|

Australia Queensland State Premier: Greater Brisbane to go into three-day covid lockdown - Reuters

Early Friday morning in Asia, Queensland’s State Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a three-day activity restriction in Greater Brisbane, per Reuters. The news cites Thursday’s founding of the UK coronavirus strain as the key reason for the latest lockdown. The restrictions also make mask-wearing compulsory.

"We will be mandating masks in those areas if you are leaving home," said Ms. Palaszczuk. 

The policymaker also mentioned, "So, if you are leaving home, you are leaving your place of residence, from 6:00 pm Friday to 6:00 pm Monday and you will living in those council areas, again, let me say them - Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton and Redlands - you must wear a mask."

State Premier Palaszczuk also said that If we do not do this now, it could end up being a 30-day lockdown.

On the positive side, Victoria marks zero locally acquired cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

FX implications

AUD/USD cools down to 0.7760, from 0.7773, while following the news. However, optimism concerning the US stimulus keeps the bulls hopeful.

Read: AUD/USD eyes 0.7800 as bulls fight amid upbeat market mood

Author

Anil Panchal

Anil Panchal

FXStreet

Anil Panchal has nearly 15 years of experience in tracking financial markets. With a keen interest in macroeconomics, Anil aptly tracks global news/updates and stays well-informed about the global financial moves and their implications.

More from Anil Panchal
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD climbs to daily highs near 1.1820

EUR/USD now picks up pace and advances to the area of daily peaks north of the 1.1800 barrier at the end of the week. The pair’s decent move higher comes against the backdrop of a generalised lack of direction in the FX galaxy and the mild offered stance in the US Dollar.

GBP/USD trims losses, retests 1.3460

After briefly challenging its key 200-day SMA near 1.3440, GBP/USD now manages to regain some balance and revisit the 1.3460 zone on Friday. Cable’s pullback comes as the selling pressure on the Greenback gathers traction, reigniting some recovery in the risk-linked space.

Gold flirts with four-week highs past $5,200

Gold extends its rebound, climbing for a third consecutive session and pushing back above the $5,200 mark per troy ounce on Friday. The move higher continues to draw support from lingering geopolitical tensions and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding US trade policy, both of which are keeping safe-haven demand firmly in play.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple consolidate with short-term cautious bullish bias

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple are consolidating near key technical areas on Friday, showing mild signs of stabilization after recent volatility. BTC holds above $67,000 despite mild losses so far this week, while ETH hovers around $2,000 after a rejection near its upper consolidation boundary. 

Changing the game: International implications of recent tariff developments

The Supreme Court ruling on International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs provides limited relief for the rest of the world, with weighted average tariff rates modestly lower.

Starknet unveils strkBTC, shielded Bitcoin transactions on Ethereum Layer 2

Starknet, the Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by StarkWare, today announced strkBTC, a wrapped Bitcoin asset that introduces optional shielding while preserving full DeFi composability.