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Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the US faces a federal government shutdown as markets start to realise Trump has no problem being reckless and has no problem hurting his 'friends'..But first, there was another Pulse dairy auction overnight. And that brought marginally weaker prices for both SMP and WMP, down a bit less than -0.5% in USD terms. In fact these prices are now at their lowest level of 2025. But because the NZD is falling, the prices achieved actually rose about the same amount in local currency.In the US, the number of job openings in August were virtually unchanged from July at 7.2 mln as was expected.But the Chicago PMI fell again in September, well below market expectations that it would improve. And the dip was sharp, the most in three months.Also weaker was the Dallas Fed services sector with their retail sector retreating rather fast in an unusual move lower.Adding to the downbeat sentiment was the September report from the Conference Board showing consumers are glummer than at any time since the start of the year. A common theme in the survey responses is the impact of rising inflation.And the downbeat sentiment may well get worse, and quickly. The White House seems to relish a full government shutdown to start their fiscal year tomorrow with mass firings rather than furloughs. And Trump says some American cities he considers dangerous should become training grounds for American troops, proposing 'his' troops be used to fight other Americans in their home cities. It is getting toxic very fast there.For their economy, there is a real possibility now that this weekend's non-farm payrolls release will be cancelled because the department releasing it will be closed. If that turns out to be the case, it could mask some quite weak results. Analysts now expect less than a +50,000 gain.Financial markets are downplaying the risks of all this, mainly because there have been many 'shutdown' crises over the decades. But at least the earlier ones involved parties prepared to reach a deal. Maybe not this time.Across the Pacific in China, their official factory PMI contracted again. But even though it is the sixth straight monthly contraction, the pace of decline was the least in that time. (Their factory PMI rose in February and March, but only by marginal levels.) Their official services PMI for September is no longer expanding. These official PMIs have been more conservative than the private surveys (RatingDog, ex Caixin) probably because they have a heavier weighting to Chinese SOEs. The private ones are more attuned to private and foreign enterprises, surveyed by S&P Global, and they report a faster expanding factory sector, and solidly expanding services sector.Meanwhile, China has frozen imports of BHP iron ore in a pricing dispute. BHP is their third largest supplier after Rio Tinto and Brazil's Vale.Taiwanese consumer sentiment rose in September, but to be fair the bar is low because it has been stunted since May.In Europe, Germany said their CPI inflation edged up to 2.4% in September, marginally above the August level. But ist was a rise that was slightly more than expected.In Australia, there were no surprises from their central bank which held its cash rate target at 3.6%. But even though this hold was all priced in, there was some surprising reaction in financial markets. Somehow the decision was regarded as 'hawkish' and the AUD rose and benchmark bond interest rates fell on the news. The strong currency remained although the bond move was later reversed. Air cargo volumes in August grew +4.1% globally, driven by a near +10% rise from a year ago in the Asia/Pacific region. But notably, North American air cargo volumes fell -2.1% on the same basis in August, the weakest global region. And the pattern was similar for passenger travel. Asia/Pacific and Latin America brought strong growth, underpinning a +4.6% expansion, but North America lagged here too, only up +0.5% from a year ago.The UST 10yr yield is still at 4.14%, unchanged from yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3846/oz, up +US$16 from yesterday and a new all-time high. Silver is -50 USc softer however.American oil prices are down another -50 USc at just over US$62.50/bbl, with the international Brent price now just under US$66.50/bbl and down more than -US$1.The Kiwi dollar is at just on 58 USc and up +20 bps from yesterday. Against the Aussie however we are down -30 bps at 87.6 AUc and a new three year low. Against the euro we are little-changed at 49.4 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 65.1, and unchanged.The bitcoin price starts today at US$112,876 and down -0.8% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at just on +/- 0.9%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

The Kiwi dollar continues to weaken against the Australian dollar, hitting a three-year low last week. The NZD is currently trading at 88 cents off the back of soft GDP growth and rate cuts, and concerns are raising as China's economic rebound could widen the gap further. Investment director for Craigs investment partners Mark Lister told Mike Hosking that New Zealand's rate cuts are having a stronger impact on the economy than Australia's. 'We are obviously looking at more rate cuts than we expected and not for the right reasons.' LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're learning more about how the TikTok deal will look and just how much money will flow back to China This isn't going to be just an ownership play, which largely explains why US Vice President JD Vance said the price tag for the sale would be about $14 billion – far below the $35-$40 billion estimate analysts had expected. They will have an ownership stake, but that's in addition to licensing fees and profit sharing. This group of investors is said to include names like Rupert Murdoch and Michell Dell, as well as Oracle who currently host TikTok's US data. Between the two, it's estimated about half the profits of TikTok US will go back to ByteDance. Critics will say the law doesn't allow for "cooperation", while those in favour will focus on the "operation of" part of the language. Will other nations opt to take the US version? In Australia this is the question on the table. Liberal senator James Paterson is suggesting that if the deal went ahead, then Australia should move to the US version of the app. Ad-free Facebook and Instagram is coming to the UK Paid versions of Facebook and Instagram in the UK will remove advertising from both platforms. Users will be given the choice to pay £3-£4 a month to access ad-free versions of either service. The UK's privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office, "welcomed" the new model, saying it moves Meta away from targeting users with ads as part of the standard terms and conditions. Based on that price point, it means we're each worth about $65 USD a year to Meta – around $110 NZD a year. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A massive hike in fees for a popular US work visa has some New Zealand job seekers panicking. US President Donald Trump announced that he is imposing a $170,000 NZD application fee for a particular skilled worker visa, a huge jump from the current fee that starts around $3,500. Co-Founder of Concord Visa, who helps New Zealander's with the US visa process, Kevin Park spoke to Lisa Owen.

Kia ora,Welcome to Monday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news we are likely to get a lesson this week reconfirming that equity markets all look for short-term profit hits and are now setting prices on these short-term factors. But bond markets are much more focused on risks 10-30 years ahead and their signals are diverging markedly.This coming week however will largely feature reactions to last week's big events - the US Fed positioning and rate cut, and the awful NZ Q2-2025 GDP data.Here we will be watching for more fallout from that, after the NZD got marked down sharply. Will markets assess that the June result will be repeated in Q3? After all we are now only nine days from the end of Q3 and the appearance of 'better data' has been sparse and perhaps only in the last week or so. And on Thursday we will get an update of household net worth, but it will be year-old data. Much more current will be Thursday's results announcement from Fonterra.In Australia, they will also release household net worth data, on Friday, but for March this year. They will get PMI updates as well.Globally, the focus will briefly turn to New York for what is expected to be a turbulent moment for the UN with the US already barring some leaders from attending. New York time as the home of the General Assembly may be coming to an end.But economically, there will be many PMI updates out this week. The US will release its PCE data and another Q2-GDP update. And Fed speakers will all be out giving context to last week's rate cut decision. Switzerland and Sweden will be among those reviewing their policy interest rates. And later today, China will review its Loan Prime rates, although no change is expected.China released its August year-to-date foreign direct investment data over the weekend. They said they only attracted ¥507 bln in net foreign investment in those eight months. They said they attracted ¥467 bln in the seven months to July. So that means they gained a net +¥39 bln in August alone and that is a very low +US$5.5 bln and that is only one third of the August 2024 gain. Basically foreign direct investment into China from all sources is close to dead in the water.This doesn't mean that China's economic expansion won't be good in 2025 (over +5%). But it does point out how the two big powers are isolating themselves, with cross-border investment and economic connections all retreating.A recent example is that China's new iron ore buying monopoly has moved to shut out a key Australian blend from BHP. They have other options and are using their heft to try and bring BHP and Australia into line.Separately, Japan's inflation eased to 2.7% in August from 3.1% in July, the level since October 2024. There was a notable slowing in the rise in rice prices, enabling food price inflation to ease to 'only' 7.2% in August from a year ago. Overall prices were up +0.8% in the month with food prices up just +0.3% for the month.Japan's central bank announced the results of its policy rate review late on Friday and as expected left it unchanged at 0.5% at Friday's. This came amid the political uncertainty around the resignation of Prime Minister Ishiba. They also said that it will sell its holdings of exchange-traded funds and Japan real estate investment trusts (J-REITs) to the market. Here is their decision.Germany said its producer prices fell an outsized -2.2% in August from a year ago, a deflation sign they will not welcome and extends their deflationary pressure that started in July 2023. But most of that is coming from the lower cost of imported energy with local producer prices basically unchanged.Canada said its August retail sales rose +1%, more than offsetting its July dip. But it isn't clear how much of that is inflation related. But financial markets reacted positively, seeing consumer 'resilience' in the data. (One more -25 bps rate cut is expected in Canada before the end of the year.)The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.14%, up +1 bp from Saturday to be up +7 bps from a week ago. The price of gold will start today at US$3684/oz, up +US$3 from Saturday. That is up +US$36 from a week ago. Silver had another spurt over the weekend, now up over US$43/oz, a weekly gain of +US$1.American oil prices are little-changed at just over US$62.50/bbl and back to where they were a week ago, with the international Brent price still just over US$66.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is at just under 58.6 USc and unchanged from Saturday although down a full -1c from a week ago. Against the Aussie we are just under 88.9 AUc. Against the euro we are still at 49.9 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just over 65.8, unchanged from Saturday but down -100 bps for the week.The bitcoin price starts today at US$115,509 and very little-changed from this time Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been very low at just under +/- 0.3%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

