There was a contradiction when Australia's stock market was making new 10-year highs but the currency was posting significant lows. A big question has now been answered, Daryl Guppy writes.
Australian employment blew past all expectations in August while the jobless rate held steady as more people joined the labor force.
Australian banks are probably not a good buy for investors, with federal elections coming up and the country's currency set to weaken further, according to a banks analyst from investment group CLSA.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index is poised for a continuation of its downtrend — with a downside target near 25,200, Daryl Guppy writes.
Australia marked the 27th year without recession, a remarkable feat given an ever-changing procession of prime ministers and one that owes much to China's insatiable appetite for Australia's resource riches.
The breakout in the U.S. dollar appears to have slowed. Technical features suggest, however, that it is easy for the dollar to develop more upside, Daryl Guppy writes.
The Reserve Bank of Australia left its cash rate at 1.5 percent on Tuesday in a widely expected decision.
Australia's central bank is seeking to be "a source of stability and confidence" by keeping rates at record lows as the future of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was put in doubt by a leadership spill and sliding voter support.
Oil's price hasn't rebounded, but many features of the commodity's performance suggest the bear is not in command of this market, Daryl Guppy writes.
The United States and China are set to hold talks to find a way to ease trade tensions between the two countries, but analysts are not expecting any major breakthroughs.
Delivering his first-ever address to parliament on Tuesday, Australian Senator Fraser Anning advocated a return to the "White Australia" policy, which existed in the country for most of the 1900s before being abolished in 1973.
The market contradiction with the Australian dollar persists, writes Daryl Guppy.
Divya Devesh of Standard Chartered Bank says the economy down under is not at levels which "warrant" the need for a rate hike by the Reserve Bank of Australia yet.
In its quarterly statement on monetary policy Friday, the Reserve Bank of Australia left growth forecasts largely unchanged from its May outlook, but trimmed near-term estimates for inflation.
Asian stocks closed lower on the last trading day of the week as uncertainty over U.S.-China trade relations lingered.
Nick Twidale of Rakuten Securities Australia says it is an "interesting time ahead" for central banks.
Kelvin Tay of UBS Global Wealth Management says "short-term gains" in the Chinese yuan are unexpected.
The Reserve Bank of Australia held interest rates at a record low of 1.5 percent when its August policy meeting ended on Tuesday.
Gareth Aird of Commonwealth Bank says it will be "at least" six months before the Reserve Bank of Australia decides to move on policy.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics showed retail sales for the June quarter jumped 1.2 percent in inflation-adjusted terms, the best outcome in a year.
Data also provided by 
