Swati Pandey

Australia’s central bank held its key interest rate steady in a widely anticipated decision, while Governor Michele Bullock signaled a combination of lingering inflation pressures and a steady job market raised the bar to further easing.

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said global investors are on edge and capital flows are “jumpy” as uncertainty builds over whether the world economy can withstand mounting headwinds or will slip into a correction.

US President Donald Trump’s latest trade deals with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations risks seeing them receive less than Washington gets in return, according to Bloomberg Economics.

Australia’s core inflation accelerated beyond expectations last quarter, complicating the Reserve Bank’s path to further policy easing and prompting money markets to slash bets on a near-term interest-rate cut.

Australia’s labor market is still tight while inflation is proving sticky, Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock said, signaling a higher bar to further monetary policy easing following three interest-rate cuts this year.

Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock highlighted four key areas of focus in work between policymakers, the government and industry to modernize the nation’s payments system, while reiterating the importance of security.

A Principal Asset Management fund is keeping a close eye on the rupiah after selling most of its Indonesian sovereign bonds, as political instability stirred concern over fiscal policy.

The International Monetary Fund sees “significant downside risks” to global growth due to renewed frictions between the US and China, the fund’s Director of the Asia and Pacific Department Krishna Srinivasan said on Friday.

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers will meet with major investors in New York on Friday, pitching his country as a stable, resource-rich destination for global capital and a key partner in efforts to diversify critical supply chains away from China.

Australia’s central bank sees the drag from tight financial conditions easing, helping the economy to stay near full employment with inflation returning to target, according to Assistant Governor Christopher Kent.