|

Coronavirus update: Victoria records 300 new infections, highest daily death toll

According to the official data, Australia’s second-most populous state of Victoria reported 300 news infections on Friday vs. Thursday’s +403.

Despite the slight decline in the number of new cases, the state’s daily death toll reaches the highest levels so far, with six deaths recorded in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the US virus situation worsens, as the deaths count tops 1000 for the third day in a row, Arizona is under fresh lockdown alongside a few other states.

The US on Thursday passed a total of more than 4 million coronavirus infections since the first case was documented in January.

Market reaction

The market sentiment remains tepid, with the Asian stocks mostly lower amid the virus surge globally and the US-China flareup.

Investors await China’s retaliation, as Beijing is likely to order the US to close one consulate office over the Houston closure.

S&P 500 futures are off the highs, flat around 3,230 while USD/JPY drops 0.30% to breach the 106.50 level.

Author

Dhwani Mehta

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

More from Dhwani Mehta
Share:

Editor's Picks

GBP/USD keeps the firm tone above 1.3600

GBP/USD clings to its daily gains, although it gives back some of them and recedes toward the 1.3630-1.3620 band on Thursday. Cable’s uptick comes despite the modest bounce in the Greenback, while investors gear up for key data releases on the UK calendar on Friday.

EUR/USD treads water near 1.1670

EUR/USD gives away all its initial gains and receded to the sub-1.1700 region. The US Dollar’s late recovery has dragged the pair lower, leaving it practically unchanged following the NA session on Thursday. In the meantime, investors gear up for the release of preliminary S&P Global Manufacturing and Services PMIs on both sides of the Atlantic on Friday.

Gold holds above $4,500 as rising bond yields offset reduced Fed hike bets

Gold holds steady above $4,500 during the Asian session on Friday amid a combination of diverging forces. Reduced Fed rate-hike bets keep US Dollar bulls on the back foot and support the non-yielding bullion. However, higher US bond yields, bolstered by inflation risks stemming from volatile oil prices due to the US-Iran standoff, could limit USD losses and cap the commodity. Nevertheless, XAU/USD remains on track to register gains for the third straight week.

CFTC will establish crypto rules if Congress stalls CLARITY Act
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Michael Selig said the agency is prepared to use its existing authority to establish a regulatory framework for crypto markets if Congress fails to pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act.
$40 trillion debt black hole: Is a financial crisis coming?

The United States is closing in on a milestone that would have been almost unimaginable not long ago: $40 trillion in national debt. That staggering figure framed the latest episode of the Money Metals Midweek Memo, as host Mike Maharrey examined what he calls the economy’s “debt black hole” and zeroed in on a relatively obscure corner of the financial system that could become a much bigger problem: the $1.4 trillion private credit market.


$20 billion offered, $2 billion taken: Why Treasury doubled its buyback cap

The US Treasury moved off its own calendar on Wednesday, and that is the part worth sitting with. At 12:32 GMT, the department said it would at least double the size of liquidity support buyback operations in the 10-year to 20-year and 20-year to 30-year sectors, lifting the maximum from $2 billion per operation to at least $4 billion, effective September 9 and running to November 4.