The commodity bloc leveraged the day’s anti-dollar sentiment. Leveraging speculation of a follow up rate hike from the RBA at their next week, the Conference Board’s December leading economic index rose for a fifth consecutive month. The Canadian dollar added little distance to its 300 point rally against the greenback over the past two days as Fin Min Jim Flaherty projected the nation’s budget surplus would drop 77 percent in 2008 and shrink to decade low in 2009. Finally, the New Zealand dollar would perform actually drop against the US currency. Business confidence plunged to a 9-month low according to NBNZ with profit forecasts and hiring plans fading.