European bourses are stronger today and trade just off highs; US equity futures also gain, with modest outperformance in the RTY.China drops Google (GOOG) antitrust probe during US trade talks, according to FTDXY trims some post-FOMC gains this morning; NZD plumbs the depths on GDP.Bonds are mixed in the aftermath of the FOMC; Gilts await the BoE.Crude is subdued and precious metals hold an upward bias.Looking ahead, US Jobless Claims, New Zealand Trade Balance (Aug), BoE Announcement, SARB Announcement, Speakers include ECBʼs Nagel, US President Trump & UK PM Starmer press conference. Earnings from FedEx & Lennar.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Mark Campbell has won this year's National James Dyson Award and taken home $11,000 NZD in prize money.

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news markets now universally expect the American central bank to cut rates tomorrow by -25 bps.But today, the overnight dairy auction brought a much better result than expected with the declines for both WMP and SMP nowhere near as sharp as indicated by the earlier derivatives pricing. That will very much ease the pressure on any farm gate payout forecasts. The detail is interesting. There was notably softer demand from China for WMP, but that was countered by stronger SE Asian demand. Cheddar cheese prices rose because of some unexpected demand from North America, But mozzarella prices dived -9.6% on weak Chinese demand. Overall prices slipped just -0.8% in USD, but there were down a sharpish -2.9% in NZD as the greenback took a tumble overnight.Meanwhile, US retail sales rose in August and by a little more than expected. They were up +5.0% after a +4.1% rise in July. But this data is not inflation-adjusted in the way that other countries report. We will have to wait for sales volume data later in the month.And US industrial production rose in August too, but only up +0.1% from the prior month and only after a -0.4% revised fall in July. Year-on-year it is up +0.9%, about average for 2025, but hardly evidence of manufacturing reshoring.Homebuilder sentiment was flat in August as reported by the NAHB survey. It is remaining at the very low levels we have seen since May, and very much lower than this time last year. They are pinning their hopes on Fed rate cut(s) delivering a changed outlook.And staying in the US, crypto giant Binance looks like its lobbying and support of Trump will see the US Justice Department drop a key oversight requirement in its US$4.3 bln settlement of allegations that it didn't do enough to prevent money laundering. So, pay the money, get no oversight, and go back to enabling money laundering. A real Trump-type deal.Meanwhile, Canadian CPI inflation rose from 1.7% in July to 1.9% in August, a lesser rise than was anticipated. Meanwhile there was a rather sharp fall in housing starts there in August, down -16% from July to 245,791 units from a revised 293,537 in July and well below market expectations of 277,500. But they were still +10% higher than year-ago levels. A rate cut is coming in Canada tomorrow too.In China, there are some signs that Beijing's stimulus could be working. Steel output not only stopped falling, it actually picked up in the first two weeks of September, defying downbeat expectations. And iron ore prices rose too recently.In the EU, industrial production rose more than anticipated in July, although the expectations aren't high.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.03%, down -1 bp from yesterday at this time. The price of gold will start today at US$3,686/oz, up +US$7 from yesterday.American oil prices are up +US$1 at just over US$64.50/bbl, with the international Brent price firmish just over US$68.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is at just on 59.9 USc and up +20 bps from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are up +10 bps at 89.6 AUc. Against the euro we are down -20 bps at 50.5 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just over 66.7, little-changed from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$116,480 and up +1.3% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has again been low at just under +/- 0.8%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news that rather than understating US jobs growth - which got her fired - the stats agency reporting labour market data overstated Trump's jobs growth, and by some margin.But first up today, there was a dairy Pulse auction earlier today for both SMP and WMP, and while prices dipped as expected, they didn't dip as much as the derivatives markets had signaled. WMP was down just -0.2% from the full auction the prior week, SMP was down -0.6%. However the firming NZD resulted in about a -1.5% fall in NZD terms.In the US, small business NFIB sentiment survey for August reported stable conditions with some issues easing, some tightening.There was a US Treasury 3yr bond auction earlier today that was well supported but less well than the prior equivalent event a month ago. It resulted in a median yield of 3.45%, down sharply from the 3.61% at that prior equivalent event. The outsized shift down likely reflects bond investor risk aversion.Although it is just a statistical adjustment, updated data shows the US economy added -911,000 fewer jobs in the 12 months through March than initially reported - the largest downward revision since at least 2000. This is a -0.6% adjustment, far more that the average change of +0.2% in total nonfarm employment over the past decade. Nearly all sectors added fewer jobs than initially estimated.If the US Fed cuts rates next week to bolster their slowing economy, it will likely signal that their are changing their inflation goal from 2% to 3%, and prepared to accept stagflation over stagnation. The risk is they get both.Across the Pacific, Japanese machine tool orders were up +8.1% in August from a year ago, largely due to a +12% surge in export orders. Export orders made up almost three quarters of this industry's order book in August.And Taiwan kept up its amazing record of export growth in August. They jumped more than +34% from a year ago and outperforming market expectations of +22% growth.In Russia, their Federal Treasury reported another deep deficit in August, the second in a row and the first time ever of back-to-back deficits exceeding -1.9% of GDP.In Australia, ANZ Group's new broom CEO Nuno Matos has kicked off a change program at the four-pillar bank with plans to shed 3,500 Australian staff.The Westpac-MI consumer sentiment survey slipped on darker views about the economic outlook and less confidence about getting any more rate cuts from the RBA - because inflation is still 'too high'. Analysts had expected this survey to possibly break into net optimism in September, but it was not to be.Meanwhile the August NAB business confidence report shows it fell a minor 3 points, following four consecutive months of improving sentiment and leaves confidence also close to long run average levelsThe UST 10yr yield is now under 4.07%, up +2 bps from yesterday at this time. The price of gold will start today at a new high at US$3,641/oz, up +US$9 from yesterday.American oil prices are marginally firmer, at just over US$62.50/bbl with the international Brent price is +50 USc firmer at just on US$66.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at just over 59.3 USc and unchanged from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 90 AUc. Against the euro we are up +10 bps at 50.6 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just over 66.6, down -10 bps from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$111,080 and down -1.1% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been moderate, also at just under +/- 1.1%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news that US financial markets are back from holiday and concluding that the tech sector is over-valued and that US public policy is heading into a blind alley. The bond market sentiment we noted in the past month has now spread into the equity markets.And you can see the rising risk aversion in the gold price, driving it sharply higher today into new territory.At the overnight dairy auction, prices slumped more than -4.3% in US dollar terms. The situation was 'saved' somewhat by the sharpish recent fall in the NZD, so in local currency terms it was 'only' down -3.5%. Both the milk powders retreated sharply, with SMP down -5.8% and WMP down -5.3%. Most other milk fat commodities fell too with the notable exception of cheddar cheese which was up +3.6%.Although its only one event, the dominant WMP price is now back to early 2025 levels, and with a bit of a thud. Analysts will be keeping an eye on this, unlikely to shift their farmgate price forecasts but wouldn't want these lower levels to repeat. But good global supply levels won't help future prices especially if demand turns soft and it seems to be doing in some key markets.In the US, the widely-watched ISM factory PMI was still contracting at a concerning rate in August. And that was despite a small rise in new orders. Both measures were lower than expected. The alternate S&P Global/Markit PMI told a different story however, rising on more production and inventory building. But it was the ISM one that markets took more notice of.US logistics LMI was little-changed. But the elements like inventory levels and inventory costs are rising at an increasing rate, and these are not good portends.And the RCM/TIPP consumer sentiment index was quite downbeat as well. In fact it fell when a rise was anticipated.In Canada, their factory PMI rose from the deepish contraction it has been in for most of 2025, but it is still not expanding. It too was based on rising production, but no rise in new orders.In Europe, they said their August inflation was running at 2.1%, up marginally from +2.0% in July. Interestingly, energy costs are still retreating but the impact on the overall price level is now much less with food and services prices rising at a much lesser rate now.A new global report is highlighting that electricity demand is on course to rise by +3.3% in 2025 and +3.7% in 2026, more than twice as fast as total energy demand growth over the same period. According to the report, renewables are expected to overtake coal as the world's largest source of electricity generation as early as 2025 or by 2026 at the latest, depending on weather and fuel price trends. At the same time, nuclear power output is expected to reach record highs. The steady increase in natural gas-fired power generation is set to continue displacing coal and oil in the power sector in many regions.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.28%, up +3 bps from yesterday at this time. The key 2-10 yield curve is up at +63 bps. The last time it was this steep was in February 2022. Long dated yields are on the move higher. The UST 30 year yield is actually closing in on 2007 levels and almost at 5%.The price of gold will start today at US$3,526/oz, up +US$50 from yesterday and surging to a new record high. Silver has moved higher too but not as aggressively.American oil prices are +US$1 firmer at just over US$65.50/bbl with the international Brent price holding just over US$69/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is at just under 58.7 USc and down -30 bps from yesterday and its lowest level since mid-April. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps 89.9 AUc. Against the euro we are unchanged at 50.4 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just over 66.3, down -10 bps from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$110,892 and up +1.8% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at just on +/- 1.8%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Guzman y Gomez’s shares have tumbled 18% after its sales growth falls short of its big expectations. Fonterra sells off its Mainland cheese and butter brands to the French dairy giant Lactalis in a $3.8 billion NZD deal. Inghams shares have taken a roasting as its profits slumped due to a breakdown in its relationship with Woolworths. _ Learn more about iShares by BlackRock here Download the free app (App Store): http://bit.ly/FluxAppStore Download the free app (Google Play): http://bit.ly/FluxappGooglePlay Daily newsletter: https://bit.ly/fluxnewsletter Flux on Instagram: http://bit.ly/fluxinsta Flux on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flux.finance —- The content in this podcast reflects the views and opinions of the hosts, and is intended for personal and not commercial use. We do not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, statement or other information provided or distributed in these episodes.__ Issued by BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited ABN 13 006 165 975, AFSL 230 523. Refer to FSG available on our website. Before making any investment decisions, you should assess whether the product or service is appropriate for you and read the PDS and TMD available at blackrock.com.au.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

