In Asian deals on Friday, the Chinese yuan broke its psychologically important level of 6.50 against the dollar for the first time since 1993 on speculation the central bank will continue to let the yuan strengthen more as a way of battling inflation.
The consumer price inflation in China continued to hover above the government’s target of 4 percent despite several measures taken by the government and the central bank.
The People’s Bank of China has raised interest rates twice this year and hiked the reserve requirement three times in 2011 after raising it six times last year.
In March, consumer price inflation rose to 5.4 percent, the highest since August 2008, from 4.9 percent in February. The inflation also came in above the 5.2 percent forecast by economists. Food prices surged up 11.7 percent, while the increase in non-food prices was a tamer 2.7 percent. However, consumer prices fell 0.2 percent on a monthly basis in March.
Meanwhile, annual inflation for the first quarter came in at 5 percent, with an increase of 4.9 percent in cities and 5.5 percent in rural areas.
The dollar’s slide this week on U.S. Federal Reserve’s commitment to keep rates near zero-levels for an extended period also boosted the Chinese currency.
The yuan rose to a fresh record high of 6.4805 against the dollar at 9:50 pm ET, but it has come off slightly thereafter. The yuan is now worth 6.4907 per dollar.
The People’s Bank of China set today’s central parity rate for the yuan at a fresh record high of 6.4990 per dollar, compared to Thursday’s daily reference rate of 6.5051.
A survey by Markit Economics showed today that China’s manufacturing sector expanded at a steady pace in April, amid relatively lackluster growth of new business and a slower expansion in manufacturing production.
The Markit/HSBC purchasing managers’ index was at 51.8 during the month. The reading was unchanged from the March score and the flash estimate.
The new Zune browser is surprisingly good, but not as good as the iPod’s. It works well, but isn’t as fast as Safari, and has a clunkier interface. If you occasionally plan on using the web browser that’s not an issue, but if you’re planning to browse the web alot from your PMP then the iPod’s larger screen and better browser may be important.
Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass’ favor.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
it sometimes difficult to select the right kind of mens clothing but there are helpful buying guides on the internet~
Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
Hands down, Apple’s app store wins by a mile. It’s a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I’m not sure I’d want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.
The new Zune browser is surprisingly good, but not as good as the iPod’s. It works well, but isn’t as fast as Safari, and has a clunkier interface. If you occasionally plan on using the web browser that’s not an issue, but if you’re planning to browse the web alot from your PMP then the iPod’s larger screen and better browser may be important.
After I originally commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox
and now each time a comment is added I get 4 emails with the same comment.
There has to be a means you can remove me from
that service? Thanks a lot!
Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
I’ll gear this review to 2 types of people: current Zune owners who are considering an upgrade, and people trying to decide between a Zune and an iPod. (There are other players worth considering out there, like the Sony Walkman X, but I hope this gives you enough info to make an informed decision of the Zune vs players other than the iPod line as well.)