Hangseng Today

Meskipun telah dibuka dengan gap-up, secara teknikal indikator MACD yang masih netral dan formasi triangle pada grafik berikut, menandakan bias terlihat ranging untuk jangka pendek. Break ke atas atau bawah pola triangle, baru akan mengindikasikan tren yang lebih kuat.

Namun demikian titik resisten terdekat ada pada 23435 diikuti dengan 23550 dan 23700. Sementara level support terdekat berada pada 23240 dengan 23100 sebagai support selanjutnya.

 

 

 

Resistance Level : 23435, 23550, 23700

Support Level       : 23240, 23100, 23000

Trading Range       : 23100 – 23550

Trend                      : Netral

Investor Incar Peluang di Bursa Korea

Tingginya harga minyak dan lesunya pasar menimbulkan dampak peluang pembelian saham untuk para investor terhadap saham-saham di Korea Selatan, dikatakan para analis.

Indeks bursa saham Korea, KOSPI telah anjlok sebanyak 3.9% tahun ini, membuat Seoul menjadi salah satu bursa yang berperforma buruk di Asia sejauh ini ditahun 2011.

 

Kejatuhan di KOSPI terjadi bersamaan dengan melonjaknya harga minyak mentah di NYMEX lebih dari 11% saat mencapai $100 per barel, seiring ketegangan politik di Timur Tengah dan Afrika Utara yang menakutkan bagi investor.

 

“Dampak tingginya harga minyak cenderung membuat tingkat konstruksi bangunan dan tekanan inflasi yang meresahkan di negara-negara berkembang, termasuk Korea”, dikatakan analis dari Daewoo Securities.

 

Akan tetapi, para analis dari Citigroup mengatakan “asumsi dasar kami adalah ketegangan di Timur Tengah hanya sementaram dan harga minyak akan segera stabil – dan berdasarkan hal tersebut, kami percaya kejatuhan (bursa) saat ini merupakan peluang yang menarik”.

Korea Express Melesat Terkait Laporan Shinsegae

Korea Express Co., perusahaan logistic terbesar di Korea, naik tinggi selama lebih dari 6 minggu di perdagangan Seoul setelah Maeil Business Newspaper mengatakan bahwa Shinsegae Co., mungkin bergabung dalam tender pembelian saham. Shinsegae, operator pertokoan diskon terbesar di Korea Selatan, berencana untuk menyerahkan surat ketertarikan sebelum tenggat waktunya hari ini, dikatakan Maeil kemarin, mengutip seorang pejabat non-resmi dari Shinsegae. Hwang Jong Soon, seorang juru bicara dari took retail tersebut, menolak berkomentar ketika dihubungi Bloomberg News

Hong Kong Perpanjang Jam Perdagangan

Operator bursa Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. mengatakan hari Kamis bahwa pihaknya akan menerapkan tahap pertama dari perpanjangan jam perdagangan, dengan penambahan 1 jam, yang dimulai hari Senin. Penerapan ini mengikuti beberapa seri sesi simulasi pasar.

Emas Waspadai Data Payrolls AS

Spot emas di $1,417.80/ons, naik $2.50 setelah sempat anjlok 1.4% di hari Kamis. Emas dapat terus tertekan jika data non-farm payrolls AS bulan Februari lebih baik dari perkiraan.

"Adanya optimisme pemulihan membuat safe haven untuk emas berkurang sehingga mendorong aksi profit-taking," menurut Phillip Futures. Survey Dow Jones memperkirakan adanya pertumbuhan tenaga kerja sebanyak 185,000 di bulan Februari. Secara teknikal emas masih bagus, menurut Barclays Capital.

"Kami perkirakan emas masih dapat menembus level $1,440 untuk selanjutnya menuju target di area $1,460 dan kemudian $1,500," katanya.

Markets Have High Hopes for Jobs Report

The markets have high expectations for the February employment report, even if economists are reluctant to go too far out on a limb after several months of big misses by the consensus forecasts.

But traders, betting on a string of better employment-related data this week, are more bullish than the forecasters and are whispering about non-farm payroll numbers of 300,000 or even more. 

Economists are forecasting that roughly 200,000 jobs were added in February, up from a miniscule 36,000 jobs in January. They also expect to see an unemployment rate of 9.1 percent, up slightly from January's 9 percent, when the report is released at 8:30am ET Friday. 

