Markets Overview

  • ASX SPI 200 futures up 0.1% to 7,285.00
  • Dow Average up 1.0% to 34,258.32
  • Aussie little changed at 0.7238 per US$
  • U.S. 10-year yield fell 2.0bps to 1.3023%
  • Australia 3-year bond yield fell 0.1bps to 0.22%
  • Australia 10-year bond yield fell 2bps to 1.26%
  • Gold spot down 0.4% to $1,767.96
  • Brent futures up 2.1% to $75.94/bbl

Economic Events

  • 9am: (AU) Sept. Markit Australia PMI Services, prior 42.9
  • 9am: (AU) Sept. Markit Australia PMI Mfg, prior 52.0
  • 9am: (AU) Sept. Markit Australia PMI Composite, prior 43.3
  • 10:30am: (AU) Australia to Sell A$1 Billion 182-Day Bills
  • 10:30am: (AU) Australia to Sell A$1 Billion 63-Day Bills
  • 11:30am: (AU) Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia (for Aug. 28)

Stocks closed higher and the Treasury yield curve flattened after Federal Reserve officials signaled they would probably begin tapering their bond-buying program soon. The dollar strengthened versus its major peers, while oil gained.
The S&P 500 had jumped earlier, rising for the for the first time in five trading sessions, as concerns about China Evergrande Group’s debt woes eased. The benchmark index rose 1%, the biggest-one day increase since July. Shorter-maturity Treasury notes fell while longer-maturity debt edged higher, flattening the yield curve, after revisions to Fed’s dot-plot forecasts for fed funds target showed a 2022 median of 0.25%, up from 0.125% prior, while 2023 rate forecasts were also dragged higher.

Other News

Students across the US have been warned not to take part in the new ‘devious licks’ TikTok trend that challenges kids to rip school fixtures off walls.
The viral trend, which has seen more than 235 million views throughout the platform, has left bathrooms particularly destroyed as schools reported broken light fixtures, water heaters, soap dispensers, paper towel dispensers, mirrors and even urinals ripped off their walls.
Other students have posted videos of them stealing cameras, janitorial equipment, water fountains and have even tampered with their school’s water heaters.
It all comes as thousands of student returned to school in September amid the COVID-19 pandemic.