Markets Overview
- ASX SPI 200 futures down 1.2% to 7,347.00
- Dow Average up 0.5% to 36,503.45
- Aussie down 1.0% to 0.7192 per US$
- U.S. 10-year yield rose 11.7bps to 1.6280%
- Australia 3-year bond yield little changed at 0.91%
- Australia 10-year bond yield little changed at 1.67%
- Gold spot down 1.5% to $1,802.10
- Brent futures up 1.4% to $78.89/bbl
Economic Events
- 9am: (AU) Dec. Markit Australia PMI Mfg, prior 57.4
- 11am: (AU) Dec. CoreLogic House Px MoM, prior 1.1%
- 4:30pm: (AU) Dec. Commodity Index SDR YoY, prior 36.2%
U.S. equities climbed to a record while Treasuries extended losses as traders braced for the start of a potentially volatile year and three expected rate hikes from the Federal Reserve.
The S&P 500 rose 0.6%, following stocks in Europe to an all-time high, as trading volume remained light with some markets still closed for holidays. The yield on the U.S. 10-year note rose 13 basis points to 1.64% — its worst start to a year since 2009 — and the dollar gained.
Other News
Cats may have nine lives — but your house only has one.
Pet owners around the globe are being warned that their frisky felines make also quite effective firestarters, as a new safety review revealed that cats have been responsible for more than 100 house fires in South Korea over the past three years.
Equally alarming: Pets are actually responsible for about 1,000 house fires in the United States every year, according to the American Humane Association.
Experts believe cats most likely prompted the fires to spread by switching on electric burners as they wantonly traipsed over touch-sensitive buttons on the surface of a hotplate. Left on too long, the appliances can overheat and catch fire, according to the department.
Slightly more than half of the fires in South Korea started while homeowners were out, but four people have been injured in cases of cat arson, per the report.
