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 Market
The Australian dollar hovered around $0.693, extending the previous week’s roughly 0.2% loss to trade near three-month lows as persistent Middle East tensions weighed on global risk sentiment. The US launched another wave of strikes on Iran over the weekend in response to an attack on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran retaliated by targeting US military facilities across the Middle East. Meanwhile, hawkish rhetoric from the Reserve Bank of Australia helped limit the Aussie’s losses. RBA Assistant Governor Sarah Hunter said last week that the board will act as needed to return inflation to its target, warning some tightening may be required if the oil shock lifts inflation expectations. Markets currently price around a 60% chance of one more rate hike later this year, up from roughly 40% previously, though futures imply only a 19% odds of an August move. Traders now await key employment and inflation data due later this month for fresh clues on the policy outlook.
