review

Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (latest release)
Frequency     Annually;
Next Release     Aug 24, 2013
FF Notes     The Economic Symposium, held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is attended by central bankers, finance ministers, academics, and financial market participants from around the world. The meetings are closed to the press but officials usually talk with reporters throughout the day. Comments and speeches from central bankers and other influential officials can create significant market volatility;

FOMC will decide to reduce its $85 billion in monthly

European stocks mainly fell on Wednesday as investors braced themselves ahead of the release of minutes from the US central bank which could give clues on the winding down of its stimulus programme, dealers said.

In afternoon deals, London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares dropped 0.55 percent to stand at 6,417.75 points.

Frankfurt's DAX 30 dipped 0.14 percent to 8,288.10 points, while the CAC 40 in Paris went against the stream, adding 0.16 percent to 4,035.39 compared with Tuesday's closing values.

With the US economy showing signs of improvement, analysts say the Fed will likely slow its bond-buying programme.

Kurs Rupiah Tembus Rp 10.000

Nilai tukar (kurs) rupiah akhirnya menembus 10.000 per dollar. Angka ini semula banyak dikhawatirkan karena dianggap semacam ‘batas psikologis’, sehingga tidak boleh terlewati. Bila batas tadi terlewati ditakutkan akan menyebabkan kepercayaan terhadap Rupiah merosot, karena anggapan apabila angka ini terlampaui maka kurs akan terus melemah. Bisa jadi hal ini mencerminkan semacam ‘trauma’ sejarah terhadap nilai tukar.

Indonesia memang pernah mengalami pengalaman pahit ketika terjadi krisis 1997/98, yang oleh banyak pihak disebut sebagai krisis nilai tukar. Saat itu nilai tukar rupiah merosot sangat tajam, menyebabkan nyaris ambruknya sistem perbankan dan banyak perusahaan gulung tikar serta perekonomian mengalami kontraksi sangat tajam. Bahkan, pemerintahan ‘jatuh’ hingga akhirnya kita mengalami perubahan yang mendasar di bidang politik dan sosial.

South African GOLD miner plans to cut 1,600jobs

South African mining firm Sibanye Gold Thursday said it plans to cut up to 1,600 jobs in restructuring aimed at reducing costs and boosting productivity.

The recently formed company said it would review its "entire business in order to extend the productive lives of its operations and ensure sustainability."

"The proposed restructuring could result in up to 1,600 jobs being affected," said a statement.

European stock drop, euro rises against dollar 00:21

European stock markets fell but the euro rose against the dollar on Thursday as traders reacted to US economic data and strong British retail sales figures.

London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares fell 1.58 percent to close at 6,483.34 points, while Frankfurt's DAX 30 dropped 0.73 percent to 8,376.29 points, and the CAC 40 in Paris shed 0.51 percent to 4,093.20 points.

"European stock markets have continued to feel the weight of imminent taper tension today dropping sharply as economic data continues to broadly improve, while company earnings announcements have generally missed expectations," said analyst Michael Hewson at CMC Markets UK.

Beberapa analis mengatakan laporan PMI yang kuat akan membantu mendukung pertimbangan Federal Reserve meruncing program pembelian obligasi-aset besar, sebuah langkah yang secara luas diharapkan akan diumumkan pada pertemuan kebijakan moneter The Fed awal September 17-18

US manufacturing activity heated up in July to a two-year high in the second straight month of growth, according to a monthly survey released Thursday. The Institute for Supply Management said its purchasing managers index for the 

manufacturing sector leaped to 55.4 in July, a solid 4.5 percentage points higher than June's 50.9 level.

The PMI reading was well above the average analyst prediction of 51.5 and the highest since June 2011. The PMI index has been above 50 -- expansion territory -- for the first seven months this year except May, when it dipped to 49.0. A reading below 50 indicates a contraction.