Kevin Smith
Journalist
Nvidia Struggles to Bounce Back, with BofA Comments ineffective
Nvidia shares saw a fourth straight session of declines on Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange, unmoved by favorable comments from Bank of America analysts, who say the stock is not expensive relative to its intrinsic value.
20 August 2026 at 05:47 pm AEST
Moderna and Merck & Co are the stocks of the day on Wall Street
Moderna is literally soaring on the US stock market (+137.07%, at $149.46) and Merck & Co is also in the spotlight (+10.62%, at $149.45). The two companies announced positive results from a key phase 3 clinical trial for oncology and mRNA technology.
20 August 2026 at 05:44 pm AEST
Fed: A rate hike was gaining traction in July, before the chill from the jobs report
The Federal Reserve's latest Minutes show that the policy debate had noticeably hardened at the late-July meeting. While the FOMC held its benchmark rate in a 3.50% to 3.75% range, three members (Beth Hammack, Neel Kashkari and Lorie Logan) preferred a 25 basis point increase. More broadly, several participants judged that further tightening would likely be necessary if inflation did not ease, with some even arguing that "financial conditions may not be sufficiently restrictive" to bring inflation sustainably back to 2%.
20 August 2026 at 03:51 pm AEST
The US Treasury Fuels the Debasement Trade in Turn, Gold and Bitcoin Jump
The US Treasury's bold decision to double its buybacks of long-maturity bonds - from $2bn to $4bn per operation - signals a strategic pivot amid mounting fiscal pressures and soaring funding costs. Between September 9 and November 4, this move aims to bolster liquidity in older debt issues but resonates far beyond technical debt management. Markets reacted swiftly: 30-year Treasury yields plunged by seven basis points, the dollar weakened sharply, and safe-haven assets like gold and Bitcoin surged, underscoring a revival of the so-called "debasement trade". As Washington grapples with the political and economic implications of long-term rates, this shift challenges previous Treasury policies and raises critical questions for policymakers, including Federal Reserve voices like Kevin Warsh. Our in-depth analysis unpacks the significance of this development and its potential ripple effects across global financial markets.
20 August 2026 at 03:50 pm AEST
BITCOIN (BTC/EUR) 
Aberdeen does not expect a BoE rate hike despite inflation
Responding to the acceleration in UK inflation reported this morning by the ONS, Felix Feather, an economist at Aberdeen, says he still expects the Bank of England (BoE) to maintain a wait-and-see stance until the year-end.
20 August 2026 at 12:07 am AEST
Home Depot delivers the essentials
The retailer's H1 results were solid. They have long been viewed as one of the primary barometers of discretionary spending in the United States. They underscore the economy's steady footing, or at least its resilience, across the Atlantic.
19 August 2026 at 11:13 pm AEST
Carlsberg tightens up guidance, but beer goes flat
Danish brewer Carlsberg on Wednesday tightened up its 2026 operating profit growth target, despite weaker-than-expected sales in H1, resulting from flat volumes in Asia, its second-largest market after Western Europe.
19 August 2026 at 08:00 pm AEST
Why the stock market gets nervous when the bond market wakes up
Oil above $90 is stoking inflation again, heavily indebted governments have to sell ever more paper just as AI hyperscalers tap the same pool of savings, and Japan, the world's banker for the past twenty years, is starting to keep more of its capital at home: long-term yields are jumping everywhere, and when risk-free money becomes expensive again, stocks look less attractive. That's the condensed answer to the question. The longer version follows.
19 August 2026 at 07:17 pm AEST
Klarna hit hard in New York after warning
Klarna was heavily punished on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday after the Swedish flexible payments platform reduced its 2026 business outlook due to a slowdown in consumer spending in Germany, its main market.
19 August 2026 at 07:16 pm AEST
Carry Trade Funded in Swiss Francs Back in Focus
Interventions aimed at supporting the yen are likely to increase the use of the Swiss franc as a funding currency. Such a shift would help weaken a currency whose strength has long weighed on Swiss exporters.
19 August 2026 at 07:10 pm AEST
Against headwinds, Carlsberg laboriously finds its way back to growth
The Danish brewing giant still generates half of its consolidated revenue from the mass-market beer segment. Meanwhile, sodas now represent a third, with premium beers counting for a sixth.
19 August 2026 at 07:09 pm AEST
IMF says Europe is giving up 3% of GDP for lack of an integrated financial market
Better integration of banking and venture capital could lift EU GDP by about 3% over the long term, according to the International Monetary Fund. Two thirds of the gain would come from removing barriers to cross-border bank lending, and the remaining third from a larger supply of risk capital.
19 August 2026 at 04:30 pm AEST
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