Markets Overview
- ASX SPI 200 futures up 0.4% to 7,315.00
- Dow Average up 1.8% to 35,219.70
- Aussie up 0.6% to 0.7043 per US$
- U.S. 10-year yield rose 8.8bps to 1.4325%
- Australia 3-year bond yield fell 3bps to 0.87%
- Australia 10-year bond yield fell 3bps to 1.58%
- Gold spot down 0.3% to $1,778.43
- Brent futures up 5.1% to $73.43/bbl
Economic Events
- 9:30am: (AU) Dec. ANZ Roy Morgan Weekly Consumer, prior 106.0
- 11:30am: (AU) 3Q House Price Index YoY, est. 21.7%, prior 16.8%
- 11:30am: (AU) 3Q House Price Index QoQ, est. 5.0%, prior 6.7%
- 2:30pm: (AU) Dec. RBA Cash Rate Target, est. 0.10%, prior 0.10%
- 4:30pm: (AU) Nov. Foreign Reserves, prior A$76b
U.S. equities rebounded from Friday’s selloff as investors took comfort in reports that cases of the omicron variant have been relatively mild.
The S&P 500 rose 1.2%, erasing last week’s losses, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq 100 gained 0.8%.
Oil rose after Saudi Arabia boosted crude prices, signaling confidence in the demand outlook. U.S. natural gas fell on forecasts for warmer weather, easing some previous inflationary pressures. And the 10-year Treasury yield advanced to 1.43%.
Other News
LONDON — The speaker of Britain’s House of Commons says he is calling in police to investigate reports that drug use is “rife” in Parliament — as Prime Minister Boris Johnson dressed up as a police officer to promote his new anti-drug strategy for the country that he’s expected to detail Monday.
A report in Britain’s Sunday Times said more than 10 areas on the Westminster estate, which spans several sites for lawmakers, government officials and their staffs, tested positive for traces of cocaine. Areas included the women’s bathrooms nearest to Johnson’s office and those near the office of Home Secretary Priti Patel. The paper reported that cannabis was also “being used openly” within the vicinity.
Of 12 bathrooms tested for drugs with detection wipes, cocaine was reportedly found in 11 of the locations, including places that can be accessed only by those with a designated parliamentary pass — which grants entry to lawmakers and staffers along with clerks, librarians, security personnel, waiters and journalists. Different passes allow different levels of access to halls, bars, committee rooms and cubbyholes within the Victorian-age premises.
“The accounts of drug misuse in parliament given to The Sunday Times are deeply concerning,” Lindsay Hoyle, House speaker, told Sky News on Sunday. “I will be raising them as a priority with the Metropolitan Police next week.” The Metropolitan Police service did not immediately return a request for comment.
The report came just as Johnson was set to announce a 10-year plan to hold drug offenders responsible and combat crime in England and Wales. On Monday, he was pictured with police in the city of Liverpool while wearing a dark uniform and a black hat with “police” stitched in white across the front — an image that caused a stir on social media as #cocaine became a top Twitter trend in the United Kingdom.
