Economics

Commodity markets experienced an uncommonly positive week as various commodities, including iron ore, gold, copper, and oil, saw significant gains.

The competition and consumer regulator is pursuing unprecedented penalties exceeding $250 million against Qantas, accusing the airline of selling tickets for cancelled "ghost flights" as part of a campaign to intimidate businesses that deceive customers.

As the week unfolded, China faced a series of critical challenges that reverberated through its financial and real estate sectors.

July's inflation data showcased significant differences between the headline rate and the core reading, leading to contrasting market reactions as both figures experienced declines.

Best Buy's latest quarterly performance was touted as exceeding Wall Street's expectations, yet closer examination reveals a considerable weakness in both headline figures and same-store sales.

In a surprising turn of events, the commodity that should be bearing the brunt of China's deepening property crisis is instead displaying remarkable strength.

Property prices are tumbling, major developers are in dire straits, and a significant financial conglomerate has missed interest payments, invoking memories of the 2008 financial crisis.

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant, BYD, announced a remarkable 207% increase in earnings during the first half of this year, propelled by record-breaking production and sales figures.

Retail sales in the 2023-24 fiscal year commenced on a robust note, with sales showing a seasonally adjusted increase of 0.5%, as revealed by preliminary data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Monday.

The annual results for the fiscal year 2022-23 shed light on can and bottle maker Orora's strategic move to dive deeper into the US markets, echoing the path taken by its former parent company, Amcor.

China's economy faces ongoing trials marked by persistent weak economic data, which is expected to persist as August draws to a close.

Following Friday’s significant surge, it appears that Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell's ability to influence market sentiments has diminished.

Once again, August has proven to be a month of losses for oil rig activity in the US, with a recent decline adding to the trend.

As the June 30 reporting season draws to a close, roughly 15% of ASX 200 companies are yet to release their reports, primarily comprising smaller enterprises.

As the echoes of the June 30 reporting seasons reverberate worldwide (except for China, where it reaches its peak this week), attention shifts to a flurry of data releases marking the start of the new month.

The central theme driving the energy transition and decarbonisation efforts revolves around the objective of maximising the use of electricity and sourcing this electrical power from renewable and low-carbon origins.

Based in Melbourne, K&S Corp managed a turnaround in financial performance in the fiscal year ending on June 30, outperforming expectations for even larger and more prominent enterprises.

Macy's, the largest department store chain in the United States, has posted a second-quarter loss that highlights a discrepancy with the recent positive earnings and profit margin increases reported by other retail giants like Walmart. While Walmart and discount chains such as TJX Cos and Ross Stores celebrated short-term successes, Macy's loss underscores the prevailing challenges in much of the US retail sector.

Following Moody's and Fitch, S&P Global has joined the ranks of ratings agencies expressing concerns about the US banking sector.

Investors in Hong Kong and mainland China have expressed disappointment following the People's Bank of China's (PBoC) modest rate cut and the country's securities regulator's push for share buybacks among Chinese listed companies.

Reuters reported early on Monday that Asian investors were holding their breath, waiting to see how committed Beijing was to policy easing through anticipated rate cuts. Their fears were met with only a slight 0.10% reduction in the Loan Prime Rate (LPR), from 3.55% to 3.45%.

The global events diary slows this week, but that doesn't mean there won't be major events to hold investor attention.

The most significant five days of the June 30 reporting season lie ahead this week, featuring 110 ASX 200 companies set to report their financials. The list is dominated by BHP, which will be unveiling its full-year figures tomorrow.

On Friday, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) set a significantly stronger daily fixing for the yuan, causing the currency to recover from the 9-month low it hit on Thursday.

Iron ore prices managed to rise, while oil prices ended lower, copper saw a slight increase, gold experienced a decline, and thermal coal prices rose.

Two months after the removal of bans on Australian coal, Chinese imports of coal from Australia surged to their highest levels in three years during July. China had imposed these bans in 2020, but they were lifted on May 18 this year. In this short span, inbound shipments have seen a remarkable increase, with China also boosting its purchases of Russian and Indonesian coal.

August has proven to be a challenging month for global stock markets, and the ASX is poised to continue its struggle this week. After experiencing a 2.6% decline last week, the ASX is expected to open on a negative note, with the share price index indicating a 23-point drop at the Saturday morning close (Sydney time).

Global stock markets are set to experience turbulence following the news that the beleaguered Chinese property behemoth, China Evergrande, has filed for bankruptcy protection in a New York court.