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☆ Oil prices fall as stronger dollar offsets Red Sea disruptions risks
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil prices fell on Wednesday as a stronger U.S. dollar limited demand for greenback-denominated crude, though the rising risks of supply disruptions amid the intensifying conflict in the Red Sea curbed the losses. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures , or WTI, fell 43 cents, or 0.59%, to $71.97 a barrel. The stronger dollar reduces demand for dollar-denominated oil for buyers paying in other currencies. British oil major Shell suspended shipments through the Red Sea after the U.S. and UK strikes began, but U.S. producer Chevron is maintaining its Red Sea routes. "While oil benchmarks may not reflect the Red Sea attacks, the realized price for oil and oil products for consumers has increased given the disruption to trade flows through the Red Sea and Suez Canal," Vivek Dhar, director of mining and energy commodities strategist at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said in a note.

Persons: Brent, WTI, Daniel Hynes, Vivek Dhar Organizations: greenback, Global, Brent, . West Texas, U.S, U.S . Federal Reserve, ANZ Bank, Shell, Chevron, Commonwealth Bank of Australia Locations: U.S, Iran, Yemen, Red, Suez

☆ China puts Country Garden on draft list of builders to support -Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The company logo of Chinese developer Country Garden is pictured at the Shanghai Country Garden Center in Shanghai, China August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 22 (Reuters) - China has placed debt-laden Country Garden Holdings Co (2007.HK) on a draft list of 50 developers eligible for a range of financing support, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Country Garden declined to comment. Once China's biggest private property developer, Country Garden missed a coupon payment in October, triggering default terms. It is unclear what specific measures will be taken to support the developers on the draft list.

Persons: Aly, CIFI, Bloomberg, Ting Meng, Nomura, Devika Nair, Xie Yu, Kim Coghill, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Shanghai Country Garden, REUTERS, Garden Holdings, HK, Bloomberg, Ocean Group, CIFI Holdings, Reuters, Wednesday, Regulators, Country, ANZ Bank China, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Beijing, Bengaluru, Hong Kong

☆ Australia's ANZ sinks as record annual profit falls short of market forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Rishav Chatterjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of the ANZ Bank is seen at Lambton Quay, in Wellington, New Zealand November 10, 2022. The banking group's Aussie commercial business recorded 11% revenue growth over the year with lending rising to record high of A$62 billion. ANZ intends to expand its commercial business with focus on its currency and payment sites while reducing costs, it said. ANZ declared a final dividend of 94 Australian cents apiece, up from 74 Australian cents apiece announced a year ago. ANZ, however flagged that the external environment will likely remain challenging adding that higher interest rates will impact economic activity as it sees "another year of cost-of-living pressures."

Persons: Lucy Craymer, Azib Khan, Rishav Chatterjee, Roushni Nair, Grant McCool, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: ANZ Bank, REUTERS, ANZ, Citi, P Capital, Suncorp, Thomson Locations: Lambton Quay, Wellington , New Zealand, Australia, Bengaluru

That pushed net profit from the bank's institutional unit up 53% to overtake its retail unit, by dollar value, in the year to September, and helped the Melbourne-listed company grow overall profit 14% to A$7.4 billion ($4.7 billion), just missing a Visible Alpha consensus forecast of A$7.56 billion. But analysts expressed concern about a faster-than-expected narrowing of profit margin from the bank's retail unit, the only one of Australia's so-called big four lenders that has persisted with offering cash handouts to lure mortgage customers looking for a cheaper deal. The logo of the ANZ Bank is seen at Lambton Quay, in Wellington, New Zealand November 10, 2022. ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott denied forgoing margin to grow mortgages faster than the market, and challenged comments from other banks that have said they were intentionally slowing mortgage growth while competition eroded profit. ANZ declared a final dividend of 94 Australian cents per share, up from 74 cents a year ago.

