Asian Markets Rise Before US Jobs Report, Fed Comments Ease Rate-Hike Fears Asian equities moved higher on Friday as investors positioned themselves ahead of the crucial US August jobs report. The biggest shift came from Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, whose comments reduced fears of an imminent US interest-rate hike and helped bonds recover, the US dollar weaken and the Japanese yen strengthen. 30-Second Market Snapshot 🇯🇵 Nikkei: +0.8% 🇨🇳 China blue chips: +1.0% 🇰🇷 Kospi: +1.1% 🌏 MSCI Asia ex-Japan: +1.0% 💵 US Dollar Index: 98.96 🇯🇵 USD/JPY: around 155.7 🥇 Gold: around US$4,470/oz 🛢️ Brent crude: around US$95.52/barrel 🇺🇸 US 2-Year Treasury Yield: 4.34% 🇺🇸 US 10-Year Treasury Yield: 4.76% Big Story Today Markets are becoming slightly less convinced that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates in September. Fed Governor Christopher W...
New Zealand’s fiscal outlook has come under pressure after Fitch Ratings revised the country’s credit rating outlook to “negative” , citing challenges in reducing government debt amid a weakening economic backdrop. Debt Concerns Drive Outlook Downgrade While Fitch maintained New Zealand’s AA+ sovereign rating , it warned that fiscal consolidation has been delayed , making meaningful debt reduction harder to achieve. Government debt is now projected to rise to 56% of GDP by fiscal 2027 , significantly higher than earlier expectations of around 36% . The agency noted that debt levels have increased sharply over the past six years due to multiple economic shocks , raising concerns about long-term fiscal sustainability. Growth Slows, Limiting Policy Flexibility Recent economic data shows growth is weakening , reducing the country’s ability to absorb external shocks. GDP grew just 0.2% in Q4 Prior quarter revised down to 0.9% (below expec...