The January number was about 100,000 fewer than expected, and some economists think that some of those jobs missing from January were under-reported due to bad weather, and may show up in February's number instead. 

Moody's Economy.com chief economist Mark Zandi expects to see 250,000 payrolls, but he expects 100,000 of those are related to the weather loss from January. 

"So without the weather it's probably around 150,000, which is consistent with stable unemployment, but not enough to bring down unemployment. We need better. I think we'll eventually get that, but I've been thinking that for a couple of months. We're on the verge. Everything is pointing in that direction...Everything is pointing to a better job market — except for the payroll numbers," he said. 

"I'm at 200,000 with wide dispersion," said Miller Tabak's chief economic strategist Dan Greenhaus. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was 250,000 and I wouldn't be surprised if it was 175,000."

Economists say the U.S. economy is finally on the verge of creating jobs at a rate of several hundred thousand a month, but the February employment report may not tell that story. 

"I don't think it would be a disaster for the market if it doesn't come in at that level," said Cowen's head trader John O'Donoghue of the whisper numbers. 

"There's still an enormous amount of money that hasn't been committed to equities. There's plenty of money that's sitting on the sidelines and it may be it catches it, if we get a little correction, or it chases it, if the number comes in." 

Stocks on Thursday soared on optimism about the economy as oil prices moved slightly lower. The Dow was up 191 points,or 1.6 percent to 12,258, and the S&P 500 rose 1.7 percent to 1330, just 13 points below where it was before the market started to sell off on concerns about Libya and rising oil prices.

Crude was down $0.31 to $10191, and gold was off $21.20 per ounce to $1416. The dollar fell, as the euro got a lift on the expectation for higher interest rates in the euro zone. 

There were encouraging employment news in both the ISM manufacturing and services surveys this week, and in the manufacturing survey, the employment reading was at its highest level since 1973. The ADP private sector payrolls this week were reported at 217,000, and the NFIB small business survey Thursday reported hiring plans were positive for a fifth straight month, and job openings at the highest level since September, 2008. 

Also encouraging was Thursday's weekly jobless claims report of 368,000, the second week in a row below 400,000. 

"I think we should start to see (monthly job growth of) 150,000 to 250,000 range," said Mesirow Financial chief economist Diane Swonk. 

"It's going to be in fits and starts. If we stay in that range and average a little above 200,000, it will generate a little over 2.5 million to 2.7 million jobs this year. That would be good but it would leave us four million in the hole." Swonk expects to see 199,000 non farm payrolls for February. 

"The biggest thing to see is how broad-based the gains are," said Swonk. "So far, it's been clear the manufacturing sector is adding jobs but the much larger services sector has been a laggard."

Economists expect to see the unemployment rate pick up as people who had stopped looking for work begin to seek jobs again. Deutsche Bank economist Joseph LaVorgna is actually trimming his expectation for the unemployment rate to 8.9 percent. 

"I think that could surprise people on Friday," he said.

President Obama Says Gaddafi Must Leave Libya

President Barack Obama said Muammar Gaddafi must leave Libya, saying the besieged ruler has lost his legitmacy to lead.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi

Speaking briefly at the White House Thursday, Obama said that the U.S. was "outraged by the violence" in the North African country as rebels and forces loyal to Gaddafi continue to battle.

Obama also said that sanctions are in place to hold Gaddaffi and all Libyan leaders accountable for their actions.

Obama said the the U.S. is examining all options in regards to what steps it may take toward Libya and will "make any decisions about Libya with our allies."

Obama added that the U.S. is sending humanitarian aid teams to the Libyan border and that the U.S. stands for freedom and democracy for the Libyan people.

Obama's comments come as Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has accepted a proposal by his ally Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for international mediation to end an uprising in the North African country, a Chavez spokesman said Thursday.

Venezuela hopes Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva could head an international mediation commission to seek peace in Libya, a government source told Reuters. 

Reports Chavez's proposal was being taken seriously by Arab leaders pushed down oil prices after a days-long rally on worries violence in Libya will hit supplies. 

Like Gaddafi, Chavez casts himself as an anti-imperial revolutionary and has visited him in Libya six times. Analysts are skeptical Chavez can bring any immediate end to fighting in Libya, where Gaddafi faces an increasingly organized rebel army. 