APAC stocks traded mixed after a lacklustre performance stateside, where mega-cap tech led the declines.RBNZ lowered the OCR by 25bps as expected, cut its OCR forecasts across the projection horizon and voted on the options of either a 25bps or 50bps reduction.European equity futures indicate a negative cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.7% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.9% on Tuesday.DXY is marginally higher for a third session in a row, NZD lags post-RBNZ, GBP eyes inflation data.White House is eyeing Budapest for peace talks with Zelensky and Putin, according to Politico.Looking ahead, highlights include UK CPI, EZ HICP (Final), Riksbank Policy Announcement & FOMC Minutes, Speakers including ECB's Lagarde, Fed's Bostic & Waller, Supply from Germany & US, Earnings from Target.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

European bourses opened lower but have clambered back to the unchanged mark; US futures remain on the backfoot.DXY is flat, GBP digests hot UK CPI, NZD lags after the RBNZ delivered a dovish 25bps cut.RBNZ lowered the OCR by 25bps as expected, cut its OCR forecasts across the projection horizon and voted on the options of either a 25bps or 50bps reduction.USTs underperform into 20yr auction, Bunds bid on German Producer Prices, Gilts initially lagged on CPI but now firmer.Looking ahead, highlights include FOMC Minutes, Speakers including Fed's Bostic, Waller and reported Fed Chair candidate Zervos, Supply from the US, Earnings from Target.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

What's the point in us having more affordable property prices for first home buyers if young workers are jetting off to Australia in search of a better tomorrow? There's a perverse logic to this, but across the Tasman right now, where our flying Kiwis are headed, they're experiencing something of a property boom. It's the opposite of the stagnant or falling prices we're seeing here, where homes in most regions are now considered, technically at least, affordable. In Sydney the median prices of a new pad is predicted to increase 7% this year to $2.1m NZD by June 2026. If you want to be a Melbourne hipster, prices will be 6% higher in a year to $1.2m. They've not got a problem which we know all too well - prices are squeezing out first home buyers. You can't get on the ladder for love nor money, look at the new loans from banks. Landlords: 200k new loans over the year - that's the most since 2022. First home mortgages, they're down to $116k. Because they're cutting interest rates, houses are more affordable for those with equity - i.e. existing homeowners and landlords. Typically, this is seen as a problem - you want people to have a stake in their country and the best way to do that is owning a piece of it. But property is inextricably linked to the success of our economy, falling and flat house prices here are not actually a great news story. The wealth effect of the biggest asset most of us own informs our spending habits. When we feel richer, we go swipe the credit card. When we don't, we don't. So the question is: is it better to have affordable homes in a country in which young people can't find a job, or are you better off in a country where homes are less affordable but wages are higher and the economy's stronger? The answer lies in the number of Kiwis who're voting with their feet and buggering off across the Tasman. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the equity markets and the bond markets are flashing quite different signals, and equity markets seem quite out of step with the operating economic data. When these vary, there is usually a reckoning, and that usually (but not always) results in an equity correction.But first up today, the overnight dairy auction brought results similar to what the derivatives market expected, maybe slightly better because of show early season strength in WMP demand and prices. Volumes sold were the highest since October 2024. And helping the tone was the fall in the NZD which boosted the rise in local currency. Overall the event ended up +0.7% in USD and up +1.5% in NZD. The industry will be satisfied the new season is off to a good start.On the butter demand front, there was a noted fall off in demand at these prices - except frim China and Middle East buyers. There is enough there to keep prices elevated, although to be fair the butter price did ease +3.8% at this event.Meanwhile, the widely watched American ISM services PMI unexpectedly fell in July 2025 from June, and the result was lower than expected. The services sector is now nearly stagnant, with seasonal and weather factors having a negative impact on business. A slowdown was most evident in the fall in new orders - activity is still operating faster than new orders are arriving so that is not great for the future. Not slowing are price increases, so all the signs of stagflation here. However, the internationally-benchmarked S&P Global/Markit version told a more upbeat story.US exports fell in June from May but the fall was only minor, and from a year ago there were up +3.3%. US imports fell more sharply in the month to be -1.4% below year-ago levels. But that only results in their trade deficit being back to mif 2024 levels. Or 2023 levels. The needle has moved very little.But the RCM/TIPP sentiment survey rose in July although the move was minor. It mirrored the month's equity markets and this index also hit a 4 year high.American household debt rose by +US$185 bln in the June quarter to a new record high of US$18.4 tln. That is now 60.6% of GDP. The flow of household debt into serious delinquency was mixed across debt types, with credit card and car loans holding steady, student loans continuing to rise, and mortgages edging up slightly.In India, their services PMI tells a booming story. International orders and overall sales rose sharply from the fastest increase in business activity for 11 months. However, price pressures re-accelerated, so this boom comes with inflation consequences. It's a report in sharp contrast to the lackluster American equivalents. "Someone" is quite envious of their success and is threatening sharply higher tariffs.Meanwhile Trump is signaling that their endless 'truce' with China will get another extension.And China delivered a positive data surprise yesterday, with the private Caixin services PMI rising and by more than expected. (Remember the official NBS services PMI eased lower.) The Caixin China General Services PMI rose in July from June's nine-month low with the fastest expansion in the services sector since May 2024, and with new business growing at the strongest pace in a year.That is in contrast to the EU services PMI which remains weak, although it is still expanding.Quarterly June data out today in Australia shows household spending rose at a good rate, up +5.1% from the same month a year ago - and the rate it rose from March was good too. Discretionary spending was strong. Western Australia was the only jurisdiction where spending fell. On a volume basis (after inflation's impact), it is up +0.7%.Join us at 10:45am for the New Zealand labour market report for June, although it might just confirm the tough operating environment we are in.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.20%, up +1 bp from yesterday. The price of gold will start today at US$3,379/oz, up +US$7 from yesterday.American oil prices have slipped back again, down another -US$1 to just under US$65.50/bbl with the international Brent price just over US$67.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is at 59 USc and little-changed from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are down -30 bps at 91.3 AUc. Against the euro we are unchanged at 51 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 66.9, down -10 bps.The bitcoin price started today at US$113,625 and down -1.4% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at just under +/-1.2%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Microsoft becomes the second $4 trillion company All fuelled by the increased revenue from the Cloud Computing business, which provides compute for AI services. This is a huge win for Microsoft – the company that was absolutely written off in the mid 2000s and was expected to go the way of Yahoo. Microsoft is still second place to Amazon Web Services in the Cloud category. Their CFO announced they'll spend $30 billion on its AI infrastructure investments in the next quarter. Apple was the first US company to hit $1 trillion in 2018, first to hit $2 trillion in 2020, first to hit $3 trillion in 2022, so by that math, it should have hit $4 trillion in 2024, but Nvidia beat them. Nvidia only became a $1 trillion company in 2023 – two years ago! For context, $4 trillion would be like giving all 5.3 million New Zealanders USD $750,000 (NZD $1.2 million). Apple says Trump's tariffs will cost it another $1 billion That's on top of the $800 million the tech giant spent on tariffs during the June quarter. Quarterly revenue jumped 10% to $94 billion between April and June. Apple moved a chunk of iPhone production to India to avoid some of the China tariffs, but President Donald Trump is threatening 25% tariffs on Apple if it doesn't start producing more in the USA. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With so much market noise and doom-filled headlines, you might be wondering — is now actually a good time to invest? In today's episode, we break down six compelling reasons why today could be the best day to start your investing journey.

