Daily-Wrap

Macro Update:According to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the Australian dollar ended a four-year losing streak against the US dollar in 2025 and may extend gains in the year ahead. The currency had declined since 2021, pressured by China’s property downturn and weaker iron …

Macro Update:Global markets are on edge after the U.S. military’s weekend capture of Venezuela’s President, a dramatic geopolitical event that has injected a renewed risk premium into crude oil markets and stirred volatility across asset classes. Oil prices have swung as traders weigh supply …

Macro Update:U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) expanded at an annualised pace of 4.3% in the third quarter of 2025 (July–September), according to the initial estimate from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. This followed a 3.8% increase recorded in the second quarter. Owing …

Macro Update:Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s December policy meeting showed that most officials considered additional interest-rate reductions appropriate if inflation continues to decline, though views differed on the timing and scale of any cuts. The record of the Dec. 9–10 Federal Open Market Committee …

Macro Update:According to multiple media reports, economists are increasingly pointing to the tax cuts outlined in former President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” as a major influence on the trajectory of the U.S. economy in 2026, affecting both consumers and businesses. For individuals, …

Macro Update:Despite weaker consumer confidence and higher unemployment, third-quarter US economic growth exceeded expectations, with GDP expanding at a 4.3% annualised rate. Higher-than-forecast consumer spending was the primary contributor, supported by net exports. Inventory drawdowns during the quarter may aid fourth-quarter growth as demand …

Market performance was mixed, with 10 of the 11 sectors ending in negative territory alongside the index. Materials was the only sector to finish higher, edging up 0.29% and lifting its five-day gain to 2.93%, while healthcare recorded the largest sector decline, down 1.60%.