Information Minister Andres Izarra said Venezuela's foreign minister spoke on Thursday with his Libyan counterpart, who confirmed that Gaddafi's government supported the idea of an international commission.

Izarra confirmed the Arab League had shown interest in Chavez's proposal to send an international commission to talk with both sides in Libya. 

But other reports say the Libyan rebels have rejected any peace plan proposed by Venezuela. Rebels who have set up a National Libyan Council in east Libya are open to talks only on Muammar Gaddafi's resignation or exile to stop bloodshed, an aide to a top rebel figure said on Thursday.

"Oil fell on news of the plan. Brent crude fell more than $3 to $113.09 per barrel as investors eyed a possible deal brokered by Chavez. It later edged up to $114.78

In Paris, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said France and Britain would support the idea of setting up a no-fly zone over Libya if Gaddafi's forces continued to attack civilians. Some 6,000 Libyans have been killed since the revolt which broke out in February the Libyan Human Rights League said on Wednesday.

The uprising, the bloodiest yet against long-serving rulers in the Middle East and North Africa, has torn through the OPEC-member country and knocked out nearly 50 percent of its 1.6 million barrels per day output, the bedrock of Libya's economy. 

In Libya's east, the site of a struggle for control of a strategically vital Mediterranean coastal road and oil industry facilities, witnesses said a warplane for a second day bombed the oil terminal town Brega, 800 km (500 miles) east of Tripoli. 

People attend  the funerals of a Libyan rebel killed the previous day while defending a strategically important oil refinery town from a regime counter-attack in Brega.

But on the ground, events appeared to turn against Gaddafi, as rebels spearheading the unprecedented popular revolt pushed their frontline against government loyalists west of Brega, where they had repulsed an attack a day earlier. 

The opposition fighters said troops loyal to Gaddafi had been driven back to Ras Lanuf, home to another major oil terminal and 600 km (375 miles) east of Tripoli. 

They also said they had captured a group of mercenaries.

In an angry scene at al-Uqayla, east of Ras Lanuf, a rebel shouted inches from the face of a captured young African and alleged mercenary: "You were carrying guns, yes or no? You were with Gaddafi's brigades yes or no?" The silent youth was shoved onto his knees into the dirt. 

A man held a pistol close to the boy's face before a reporter protested and told the man that the rebels were not judges. 

In The Hague, International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Gaddafi and members of his inner circle, including some of his sons, could be investigated for alleged crimes committed since the uprising broke out in mid-February. 

Arrest Warrants

He said a request for arrest warrants over Libya could be made in a few months time.

"We have identified some individuals in the de facto or former authority who have authority over the security forces who allegedly committed the crimes," Moreno-Ocampo said. "They are Muammar Gaddafi, his inner circle including some of his sons, who had this de facto authority. There are also some people with formal authority who should pay attention to crimes committed by their people." 

Libyan government spokesman Musa Ibrahim told BBC Radio the news from The Hague was "close to a joke." 

 

"No fact-finding mission has been sent to Libya. No diplomats, no ministers, no NGOs or organizations of any type were sent to Libya to check the facts ... No one can be sent to prison based on media reports," he said. 

The rebels, armed with rocket launchers, anti-aircraft guns and tanks, called on Wednesday for U.N.-backed air strikes on Foreign mercenaries it said were fighting for Gaddafi.

Opposition activists called for a no-fly zone, echoing a demand by Libya's deputy U.N. envoy, who now opposes Gaddafi. 

"Bring Bush! Make a no fly zone, bomb the planes," shouted soldier-turned-rebel Nasr Ali, referring to a no-fly zone imposed on Iraq in 1991 by then U.S. President George Bush.

Italy said it was preparing for a potential mass exodus of migrants escaping turmoil in North Africa after a rise in flows of illegal immigrants from Tunisia, the initial destination for tens of thousands who have fled violence in Libya. 

Save The Children and Medecins Sans Frontieres said they were struggling to get medicines and care to Libya's needy, with gunmen blocking roads and civilians too scared to seek help.

At a meeting with adoring loyalists in Tripoli on Wednesday, Gaddafi slammed "armed gangsters" he said were behind the unrest as part of a plot to colonize Libya and grab its oil, and said if foreigners intervened "another Vietnam will begin." The Libyan government has tried to persuade people in Tripoli that life continues as normal, but the crisis was affecting everyday life. 

