Economy

US jobs growth tame, consumer confidence dives; China industry profits rise; EU-India deal signed; Swedes eye euro; Australia business sentiment holds; UST 10yr at 4.23%; gold on hold; oil firmer; AU$1 = 69.8 USc

US durable goods orders 'rise'; other US metrics unsupportive; Singapore factories hesitate; India & EU to sign major FTA; UST 10yr at 4.21%; precious metals zoom, with copper, tin; oil holds; NZ$1 = 59.7 USc

Westpac's Luci Ellis notes a genuine cyclical upswing in consumer spending is underway. This follows a long period of weakness and should not be assumed to be signaling a runaway inflationary boom

China FDI weak, changes focus on iron ore, Japanese inflation eases; India busy; US leading index downbeat; Australia braces for CPI; UST 10yr at 4.24%; gold hovers near record high; oil holds; AU$1 = 68.9 USc

US activity tame, leading index drifts lower; Canada retail up; Taiwan factories busier; China FDI weak; Japanese inflation eases; India busy; Simandou emerges; UST 10yr at 4.26%; precious metals rising; oil firms; AU$1 = 68.9 USc

US data mixed; Japan's exports strong; EU sentiment rises; Australian labour market good; container freight rates fall; UST 10yr at 4.25%; gold still rising; oil falls; AU$1 = 68.3 USc;

The OECD wants to see more effective work on reducing the budget deficit, and more effective actions on housing affordability

Trump in full insult mode at Europe; US housing data mixed; Canada PPI soft; EU suspends approval of US trade deal; OECD likes Australia; equities can't hold rebound; UST 10yr at 4.28%; gold still rising; oil flat; AU$1 = 67.7 USc; bitcoin falls

US labour market signals weakish; Chinese households defensive; Taiwan and Malaysia star; German investors upbeat; worries about AI; UST 10yr at 4.28%; gold at new ATH; oil firm; AU$1 = 67.4 USc

Trump goes full-crass; Canada struggles with the pressures; Japan to get early poll; China data mixed but demographics turn worse; IMF upgrades; UST 10yr at 4.27%; gold at new ATH; oil dips slightly; AU$1 = 67.2 USc

Tylor Cosgrove notes that conspiracy theories spread wider in times of uncertainty, including during war, economic downturn and widespread hardship. He looks at the type of personalities that are drawn to them

Canada and Beijing make up; Eyes on Japan central bank; China dumps more US Treasuries; Malaysia and Singapore rise; US data mixed; UST 10yr at 4.23%; gold firms; oil dips slightly; AU$1 = 66.8 USc

US data mixed; Canadian housing starts rise; Carney wins in Beijing; China dumps more US Treasuries; Malaysia and Singapore rise; tourists flood Australia; UST 10yr at 4.23%; gold eases; oil recovers some; AU$1 = 66.8 USc

US jobless claims rise, factory surveys improve; US rural sector suffering; China bank lending improves; Australian inflation expectations stay elevated; UST 10yr at 4.16%; gold stays high; oil drops hard; AU$1 = 57.4 USc

US data mixed with dodgy aspects; China trade surplus huge; Japanese machine tool orders jump; South Korean surprise; global growth stable; UST 10yr at 4.14%; gold up, silver zooms again; oil on hold; AU$1 = 66.8 USc

US inflation unchanged; US jobs weak; sentiment surveys waver; Japan data good, snap election likely; Australia sentiment eases; UST 10yr at 4.17%; gold stable, silver higher; oil up; AU$1 = 66.8 USc

Mohamed El-Erian thinks that last year's economic tailwinds will give way to more challenging conditions as the AI narrative fades

Bogus claims against Fed boss being watched closely; Indian CPI stay low; Australian household spending rises; Google's AI chops power its valuation; UST 10yr at 4.18%; gold hits new record, oil stable; AU$1 = 67.2 USc

Unlike the sanguine outlook reviews from many others, David Skilling says 2026 will be another disruptive year of structural global economic and geopolitical change

Eyes on some big key US decisions including for tariffs; better balance for Canada jobs; strong Indian loan growth, Taiwan exports; EU cements huge new FTA; UST 10yr at 4.18%; gold zooms, oil firms; AU$1 = 66.9 USc

US data weakish across the board; Japan household spending rises; China inflation stays low; Indian loan growth rises; EU retail rises; huge new trade bloc formed; UST 10yr at 4.18%; gold zooms, oil firms; AU$1 = 66.8 USc

Less than a quarter of beef exports to China will be vulnerable to their new higher tariffs. James Laurenceson explains both exporters and Chinese importers have many ways to make this hit less onerous than it seems

US jobs data soft ahead of payrolls report; US trade data weaker; China property declines; German factory orders jump; air cargo rises fast except in the US; UST 10yr at 4.18%; gold on hold; oil firms; AU$1 = 66.9 USc

While overall export levels are maintaining their high levels, exports of ores & minerals are falling, fuel exports are falling faster, and coal exports are diving. Saving the day is the rural sector - and gold