Markets Overview

  • ASX SPI 200 futures up 1.0% to 6,949.00
  • Dow Average up 1.6% to 33,309.51
  • Aussie up 1.7% to 0.7081 per US$
  • U.S. 10-year yield little changed at 2.7828%
  • Australia 3-year bond yield rose 5.4 bps to 2.99%
  • Australia 10-year bond yield rose 6 bps to 3.24%
  • Gold spot down 0.1% to $1,792.33
  • Brent futures up 0.8% to $97.05/bbl

Economic Events

  • 10:30: (AU) Australia to Sell A$1 Billion 126-Day Bills
  • 10:30: (AU) Australia to Sell A$1 Billion 91-Day Bills
  • 11:00: (AU) Aug. Consumer Inflation Expectation, prior 6.3%

Stocks in Asia are poised to track a Wall Street rally after softer-than-expected US inflation data stoked speculation the Federal Reservecould pivot to a shallower pace of interest-rate hikes.

Futures rose at least 1% for Australia and Hong Kong, while Japan is closed for a holiday Thursday that also rules out cash Treasuries trading. US equity contracts fluctuated after the S&P 500 hit a three-month high and the Nasdaq 100 climbed to more than 20% above a June low.

The optimism in the US session saw the dollar retreat the most since the onset of the pandemic. Short-term Treasury yields dropped as investors scaled back expectations of how aggressively the Fed will have to tighten monetary policy.

US headline inflation was 8.5% in July, down from the 9.1% June advance that was the largest in four decades. That’s still high and Fed officials were quick to stress more rate hikes are coming. They also signaled investors should rethink expectations of cuts next year to shore up economic growth.

Other News

The world record holder for the most Ghost peppers eaten has done it again!

And this time Gregory Foster did it faster than before after eating 17 of them in a minute, according to Guinness World Records.

The San Diego, Calif. man set the record after he shoved 17 Bhut Jolokia chili peppers down his throat.

The Bhut Jolokia chili pepper stands as one of the hottest peppers in the world, containing one million Scoville Heat Units, according to Pepper Geek. Foster’s latest world record was set on Nov. 14, 2021 in San Diego, Calif., where passers-by watched him scarf down the hot peppers.

The ghost pepper eater holds the world record for finishing six Carolina Reaper chili peppers in 8.72 seconds, alongside breaking the world record for the fastest time to eat three of the peppers in 2017. The previous record holder for the most eaten Carolina Reaper chili peppers was held by Mike Jack, who ate three in 9.72 seconds.