There were queues outside banks and residents said food prices had gone up, while the street value of the Libyan dinar had fallen dramatically against the dollar.

A fish market near Tripoli's Green Square was mostly empty. "The situation is affecting us," said Ismail, a fisherman. "All the Egyptian workers who run the boats have left."

Preview Non-Farm Payrolls

Melihat tahun lalu, salah satu sektor yang masih lemah dalam pemulihan AS adalah sektor tenaga kerja. Seiring perekonomian AS yang mulai stabil, perusahaan di Amerika berhenti mengurangi pekerja namun permasalahan utama adalah minimnya perekrutan. Perusahaan di AS sedang menyimpan dana dan berhati-hati dalam menggunakan anggarannya. Penurunan tajam sebesar 0.8% pada tingkat pengagguran dalam 2 bulan terakhir terkesan mencurigakan terutama setelah penurunan ini merupakan yang terbesar dalam lebih dari 50 tahun. Sebagian dapat diartikan sebagai kemajuan pada pasar tenaga kerja namun juga ada penurunan pada tingkat partisipasi.

Tingkat klaim pengangguran juga sangat rendah dengan rata-rata 4-mingguan yang turun ke level terendah sejak Juli 2008, ini dapat diartikan sebagai menguatnya pertumbuhan tingkat pekerjaan dan itu dapat dimulai dengan laporan non-farm payrolls hari ini.

Seperti disebutkan sebelumnya, salah satu cara agar laporan NFP dapat diartikan positif bagi dollar AS adalah jika payrolls dapat melebihi 250k, tingkat pengangguran tetap atau membaik bersama dengan revisi naik pada bulan sebelumnya. Jika non-farm payrolls bagus namun tingkat pengangguran naik, rally pada dollar akan terbatas. Sama halnya apa bila data bulan Januari direvisi naik tajam dan angka bulan Februari sama atau dibawah ekspektasi, dollar kemungkinan akan rally namun terbatas. 

Optimisme Non-Farm Payrolls Angkat Wall Street

Saham AS ditutup naik tajam setelah rally sepanjang sesi pada hari Kamis seiring laporan yang bagus pada jumlah klaim pengangguran dan turunnya harga minyak membuat investor untuk memulihkan penurunan sebelumnya pada awal pekan ini menjelang data tenaga kerja penting hari Jumat. "Menurutku pasar puas dengan data klaim pengangguran," ucap Jeremy Zirin, kepala strategis saham AS pada UBS Wealth Management. "Sektor terlemah dalam pemuliha yaitu pekerjaan mulai pulih."

Data ekonomi hari ini menunjukkan jumlah klaim pengangguran turun sebanyak 20,000 menjadi 368,000 minggu lalu, level terendah sejak Mei 2008, laporan dari Dep.Tenaga Kerja. Fakta bahwa jumlah klaim berada di bawah 400,000 untuk minggu kedua dianggap sebagai sinyal dimulainya pertumbuhan tingkat pekerjaan. Bagusnya data ini menguatkan ekspektasi bahwa laporan tenaga kerja pemerintah ahti Jumat akan menujukkan kenaikan yang tajam. Ekonom memperkirakan Dep.Tenaga Kerja untuk melaporkan kenaikan sebesar 185,000 pada nonfarm payrolls, dan 190,000 pada sektor swasta, menurut Reuters.

 

Beberapa ekonom telah merevisi naik estimasi mereka akibat data klaim pengangguran dan ADP yang menunjukkan penambahan pekerja sektor swasta sebanyak bulan lalu. Sementara data lain menunjukkan indikasi penjualan bulanan pada toko peritel naik melebihi perkiraan di bulan Februari. Perkiraan analis untuk kenaikan sebesar 3.6% pada tingkat penjualan.

Lockhart Tetap Waspada Terhadap Inflasi

Lonjakan pada harga komoditas membuat konsumen memperkirakan kenaikan harga dalam waktu dekat, dan pejabat Federal Reserve harus memastikan ekspektasi jangka panjang masih dalam kendali, ucap salah satu pejabat bank sentral. Pada saat bersamaan, tingkat pengangguran AS masih jauh terlalu tinggi, dan pemulihan ekonomi masih membutuhkan banyak bantuan dari kebijakan moneter Fed yang akomodatif, ucap Presiden Fed bagian Atlanta, Dennis Lockhart.

