In a day of no European data releases the Euro, like the other major currencies is in a holding pattern ahead of the release of important jobs data out of the USA and as investors focus on the world’s largest economy data releases from within the Eurozone have been largely ignored by the markets.
According to the Eurozone statistics agency the Republic of Irelands deficit for last year was bigger than first thought whilst Greece’s was less than feared. The Irish deficit increased to 8.2%, the third worse in the Eurozone and just behind Greece and Spain. In Europe as a whole the Irish deficit was the fourth worst.
Germany meanwhile was the only member of the Eurozone to post a budget surplus with the second best performing nation being Estonia whose budget was balanced. The overall Eurozone had a budget deficit of 3.7% in 2012, an improvement on previous years and added to signs that the region is making a slow recovery.
Elsewhere in the Eurozone Finland posted its latest unemployment figures which came in worse than forecast by economists. According to Statistics Finland the jobless rate in the Scandinavian nation climbed to 7.6% in September from the 7.1% recorded in the previous year. Economists had been expecting a rise to 7.2%.
The rise in the number of Fins out of work now means that were around 199,000 people without jobs higher than the previous year’s 187,000 for the same period. The unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 24 edged higher to 17.9%.
Euro (EUR) Exchange Rates
As of 11:10 am GMT
The Euro/US Dollar Exchange Rate is currently in the region of: 1.3666
The Euro/Pound Sterling Exchange Rate is currently in the region of: 0.8476
The Euro/Australian Dollar Exchange Rate is currently in the region of: 1.4159
The Euro/ New Zealand Dollar Exchange Rate is currently in the region of: 1.6199
The Euro/ Canadian Dollar Exchange Rate is currently in the region of: 1.4073
The Euro/ Japanese Yen Rate Exchange Rate is currently in the region of: 134.4172
The Euro/Swiss Franc Exchange Rate is currently in the region of: 1.2352
The Pound Sterling/ Euro Exchange Rate is currently in the region of: 1.1797
The US Dollar/Euro Exchange Rate is currently in the region of: 0.7317
The Australian Dollar/Euro Exchange Rate is currently in the region of: 0.7062
The New Zealand Dollar/Euro Exchange Rate is currently in the region of: 0.6173
The Canadian Dollar/Euro Exchange Rate is currently in the region of: 0.7105
Swiss Franc/Euro Exchange Rate is currently in the region of: 0.8095
