Markets Overview
- ASX SPI 200 futures down 0.2% to 6,895.00
- Dow Average down 1.2% to 32,396.17
- Aussie down 1.5% to 0.6919 per US$
- U.S. 10-year yield rose 17.2bps to 2.7465%
- Australia 3-year bond yield fell 2 bps to 2.64%
- Australia 10-year bond yield fell 8 bps to 2.98%
- Gold spot down 0.6% to $1,761.01
- Brent futures down 0.3% to $99.72/bbl
Economic Events
- 09:00: (AU) July S&P Global Australia PMI Servi, prior 50.4
- 09:00: (AU) July S&P Global Australia PMI Compo, prior 50.6
- 11:30: (AU) 2Q Retail Sales Ex Inflation QoQ, est. 1.2%, prior 1.2%
US Treasuries sank and stocks dropped after Federal Reserve officials signaled the central bank is still intent on raising rates until inflation is under control.
Treasury yields rose across the curve, with 10-year rates climbing as much as 20 basis points to 2.77%. The yen, which was on track for its fifth daily gain, fell as the dollar snapped four days of losses amid a sudden turnaround in risk sentiment.
The S&P 500 dropped for the second straight day as Nancy Pelosi’s arrival in Taiwan prompted China to announce missile tests, even as she said her visit did not alter longstanding US policy in the region.
Other News
A kettle-like device that uses breathing exercises to strengthen muscles in the neck and chest may banish heavy snoring.
The electric ‘kettle’ has a valve in the spout that partially blocks airflow when a patient blows into it for ten or 15 seconds at a time.
This makes the muscles in the chest and throat work harder to force breath into the kettle — gradually increasing their strength.
Tightening muscles in this way is thought to make it less likely that tissue in the throat will collapse during sleep — a trigger for snoring.
Now a clinical trial is under way at Turku University in Finland to see if using the £200 kettle, called WellO2, every day for three months will cure sleep apnoea — a snoring condition that affects almost four million adults in Britain, according to the Sleep Apnoea Trust.
Sleep apnoea occurs when the muscles in the airway, which naturally relax as we fall asleep, completely collapse; this shuts off breathing for at least ten seconds at a time.
Once the brain realises breathing has stopped, it sends out a signal for the airway muscles to contract again. This opens the airway and the person normally wakes with a jolt.
The cumulative effect is that sufferers — and their partners — feel exhausted during the day.
Sleep apnoea has also been shown to raise blood pressure and the threat of a stroke or heart attack because of reduced oxygen supply.
Treatment usually consists of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), where a mask is worn over the face during sleep. The mask is attached to a bedside machine that gently forces air into the airways to stop them collapsing.
But some people find the mask cumbersome and research suggests that nearly a third never use the device or abandon it within a few weeks.
Previous studies have found that strengthening the muscles of the upper airway can help to combat sleep apnoea.
One landmark investigation in 2005, by the University of Zurich in Switzerland, found that regularly playing the didgeridoo reduced snoring-related sleep interruptions and eased daytime drowsiness.
This was because getting a sound out of a didgeridoo requires considerable respiratory effort, toning up airway muscles in the process.
The WellO2 kettle, developed in Finland, could be a more convenient form of muscle training.
After boiling tap water in the device and leaving it to cool slightly for a few minutes — to avoid scalding the airways during inhalation — the user places their mouth over the plastic spout (which doesn’t get hot) and exhales slowly for ten to 15 seconds.
The one-way valve inside the spout partly blocks the airflow, so muscles in the chest and neck must work harder to force air through.
A long, slow breath lasting ten to 15 seconds is then taken to inhale steam from the device — moisturising the airways and easing any congestion that might also contribute to sleep apnoea and snoring.
(Daily Mail)
