Morning Report
Today's economic developments and market movements.
Click here for the full Morning Report (PDF 208KB)
Key themes: US markets were closed overnight for the Labor Day public holiday.
US equity futures and the US dollar index were broadly unchanged. European equity markets were generally higher.
Commodities were generally softer, with the price of iron ore falling below US$100 on concerns over China’s property sector. The price of oil stabilised following reports of further production shutdowns.
Commodities were generally softer, with the price of oil and iron ore lower.
Share markets: Markets were closed in the US for Labor Day, and US equity futures were broadly unchanged.
European stocks generally performed well overnight, with the Euro Stoxx 50 up 0.3% and the German DAX up 0.1%, while the UK’s FTSE 100 fell 0.2%. A noteworthy development includes Volkswagen’s (+1.3%) announcement considering factory closures in Germany for the first time ever in a bid for deeper cost cuts.
It was a tough session for Chinese markets yesterday, with a –1.7% decline observed in the Hang Seng and CSI 300, as concerns over China’s economic recovery linger. Japan’s Nikkei and India’s NIFTY were meanwhile up 0.1% and 0.2% respectively.
The ASX 200 lifted 0.2% yesterday, with financials and utilities driving gains, partly offset by weakness in communications and materials, the latter in part reflecting the looming negative risk sentiment over China. At the margin, futures are pointing to some positive momentum at open this morning.
Interest rates: Australian yields were broadly unchanged. The 3-year government bond yield (futures) ticked 1 basis point lower to 3.61% while the 10-year government bond yield (futures) moved 2 basis points lower to 4.04%.
In line with the above, interest rate expectations were little-changed yesterday, with markets still anticipating a circa 65% chance of a rate cut by year-end (17 basis points) and around 75 basis points of cuts over 2025.
Yield curves in Europe and the UK steepened overnight, the 2-year and 10-year Bund up 3 and 4 basis points respectively, while the 2-year and 10-year Gilt was up 1 and 4 basis points respectively.
Foreign exchange: The US dollar index traded within a narrow range (101.60 to 101.80) and was broadly unchanged.
The Aussie outperformed, appreciating 0.4% against the Greenback to reach 0.6791. After reaching its highest level of the year last week (0.6824), the AUD/USD pair has been trading in the 0.6750-0.6780 range. Price action will be driven by Australia’s Q2 GDP outcome to be released on Wednesday, and a speech by Governor Bullock the following day. A weaker than expected US August non-farm payrolls on Friday is likely to provide the Aussie with a tailwind.
The Yen lost ground against the US dollar, with the USD/JPY up 0.5% to 146.87.
Commodities: The prices of key commodities were lower.
The price of oil declined 3.1%, falling below US$73 per barrel before retracing some of this fall to trade closer to US$74 per barrel. The lift came after as production shutdowns in Libya widened. Bloomberg noted that production at the Waha Oil Company had dropped its output from 320 thousand barrels per day (kbpd) to just 175kbpd, while the 145kbpd Sarir field had shut down. This follows the closure of the 270kbpd Sharara field earlier in the month.
Iron ore markets softened to fall below US$100 as traders focused on the continuing weakness in Chinese property markets. The 27% annual fall in August new home sales from the 100 largest real estate companies added to the weakness in the market.
Metals remain vulnerable with concerns about weak Chinese property data weighing on sentiment.
Australia: Business inventories edged 0.1% higher in the June quarter, following a 1.5% increase (revised higher from an initial estimate of 1.3%) in the March quarter. As a result, private non-farm business inventories are expected to detract 0.5 ppts from economic growth in the June quarter.
Headline company profits declined 5.3%. The decline in profits was driven by a 10.9% decline in mining profits, on the back of weaker commodity prices. Non-mining profits also declined by 0.9% in the June quarter following a 0.7% increase in the March quarter. Non-mining profits excluding financial services declined 0.8% in the June quarter. This shows that non-mining profit growth continues to be weak as domestic demand stalls.
