US Stock Futures Rise as Markets Await July Payrolls Data 
Gold Price Hits Seven-Week High as Fed Rate Hike Bets Fade and Hormuz Deal Hopes Grow 
Asian Stocks Slip as AI Rally Fades, Oil Holds Steady on Iran Peace Deal Hopes 
Oil Prices Surge as Iran Hormuz Restrictions Renew Supply Fears 
BOJ Rate Hike Expectations Rise Ahead of September Meeting 
Asian Currencies Steady as Markets Await U.S. Jobs Data 
US Stock Futures Hold Steady as Iran Hormuz Deal and Earnings Shape Market Sentiment 
Singapore Says One-Third of U.S. Exports Hit by New 12.5% Tariff 
Dollar Holds Near Six-Week Low as Yen Loses Momentum Ahead of U.S. Jobs Data 
Philippine GDP Growth Slows to 2.3% in Q2 
Asian Stocks Mixed as Chip Selloff Hits KOSPI, Nikkei Ahead of US Jobs Data 
Brazil Cuts Selic Rate to 14% as Inflation Eases but Risks Persist 
UK Services PMI Returns to Growth in July as New Orders and Confidence Rebound 
China Exports Beat July Forecasts as AI Demand Fuels High-Tech Trade 
Oil Prices Set for Steep Weekly Losses as Hormuz Deal Stalls 
Australia Trade Surplus Returns in June as Iron Ore, Coal and LNG Exports Surge 
US Job Growth Seen Picking Up in July 
The numbers of Australian citizens and permanent residents allowed to return from India and other COVID “high risk” countries are to be restricted.
With COVID surging in India, the cases in quarantine among people arriving from India have risen significantly.
On Thursday India had recorded 314,835 new cases over the previous 24 hours – the highest daily rise recorded anywhere.
National cabinet decided to reduce the number of passengers on government-facilitated flights from India going to the quarantine centre at Howard Springs in the Northern Territory.
There will be a cut of about 30% in passenger numbers for people returning from India on government-facilitated flights next month.
Four of the scheduled facilitated flights will be delayed from May until June.
There will be a 30% cut on commercial flights direct from India to Australia.
Western Australian premier Mark McGowan had pressed for the restriction on arrivals from India, after about 40% of COVID cases in WA hotel quarantine in the last month had recently been in that country.
Federal officials are preparing a list of other high risk countries.
Anyone entering Australia who has been in a high risk country in the previous fortnight, and is transiting through a third country, will need to return a negative COVID test 72 hours before arriving from their last embarkation point.
The government will further restrict exemptions for travel to high risk countries. These will only be provided for “strictly essential” travel.
National cabinet also agreed to a recalibration of the vaccine rollout that will bring forward vaccinations for people aged between 50 and 69. They will get the AstraZeneca vaccine.
This will commence with general practice respiratory clinics and state and territory vaccination sites from May 3, followed by GP clinics from May 17.
The recalibration of the rollout follows the medical advice that people under 50 should not receive the AstraZeneca vaccine because of the very small risk of blood clots.
Access to the Pfizer vaccine is limited to people under 50, for whom it is the preferred vaccine, and certain other designated groups.
The Pfizer vaccine has to come from overseas. The secretary of the Health Department, Brendan Murphy, declined to give numbers for weekly projected arrivals of vaccines from overseas.
