Markets Overview
- ASX SPI 200 futures little changed at 7,307.00
- Dow Average little changed at 34,466.24
- Aussie up 0.3% to 0.7753 per US$
- U.S. 10-year yield fell 5.6bps to 1.4352%
- Australia 3-year bond yield fell 2bps to 0.25%
- Australia 10-year bond yield fell 8bps to 1.49%
- Gold spot up 0.5% to $1,898.42
- Brent futures up 0.2% to $72.39/bbl
Economic Events
Asian stocks look set for a steady open Friday after U.S. shares and Treasuries rallied as investors judged that a jump in inflation is likely to be transitory, leaving scope for ongoing central-bank support. Equity futures were little changed in Japan and Australia, and higher in Hong Kong. The S&P 500 Index climbed to a record overnight and a rally in technology heavyweights boosted the Nasdaq 100. The 10-year Treasury yield fell to 1.43%, its lowest point since March, after a brief jump following a report showing above-forecast gains in U.S. consumer prices.
Other News
This brings new meaning to putting lobsters in the “pot.” US researchers redefined “lobster pot” after testing whether dosing the crustaceans with marijuana smoke could ease their pain as they’re being cooked. To test whether “exposing lobster to cannabis smoke” reduced their trauma, the scientists placed several store-bought Maine lobsters in a sealed box filled with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana — for 30 to 60 minutes at a time. The weed vapor was delivered in 10-second spurts every five minutes. They found that the critters’ movements noticeably slowed down, while samples taken later from their gills, claws, heart, brain and liver revealed that the lobsters did indeed absorb the THC.
