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On September 5th, U.S. Commerce Secretary Andrew Lutnick was appointed to review transactions between the Pentagon and companies under Cerberus Capital Management to address potential conflicts of interest. According to U.S. officials, the Department of Defense has assigned Lutnick to review these transactions. Cerberus is a private equity firm founded by Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg, with significant investments in defense and national security, including several companies that have received Pentagon contracts. After joining the government, Feinberg transferred his business assets to a trust for his adult children. Reports indicate that Lutnicks review of arrangements involving Cerberus is intended to exceed existing Department of Defense ethical guidelines. However, Lutnick previously led Cantor Fitzgerald, which has had a business relationship with Cerberus for over a decade and helped manage related investment funds. Some of Cerberus defense subsidiaries recently secured Pentagon contracts, including a $10 billion, 26-year Army helicopter pilot training contract for M1 Support Services, and a $90 million defense contract for hypersonic testing company Stratolaunch. It remains unclear whether Lutnik reviewed these transactions, and the specific scope of his review.Fitch: The rating upgrade reflects the strengthening of Portugals public finances, including the expected downward trend in government debt.Barclays: Oil outflows from the Middle East are higher than in the early stages of the conflict, but the market remains in a state of shortage, and the inventory buffer is now greatly reduced.According to Al Arabiya TV: Lebanese official data shows that Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon tonight have killed three people.On September 5th, stronger-than-expected US August jobs data triggered renewed bets on a possible Federal Reserve rate hike, but Wall Street risk assets did not show significant panic. Data showed increased resilience in the job market, leading traders to raise their expectations for a rate hike at the Feds September 16th meeting. US Treasuries experienced a sell-off, the dollar strengthened, and the S&P 500 fell on Friday but still recorded a weekly gain. Unlike previous rate hikes that often triggered capital outflows, this round of bond market adjustments has not yet spread to other risk assets. Credit spreads remain low, limiting pressure on corporate bonds and stock index markets. JPMorgan Chase stated that US Treasury liquidity has deteriorated significantly, but corporate bond ETFs and stock index futures markets have not yet experienced similar tension. Market resilience mainly stems from economic growth and corporate profits, especially as AI investment continues to drive large-scale capital expenditures by technology companies. Analysts point out that the market is currently more focused on whether yields will rise rapidly than on the jobs data itself. The market focus will shift to inflation data and whether the Fed will reconsider its rate hike path due to inflationary pressures. If yields rise further rapidly, it could force investors to reduce their risk exposure.

The AUD/USD Finds Support Around 0.7500 As Attention Turns to Australia's Unemployment Rate

Drake Hampton

Apr 13, 2022 10:10

  • The AUD/USD currency pair has sensed a pullback from 0.7500 ahead of Australia's unemployment rate announcement.

  • Investors are shrugging off stronger US inflation data, but interest rates are poised for a modest increase.

  • Australia's preliminary unemployment rate of 3.9 percent signals outperformance.

 

After a good positive comeback from Tuesday's low of 0.7400, the AUD/USD pair has had a little retreat to about 0.7500. The major has recovered following Tuesday's publication of US inflation. Market participants anticipated an 8.5 percent increase in the US Consumer Price Index (CPI), which prompted some bids in the antipodean.

 

Inflation at a multidecade high and a greater participation rate in the US labor market point to a major rate hike in May's monetary policy. Price pressures on essential items are weighing on the US economy, as evidenced by the US CPI ex-food and energy's weak performance. Inflation in the United States, excluding food and energy, was recorded at 6.5 percent in a mid-market estimate and preceding number.

 

Earlier in the day, the asset fell substantially from last week's high of 0.7662 after the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) decided to maintain the current interest rate and take a 'wait and see' strategy. The RBA's monetary policy insights revealed that the government has not yet experienced any constructive price pressures capable of pushing interest rates higher.

 

Market investors will closely monitor the Australian Unemployment Rate, which is due on Thursday, for additional guidance. A early estimate of Australia's unemployment rate reveals a decrease to 3.9 percent from a previous reading of 4%.

AUD/USD

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