Gejolak politik di Afrika Utara dan Timur Tengah telah memicu kenaikan tajam pada harga minyak. Hal itu telah memicu inflasi, terutama mengingat stimulus Fed yang belum dijalankan – termasuk pembelian obligasi pemerintah sebesar 2.3 milyar dollar hingga bulan Juni nanti. Data ekonomi belakangan ini menandakan inflasi masih terkendali, dan masih jauh di bawah target Fed sekitar 2% atau sedikit di bawah. "Kita harus tetap waspada akan kenaikan apapun pada inflasi yang dapat merubah ekspektasi jangka panjang," ucap Lockhart. Ia juga mengatakan masalah tingkat pengangguran jangka panjang sebagai salah satu tantangan terbesar AS.

Optimisme Non-Farm Payrolls Angkat Wall Street

Saham AS rally pada hari Kamis seiring harga minyak yang mulai turun dan data ekonomi yang melebihi perkiraan menguatkan ekspektasi kenaikan pada laporan tingkat pekerja AS untuk bulan Februari (non-farm payrolls) hari Jumat. Dengan kenaikan harga minyak yang terhenti, investor saham kembali fokus kepada perkeonomian AS, yang telah menunjukkan kemajuan yang stabil dalam laporan minggu ini.

Scott Marcouiller, kepala strategis teknikal pasar pada Wells Fargo Advisors di St. Louis, mengatakan data yang cenderung bagus belakangan ini telah mendorong optimisme atas angka non-farm payrolls yang bagus pada laporan Dep.Tenaga Kerja.

ECB's Trichet Says April Interest Rate Hike Possible

An interest rate hike could come as early as next month, but will not be the start of a series of interest rate increases,  European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said on Thursday.

Inflationary pressures have increased over the last month, risks are to the upside and "strong vigilance" is required, he told a news conference.

Jean-Claude Trichet

"An interest rate increase at the meeting next month is possible," Trichet said. He added: "It is not the start of a series of interest rate increases."

Trichet said the ECB was never "pre-committed" to rate moves and said the decision to keep rates unchanged this month had been unanimous.

The euro surged after Trichet's comments, which were seen as an indication that a rate rise was imminent, while European stocks traded higher.

Oil prices remained lower, with the possibility of peace talks on Libya driving pricing more strongly than Trichet's comments.

"Strong vigilance is warranted with a view to containing upside risks to price stability," Trichet told a news conference after the bank kept interest rates at a record low of 1 percent.

He said inflation pressures had increased since the ECB last met a month ago, largely due to a rise in commodity prices, adding that price risks were on the upside.

The ECB used the phrase "strong vigilance" repeatedly during its 2005-2007 rate hike cycle, typically one month before it raised rates, although there were exceptions to that rule.

It is not clear whether the verbal signal still holds good.

Euro zone inflation accelerated to 2.4 percent last month, moving further above the ECB's target of just below 2 percent.

Most Retailers Top Estimates, Some See Weak March

Despite storms and rising gasoline prices, many retailers reported monthly sales that managed to top analysts' estimates, but some warned of a weaker March due the timing of the Easter holiday.

February typically is a month where retailers clear out winter merchandise and begin to introduce items for warmer weather. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect same-store sales for the retailers who are reporting to rise 3.6 percent from the same period last year.

The Thomson Reuters Same-Store Sales Index rose 4.2 percent in February, topping not only estimates, which called for an increase of 3.6 percent, but also growth in the year-ago period.

February is the least important month of most retailer's fiscal first quarter calendar, as it generally is focused on clearing out winter-related merchandise, and preparing for the release of goods for the warmer weather ahead.

Target, which was one of the few retailers falling short of estimates, was among the retailers warning that it would be hurt by the shift in the timing of Easter, which falls three weeks later than last year.

"This means March may be abnormally soft as consumers digest the recent headlines and the associated negative hit on their budgets (gasoline, food), and save up for Easter-targeted deals in April," said Brian Sozzi, an analyst at Wall Street Securities.

Still, for the latest month, many retailers managed to top estimates for same-store sales. Among them was Limited Brands [LTD  31.67    -0.47  (-1.46%)   ], which saw continued strength at its Victoria Secret and Bath & Body Works stores.

Limited said same-store sales rose 12 percent in February from the year-ago period, outpacing the 8.5 percent average analyst estimate reported by Thomson Reuters.

