AUD

• US support. More tariff headlines. Sentiment improved with US equities & the USD rising. Bond yields declined. AUD & NZD slipped back.• AU inflation. Q1 CPI out today. Expected to show a further moderation in inflation supporting the case for another RBA rate cut in May.• US data. US Q1 GDP due tonight. Leading indicators point to a step down in growth. Will it be as bad as feared? Outcomes vs expectations matter. Global Trends US tariff related headlines continue to generate market gyrations with the overnight newsflow somewhat supporting demand for US financial assets. US equities rose with...

• US trends. US equities lost ground, as did bond yields & the USD. This helped currencies like EUR, AUD, & NZD lift. USD/JPY at multi-month lows.• Central banks. BoC surprised by keeping rates steady. US Fed Chair Powell indicated tariff impacts leave policymakers in a difficult spot.• Macro events. NZ CPI a bit hotter than forecast. China growth stronger. AU jobs report due today. ECB also expected to cut interest rates again. Global Trends A ‘risk off’ tone returned to US markets overnight with equities losing altitude (S&P500 -2.2%, NASDAQ -3.1%) and bond yields declining for the third straight...

• Calmer markets. European equities rose, while US markets gave back initial gains. EUR lost a bit of ground. AUD & NZD edged higher.• Tariff news. Tariff-related developments somewhat negative. EU/US talks haven’t found common ground. China still pushing back. US data soft.• Macro events. China GDP out today. In the US retail sales & speech by Fed Chair Powell in focus tonight. AU jobs report due tomorrow, as is NZ CPI. Global Trends Compared to the past few weeks markets were relatively calm overnight. While European equities rose (EuroStoxx600 +1.6%), the US indices gave back initial gains to end...

• Upbeat tone. US equities rose on Friday, so did commodities. This, & the decline in the USD helped the AUD & NZD extend their upswings.• Tariff news. US announced various electronics imported from China will be ‘exempt’ from higher tariffs. But it only looks like a temporary reprieve.• Event Radar. China GDP, US retail sales, the BoC & ECB meetings, & a speech by Chair Powell are due this week. As is the AU jobs report & NZ CPI. Global Trends US tariff news remains in the driver’s seat. Sentiment improved in Friday’s US trade with equities pushing higher,...

• Risk wobbles. Concerns about a US-China trade war remain. US equities slipped back & the USD lost ground. AUD & NZD pushed higher.• Tariff impacts. US’ effective tariff rate is still very high. Downside US growth risks remain. This & reduced investor confidence are USD negatives.• Volatility. More headline driven volatility should be anticipated over the period ahead. There’s still a lot of water to go under the tariff bridge. Global Trends Financial markets remain lively with the chopping and changing in US trade policy still firmly in the driver’s seat. Yesterday’s positive jolt from the announced ‘pause’ in...