January 12th, 2012 Currencies EUR/USD The 17-nation currency held a drop from yesterday versus the yen before figures estimated to show European output shrank in November.
The euro traded at $1.2712 as of 6:40 a.m. in London from $1.2707 yesterday in New York, when it slid to as low as $1.2662.
NZD/USD New Zealand’s dollar touched a two- month high against the greenback as a report showed China’s inflation cooled for the fifth straight month in December, increasing speculation the Asian nation will provide more monetary stimulus.
New Zealand’s currency gained to 79.81 U.S. cents, the highest since Nov. 9, before trading at 79.55 at 4:09 p.m. in Sydney, 0.2 percent below yesterday’s close in New York.
Commodities Oil rose from the lowest settlement in almost two weeks in New York on concern that a strike in Nigeria and the threat of sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program will curb crude supplies.
Crude for February delivery gained as much as 62 cents to $101.49 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Gold prices edged higher on Thursday on concerns about the euro zone debt crisis ahead of Spain's bond auction and a European Central Bank meeting, as robust buying from China and India also supported sentiment.
Spot gold inched up 0.2 percent to $1,644.69 an ounce by 0704 GMT, holding steady above the key 200-day moving average at about $1,636.
