Wenwen Meng

Australian Dollar: Investors sold the Aussie aggressively after minutes from the Reserve Bank's meeting said 'the evident caution in household spending would, if it persisted, reduce the pressure on prices that might normally be expected in an economy with very strong terms of trade and limited spare capacity' and have 'provided additional time for the board to assess at future meetings.'

The energy sector led U.S. stocks lower Tuesday as crude-oil futures fell, while a host of U.S. economic data left investors feeling uninspired. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 46 points, or 0.4%, to 12222. Exxon Mobil led the measure's decline with a 2.1% drop.

The Australian Dollar fell below parity for the first time since the start of month following comments from RBA Governor Glenn Stevens who suggested interest rates may remain stationary for most of the year.

U.S. stocks climbed Friday, concluding a second-straight week of gains at fresh 21/2 year closing highs after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down.

Australian Dollar: Disappointing retail sales numbers pushed the Australian Dollar down towards 1.0100 during yesterday's domestic session. However, the move lower was short-lived and the weaker-than-expected reading in December (+0.2 per cent) was offset somewhat by a 12th straight monthly rise in the ANZ Job advertisement series.

Financials led U.S. stocks higher Monday as the market got a lift from a stream of deals, corporate earnings and guarded relief that some economic activity has resumed in Egypt. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 87 points, or 0.7%, to 12179.