Oil Prices Rise as US-Iran Talks Stall, Inflation Risks Grow 
RBA Signals More Rate Hikes Possible as Australia Battles Stubborn Inflation 
Goldman Sachs Sees US Stock Buybacks Outpacing Equity Issuance as AI Funding Rises 
Singapore Raises 2026 GDP Growth Forecast as AI Demand Fuels Economy 
RBI Holds Repo Rate at 5.25% as Inflation Risks and Global Uncertainty Persist 
BOJ Rate Hike Expectations Rise Ahead of September Meeting 
China Holds Loan Prime Rates Steady for 14th Month as Economic Recovery Remains Uneven 
South Korean Won Leads Asian FX Losses as Dollar Rises 
Japan PM Sanae Takaichi Unveils Growth Plan as BOJ Independence Concerns Lift Bond Yields 
Lots of economic dockets and events scheduled for today but all with low to medium volatility risks associated.
Data released so far:
- New Zealand: ANZ commodity prices rose by 2.7 percent in November.
- Australia: TD securities inflation rose by 0.1 percent in November, up 1.5 percent from a year ago. Companies’ gross operating profit rose by 1 percent in the third quarter.
- China: Caixin services PMI rose to 53.1 in November.
Upcoming:
- Japan: Consumer confidence number for December will be reported at 5:00 GMT.
- Spain: Industrial output for October will be announced at 8:00 GMT, followed by Markit services PMI at 8:15 GMT.
- Italy: Markit services PMI report will be released at 8:45 GMT.
- France: Services PMI report is scheduled to be released at 8:50 GMT.
- Germany: Services PMI at 8:55 GMT.
- United Kingdom: Markit services PMI number will be reported at 9:30 GMT.
- United States: Markit services PMI will be released at 14:45 GMT, followed by ISM non-manufacturing PMI at 15:00 GMT. Fed’s Dudley is scheduled to speak at 13:30 GMT, followed by Evans at 14:25 GMT, and Bullard at 19:00 GMT.