Persons: NIM, Lucy Craymer, Shayne Elliott, we've, Byron Kaye, Rishav Chatterjee, Roushni Nair, Lisa Shumaker, Stephen Coates Organizations: ANZ, Westpac, National Australia Bank, midsession, ANZ Bank, REUTERS, UBS, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Lambton Quay, Wellington , New Zealand, Sydney, Bengaluru

☆ China's troubled property sector to face more debt defaults
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Xie Yu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, Oct 20 (Reuters) - More debt defaults are likely to emerge in China's property sector as troubled developers struggle with a weak home sales outlook, while fund raising remains challenging, according to credit analysts. Counting October, there is a total of $60.5 billion worth of Chinese property bonds due in the next 6 months, with offshore bonds taking up at least one third of it, according to Dealogic data. The company said it was also prepared to formulate a reasonable debt repayment plan if it fails to repay bonds as they are due. Ricky Tsang, an analyst with S&P Global Ratings, said apart from the weak cash flow from home sales, fund raising for developers, particularly the private ones, remains tight. Reporting by Xie Yu in Hong Kong, Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ting Meng, Ricky Tsang, Tsang, Xie Yu, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: HK, Ocean Group, Hong Kong Exchange, Dalian Wanda Group, Bloomberg, ANZ Bank China, Developers, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, State, HK, Hong Kong

REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG/SHANGHAI, Oct 17 (Reuters) - China's Gemdale (600383.SS) saw its stocks and bonds plunge on Tuesday after the resignation of its chairman, as investors took no chances amid the debt crisis in the key real estate sector. However, investors concerned about the broader debt problems in China's property sector sold off the stock, which dropped by the daily 10% limit in afternoon trading in Shanghai. Gemdale has a total debt of 21.1 billion yuan ($2.88 billion) in the form of bonds due by the end of 2024, according to LSEG data. It ranked as China's 8th largest developer last year, according to private research firm China Real Estate Information Corp. It had sales of 221.8 billion yuan ($30.3 billion) last year and its financial fundamentals were stable, the company said in its annual report published in April.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Ling Ke, Gemdale, Huang Juncan, Ting Meng, Xie Yu, Li Gu, Edwina Gibbs, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, ANZ Bank China, Estate Information Corp, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, HONG KONG, SHANGHAI, Shanghai, Hong Kong

"Increasing geopolitical risk in the Middle East should support oil prices ... higher volatility can be expected" analysts from ANZ Bank said in a client note. An increase in Saudi output would have helped to relieve supply tightness after months of supply cuts from key producers Saudi Arabia and Russia. A normalisation of Saudi-Israeli relations would likely freeze recent moves toward detente between Saudi Arabia and Iran. "For this conflict to have a lasting and meaningful impact on oil markets, there must be a sustained reduction in oil supply or transport," Vivek Dhar, an analyst at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said in a note. "If Western countries officially link Iranian intelligence to the Hamas attack, then Iran’s oil supply and exports face imminent downside risks," Dhar said.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Brent, WTI, Iran's, Vivek Dhar, Dhar, Andrew Hayley, Jamie Freed, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, Brent, U.S, West Texas, Saturday, ANZ Bank, Israel, White, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, Rights BEIJING, Palestinian, Israel, Gaza, Saudi Arabia, Washington, Riyadh, Saudi, Russia, Iran, Lebanon

Oil rigs are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped more than $3 a barrel in early Asian trade on Monday, as dramatic military clashes between Israeli and Hamas forces over the weekend deepened political uncertainty across the Middle East. "Increasing geopolitical risk in the Middle East should support oil prices... higher volatility can be expected" analysts from ANZ Bank said in a client note. "For this conflict to have a lasting and meaningful impact on oil markets, there must be a sustained reduction in oil supply or transport," Vivek Dhar, an analyst at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said in a note. "If Western countries officially link Iranian intelligence to the Hamas attack, then Iran’s oil supply and exports face imminent downside risks," Dhar said.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Iran's, Vivek Dhar, Dhar, Andrew Hayley, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, Brent, U.S, West Texas, Saturday, Israel, ANZ Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, Rights BEIJING, Palestinian, Israel, Gaza, Saudi Arabia, Washington, Riyadh, Saudi, Iran, Lebanon