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news US inflation is rising and tariffs are getting the blame.But first, the overnight dairy auction brought prices +1.1% higher in USD terms, +3.6% higher in NZD terms. It was the first rise we have had in these full auctions since yearly May. This time, the expected +2.5% rise in SMP was matched by an unexpected rise of +1.7% in WMP prices. Butter prices were unchanged but cheddar cheese prices fell a sharpish -5.6%.In the US they got the expected rise in CPI inflation for June, up 2.7% when it was rising 2.4% in May. The Fed will have noticed that "core inflation" rose 2.9%. Food prices rose 3.0% and rents up 3.8%. The overall level was restrained by an -8.3% drop in petrol prices. As those year-ago petrol prices normalise in future months, they won't be restraining anything. Just in time for the pass-through of the tariff-taxes. An independent Fed will be concerned about the upwad trajectory.A Fed factory survey in the New York state recorded a rise in July, their first since February. But they are seeing input cost pressure picking up. However they also report it is easier to pass on those costs and seemed relieved about that.Canada also reported its June CPI inflation rate, coming in at 1.9%, up from 1.7% in May.India reported declining merchandise exports in June, in fact their lowest level of the year and almost -8% lower than year-ago levels. Imports fell too. But strong services exports (outsourcing services) balanced things out. In contrast to China, India's rise is domestically-driven, not foreign trade driven, making them somewhat insulated from the tariff-wars.China reported that its Q2-2025 economy expanded +5.2% in inflation-adjusted terms from Q2-2024. This was bang on what Beijing had set as a target, and what observers were expecting them to announce. Strong exports and consumer subsidies helped a lot.China said its retail sales were up +4.8% in June from a year ago, its industrial production up +6.8%. So that suggests they had the best of both worlds - rising industry and rising internal consumption. That they seem to have done this all with only a modest rise in electricity production (+1.7%) would be impressive if it was believable. They are almost certainly making big strides in energy efficiency but it is unlikely as reported. Despite these cred issues however, it is clear that the Chinese economy is not going backward.But even if they aren't as steep as they have been over any of the past 15 months, new house prices in China are still falling. Only 12 of the 70 largest cities had prices that held basically unchanged however. But for resales, none were in that category. The lure of housing speculation in China is but a distant memory. For most developers that is trouble. But pockets like in Shenzhen may be seeing a bit of a shine.In the EU, industrial production surprised with a good +3.4% gain in May, far better than expected and continuing the 2025 expansion. The gains were even stronger in the euro areaSo it will be no surprise to learn that German ZEW sentiment seems to be in full recovery mode; this data for July, so those industrial production gains have likely continued.In Australia, the Westpac/Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment survey showed a third consecutive rise in July, although a small one. Despite the surprise no-cut by the RBA recently, most consumers still expect interest rates to move lower from here. But they remain uncertain about the outlook for the overall economy and jobs. Housing-related sentiment dipped slightly but price expectations remained high.And staying in Australia, the RBA has reached the preliminary view that it would be in the public interest to remove surcharging on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa cards. They also want to lower the cap on interchange fees paid by businesses, and require card networks and large acquirers to publish the fees they charge. They are now in the 'consultation' phase, which will no doubt involve fierce pushback. Here the Commerce Commission has been looking at the same issues, and will report on the New Zealand changes they want to see, very soon.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.49%, up +6 bps from yesterday at this time.The price of gold will start today at US$3,327/oz, down -US$22 from yesterday at this time.American oil prices are down -50 USc to US$66.50/bbl while the international Brent price is just over US$68.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.4 USc and down -30 bps from this time yesterday. Against the Aussie we are unchanged at 91.3 AUc. Against the euro we are also unchanged at 51.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just under 67.4, and down -10 bps.The bitcoin price starts today at US$117,421 and down -2.0% from this time yesterday. And that takes it back below NZ$200,000. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest, still just on +/-1.9%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