Nominal wage growth continued to slow (that is the wages bill, hours worked times wages), increasing 0.7% in the June quarter to be 5.2% higher in annual terms. This was the slowest quarterly rate since the September quarter 2021 and below the pre pandemic decade average of around 1.0%. In six-month annualised terms, nominal wages growth is running at 3.1%, below pre pandemic average growth rates.
The CoreLogic home value index rose 0.5% in August, matching the gains in July and June and continuing the step-down in momentum since late last year. Annual price growth moderated to 7.1%, down from a peak of 10.9% in February. Performances continue to diverge with much stronger price gains in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane, more subdued growth in Sydney and price slippage in Melbourne.
Total dwelling approvals rebounded 10.4% in July, more than offsetting a 6.4% decline from June. Results over the last couple of months have been volatile, following significant swings in ‘high-rise’ unit approvals. Underlying detail on less volatile segments such as private detached houses and ‘low-mid rise’ private units are showing tentative signs of improvement, albeit from a weak base. The state detail highlights an impressive uptrend in WA, as ‘high-rise’ volatility drives swings in NSW and Vic.
The Melbourne Institute’s Inflation declined 0.1% in August, following a 0.4% increase in July. This was the first month decline in almost 6 months, and largely reflects the electricity rebates flowing to households and small businesses.
Job ads declined 2.1% in August, following an upwardly revised 2.7% fall in July. Job ads have fallen 29.8% from their peak in November 2022 but are still 11.4% above pre-pandemic levels.
China: The Caixin Manufacturing PMI rose to 50.4 in August, from 49.8 in July. This was slightly above the 50 index points expected by the market. New orders improved due to reviving demand and promotional measures. However, we export orders dropped to 49.4 in August, from 50.5 in July, the first sub-50 reading this year and the lowest since last November. Overseas orders for consumer goods were especially weak. This outcome was in contrast to the official manufacturing PMI has posted sub-50 scores for four straight months, sliding to 49.1 in August from 49.4 in July.
Eurozone: The final August HCOB manufacturing PMI was marked up slightly from the flash release of 45.6 to 45.8. The PMI suggests manufacturing activity continued to fall through Q3. The headline manufacturing PMI rose in Italy (to 49.4 from 47.4 in July) but fell everywhere else. The manufacturing PMI in France and Germany remain deeply contractionary.
Related articles
Morning Report
Morning Report
Morning Report
Browse topics
Disclaimer
©2024 Westpac Banking Corporation ABN 33 007 457 141 (including where acting under any of its Westpac, St George, Bank of Melbourne or BankSA brands, collectively, “Westpac”). References to the “Westpac Group” are to Westpac and its subsidiaries and includes the directors, employees and representatives of Westpac and its subsidiaries.
Things you should know
We respect your privacy: You can view our privacy statement at Westpac.com.au. Each time someone visits our site, data is captured so that we can accurately evaluate the quality of our content and make improvements for you. We may at times use technology to capture data about you to help us to better understand you and your needs, including potentially for the purposes of assessing your individual reading habits and interests to allow us to provide suggestions regarding other reading material which may be suitable for you.
This information, unless specifically indicated otherwise, is under copyright of the Westpac Group. None of the material, nor its contents, nor any copy of it, may be altered in any way, transmitted to, copied of distributed to any other party without the prior written permission of the Westpac Group.
Disclaimer
This information has been prepared by the Westpac and is intended for information purposes only. It is not intended to reflect any recommendation or financial advice and investment decisions should not be based on it. This information does not constitute an offer, a solicitation of an offer, or an inducement to subscribe for, purchase or sell any financial instrument or to enter into a legally binding contract. To the extent that this information contains any general advice, it has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs and before acting on it you should consider the appropriateness of the advice. Certain types of transactions, including those involving futures, options and high yield securities give rise to substantial risk and are not suitable for all investors. We recommend that you seek your own independent legal or financial advice before proceeding with any investment decision. This information may contain material provided by third parties. While such material is published with the necessary permission none of Westpac or its related entities accepts any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any such material. Although we have made every effort to ensure this information is free from error, none of Westpac or its related entities warrants the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of this information, or otherwise endorses it in any way. Except where contrary to law, Westpac Group intend by this notice to exclude liability for this information. This information is subject to change without notice and none of Westpac or its related entities is under any obligation to update this information or correct any inaccuracy which may become apparent at a later date. This information may contain or incorporate by reference forward-looking statements. The words “believe”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “predict”, “continue”, “assume”, “positioned”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “shall”, “risk” and other similar expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events and future trends identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance, nor are forecasts of future performance. Whilst every effort has been taken to ensure that the assumptions on which any forecasts are based are reasonable, the forecasts may be affected by incorrect assumptions or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. The ultimate outcomes may differ substantially from any forecasts.
