• US durable goods orders fall 0.8% in September but ex- transportation, up 1.7%, much stronger than expected
  • US new home sales rise 5.7% in September; better than forecast
  • Bank of Canada sees European recession in early 2012; Canadian growth slowing since July
  • Democrats propose $2.5-3 trln in deficit cuts
  • Heavy speculation China to invest in EFSF enhancements
  • EU officials say ESFS to be leveraged four fold from a base level of EUR 250-275 bln; roughly EUR 1 trln in buying power; Bank capital requirement to be hiked to 9% by June 2012; haircuts to be determined
  • Sarkozy to appeal to China’s Hu Jintao tomorrow to contribute to participate on EFSF
  • US investment bank MF Global put itself up for sale after large losses on European sovereign debt
  • Merkel and Sarkozy to meet bankers tonight to try and forge private sector haircut deal

One summit down and one to go. The EU statement seems to lay out the basics. Much of what has leaked this week seems to have come to pass. Now it is up to the players to enact the necessary reforms, raise the capital, etc. A whole ‘nuther kettle of fish…

EUR/USD fell at mid-morning in New York on fears the summit would not produce results and on news that NY brokerage firm MF Global had been put on the block owing to large losses on European sovereign debt. We slumped to 1.3798 from 1.3975 only to rebound to the 1.3900/10 area after the summit results began to hit the wires.

The market is very excited by the prospect of fresh Chinese investment in the EFSF. If President Hu passes on the opportunity, we could see fresh unwinding of recent EUR/USD longs.

USD/JPY enjoyed a bounce this afternoon as intraday shorts in EUR/JPY were covered. USD/JPY ends at 76.22 after making a 2-pip new low in London overnight at 75.71. Intervention jitters again at work, as well as expectations of marginal new policy easing from the BOJ today, adding another JPY 5 trln to their JPY 50 trln asset purchase program is expected.

Watch the wires for the balance of the afternoon as the Euro group meeting has yet to finish. Another round of comments is sure to follow.