The US Secretary of State was impersonated using AI Concerning news this week as it was revealed that at least three foreign ministers, a US governor, and a member of Congress all received outreach from the fake Rubio, according to a State Department cable. The impersonator reached out to people using Signal, an app that allows you to choose any username you want – the impersonator used a fake state department email address to make it look legit. At least one of the targets was sent a text message, but at least two were sent Signal voice messages. We're at a point now, or will reach it very soon, where we're going to need to figure out how to verify if the person you're chatting or talking to is who you think they are. Nvidia becomes the first $4 trillion company Apple was the first US company to hit $1 trillion in 2018, first to hit $2 trillion in 2020, and the first to hit $3 trillion in 2022, so by that math, it should have hit $4 trillion in 2024, but Nvidia beat them. Nvidia only became a $1 trillion company in 2023 - two years ago! For context, $4 trillion would be like giving all 5.3 million New Zealanders USD $750,000 (NZD $1.2 million). Samsung is exploring new wearables The electronics maker, who is known for leading with tech advancements, says they're exploring how people may want to interact with AI. Their current thinking is that the device shouldn't be carried, so are looking at glasses, earrings, watches, rings, a necklace, and would be a companion to a phone. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Trump flagged the release of at least 7 tariff letters today. Reports that the EU is closing in on a temporary "framework" agreement, via FT.European bourses began modestly firmer and have been grinding higher since, Euro Stoxx 50 +1.1%; German autos bid on trade nuances, Basic Resources hit by non-US copper performance, Media lags after WPPStateside, futures are in the green and directionally in-fitting with Europe but gains are much more muted, ES +0.2%; updates around AAPL, NVDA, AMZN in focusUSD steady with G10s mixed but essentially flat. RBNZ as expected, no significant NZD move.Fixed benchmarks have a modest upward bias, though they remain markedly lower on the week; today's action in Europe is a retracement of Tuesday's supply-induced pressure rather than a pronounced move higher.Crude has an upward bias, specifics light. XAU softer. Front-running of US copper into potential tariffs has widened the Comex-LME arbitrage to over USD 2,000/t.Looking ahead, highlights include FOMC Minutes, Speakers include ECBʼs Lane, Nagel & de Guindos, Supply from the US.Click for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news US tariff threats are shifting from being aimed at trading 'partners' to a focus on commodities, today especially copper. Protection of favoured US business interests is the goal, cloaked in the labels of 'national security'.But first up today, the overnight dairy Pulse auction delivered less change than expected, essentially holding on to the SMP and WMP prices at the prior week's full auction. But in the meantime the NZD has retreated so both delivered good gains in NZD, up +1.1% for SMP and up +3.1% for WMP.The US retail impulse as measured by the Redbook survey delivered a very good +5.9% gain over the same week a year ago, but it should be noted that earlier base week was an unusual down one.And the New York Fed's national survey of consumer inflation expectations returned to a 'normal' 3% in June, and a five month low. But some components remain a worry. Those surveyed thing food prices will rise 5.5%, rents will rise +9.1% and medical care by +9.3%Meanwhile the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index for June was little changed at it long run levelThe popular US Treasury three year bond auction delivered unchanged demand and little-change on the median yields achieved. Today that came in at 3.84%, whereas the equivalent event a month ago was at 3.92%.US consumer debt grew a very modest +US$5 bln in May, half the expansion in April and well below the average for the past year. The slowdown was very acute for revolving debt, like credit cards.In Canada, the widely-watched local PMI turned positive in June following two toughish months.In Germany, both exports and imports were expected to decline in May from April, and they did, but by slightly more than was expected. But both remain higher than year ago levels.In Australia, the widely watched NAB business sentiment survey picked up and that was a much better outcome than the contraction expected. In fact this June result for business conditions broke the mould of the long-running decline that started in June 2022.That survey didn't point to anything special in terms of cost pressures. But those cost pressures clearly worried the RBA when it surprised financial markets with its no-change decision yesterday. The widely-expected rate cut didn't happen and so household budgets will have to wait for more relief. The RBA did pick up the resilience in the overall economy, but judged it too early to respond to perceptions of economic weaknesses. In fact they saw the balance of risks from trade and labour market cost activity not requiring a boost from a cut in interest rates.We should note that US tariff uncertainty is screwing around with some key commodity prices, especially copper, which has soared over the past day or so to over US$12,000/tonne and easily a new record high. Some US futures contracts are now up over US$13,000/tonne. US products that use copper are going to get a cost jolt. Because it is a jolt directly related to a new US tariff-tax, it won't affect products made outside the US.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.42%, and up another +3 bps from yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3,306/oz, and down -US$25 from yesterday.American oil prices are up another +US$1 at just under US$68.50/bbl while the international Brent price is now just under US$70.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now just on 60 USc, little-changed from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are down -50 bps at 91.9 AUc. Against the euro we are down -10 bps at 51.2 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 67.6 and -10 bps lower from yesterday at this time.The bitcoin price starts today at US$109,015 and up +1.0% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been moderate at just on +/-2.3%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Australian mining firm Santana Minerals has forecasted making $3.8 billion (NZD) in pre-tax profit off a proposed gold mine it hopes to open in Otago by 2027. The company believes it could get 1.25 million ounces of gold from the mine near Cromwell - and the profit is predicted to be significant if gold prices keep holding up. Santana Minerals CEO Damian Spring says this mine will come with dividends for New Zealand, in terms of royalties and jobs and services. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian mining firm Santana Minerals has forecasted making $3.8 billion (NZD) in pre-tax profit off a proposed gold mine it hopes to open in Otago by 2027. The company believes it could get 1.25 million ounces of gold from the mine near Cromwell - and the profit is predicted to be significant if gold prices keep holding up. Santana Minerals CEO Damian Spring says this mine will come with dividends for New Zealand, in terms of royalties and jobs and services. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the US Senate has agreed the Trump budget, but only after the Vice President broke a deadlock with a casting vote. Financial markets are wondering about the wisdom in all this with equities hesitating, bond yields turning up, and the USD drifting lower. To be fair, none of these movements are large today. But the implications of massively higher US debt levels are as is the opening of the magic-money accounting they have adopted. It will be the bond market that makes the practical judgement.First however, the overnight dairy auction came in as weak as the futures market suggested it might. The SMP price fell -1.7%, but only to match the prior week's Pulse event. However the more important WMP price fell -5.1% and back to levels last seen at the beginning of the year. One local reason may have been the sharp increase in volumes offered, +10,000 tonnes more than at the prior event two weeks ago, and +6.7% more than the event in the same week a year ago. This volume offer jump came as milk production rose in all key producing regions (except Australia).Overall, prices were down -4.1% in USD terms at this even, down -5.2% in NZD as the greenback weakens further.The price downshift will have analysts reaching for their pencils although it might be too soon for them to backtrack on their 2025/26 payout forecasts. Fonterra's current season results are pretty much locked in and will be reported in late September. But their new year may be off to a soft start.Last week, the US Redbook index was +4.9% higher than year ago levels but still in the easing trend that started in early April.The May level of job openings rose unexpectedly to more than 7.7 mln largely on a surge for foodservice jobs. Analysts didn't see this coming but perhaps they should have given the sharp ICE immigration crackdowns underway. These roles at these volumes will be hard to fill.The latest factory PMI report from the ISM shows a sector still in contraction, being led by weak new order inflows. The internationally benchmarked S&P Global/Markit version reported an expansion and a moderate one at that, But both noted rising inflation pressures.It appears that the expected rise in June car sales didn't occur, dipping to its slowest pace of the year.Apparently its a good time to be in the logistics sector in the US with inventory levels rising and supply chains being stressed. The Logistics Managers Index is running at an unusually high level.The Dallas Fed regional services survey reported a continuing contraction, although not as steep in June as May.And the RCM/TIPP Economic Optimism Index was expected to bounce back in July but in fact it resumed the decline in a trend that started in December 2024.After falling to a recent low in April, Japanese consumer sentiment is on the rise again, back to where it was at the start of the year, but not yet back to 2024 levels. But at least it is rising.Yesterday we noted that the official factory PMI for China "improved" but was still showing a contraction. Today, the alternative Caixin factory PMI came in a little better than that, rising from May's tiney contraction to June's small expansion. These shifts don't mean a lot, but at least they are going in an improved direction. The Caixin survey noted "Higher new order inflows supported a renewed rise in production. That said, the rate at which new orders expanded was only marginal amid subdued exports." Trump's trade war may have kneecapped Chinese growth but it hasn't knocked them over.Overnight the ECB released the results of its May survey of consumer inflation expectations and they dipped to 2.8% when a small rise was expected. Consumers apparently thought inflation was running at 3.1% over the past 12 months. Separately the EU released its June CPI data and that shows it running at 2.0%, up from 1.9% in May.In Australia, large parts of the east cost is hunkering down for a lashing of strong winds and heavy rain. And that will include Sydney.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.25%, and up +2 bps from yesterday at this time.The price of gold will start today at US$3,337/oz, and up +US$45 from yesterday.American oil prices are marginally firmer from yesterday, up +50 USc at just on US$65.50/bbl while the international Brent price is up the same at just over US$67/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now just on 60.9 USc, unchanged from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 92.6 AUc. Against the euro we are down the same at 51.7 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at 68.2 and unchanged from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$106,292 and down -1.3% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has stayed low at just over +/-0.9%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the global economic expansion is losing pace, led by the US.But first up today, the overnight full dairy auction pulled back, and expected, but perhaps not be as much as the derivatives markets suggested. In the end prices were down -1.6% in USD terms and -3.0% in NZD terms on a rising Kiwi dollar. It was a mixed picture across the commodities offered.In the US, the weekly Redbook retail monitor pulled back last week to be 'only' +4.9% higher than the same week a year ago. That is a sharpish dip from the prior week's +6.1% and mid-April's +7.4%. Much of this may be attributable to tariff-tax increases, with sales volumes easing faster now.Meanwhile, April job openings were little-changed but they did come in slightly higher than expected at 7.4 mln. We get the May non-farm payrolls report this Saturday (NZT) and that is expected to show a modest +130,000 rise.Meanwhile April factory orders came in weak, down a sharp -3.7% following the boosted March gain of +3.4%. Between the two months, a slight easing that was setting in since November. From April 2024 these order levels are up +0.6% and that is before accounting for inflation.The US Logistics Managers Index rose, but because inventory costs, warehousing utilisation, and transportation prices all rose at a faster rate, probably not the indicators that help their economy.But the latest RCM/TIPP optimism survey did rise for 'positive' reasons, but only back to levels it was in November after retreating rather sharply from a February high. The tariff-tax staggers may be easing among investors and the surveyors say this indicates US "consumers are closer to optimism".In Canada, Canadians have so heavily altered their travel plans to the US that the duty-free stores at the border seem to be on their knees in what is being called a 'collapse'.In South Korea, the candidate of the more liberal Democratic Party seems to be the winner of Tuesday's snap presidential election. It is a clear break, with voters turning away from the conservative party, who's previous President triggered their constitutional crisis. It's a win for the rule of law. The other main candidate has conceded.In China, they have delivered something of a surprise. The May Caixin China factory PMI unexpectedly dropped to 48.3, down from April's expanding 50.4 and missing market forecasts of a faster expansion (50.6). This was the first contraction in the sector in eight months and the steepest since September 2022. Output shrank alongside a renewed drop in new orders, with foreign sales declining at a faster pace. The official factory PMI came in at 49.5, a small improvement (lesser decline).Eurozone consumer price inflation eased to 1.9% in May, down from 2.2% in April and below market expectations of 2.0%. With inflation under control, that gives the ECB some room to trim interest rates further at their Friday (NZT) review.Globally, the OECD has lowered its economic expansion forecasts as the Trump tariff-taxes bite, and the US an economy they see suffering as much as others from the impact.That is spurring free trade talks among other nations, especially between Australia and the EU.In Australia, their Fair Work Commission's Expert Panel announced the National Minimum Wage and award wages will increase by +3.5% from 1 July 2025, following the 2024-25 Annual Wage Review. That means their National Minimum Wage will increase by +AU$0.85 to AU$24.95 per hour. (NZ$26.90/hr) The New Zealand adult minimum wage is currently $23.50/hr.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.46%, and unchanged from yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3,353/oz, and down -US$22 from yesterday.Oil prices are up +50 USc in the US at just over US$63.50/bbl and the international Brent price is up +US$1 at US$66/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 60.1 USc, a -10 bps dip from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at just on 92.8 AUc. Against the euro we are unchanged at 52.7 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 68.1 and down -10 bps from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$105,965 and up +1.6% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at just on +/-1.2%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Outset Ventures, the Auckland-based venture firm and incubator that spun out deep tech unicorns like Rocket Lab and LanzaTech, has closed its second fund at an oversubscribed $41.5 million NZD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news a relief rally is underway on Wall Street, responding to the delays in tariffs by the US on EU goods.But first, an update of the overnight dairy Pulse auction where prices for both SMP and WMP slipped although less than the futures market had suggested. The WMP was down -2.7% in USD from the prior week's full event, and a bit more in NZD. To be fair both prices had risen sharply since April but this pullback still leaves it in a rising trend despite today's adjustment.Data releases resumed in the US after their weekend holiday with durable goods orders pulling back in April after the unusually strong March gains. The pullback was largely in line with what was expected however, -6.3% lower than the prior month but up +2.7% from a year ago. Perhaps worryingly, excluding aircraft orders, nomn-defence capital goods barely budged in April, a sign that boardrooms remain skittish about future investment.That was matched by the Dallas Fed's May factory survey where activity was reported flat with a decline in new orders.But consumers seem happier, according to the Conference Board's May survey of consumer sentiment. But it was a survey taken before the latest US threats on the EU, so there is a sense of 'relief rally' here after the China tariff pullback. However, despite the month-on-month gain, this indicator is still tracking lower on the longer term, still lower than year-ago levels.Sentiment will be challenged again soon. There were a couple of housing indicators out overnight, and both recorded falls in American house prices. The FHA one was spun as an improvement, but it wasn't. The S&P/Case-Shiller one was a gain but a tiny one and the least since mid-2023.The bond market isn't feeling any better. The latest US Treasury 2 year auction, although as well supported as usual, brought a median yield of 3.90%, up from 3.74% at the prior equivalent event a month ago.And we can note that pricing for Trump Media shares, a marketplace that basically attracts investors who are supporters, is doing terribly. TMTG is down -11% today, down -33% so far this year, down more than -50% from a year ago. To rescue itself, it says it wants to raise US$2.5 bln to shift into crypto investing. It is an idea not going down well with shareholders.Across the border, core Canadian business activity is struggling a bit too. April wholesale trade was down -0.9% from March. That is kind of a lot for a one-month impact, one that records the initial tariff-war skirmishes.Across the Pacific in China, profits at industrial firms rose +1.4% in the first four months of 2025 compared to the same four months in 2024, picking up from +0.8% growth in the January–March period. For April alone, that was a rise of +5.2% from April 2024. Having noted that, April 2024 was a weak base. Still, given the trade challenges, and that China's factories are still very export oriented and vulnerable to trade war risks, this has to be seen as a good result in the circumstances.And we should start to keep an eye on China's carmakers. It is attracting increasing scrutiny because the economic fundamentals seem to be leaking away and quite fast. It could be another 'property development' industry failure, and could have just as large consequences if it wobbles too. They have no problem making cars, and good ones. But not only are they making more than the world needs, there are serious questions as to whether they can sell them for more than they cost to make.We should probably note that South Korean consumer sentiment jumped in May, rising back to levels that were common in November 2024 and prior. The ugly confusion period when its president went full-Trump and tried a palace coup (which resulted in impeachment, one that was upheld by the courts) is now behind it and Koreans are breathing easier. The rule of law won against a power grab. South Koreans will vote in a snap presidential election on Tuesday, June 3.And still in South Korea, they should join the CPTPP and diversify its trade as part of the bloc in the face of US uncertainties, a senior trade ex-minister is saying. (New Zealand runs a huge trade deficit with Korea.)In the EU, consumer and business sentiment basically held steady in May, according to the latest update. The trade wars are not yet unnerving the Europeans.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.44%, and down -6 bps from yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3,302/oz, and down -US$38 from yesterday.Oil prices are down -US$1 at just over US$60.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is still just under US$64/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is down at 59.5 USc, a -½c retreat from yesterday at this time as commodity currencies are out of favour today. Against the Aussie we are down -20 bps at just on 92.3 AUc. Against the euro we are holding at 52.5 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today still just over 67.6 and down -30 bps from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$110,309 and up another +1.2% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at just on +/-1.2%.Check back with us at 2pm for the RBNZ's May Monetary Policy Statement and OCR review. As you will knwo by now, 'everyone' expects a -25 bps cut. But the outlook from there is reasonably clouded, so Governor Hawkesby's analysis at 3pm is keenly awaited. We will have full coverage.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

