Asia

 Thailand Holds Rate, Trims GDP, Export Forecast. Thailand's central bank on Wednesday left its benchmark interest rate at 2.5%, a level it continues to feel is low enough to help the economy escape recession. The Bank of Thailand (BoT) said the rate is "still appropriate". It said the economy, which slipped into a mild recession in April-June quarter, is stabilising, but growing slower than expected. The central bank said it revised down its growth and export forecasts at the meeting but the new projections will be released on Oct 25. In July, the growth projection was chopped to 4.2% from 5.1%. The Thai Finance Ministry predicts 3.7% growth for this year and the Asian Development Bank recently forecast 3.8%. (Reuters)

 S'pore Home Sales Fall 52pc In September. Singapore's home sales fell 52 per cent last month from a year ago, signalling that the government's efforts to cool its property market are working. Home sales fell to 1,246 units last month compared with 2,621 in September last year, according to data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority released yesterday. From the previous month, sales increased 65 per cent from a revised 756 units sold in August as developers marketed more projects, the data showed. (Bloomberg)

USA

 US Shutdown: Senate Reaches Fiscal Deal. Republican and Democratic leaders of the US Senate have struck a cross-party deal to end a partial government shutdown and raise the US debt limit. Their bill must also pass the House, where a small group of Republicans are expected to join Democrats to send it to President Barack Obama. The measure extends the federal borrowing limit until 7 February and funds the government to 15 January. It comes just a day before the deadline to raise the $16.7tn limit. (BBC)

 Builder Sentiment In U.S. Shaken By Budget Battle. Confidence among U.S. homebuilders fell to a four-month low in October, underscoring the toll that partisan brinkmanship in Washington and the federal government shutdown are exacting on the economy. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo index of builder sentiment decreased to 55 this month from a revised 57 in September that was weaker than initially estimated, the Washington-based group reported today. Readings above 50 mean more builders view conditions as good than poor. (Bloomberg)

Europe

 Europe Car Sales Rise Most Since 2011 On Spain Incentives. European monthly car sales rose the most in more than two years as the end of a recession in the region, price cutting and a government incentive program in Spain helped lift demand. Registrations in September jumped 5.5 % to 1.19 million vehicles, the Brussels-based European Automobile Manufacturers Association, or ACEA, said today in a statement. That narrowed the decline this year to 4 %, for total deliveries of 9.34 million cars. (Bloomberg)

 UK Jobless Total Falls By 18,000 To 2.49m. The number of unemployed in the UK fell by 18,000 to 2.49 million in the June-August period, official figures show. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also said the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance last month fell by 41,700 to 1.35 million. The unemployment rate drops to 7.7%, down from 7.8% the previous quarter. The number of people in work, both full-time and part-time, reached a record high of 29.87 million in the quarter, up 155,000. (BBC)

Currencies

 Dollar Gains Vs. Yen On Hope For Last-Minute Deal. The dollar jumped against the yen on Wednesday as Senate leaders agreed on a deal to reopen the government and raise the U.S. debt ceiling, hours away from when the Treasury Department has said the U.S. will hit its debt limit. The dollar jumped to 98.75 Japanese yen from ¥98.20 late Tuesday. The ICE dollar index, a measure of the greenback’s strength against a basket of currencies, traded at 80.469, near 80.429 late Tuesday. The euro was little changed at $1.3532 versus $1.3528 in late trade Tuesday. The British pound declined to $1.5950 from $1.5997. In other trade, the Australian dollar rose to 95.43 U.S. cents from 95.27 late Tuesday. (Market Watch)

Commodities

 Oil Ends Higher On Optimistic U.S. Budget Deal Outlook. Crude oil futures rose on Wednesday as it appeared Congress was close to an 11th-hour deal to raise the government's debt ceiling and prevent a default. Front-month November Brent crude oil futures expired 90 cents higher at $110.86. December Brent ended $1.17 per barrel higher at $110.59. The U.S. benchmark settled $1.08 per barrel higher at $102.29, after trading as high as $102.97. (Reuters)

 Gold Under Pressure As U.S. Debt Crisis Nears End. Gold was flat to slightly lower on Wednesday as U.S. lawmakers closed in on a deal to avert a U.S. default on its debt and re-open government, further erasing bullion's appeal as a safe-haven asset. Spot gold was down 60 cents, or 0.05 % at $1,279.64 an ounce at 3:58 p.m. EDT (1958 GMT) after recovering from an intraday low of $1,268 earlier in the session. In other precious metals, silver was flat at $21.35 an ounce. Spot platinum rose 1.1 % to $1,393 an ounce, and spot palladium gained 1.35% to $715 an ounce. (Reuters)