the strongest since July 2008.
“Generally when we’ve had a recession, a low dollar has helped us kick-start out of that recession,” English said in an interview in London late yesterday. “That’s clearly not going to be the case this time.”