A jobs surge puts the next few rate cuts into question; household spending still stagnant; Xero reports growth in both profit and revenue; and the Market Wrap. MARKET WRAP: ASX200: up 0.22%, 8,297 GOLD: $3,180 US/oz BITCOIN: $158,540 AUD Xero reported after tax profit growth of 30% to $227.8 million NZD, helping shares rise 4.7% to $182.05 The tech sector overall was stronger, with Wisetech rising 1.9% and Technology One up 1.3%. IAG rose 5.7% to $8.90 as it said it would acquire RAC Insurance in a $1.35 billion deal. The banks were all positive, with the Big Four all higher, and Macquarie recovering 1.2% after yesterday’s ASIC lawsuit. Changes at the top of Treasury Wine Estates was enough to tank its share price, falling 5.2% on the announcement of its next CEO. A deal between Lendlease with Britain’s The Crown Estate – owned by the royal family and King Chalres – for development projects didn’t wow the market. Shares slid 1.6% to $5.39. BHP, Fortescue and Rio Tinto marginally weaker. CURRENCY UPDATE: AUD/USD: 64.3 US cents AUD/GBP: 48.5 pence AUD/EUR: 57 Euro cents AUD/JPY: 95 Japanese yen AUD/NZD: 1.09 NZ dollars Host: Deb Knight Executive Producer: Tom Storey Technical Producer: Liam Achurch Publisher: Nine RadioSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news we are in for a day of significant announcements, but locally and internationally.But first up today, the overnight full dairy auction brought higher prices, up +4.6% in USD terms and up +3.0% in NZD terms. Of note, the butter price hit a new all-time record high of US$74992/tonne. Also, cheddar cheese rose a very sharp +12.0% from the prior full event, and the dominant WMP price was up a heady +6.2%. This has been a very positive outcome, even if it was on relatively low off-season volumes.There seemed to be two big background drivers. First, EU production is slipping and today's NZ auction prices seem to be equalising with European pricing. And secondly, there was a substantial increase in demand from Southeast Asian buyers, shifting from EU supply. Today's result will bring upside to the payout - if it is maintaintained in future events.Elsewhere, there was a good rise in US retail sales last week, up +6.9% from the same week a year ago in the Redbook survey. But as we have noted previously, it is now hard to separate the inflationary effect of the tariff taxes from volume gains. It is about now that the tariff-tax impact will start happening. All eyes are on Apple, because they won't be able to avoid price hikes much longer now.Retaliatory tariff taxes also juiced up US exports in both goods and services in March but it was minor and similar to February. US imports however shot up to a new all-time record high. So the American trade deficit also hit a new record exceeding -$140 bln for the monthNone of this is helping sentiment. The latest survey, this one the RealClearMarkets/TIPP Economic Optimism Index retreated in May from April when a gain was anticipated. It was at its lowest in seven months.Meanwhile, the US logistics managers index returned to more usual levels, but allowing it to do that were rises in inventory and freight costs, rather than the efficiency components.There was a well-supported US Treasury 10 year bond auction earlier today, and that delivered a median yield of 4.28% which was down -6 bps from the prior equivalent event a month ago.Tomorrow will be dominated by the US Fed's meeting outcome. Changed interest rates are unlikely, but there will be intense interest in how they view the present and future economic landscape.In Canada, the widely-watched local Ivey PMI turned into contraction in April.In China, the Caixin Services PMI expansion eased back in April, down from March's three-month high to be below analyst forecasts. This is now the softest expansion in their services sector in seven months. But this Caixin version reported a slightly faster expansion than the official version.There is a lot going on today, and amongst that we are expecting a significant Chinese briefing by their central bank and other regulators about new moves to respond to their economic pressures triggered by the tariff war.In Europe, their April services PMI didn't fall into contraction as expected. Rather it stayed just on the positive side. But it is an anemic expansion all the same.In Australia, household spending slipped in March from February, to be +3.5% higher than March 2024. Of special note was the very sharp -1.3% dive in Queensland.There was an even sharper retreat in building consents in Australia in March with a big -15% dive in consents for building apartments.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.31%, down -3 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3414/oz, and up +US$101 from yesterday, and heading back towards its April 23 record high.Oil prices are firmer today, up +US$2 at just on US$59/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just under US$62.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 60 USc, up +40 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are up +0 bps at 92½ AUc. Against the euro we are up +50 bps at 52.8 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 68 and up +10 bps. The Japanese yen has strengthened to limit the TWI-5 shift.The bitcoin price starts today down a mere -0.3% from yesterday at US$94,563. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at +/- 0.9%.Join us at 10:45am for the release of the important March quarter jobs report for New Zealand. We are expecting no rise in employment and a rise in the unemployment rate to 5.3%. Variations from that might be market-moving.And then at 2pm we will be covering the RBNZ's half-yearly Financial Stability Report. This will be Christian Hawkesby's first big set piece presentation as Governor, a role he holds until at least October.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

