2013.06.1002:02:11UTC+00Dollar Index bolster on Fed bets; Kiwi, Aussie decline on China data

The Dollar Index zoom higher for a second day before Federal Reserve of St. Louis President James Bullard speaks today amid speculation the central bank will slow financial stimulus as the economy develops.

Fed Watch

U.S. Labor Department figures showed on June 7 that payrolls rose by 175,000 in May after a revised 149,000 increase in April that was smaller than first estimated.

Aussie Shorts

Futures traders increased bets that the Australian dollar will decline against the U.S. dollar to a record, figures from the Washington-based Commodity Futures Trading Commission show.

The difference in the number of wagers by hedge funds and other large speculators on a decline in the Aussie compared with those on a gain -- so-called net shorts -- was 58,550 on June 4, the most bearish in data going back to January 1993.

The BOJ starts a two-day meeting today. The central bank’s board is divided over whether to quell market volatility by doubling to two years the maturity of 0.1 percent loans it extends to banks, according to people familiar with the discussions.