Conflicts of Interest: In the normal course of offering banking products and services to its clients, the Westpac Group may act in several capacities (including issuer, market maker, underwriter, distributor, swap counterparty and calculation agent) simultaneously with respect to a financial instrument, giving rise to potential conflicts of interest which may impact the performance of a financial instrument. The Westpac Group may at any time transact or hold a position (including hedging and trading positions) for its own account or the account of a client in any financial instrument which may impact the performance of that financial instrument.
Author(s) disclaimer and declaration: The author(s) confirms that (a) no part of his/her compensation was, is, or will be, directly or indirectly, related to any views or (if applicable) recommendations expressed in this material; (b) this material accurately reflects his/her personal views about the financial products, companies or issuers (if applicable) and is based on sources reasonably believed to be reliable and accurate; (c) to the best of the author’s knowledge, they are not in receipt of inside information and this material does not contain inside information; and (d) no other part of the Westpac Group has made any attempt to influence this material.
Further important information regarding sustainability-related content: This material may contain statements relating to environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics. These are subject to known and unknown risks, and there are significant uncertainties, limitations, risks and assumptions in the metrics, modelling, data, scenarios, reporting and analysis on which the statements rely. In particular, these areas are rapidly evolving and maturing, and there are variations in approaches and common standards and practice, as well as uncertainty around future related policy and legislation. Some material may include information derived from publicly available sources that have not been independently verified. No representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of the information. There is a risk that the analysis, estimates, judgements, assumptions, views, models, scenarios or projections used may turn out to be incorrect. These risks may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The ESG-related statements in this material do not constitute advice, nor are they guarantees or predictions of future performance, and Westpac gives no representation, warranty or assurance (including as to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the statements). You should seek your own independent advice.
Additional country disclosures:
Australia: Westpac holds an Australian Financial Services Licence (No. 233714). You can access Westpac’s Financial Services Guide here or request a copy from your Westpac point of contact. To the extent that this information contains any general advice, it has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs and before acting on it you should consider the appropriateness of the advice.
New Zealand: In New Zealand, Westpac Institutional Bank refers to the brand under which products and services are provided by either Westpac (NZ division) or Westpac New Zealand Limited (company number 1763882), the New Zealand incorporated subsidiary of Westpac ("WNZL"). Any product or service made available by WNZL does not represent an offer from Westpac or any of its subsidiaries (other than WNZL). Neither Westpac nor its other subsidiaries guarantee or otherwise support the performance of WNZL in respect of any such product. WNZL is not an authorised deposit-taking institution for the purposes of Australian prudential standards. The current disclosure statements for the New Zealand branch of Westpac and WNZL can be obtained at the internet address www.westpac.co.nz .