Oil pump jacks are seen at the Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas deposit in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina, January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 4 (Reuters) - Oil edged lower on Wednesday ahead of a panel meeting of OPEC+ ministers, as the market weighed expectations of supply tightness against fears that high interest rates could reduce fuel demand. Brent crude oil futures dipped 6 cents to $90.86 a barrel by 0345 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) , fell 5 cents to $89.18 per barrel. "A resilient labour market is deemed to be providing more room for the Federal Reserve (Fed) to keep rates high for longer," said Yeap Jun Rong, market analyst at IG. Eight analysts polled by Reuters estimated on average that crude inventories fell by about 500,000 barrels in the week to Sept. 29.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Jun Rong, Brian Martin, Daniel Hynes, Alexander Novak, Laura Sanicola, Muyu Xu, Gerry Doyle, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Brent, U.S, West Texas, Federal Reserve, IG, of, Petroleum, ANZ, Reuters, Industry, American Petroleum Institute, Thomson Locations: Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, OPEC, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Asia, Turkey, United States, .

SYDNEY, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The blocking of three major deals by Australia's antitrust regulator in the past year was a coincidence, its chair told Reuters, pushing back against concerns among bankers that it has become deal-averse. "There happens to have been a sequence, frankly coincidentally as it turns out, of oppositions," ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said in an interview. There are some concerns that it could be blocked as Brookfield owns AusNet, a poles and wires asset in Victoria state. Cass-Gottlieb also said she doubted foreign investors have been dissuaded from pursuing deals in Australia which does not require companies to get formal clearance before proceeding with a takeover. "The recent stream of merger blockages will make foreign investors think twice."

Persons: Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Canada's Brookfield, Cass, Stephen Corones, Hannah Marshall, it's, Byron Kaye, Scott Murdoch, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Telstra, TPG, ANZ, Transurban, Origin Energy, Brookfield, FOCUS Cass, Investors, Queensland University of Technology, Cass, Marque Lawyers, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, AusNet, Victoria, Australia, Queensland

☆ Stocks subdued after bruising week, dollar basks and yuan wilts
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. stock index futures , , were little changed. The dollar was set to clock up its best winning streak since 2014, bolstered by a resilient run of U.S. economic data. In contrast, the yuan fell to its weakest level since 2007 on worries about China's slowing economy. "Everything is geared towards the next couple of weeks, with European Central Bank, Federal Reserve and Bank of England meeting. Stocks sought to stabilise after a week of easing, with the MSCI All Country stock index (.MIWD00000PUS) slightly weaker at 676.83 points, and down about 1.5% for the week so far, though still up nearly 12% for the year.

Persons: Toby Melville, Mike Hewson, Stocks, Patrick Spencer, Spencer, YUAN, Masato Kanda, Hirokazu Matsuno, Brent, Heekyong Yang, Shri Navaratnam, Tomasz Janowski, David Evans Organizations: London Stock Exchange Group, City of, REUTERS, Stocks, Apple, Investors, European Central Bank, Federal Reserve, Bank of England, CMC, U.S, Consumer, Baird, ANZ Bank, Treasury, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain, China, United States, Europe, U.S, Seoul

☆ Stocks stumble as 'dollar juggernaut' on a roll
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Passersby are reflected on an electric stock quotation board outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan April 18, 2023. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) fell 0.2% in early trade and is down 1.4% for the week. "China’s partial ban on Apple products put trade wars and U.S.-China decoupling back on the agenda," said Capital.com analyst Kyle Rodda. U.S. suppliers' shares had fallen overnight and helped drag the S&P 500 (.SPX) 0.3% lower and the Nasdaq (.IXIC) down by 0.9%. The Australian dollar is down more than 1% on the week and traded at $0.6384 on Friday.

