ForexLive North American wrap: Chicago PMI highest since April

Chicago PMI 55.6 vs 50.5 exp Initial jobless claims 368K vs 350K exp US personal income +2.6% vs +0.8% exp US personal spending +0.2% vs +0.3% exp Milwaukee PMI 51.3 vs 52.2 prior Canada Nov GDP +0.3% vs +0.2% exp Senate votes to extend debt limit Spain calls off short-selling ban, banks fall The latest from Bill Gross (spoiler: it's gloomy) Monte Pashi cut to BB from BB+: S&P S&P 500 down 0.2% to 1498 Euro leads on month, yen lags NZD leads, JPY lags A busy, volatile month wrapped up in style with USD/JPY touching the highest since 2010. It was a steady climb from 91.00 to 91.50 in US trading. After the 10 am ET options cut, some major barriers came off and that helped the pair climb as high as 91.57. The euro pulled ahead to 1.3594 at on fixing demand in London but scaled back to 1.3581 later. The Canadian dollar was a standout performer as it broke parity on signs of economic strength in the US. Gold down $13.50 to $1663.