Singapore: This material has been prepared and issued for distribution in Singapore to institutional investors, accredited investors and expert investors (as defined in the applicable Singapore laws and regulations) only. Recipients of this material in Singapore should contact Westpac Singapore Branch in respect of any matters arising from, or in connection with, this material. Westpac Singapore Branch holds a wholesale banking licence and is subject to supervision by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
U.S.: Westpac operates in the United States of America as a federally licensed branch, regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Westpac is also registered with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) as a Swap Dealer, but is neither registered as, or affiliated with, a Futures Commission Merchant registered with the US CFTC. The services and products referenced above are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). Westpac Capital Markets, LLC (‘WCM’), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Westpac, is a broker-dealer registered under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (‘the Exchange Act’) and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (‘FINRA’). This communication is provided for distribution to U.S. institutional investors in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Rule 15a-6 under the Exchange Act and is not subject to all of the independence and disclosure standards applicable to debt research reports prepared for retail investors in the United States. WCM is the U.S. distributor of this communication and accepts responsibility for the contents of this communication. Transactions by U.S. customers of any securities referenced herein should be effected through WCM. All disclaimers set out with respect to Westpac apply equally to WCM. If you would like to speak to someone regarding any security mentioned herein, please contact WCM on +1 212 389 1269. Investing in any non-U.S. securities or related financial instruments mentioned in this communication may present certain risks. The securities of non-U.S. issuers may not be registered with, or be subject to the regulations of, the SEC in the United States. Information on such non-U.S. securities or related financial instruments may be limited. Non-U.S. companies may not be subject to audit and reporting standards and regulatory requirements comparable to those in effect in the United States. The value of any investment or income from any securities or related derivative instruments denominated in a currency other than U.S. dollars is subject to exchange rate fluctuations that may have a positive or adverse effect on the value of or income from such securities or related derivative instruments.
The author of this communication is employed by Westpac and is not registered or qualified as a research analyst, representative, or associated person of WCM or any other U.S. broker-dealer under the rules of FINRA, any other U.S. self-regulatory organisation, or the laws, rules or regulations of any State. Unless otherwise specifically stated, the views expressed herein are solely those of the author and may differ from the information, views or analysis expressed by Westpac and/or its affiliates.
UK and EU: The London branch of Westpac is authorised in the United Kingdom by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and is subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and limited regulation by the PRA (Financial Services Register number: 124586). The London branch of Westpac is registered at Companies House as a branch established in the United Kingdom (Branch No. BR000106). Details about the extent of the regulation of Westpac’s London branch by the PRA are available from us on request.
Westpac Europe GmbH (“WEG”) is authorised in Germany by the Federal Financial Supervision Authority (‘BaFin’) and subject to its regulation. WEG’s supervisory authorities are BaFin and the German Federal Bank (‘Deutsche Bundesbank’). WEG is registered with the commercial register (‘Handelsregister’) of the local court of Frankfurt am Main under registration number HRB 118483. In accordance with APRA’s Prudential Standard 222 ‘Association with Related Entities’, Westpac does not stand behind WEG other than as provided for in certain legal agreements (a risk transfer, sub-participation and collateral agreement) between Westpac and WEG and obligations of WEG do not represent liabilities of Westpac.
This communication is not intended for distribution to, or use by any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation. This communication is not being made to or distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom. Rather, this communication is being made only to and is directed at (a) those persons falling within the definition of Investment Professionals (set out in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”)); (b) those persons falling within the definition of high net worth companies, unincorporated associations etc. (set out in Article 49(2)of the Order; (c) other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated in accordance with the Order or (d) any persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be made (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this communication or any of its contents. In the same way, the information contained in this communication is intended for “eligible counterparties” and “professional clients” as defined by the rules of the Financial Conduct Authority and is not intended for “retail clients”. Westpac expressly prohibits you from passing on the information in this communication to any third party.
This communication contains general commentary, research, and market colour. The communication does not constitute investment advice. The material may contain an ‘investment recommendation’ and/or ‘information recommending or suggesting an investment’, both as defined in Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (including as applicable in the United Kingdom) (“MAR”). In accordance with the relevant provisions of MAR, reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the material has been objectively presented and that interests or conflicts of interest of the sender concerning the financial instruments to which that information relates have been disclosed.
Investment recommendations must be read alongside the specific disclosure which accompanies them and the general disclosure which can be found here. Such disclosure fulfils certain additional information requirements of MAR and associated delegated legislation and by accepting this communication you acknowledge that you are aware of the existence of such additional disclosure and its contents.
To the extent this communication comprises an investment recommendation it is classified as non-independent research. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and therefore constitutes a marketing communication. Further, this communication is not subject to any prohibition on dealing ahead of the dissemination of investment research.