Persons: Issei Kato, TSMC, Kyle Rodda, Masato Kanda, Hirokazy Matsuno, Brent, Heekyong Yang, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Japan's Nikkei, South Korea's SK Hynix, Huawei Technologies, Tokyo, Apple, Nasdaq, ANZ Bank, European Central Bank, Treasury, Brent, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Rights SINGAPORE, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Hong Kong, China, South Korea's, Europe, Seoul

☆ Euro jumps on inflation while dollar braces for jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The lettering Euro can be seen on a 1 euro coin, taken on 10 August 2023, in Baden-Württemberg, Rottweil. The euro stood at a 15-year high on the yen on Thursday on signs of sticky inflation in Europe, while the dollar was squeezed ahead of consumption, inflation and jobs data that could add to evidence of a softening economy. Annual inflation in Germany and Spain barely slowed in August, against expectations, data on Wednesday showed. Europe-wide inflation data is also due later on Thursday, as is U.S. personal consumption data and core PCE — which is the Federal Reserve's favored inflation gauge. It has been steadying with traders wary of the risk of official intervention, and was last at 146.07 per dollar.

Persons: Sterling Organizations: Traders, China PMI, Federal, Commerce Department, ANZ Bank ., New Zealand, Aussie Locations: Baden, Europe, Germany, Spain, Asia, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, United States

☆ Oil dips on possible easing of tight supply, China woes hurt demand outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Muyu Xu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Crude oil struggled to keep its head above water on signs of supply tightness easing," said Brian Martin and Daniel Hynes, analysts from ANZ Bank in a note to clients. Iraq's oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani arrived in the Turkish capital Ankara to discuss several issues including the resumption of oil exports through the Ceyhan oil terminal, a source in the minister's office told Reuters on Monday. Meanwhile, gloom over the economic outlook in China, the world's second biggest oil consumer, continued to pressure oil prices and heighten worries about fuel demand. Putting a floor to oil prices, U.S. crude oil and gasoline inventories were expected to have fallen last week, a preliminary Reuters poll showed, as the American Petroleum Institute industry group is due to release data later on Tuesday. U.S. economic data over recent weeks has bolstered expectations for the Fed to keep rates higher for longer, putting a dampener on the demand outlook for oil and a broad range of consumer goods.

Persons: Lucy Nicholson, Brent, Brian Martin, Daniel Hynes, Hayan Abdel, Ghani, Muyu Xu, Katya Golubkova, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, . West Texas, ANZ Bank, Reuters, International Chamber of Commerce, of, Petroleum, Eurasia Group, American Petroleum Institute, Energy Information Administration, U.S . Department of Energy, PMI, Federal, Jackson, Fed, Thomson Locations: Bakersfield , California, OPEC, Turkish, Ankara, Turkey, Iraq, China, Beijing, Eurasia, Singapore, Tokyo

The logo of the ANZ Bank is seen at Lambton Quay, in Wellington, New Zealand November 10, 2022. "A substantial lessening of competition in home loans would have major flow-on impacts to Australians with a mortgage," he added. The companies said they would seek a review of the determination at the Australian Competition Tribunal, an offshoot of the federal court which oversees takeover rulings. Taking the deal to the competition tribunal would delay its completion to mid-2024, if the tribunal approved it, from the late 2023 timeline the companies gave when they announced it a year ago. The ANZ-Suncorp deal also needs sign-off from Treasurer Jim Chalmers who declined to comment.