Teen retailers Wet Seal [WTSLA  4.05    0.20  (+5.19%)   ] and Zumiez [ZUMZ  27.01    1.07  (+4.12%)   ] also topped analysts' estimates.

This is the first month that their rivals Abercrombie & Fitch [ANF  58.88    0.40  (+0.68%)   ], Aeropostale [ARO  26.0625    0.0825  (+0.32%)   ] and American Eagle [AEO  15.50    0.15  (+0.98%)   ] are no longer reporting same-store sales on a monthly basis. Those retailers joined a growing number of retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores [WMT  51.87    -0.10  (-0.19%)   ] that do not report same-store sales growth each month.

As the other results come in Thursday, one wildcard will be the weather. February began with several serious storms, which may have prompted consumers to postpone purchases or shift those purchases online.

Macy's [M  23.86    0.28  (+1.19%)   ], for example, saw strong growth in its online sales, which rose 30.9 percent during the month. Macy's includes online sales in its same-store sales calculations.

Those results helped Macy's top analysts' estimates for the month. The department store reported same-store sales growth of 5.8 percent, compared with the 3.7 percent estimate published by Thomson Reuters.

Stage Stores [SSI  17.07    -0.13  (-0.76%)   ] said its performance was hurt by the weather. The company said its same-store sales fell 7.2 percent in February, missing analysts' estimates, which called for sales to rise 2.5 percent, by a wide margin.

Stage Store President and CEO Andy Hall said that the retailer's traffic trends "remain solid," and he added that the company said same-store sales growth of 10 percent in the second half of the month. However, that growth was not enough to offset the impact of lost sales earlier in the month.

About 51 percent the of the company's business was in states hit hard by storms at the start of February, the company said.

Discounter Target [TGT  51.78    -0.52  (-0.99%)   ] also fell short of estimates, although the company said the results were "in line" with its expectations for the month.

Target's same-store sales rose 1.8 percent from last year, compared with the average analyst estimate of 2.2 percent.

Target also said it expects the shift in the timing of Easter to result in a "mid- to upper-single-digit decline" in its March same-store sales, followed by a "mid-teens" increase in its April Same-store sales. These two results would result in a "low-single-digit increase" in Target's same-store sales for the combined March and April period.

For the results so far, look at the following table.

February 2011 Same-Store Sales

Retailers	February 2011 Estimates	February 2011 Actuals
Costco	6.7%	8.0%
BJ's Wholesale	3.3%	5.5%
Target	2.2%	1.8%
JC Penney	4.2%	6.4%
Kohl's Department Store	4.1%	5%
Dillards Department Store	2.5%	(1%)
JW Nordstrom	4.2%	7.3%
Saks Department Store	4.9%	15.3%
Stage Stores	2.5%	(7.2%)
Macy's	3.7%	5.8%
Gap	(0.9%)	(3%)
TJX	2.8%	3%
Limited	8.5%	12%
Ross Stores	1.7%	3%
Stein Mart	1.0%	8.2%
Hot Topic	(5.0%)	(1.4%)
Wet Seal	(1.0%)	7.0%
The Buckle	2.8%	2.1%
Zumiez	4.2%	12.8%
Walgreen	3.5%	3.1%
Rite Aid	1.5%	1.0%

Source: Thomson Reuters; Figures in parenthesis are losses.

ECB komentar

Sesuai perkiraan sebelumya, ECB memutuskan untuk menahan suku bunga acuannya tidak berubah pada tingkat 1,0%. Keputusan tersebut telah menjatuhkan EUR/USD sekitar 20 pips ke area 1.3845, dimana pasangan mata uang ini tampaknya menemukan sedikit support. Secara umum, Euro masih bergerak dalam range perdagangan yang relatif sempit hari ini, setelah melambung mendekati level tinggi 4-bulan di 1.3890 kemarin.

EUR/GBP juga tergelincir sekitar 15 pips untuk menjangkau area di bawah 0.8510 dimana nampaknya juga menemukan support kuat. Sebelumya, pasangan mata uang ini sempat menyentuh level tinggi harian di 0.8535.

 

Saat ini para pelaku pasar tengah menantikan konferensi pers dari pimpinan ECB Trichet, guna mengumpulkan sinyak lebih lanjut mengenai kebijakan pengetatan moneter jangka pendek dalam mengatasi tekanan inflasi. dalam upaya untuk mendapatkan wawasan tentang bank berpikir pengetatan moneter jangka pendek dalam menghadapi tekanan inflasi.