S&P futures and TSX are pointing slightly up. Asian equities inched higher in cautious trade with a 0.8% surge in Nikkei, Hang Seng and Shanghai are slightly up with India leading the gainers as its banks and auto stocks rallied on tariff reprieve news. European equity markets are mostly higher, with major indices up near 1%. Overnight, US 10-year yield was steady at 4.4% with the 2-year up 1 bP to 3.9%. US dollar unchanged, AUD higher, NZD at four-month high, yen and yuan flat. Oil went up and gold firmer. Crude futures are slightly higher, precious metals are also resuming their upward trend, base metals are mixed. Cryptocurrencies are higher.Companies mentioned: Apple, Lowe's Companies, Ryanair Holdings, NVIDIA Corp

Apple is going to take a beating Goods shipped from China to the US will face 54% tariffs, and Vietnam —where Apple has shifted some of its manufacturing— has tariffs of 46%. The only good news for consumers is the inventory that's already in the US isn't subject to tariffs, and companies have been stockpiling inventory – but that will change. We also don't know how much of these tariffs will be absorbed into the profit margin, and how much will be passed on. It's partly why Apple's stock has taken a beating, because they're either going to see decreased revenue if consumers hold onto their devices longer, or their profits crunched by increased costs. Nintendo's halting pre-orders on its new console The hotly anticipated Switch 2 won't be taking pre-orders in the US on April 9th, as was the plan just two days ago. The company says it's taking the step "in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions”. Nintendo says the console's June 5th release date is unchanged. They also haven't said where its new consoles will be made. Initial feedback from the launch was about the price – from the console to the games to the accessories, things are more expensive all around. Switch 2 will hit stores at $449.99 USD / $799 NZD, along with new games “Mario Kart World” and “Street Fighter 6″. It's larger and faster than the OG Switch and includes a dedicated button to launch a chat with your friends. The improved processors mean 24 racers can compete in Mario Kart World at the same time. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Trump unveiled individual reciprocal tariffs for each country which are essentially half of what countries were charging the US.The US is to apply a 20% tariff on imports from EU, 34% tariff on imports from China, 26% tariff on imports from India and 25% tariff on imports from South Korea.Trump also stated that the baseline tariff is 10% for all nations and announced 25% auto tariffs, while Canada and Mexico were not subject to reciprocal tariffs for now.US equity futures slumped in response to the tariff announcement (ES -2.6%, NQ -3.1%, RTY -3.9%). Europe is also marked lower with the Eurostoxx 50 future down 1.7%.USD is showing a mixed performance vs. peers but ultimately net lower (AUD, NZD weaker vs. the USD. JPY, EUR, GBP, CHF stronger).Global bond yields are lower with the inflation implications dwarfed by the mass risk-aversion in the market. Fed pricing looks for 82bps of easing by year-end vs. 76bps yesterday morning.Crude is lower as markets digest the global growth implications, whilst spot gold hit another record high.Looking ahead, highlights include Swiss CPI, EZ Producer Prices, US Weekly Claims, Challenger Layoffs & ISM Services, ECB Minutes & BoE DMP, Speakers including Fed's Cook, Jefferson, US VP Vance, US Commerce Secretary Lutnick, ECB's Schnabel & de Guindos, Supply from Spain, France, UK & US.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

United Kingdom correspondent Alice Wilkins spoke to Lisa Owen about the latest in the row between Prince Harry and the charity he set up in honour of Princess Diana and Ministers calling for an expenses review - after an MP claimed $2,000 (NZD) for her dog's 'pet rent.' She also spoke about songwriter Ed Sheeran putting pen to paper in a letter to the UK Prime Minister asking for greater investment in music in schools.

US futures gained after the Wall St. close as Lutnick suggested Trump could potentially reduce tariffs on Canada and Mexico, perhaps as soon as Wednesday.APAC mixed but with strength in China after data and the Official Growth Report which maintained a growth target of around 5% and pledged measures to boost spending.EUR underpinned by German debt brake reform with the DXY under pressure as a result, Cable hit a YTD peak while NZD was unreactive to Orr resigning.Bunds weighed on by CDU's Merz saying the first results on debt brake reform have been reached with the SPD alongside proposing new instruments and defence exemptions.Fed's Williams said he does not see the need to change policy currently, and described it as "still restrictive" and with the right balance; highlighted UoM inflation data as one to watch.Crude subdued, XAU range bound and Copper gained on China's report; Trump said he received a letter from Zelensky who is ready to come back to the table.Looking ahead, highlights include Swiss CPI, US ADP National Employment, US Factory Orders, ISM Services, China NPC, Fed's Beige Book, BoE Treasury Select Hearing, Speakers including BoE's Bailey, Pill, Taylor and Greene, Supply from UK, Earnings from Telecom Italia, Bayer, Adidas, Sandoz, Abercrombie & Fitch, Foot Locker & Marvell.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

United Kingdom correspondent Alice Wilkins spoke to Lisa Owen about how the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has met with Donald Trump in Washington and an NHS nurse being paid out close to $100,000 NZD for being left out on tea rounds by a colleague. She also spoke about how a pop star has alread scooped up a prize at the Brit Awards.

Sentiment hit across markets after Ukrainian President Zelensky pushes back against US-Russian talks, with equities at fresh lows.USD a little firmer, NZD leads post-RBNZ, GBP contained after mixed inflation metrics.Crude firmer while aluminium spikes on EU's 16th sanctions package on Russia.Gilts lag after UK CPI, USTs await 20yr supply & FOMC Minutes, Bunds hit by hawkish ECB Schnabel comments.Looking ahead, highlights include FOMC Minutes (Jan), Comments from Fed's Jefferson, Supply from the US, Earnings from Etsy, Garmin, Wix.com, Analog, Carvana.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks traded mixed following the somewhat choppy performance stateside.President Trump stated he will impose 25% tariffs on autos, pharmaceuticals and chips.European equity futures indicate a slightly lower open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.1% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.3% on Tuesday.The RBNZ delivered a third consecutive 50bps rate cut and signalled further cuts ahead; likely to step down to 25bps increments.DXY a touch softer, NZD leads, most other majors are broadly contained.Looking ahead, highlights include UK CPI, FOMC Minutes (Jan), Fed's Jefferson, Supply from UK, Germany & US.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Building high-performance engines just got easier! In this video, we're with Tom from Hughes Race Built to explore how they're solving one of the biggest challenges in performance engine building: finding the right tools for the job. Whether you're tackling a 2JZ, RB26, SR20, 4G63 or even Honda's K and B series, Tom's specialized and generic option toolkits are designed by engine builders, for engine builders, to simplify the process and make it more accessible for enthusiasts and pros alike.Use ‘PODCAST75' for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-inFrom engine-specific kits priced around $580 USD ($1,000 NZD) to their innovative hydraulic balancer puller, these tools take the frustration out of tasks like removing front pulleys, compressing valve springs, and installing piston rings. Tom walks us through how these purpose-built solutions, like their adjustable billet ring compressor, bring the precision of CNC machining to a wide range of bore sizes without the need for multiple tools.If you've ever struggled with the limitations of universal tools or wished for something purpose-made for your favourite JDM engine build, this is the video for you. Check out the solutions that are filling a major gap in the market and making engine building more enjoyable than ever.Find out more at https://hughesracebuilt.com/

APAC stocks traded mixed following the similar performance stateside; Japanese stocks heavily pressured on return from the long weekend.US President-elect Trump's team reportedly studies month-by-month tariff hikes of 2%-5%, according to Bloomberg.European equity futures indicate a higher open with Euro Stoxx 50 future up 0.8% after the cash market closed with losses of 0.5% on Monday.DXY is higher but back on a 109 handle, NZD marginally outperforms, JPY narrowly lags.Looking ahead, highlights include US PPI, EIA STEO, Fed Discount Rate Minutes, ECB's Lane, BoE's Breeden & Taylor, Fed's Schmid & Williams, Supply from Netherlands, UK & Germany.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Bagrie Economics’ managing director gives his thoughts on how the economy is shaping up for the first half of 2025 and why the NZD is still falling. Plus, what should we keep an eye on globally and what chance are sub 5% home loans before the year is out?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lupa Pizza, in the UK city of Norwich, is charging customers £100 - about $220 NZD - to order their Hawaiian pizza on deliver app Deliveroo in an effort to dissuade customers from buying it. The pizzeria's co-owner Francis Wolf spoke to Alexa Cook.