Persons: Lucy Craymer, Mick Keogh, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Jim Chalmers, Byron Kaye, Himanshi, Stephen Coates Organizations: ANZ Bank, REUTERS, ANZ, Suncorp, ANZ Group, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Australian Competition Tribunal, Citi, Telstra, TPG Telcom, Thomson Locations: Lambton Quay, Wellington , New Zealand, Melbourne, Sydney, Bengaluru

☆ Australian competition regulator rejects $3.2 bln ANZ-Suncorp Bank deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Lucy CraymerAug 4 (Reuters) - Australia's competition regulator said on Friday it had denied authorisation for ANZ Group Holdings (ANZ.AX) to proceed with its proposed A$4.9 billion ($3.21 billion) acquisition of Suncorp Group's banking arm. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it was not satisfied that the acquisition would not lessen competition in the supply of home loans to Australian customers. "Evidence we obtained strongly indicates that the major banks consider the second-tier banks to be a competitive threat," ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said in a statement. Keogh said the proposed acquisition would further "entrench an oligopoly" structure, with the country's four major banks dominating. "We believe the acquisition will improve competition, which will benefit Australian consumers, particularly in Queensland," ANZ said in a statement, noting that the ACCC's decision can be reviewed by the independent Australian Competition Tribunal.

Persons: Lucy Craymer, Mick Keogh, Keogh, Himanshi, Shri Navaratnam, Subhranshu Organizations: ANZ Bank, REUTERS, ANZ Group Holdings, Suncorp, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, ANZ, Australian Competition Tribunal, Thomson Locations: Lambton Quay, Wellington , New Zealand, Melbourne, Queensland, Bengaluru

☆ Oil climbs, fuelled by tighter supplies, China stimulus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Friday, buoyed by evidence of tightening supplies and economic stimulus in slow-recovering China. Brent futures were up $1.02 at $80.66 a barrel by 1134 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed $1 to $76.65 a barrel. "Demand from China and India could therefore shift more towards other suppliers, which would push up oil prices," the analysts said. "That tightness in supply is already showing up in inventories," analysts from ANZ Bank said. "The announcement remains short on detail but notions of China buying more cars gives rise in hope for oil investor bulls," PVM analyst John Evans said.

Persons: Brent, John Evans, Natalie Grover, Arathy Somasekhar, Andrew Hayley, Louise Heavens, David Holmes Organizations: U.S, West Texas, Energy Information Administration, ANZ Bank, Thomson Locations: China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, U.S, London, Houston, Beijing

☆ Oil ticks up as markets assess falling inventories, potential Chinese stimulus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 21 (Reuters) - Brent oil prices rose in Asian trading on Friday, as markets assessed the prospect of economic stimulus in China after weak economic data, falling inventories in the U.S. and supply cuts from key producers. China's weak economic figures had kept a lid on prices through the week. However, sentiment across commodity markets has picked up on hopes the central government would roll out more stimulus measures to support the economy. Higher crude prices have come "on positive commentary on China stimulus and looked through impacts from the stronger U.S. dollar index," National Australia Bank analysts said in a note. U.S. crude inventories (USOILC=ECI) fell last week, supported by a jump in crude exports as well as higher refinery utilisation, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday.

Persons: Brent, WTI, Arathy Somasekhar, Andrew Hayley, Leslie Adler, Lincoln, Jamie Freed Organizations: Brent, U.S, West Texas, National Australia Bank, Beijing, ANZ Bank, ANZ, Energy Information Administration, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Riyadh, Moscow, Houston, Beijing

☆ New Zealand business confidence improves in June- ANZ survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, June 29 (Reuters) - New Zealand's business confidence improved in June, hitting the highest read since November 2021, while expected own activity moved to positive territory for the first time in 14 months, an ANZ Bank survey showed on Thursday. A net 2.7% of respondents expected their own businesses to grow in the next 12 months, versus 4.5% last month who saw contraction coming. "June saw activity indicators lift in a reasonably broad-based fashion. While the levels of many are still subdued, firms appear to be cautiously optimistic that the worst may be over," ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner said in a statement. Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sharon Zollner, Renju Jose, Himani Sarkar Organizations: SYDNEY, ANZ Bank, ANZ, Thomson Locations: Sydney