Pengangguran AS terendah Sejak 2008

Klaim Awal Pengangguran AS pekan lalu secara mengejutkan berkurang ke tingkat terendah sejak Mei 2008, yang menunjukkan sebuah penguatan pada pasar tenaga kerja.

Menurut angka dari Departemen Tenaga Kerja hari ini, aplikasi untuk tunjangan pengangguran turun sebesar 20.000 menjadi 368.000 dalam minggu yang berakhir 26 Februari, mementahkan perkiraan kenaikan ke 395.000 dari para ekonom yang disurvey.

 

"Angka PHK nampaknya akan turun, yang meningkatkan asumsi bertambahnya pekerjaan," kata Mark Vitner, seorang ekonom senior pada Wells Fargo Securities LLC. di Charlotte, North Carolina, sebelum rilis data tersebut.

Komentar ECB’s Trichet Perkuat

Euro lanjutkan reli setelah ECB's Trichet kembali tegaskan ancaman inflasi yang kini menjadi tantangan bagi bank sentral. "Outlook inflasi beresiko meningkat dimana kenaikan harga energi merupakan faktor utama yang menambah tekanan inflasi. Masih ada ketidakpastian, namun aktivitas ekonomi masih positif," ungkap Trichet. Trichet hilangkan komentar 'tingkat suku bunga yang sesuai' dalam konverensi pers; indikasi bank sentral tengah bersiap untuk merubah kebijakan moneternya. Pasar keuangan telah perkirakan ECB akan segera menaikkan suku bunganya, lebih dahulu dari Fed; ini merupakan alasan utama yang mendukung penguatan euro.

Gaddafi Kembali Serang Area Ekspor Minyak

Pasukan Muammar Gaddafi kembali bombardir area hub ekspor minyak di timur Libya untuk hari kedua meskipun negara-negara Arab tengah pertimbangkan rencana untuk akhiri gejolak yang terus memburuk. Namun, pimpinan pemberontak katakan tidak ingin berdialog dengan Gaddafi yang telah memimpin Libya selama 41 tahun.


Saksi mata melihat pesawat perang membom terminal minyak di Brega, sehari setelah pasukan setia Gaddafi luncurkan serangan yang berhasil dihalau pemberontak. Pemberontak, yang dipersenjatai peluncur roket, senjata anti-pesawat dan tank, telah serukan agar PBB menyerang militer Libya. Namun, negara lain cukup berhati-hati setelah Gaddafi peringatkan intervensi asing dapat timbulkan “perang Vietnam lainnya".

Sekjen Liga Arab Amr Moussa tengah pertimbangkan rencana perdamaian Libya yang akan ditengahi oleh Presiden Venezuela Hugo Chavez, sahabat dekat Libya di perpolitikan internasional.  Liga Arab telah berbicara dengan beberapa pemimpin namun belum tahu apakah Gaddafi menerima usulan ini. Televisi Al Jazeera utarakan rencana Chavez akan libatkan Amerika Latin, Eropa, dan Timur Tengah yang akan berusaha membantu negosiasi antara pemimpin Libya dan pasukan pemberontak. Namun, pimpinan pemberontakan 'Dewan Nasional Libya, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, menolak untuk berdialog dengan Gaddafi.

Reuters : Dampak pembicaraan perdamaian di Libya

* Libya Gaddafi setuju untuk rencana perdamaian Chavez

 * Spot emas penargetan $ 1.450 - technicals

 * Datang: Tingkat keputusan ECB

 SINGAPORE, March 3 (Reuters) - Emas jatuh lebih dari setengah

persen pada hari Kamis, mundur dari sesi sebelumnya

tinggi di atas $ 1.440 per ounce catatan, pada rencana perdamaian untuk Libya

yang diusulkan oleh Venezuela-anggota OPEC untuk mengakhiri kekerasan dalam kerusuhan

negara.

 Sekretaris Jenderal Liga Arab Amr Moussa mengatakan pada hari Kamis

bahwa rencana untuk membawa perdamaian ke diusulkan oleh pemimpin Venezuela

Hugo Chavez telah "sedang dipertimbangkan."

