S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico MarketAustralia’s 10-year government bond yield held steady at 4.84%, near an over two-year high, underpinned by a hawkish shift in outlook from the Reserve Bank. On Tuesday, the RBA raised its cash rate by 25 bps to 3.85% as expected, marking the first hike in more than two years, citing persistent inflation pressures and stronger-than-expected economic growth. The central bank also warned that inflation is likely to remain above its 2-3% target range for some time and may not return for at least another one to two years, even with a projected cash rate increase to 4.3%. This prompted investors to ramped up bets for a follow-up hike in May, which is now priced in at around 80%, with a third move seen as increasingly likely in the second half of the year. On the economic front, Australia’s trade surplus widened slightly more than expected in December, as exports rose while imports dropped.