2 mortgage provider has told mortgage brokers that "if a customer is unable to meet serviceability under the standard assessment criteria", it might apply a modified serviceability assessment rate. Since the buffer is a guideline, banks are allowed to deviate from it. "APRA should consider officially lowering the serviceability buffer for refinancers." Representatives for Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX) and ANZ Banking Group Ltd (ANZ.AX) were not immediately available for comment. ($1 = 1.4743 Australian dollars)Reporting by Byron Kaye and Lewis Jackson; Editing by Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SINGAPORE, May 17 (Reuters) - The dollar rose on Wednesday, benefiting from its status as a safe-haven amid the risk of a U.S. debt default and as traders trimmed bets on imminent Federal Reserve rate cuts following solid consumer spending data in the United States. Against a basket of peers, including the euro, yen and sterling, the dollar index rose 0.3% to 102.96, to its highest since early April. Expectations for U.S. interest rate cuts any time soon were dampened by the solid increase in April consumer spending, and by comments from Fed officials. "A rate hike is possible this year, though the hurdle is high." The New Zealand dollar was broadly steady at $0.6232, with investors looking ahead to a 25 bp interest rate hike next week and perhaps one more after that.

☆ U.S. debt drama and data hoist dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The dollar hit a two-week peak of 136.69 yen overnight and hovered just below that at 136.54 in the Asia day. Expectations for U.S. interest rate cuts any time soon were dampened by the solid increase in April consumer spending, and by hawkish comments from Federal Reserve officials. "We expect some modest further increases in the dollar as markets continue to take out pricing for rate cuts," said Commonwealth Bank of Australia strategist Joe Capurso. "A rate hike is possible this year, though the hurdle is high." The New Zealand dollar was broadly steady at $0.6244, with investors looking ahead to a 25 bp interest rate hike next week and perhaps one more after that.

☆ Data and debt ceiling hoist dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Data showed U.S. consumer spending appeared to have increased solidly in April, which together with hawkish remarks from Federal Reserve officials weighed on bonds and against expectations that interest rate cuts are coming soon. Interest rate futures pricing implies no chance of a rate cut in June, down from about a 17% chance seen a month ago. "Market participants continue to lower pricing for near term rate cuts by the FOMC," said Commonwealth Bank of Australia strategist Joe Capurso. "We expect some modest further increases in the dollar as markets continue to take out pricing for rate cuts. The New Zealand dollar was broadly steady at $0.6239, with investors looking ahead to a 25 bp interest rate next week and perhaps one more after that.

☆ Analysis: Australian banks' bid to shake mortgage reliance brings new risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"When there's a macroeconomic downturn, it's generally institutional and business lending exposures that are impacted first," he added. For decades, Australian housing finance has significantly outpaced business lending, making home loan margins the engine of profits. A more recent exodus from non-lending retail services like financial advice has further weighted banks' allocation of capital to residential property. The big four banks said in earnings updates this month that their net interest margins peaked in late 2022 and have since narrowed. To hedge against interest rates risks, the Big Four may now chase new services-based revenues from commercial clients in non-lending segments, added Garland.

☆ Oil inches up on tightening supply, IEA demand outlook to come
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Andrew Hayley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, April 14 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose in early Asian trade on Friday, after falling 1% in the previous session, as the market weighed supportive supply conditions ahead of the International Energy Agency's monthly demand outlook. A tighter supply outlook due to lower expected production in Russia supported prices. On the demand side, investor attention is focused on the IEA's monthly oil market report to be released later in the day, with the possibility the agency might downgrade the global demand outlook over faltering macroeconomic growth. The weakening greenback makes dollar-denominated oil cheaper for investors holding other currencies, boosting demand. "It looks like the rally in crude prices has finally hit a wall," OANDA analyst Edward Moya said in a note.

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