 Berita jaringan Al Jazeera mengatakan sebelumnya rencana melibatkan

komisi dari Amerika Latin, Eropa dan Timur Tengah berusaha

untuk mencapai hasil negosiasi antara pemimpin Libya Muammar

Gaddafi dan pasukan pemberontak untuk Afrika Utara produsen minyak

negara.

 "Jika semacam resolusi dicapai untuk Libya, itu akan

tentu mempengaruhi emas - investor akan mengambil keuntungan dan menyesuaikan

mereka posisi lama, "kata Ong Yi Ling, seorang analis di Phillip

Futures.

 Investor tidak menduga resolusi prompt ke Libya

krisis, dan bertaruh pada meningkat di emas.

 Spot emas turun sebanyak 0,7 persen dan lebih dari

$ 11 dari intraday tertinggi $ 1,436.15 pada tumit berita tersebut. Ini

diperdagangkan pada $ 1,425.76 per ounce oleh 0802 GMT, turun 0,6 persen.

 Harga turun terendah $ 1,422.35, menggoda dengan dukungan di

$ 1.420.

 berjangka emas AS kehilangan 0,8 persen pada $ 1,426.80.

 Minyak mentah Brent turun lebih dari $ 3 pada berita ke

intra hari-rendah $ 113,09 per barel, sebelum pemulihan untuk dekat

$ 115 oleh 0700 GMT.

 Investor juga menonton pertemuan kebijakan ECB nantinya

Kamis, dimana bank sentral diharapkan dapat meningkatkan

anti-inflasi retorika dan mungkin phase out beberapa krisis

mendukung langkah-langkah.

 Namun, sebagian besar ekonom jangan berharap kenaikan suku bunga untuk

terwujud sampai setidaknya Oktober.

 "Jika ECB memperkuat harapan bahwa ia akan

menaikkan suku bunga cepat atau lambat, dapat mengambil beberapa

dari rally emas, "kata Ong.

 banding Gold bisa berkurang dalam jangka pendek jika pusat

bank mulai menaikkan suku bunga, yang akan memudahkan beberapa

kekhawatiran inflasi. suku bunga yang lebih tinggi akan meningkatkan

meningkatkan biaya kesempatan memegang emas.

 Namun, selama jangka waktu yang lama, tingkat tinggi

inflasi, suku bunga tinggi dan harga emas tinggi cenderung

bertepatan.

 Cina, yang telah menaikkan suku bunga dua kali dalam enam masa lalu

bulan dan rasio persyaratan cadangan bank meningkat delapan kali

sejak awal tahun 2010, mungkin akan mengangkat mereka lagi ini

bulan, karena ekonomi dunia terbesar kedua pertempuran keras kepala

inflasi.

 Dalam data terbaru dari Amerika Serikat, US swasta

pengusaha sektor ditambahkan pekerjaan lebih dari yang diharapkan bulan lalu, sementara

Federal Reserve mengatakan kegiatan ekonomi secara perlahan membaik

awal tahun.

 Spot perak naik menjadi hanya 2 sen di bawah 31 tahun

tinggi $ 34,96 per ons hit pada hari Rabu, sebelum menjatuhkan lebih

dari 50 sen menjadi $ 34,40.

 Spot platinum jatuh 0,6 persen pada $ 1,835.49, gertakan

kemenangan beruntun empat hari.

Precious metals prices 0802 GMT
  Metal             Last    Change  Pct chg  YTD pct chg  Volume
  Spot Gold        1425.76   -8.73   -0.61      0.44
  Spot Silver        34.40   -0.27   -0.78     11.47
  Spot Platinum    1835.49  -10.25   -0.56      3.85
  Spot Palladium    816.22   -0.50   -0.06      2.09
  TOCOM Gold       3765.00    0.00   +0.00      0.97        769
  TOCOM Platinum   4899.00   12.00   +0.25      4.32        187
  TOCOM Silver       90.30    0.00   +0.00     11.48         26
  TOCOM Palladium  2160.00    1.00   +0.05      3.00          5
  COMEX GOLD APR1  1426.80  -10.90   -0.76      0.38      23129
  COMEX SILVER MAY1  34.41   -0.43   -1.23     11.20       6840
  Euro/Dollar       1.3867
  Dollar/Yen         81.87

TOCOM prices in yen per gram. Spot prices in $ per ounce.
  COMEX gold and silver contracts show the most active months