Dollar Hits One-Month High as Hawkish Fed Outlook Boosts Greenback 
Yen Near 40-Year Lows Despite BOJ Rate Hike, Markets Brace for Possible Intervention 
Japan Inflation Stays Below BOJ Target Despite Rate Hike and Rising Energy Cost Risks 
Oil Prices Slide as U.S.-Iran Deal and Hormuz Reopening Ease Supply Concerns 
Asian Stocks Surge as Oil Prices Fall and Strong US Dollar Weighs on Markets 
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh Signals Policy Overhaul as Hawkish Rate Outlook Rattles Markets 
US Stock Futures Jump on Reports of Preliminary US-Iran Peace Deal Despite Fed’s Hawkish Outlook 
German Industry Employment Falls to Lowest Level in a Decade 
Japan Signals Readiness to Intervene as USD/JPY Nears 161 Amid Yen Weakness 
Oil Prices Steady as U.S.-Iran Truce Uncertainty and Middle East Tensions Keep Markets on Edge 
Asian Stocks Rally as Japan and South Korea Reach Record Highs on US-Iran Peace Deal 
US Stock Futures Slip After Wall Street Rally Fueled by US-Iran Deal and Chipmaker Surge 
Oil Prices Drop as U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Eases Supply Concerns 
Gold Prices Rebound on U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Optimism Despite Fed Rate Hike Signals 
Asian Stocks Advance as Nikkei Nears Record High Ahead of Fed Decision 
Italy’s Economy Outpaces Eurozone Peers as Investment Spending Fuels Growth 
Oil Prices Ease as Markets Weigh U.S.-Iran Peace Deal and Strait of Hormuz Reopening 
S&P Global Ratings has downgraded the Australian Securities Exchange's issuer credit rating to "A+/A-1" from "AA-/A-1+", just two weeks after Australian regulators publicly flagged serious governance and risk management failures at the exchange operator.
The decision reflects a pattern of high-profile operational failures at ASX, including repeated trading outages, the collapse of its long-running CHESS replacement project, and a 2024 settlement breakdown that drew widespread scrutiny. Regulators have consistently pointed to weak internal controls and a corporate culture perceived as favoring short-term shareholder returns over the reliability of critical market infrastructure.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission had previously raised concerns that ASX was neglecting essential system upgrades in favor of financial performance. Following a 10-month inquiry, ASIC's final report concluded that ASX had repeatedly applied short-term fixes to systemic problems rather than addressing their root causes, which were largely technology-related.
S&P echoed these concerns, cautioning that a further downgrade remains possible if the exchange's risk controls — particularly around clearinghouse operations and financial safeguards — fail to improve within the next two years. Conversely, the ratings agency indicated that completing its governance and risk management overhaul would be the most credible path toward a ratings upgrade, though it considers that outcome unlikely in the near term.
Despite the downgrade, S&P revised ASX's outlook from "negative" to "stable," citing the exchange's dominant market position and its continued importance to Australia's financial infrastructure. The long-term issue rating on ASX debt was also lowered to "A+" from "AA-."
In response, ASX reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the measures outlined in its Commitments Plan, aligned with ASIC's interim and final inquiry reports. ASX shares rose up to 1.3% following the announcement, outpacing the broader S&P/ASX 200 index, which gained 0.2%.
