S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico MarketThe Australian dollar steadied around $0.651 on Thursday, holding its recent gain, as stronger-than-expected trade data supported sentiment. Australia’s trade surplus widened sharply to AUD 3.94 billion in September from a revised AUD 1.11 billion in August, beating forecasts of AUD 3.85 billion. The improvement was driven by a 7.9% jump in exports, led by higher gold shipments as bullion prices surged during the month, while imports increased 1.1% to record levels on higher capital goods. On the policy front, the Reserve Bank’s decision to hold rates at 3.6% in November signaled it may be done easing, as policymakers highlighted persistent inflation risks and limited scope for further rate cuts. However, the central bank’s hawkish stance offered only limited support, with the Aussie under pressure from a broadly stronger greenback as solid US data dampened Fed rate-cut expectations.