An interview with Dr. Lisa Brown, a Hepatobiliary Surgeon and Aerospace Medicine Researcher at the New Zealand Space Health Research Center.  Lisa's background is in Surgery.  And In addition to surgical training, Lisa completed training and research in Aerospace Medicine, including as the Aerospace Medicine Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, an internship at the European Space Agency, and the University of Texas Medical Branch Principles of Aerospace Medicine Short Course with NASA. She is on the organising committee of Women in Space Aotearoa New Zealand and Lead of the New Zealand Space Health Research Network.Resources:Space Medicine Coures:Principles of Space Medicine, University of Texas Medical BranchSpace Physician Training Course, European Space AgencyAerospace Medicine, Kings College, London UKNotable Associations:Aerospace Medical AssociationAerospace Medicine Student Residence OrganizationThe Space Surgery AssociationTo participate in the New Zealand Space Health Research Network, visit the website.Hosted by: Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBaseMusic: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons (3.0)If you like our work, please consider donating to SpaceBase through the SpaceBase Open Collective. Or be a SpaceBase Patreon sponsor.  (E.g. $3 dollars a month or $36 NZD a year will go a long way in supporting the production of the podcast.)

APAC stocks were mixed after the S&P 500 and DJIA posted fresh record highs but the small-cap Russell 2000 underperformed.FOMC Minutes noted uncertainty over the neutral rate level makes it appropriate to reduce restraint gradually; some said the Fed could pause easing.Israel's cabinet approved the ceasefire deal with Lebanon; ceasefire has since gone into effect.European equity futures are indicative of a negative cash open with the Euro Stoxx 50 future -0.3% after the cash market closed lower by 0.8% on Tuesday.RBNZ cut the OCR by 50bps, which was widely expected, although there were outside bets for a greater 75bps reduction.DXY is steady below the 107 mark, NZD leads gains across the majors, JPY supported as BoJ hike expectations build.Looking ahead, highlights include US PCE (Oct), GDP 2nd Estimate (Q3), PCE Prices Prelim (Q3), Initial Jobless Claims (23 Nov, w/e), Durable Goods (Oct), Advance Goods Trade Balance (Oct), German GfK Consumer Sentiment (Dec), Comments from ECB's Lane, US Supply.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

European equities on the back foot with hawkish remarks from Schnabel weighing, US futures mixed into a packed data docketJPY outperforms with the NZD a close second after the RBNZ, EUR lifted by Schnabel; DXY pressured as suchFixed benchmarks in the green and towards highs though Bunds were dented by ECB speak, OAT-Bund yield spread at its highest since 2012Crude benchmarks are modestly firmer but in narrow ranges awaiting updates around the ceasefire, US data and OPEC+; metals moving higherLooking ahead, highlights include US PCE (Oct), GDP 2nd Estimate (Q3), PCE Prices Prelim (Q3), Initial Jobless Claims (23 Nov, w/e), Durable Goods (Oct), Advance Goods Trade Balance (Oct), Comments from ECB's Lane, US Supply.Click for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

BBC World reporter Pete Ross joins Emile Donovan to look at some of the events making headlines internationally, including crucial talks at the UN's annual climate conference, what the main talking points will be at this year's G20 conference in Rio de Janeiro and why a banana stuck to the wall has fetched over $1million NZD.

FOMC Minutes stated that some officials would have preferred a 25bps cut, though a substantial majority supported 50bpsBiden-Netanyahu call was positive; US does not yet know the timing of the strike against IranAPAC stocks traded higher, significant outperformance in Hong Kong on fresh PBoC support. European futures point to a slightly firmer openDXY rangebound, NZD & AUD outperform given the above and after Wednesday's pressureFixed benchmarks remain near Wednesday's lows while Crude continues to move higherLooking ahead, highlights include Italian Industrial Output, US CPI, Initial Jobless Claims, US Federal Budget, NZ Manufacturing PMI, Chinese M2 Money Supply, ECB Minutes, Tesla Robotaxi Event, AMD AI Event, Speakers including Fed's Cook, Barkin & Williams, Supply from US, Earnings from Domino's Pizza & Delta.Click for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks traded mostly lower despite the gains seen on Wall Street on Friday, with the mood in the APAC region dampened by the continued decline in Chinese NBS Manufacturing PMI ahead of key risk events including US NFP on Friday.DXY resided in a tight range, NZD lagged after last week's strong performance, while CNH weakened post-PMIs.The far-right German AfD will claim a clear victory in state parliamentary elections in the German state of ThuringiaECB policymakers increasingly at odds on the outlook for growth, with some fearing a recession, others focusing on lingering inflation pressures, via ReutersChina reportedly warns Japan of retaliation over new potential new chip curbs, via BloombergLooking ahead, highlights include EZ, UK Final Manufacturing PMIUS Labour Day Holiday: The desk will open as usual at 22:00BST/17:00EDT on Sunday 1st September and run until 18:00BST/13:00EDT on Monday 2nd September, upon which the desk will close and then re-open at 22:00BST/17:00EDT.Click here for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

In episode 31, Johnny talks to New Zealand director Michael Duignan.
 Michael's debut feature - The Paragon - premiered last year at the New Zealand International Film Festival, and blew audiences away.  Made for a budget of just $25,000 NZD - the dictionary definition of making something ‘off the smell of an oily rag' - The Paragon is a sci-fi-comedy that punches well above its weight. You can see the film in theatres in five American cities - L.A., New York, Austin, Chicago and Portland - from the 6th of September 2024, or online from Music Box films, and AroVision in New Zealand.  Not surprisingly Johnny and Michael's talk covers the trials and tribulations of making a low-budget psychedelic fantasy film in New Zealand, they discuss the work of Michael Mann - always a favourite subject - and his lasting impact on cinema, and they take a spoiler-filled look at the latest Alien film, Alien Romulus.  This conversation was recorded face to face in late August of 2024. We recorded in the garden of Michael's house - AKA the Paragon house - and so there's a lovely soundtrack of birds, ducks and the occasional car driving past. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.
 You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

APAC stocks traded with modest losses across the board following the weak lead from Wall Street and in the aftermath of NVIDIA's ill-received earnings.NVIDIA settled -6.9 % after-market despite solid earnings and a USD 50bln share buyback, some suggested disappointment as metrics fell short of the highest forecasts.NZD was boosted after ANZ Business Outlook soared whilst JGB futures saw upticks on a well-received 2-year JGB auction.European equity futures are indicative of a softer open with the Euro Stoxx 50 future -0.2% after cash closed higher by 0.3% on Wednesday.Looking ahead, highlights include Spanish CPI, German CPI, EZ Sentiment, US PCE (Q2), GDP (Q2), IJC, ECB's Rehn, Lane; Fed's Bostic, Supply from Italy, US, and Earnings from Lulelemon, Dollar General, Best Buy, MarvellRead the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

European equities are mostly, but modestly firmer (ex-FTSE 100); US futures are flatDollar is flat, NZD outperforms and USD/JPY back to 146.50Bonds are incrementally firmer, Bunds dipped slightly on German Producer Prices but then edged higher as the morning progressedCrude is lower in a continuation of the prior day's price action; XAU prints another fresh ATH at USD 2521/oz and base metals gainLooking ahead, Canadian CPI, CBRT Policy Announcement, US Primary (down-ticket), Democratic Convention, Comments from Fed's Bostic & Barr, Earnings from Lowe's & MedtronicRead the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk