Australia’s central bank pleads for slower rate hikes
Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Philip Lowe said the central bank “acknowledges” that “the case for slowing the pace of interest rate increases is growing stronger as the level of the cash rate increases”.
National Australia Bank economist Tapas Stickland said Lowe’s remarks could “signal a shift to 25 basis point increases at some point.”
“Given the delays in the operation of monetary policy and the rapid rise in interest rates over the past four months, that could be soon, and a pause is also likely at some point,” he said. he said of Lowe’s remarks.
—Jihye Lee
Nio Says Nvidia Chip Restrictions Won’t Hurt Them
Nio said US restrictions on Nvidia chip sales to China will not affect the automaker’s business.
“We believe this will not impact our business operations,” Nio founder, chairman and CEO William Li said, according to a StreetAccount transcript of the company’s translation during a call for results Wednesday.
“Based on our estimates, our computing power is sufficient for the development of our autonomous driving technology in AI training for now,” Li said.
— Evelyn Cheng
Oil prices soar following Russian threat to suspend energy exports
Oil prices have risen bounce back from previous session lossesfollowing Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens stop oil and gas exports if European countries impose price caps on Russian oil.
Crude Brent futures rose 1% to settle at $88.88 a barrel, while United States West Texas Intermediate added 1.1% to $82.83 a barrel.
“The easing in global oil prices was prompted by concerns about slowing growth in China following August trade data,” according to a note from Mizuho.
—Lee Ying Shan
Freight rates peaked earlier than expected as global trade slows, S&P says
Freight rates for containers and dry bulk carriers – or vessels carrying raw materials and bulk cargo – have fallen over the past three months, S&P said, adding that rates peaked earlier than expected in the second trimester.
S&P’s freight rate forecasting models also predicted that the Baltic Dry Index – a barometer of the price of transporting major commodities by sea – is expected to fall around 20% to 30% for the year before settling. recover slightly in 2024.
This underscores the growing risks of a global recession as consumer demand recedes amid rising cost of living and inflation.
Read it full story here.
— Su-Lin Tan
Australia records a record drop in its trade surplus; decline in iron ore and coal exports
Australia recorded a record decline in its trade surplus mainly due to falling exports of iron ore and coal.
Exports in July fell 10% from the previous month, while imports increased by 5%, leading to a reduced trade surplus of 8.7 billion Australian dollars in July, compared to 17.1 billion Australian dollars. Australian dollars the previous month.
Capital Economics said the declining trade surplus was “well below the analyst consensus of A$14.5 billion and even our low of the consensus forecast of A$10.5 billion.”
“The recent fall in the price of iron ore has not yet fully passed through to iron ore exports. Indeed, with the August RBA Commodity Price Index 20% below its peak of May, it is clear that the trade surplus has peaked,” Capital said. said Marcel Thieliant, senior economics economist.
— Su-Lin Tan
Apple’s Asia Suppliers Rise After iPhone 14 Announcements
US dollar has legs to go even higher, says Wells Fargo strategist
The American dollars has room to rise even further thanks to rate differentials on the back of a hawkish Federal Reserve, according to Wells Fargo Securities FX strategist Brendan McKenna.
“We think a lot of these international banks won’t be able to raise rates as aggressively as the markets expect,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.”
“So it’s sort of a combination of a more hawkish Fed and a less hawkish tightening cycle from those international central banks that are supporting the dollar for the rest of this year,” he said. declared.
– Jihye Lee
Huawei launches first smartphone to connect to Chinese GPS rival
Huawei has unveiled the Mate 50 smartphone, its latest attempt to stay relevant in the mobile market even though it has lost huge ground due to US sanctions.
Huawei says it’s the first publicly available smartphone that can connect to China’s Beidou satellite network, a rival to the US state-owned Global Positioning System (GPS). which was completed in 2020.
US sanctions against the company over the past three years have cut the business from key components and software and crushed his smartphone business.
Read it full story here.
–Arjun Kharpal
Goldman Sachs raises forecast for Fed hike this year
Goldman Sachs has revised its forecast for the next year of Federal Reserve rate decisions.
Analysts led by chief economist Jan Hatzius said in a note that the company expects a 75 basis point hike in September, compared to a previous forecast of 50 basis points, as well as an increase of 50 basis points in November, also revised. compared to a previous projection of 25 basis points.
He also expects a 25 basis point hike in December – citing officials’ recent hawkish comment.
The note said Fed officials “appeared to imply that progress toward inflation control has not been as uniform or as rapid as they would like,” the note said.
– Jihye Lee
Japan’s economy grew 3.5% annualized, beats estimates
Japan’s economy grew 3.5% year-on-year in the second quarter, beating estimates from a Reuters poll for growth of 2.9%.
The economy grew 0.9% quarter-on-quarter, official data showed.
Spending growth will continue to be positive in Japan, according to Darren Tay, an economist at Capital Economics Japan.
“Consumers have a large amount of pandemic-forced savings that they can rely on,” Tay said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia,” adding that investors are betting on a further widening of credit spreads. interest between the Federal Reserve and a dovish Bank of Japan. .
–Jihye Lee, Charmaine Jacob
CNBC Pro: Wall Street pro predicts when the S&P 500 will rally – and reveals how to trade it
Market volatility is here to stay, according to market veteran Phil Blancato.
But the chairman and chief executive of Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management sees a “strong rally” on the cards as market conditions improve.
It predicts when the rally will take place and names its top picks for trading volatility.
Pro subscribers can find out more here.
— Zavier Ong
All major averages close higher, Nasdaq sets off 7-day losing streak
Stocks rallied on Wednesday as Wall Street shrugged off concerns about aggressive rate hikes from the Federal Reserve.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 435.98 points, or 1.40%, to end the day at 31,581.28. The S&P 500 rose 1.83% to 3,979.90 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.14% to 11,791.90, breaking a seven-day losing streak.
—Carmen Reinicke
Brainard says the Fed is ‘in this business for as long as it takes’
Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Lael Brainard pledged on Wednesday to continue the central bank’s flight from inflationclaiming that rising prices were hurting low-income households.
“We’re here for as long as it takes to bring inflation down,” Brainard said in prepared remarks for a speech in New York. “So far, we have quickly raised the policy rate to the peak of the previous cycle, and the policy rate will need to rise further.”
Brainard said there were some examples of lower prices in the retail sector, but there “could also be the possibility of a reduction” in profit margins for automakers in particular.
—Jesse Pound, Jeff Cox