EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Fig 1: Gold prices reach new record high $/oz

Source: MNI - Market News/Bloomberg
UK
POLITICS (BBC): “Sir Keir Starmer has labelled Reform UK's policy of scrapping indefinite leave to remain as "racist" and "immoral". … The prime minister was speaking to the BBC as Labour conference got under way, against a backdrop of questions about his leadership and sliding poll ratings. He said he needed "space" to make good on the promises he made at last year's general election.”
POLITICS (BBG): “Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves faces her own party at the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool. Reeves will offer a mix of pro-growth initiatives, back-to-work support and pledges of fiscal restraint in her speech, as she tries to win over colleagues who have been urging her to loosen the purse strings.”
POLITICS (BBG): “Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham criticized his party for suspending Members of Parliament for liking social media posts by opposing politicians and for voting in favor of lifting a cap on child benefits. Burnham's remarks have sparked speculation he's angling for Starmer's job and made him one of the most closely watched attendees at this year's Labour conference.”
BUSINESS (BBG): “Jaguar Land Rover will get backing from the UK government for a £1.5 billion loan to ease the strain on suppliers hit by a production halt at the automaker triggered by a cyberattack.”
EU
DEFENCE (BBC): “Drones have been seen near military facilities including Denmark's largest, following a series of incidents that caused air disruption earlier this week. The devices were observed above Karup airbase, among others, forcing it to briefly close its airspace to commercial traffic. Possible sightings were also reported in Germany, Norway and Lithuania.”
DENMARK (BBG): “Denmark banned the use of civilian drones for five days next week as it steps up security ahead of a European Union summit in Copenhagen.”
RUSSIA (BBC): “Russia's foreign minister has said his country had no intention of attacking EU or Nato member states - but warned of a "decisive response" to any "aggression" directed towards Moscow.”
RUSSIA (DW): “The pressures of the war in Ukraine are starting to bite for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his policymakers in the Kremlin, with Moscow planning tax hikes and spending cuts to deal with its growing budget deficit. The draft budget for 2026 is expected to be submitted to parliament on September 29. Only minor changes are likely from that point, with Putin having agreed to the main details.”
UKRAINE (BBC): “A Russian aerial bombardment that lasted more than 12 hours has killed at least four people and injured at least 70 others in Ukraine…. Zelensky warned that Ukraine would retaliate and said the "vile" attack showed Moscow "wants to continue fighting and killing". Russia said it struck military facilities and industrial enterprises supporting Ukraine's armed forces.”
UKRAINE (POLITICO): “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said Kyiv is working on a “mega deal” for weapons purchases from the United States.”
GERMANY (POLITICO): “German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced plans on Saturday to overhaul the country’s aviation security law to give the armed forces a formal role in drone defense, including the authority to shoot down hostile aircraft.”
MOLDOVA (BBC): “The pro-European party of Moldovan President Maia Sandu is heading for victory and a majority in parliament in elections seen as critical for her country's future path to the EU. Sandu, who had warned of "massive Russian interference" after voting on Sunday.”
POLAND (POLITICO): “Poland scrambled fighter jets and temporarily closed some Polish airspace on Sunday after a Russian attack on Ukraine that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said lasted for more than 12 hours.”
ITALY (POLITICO): “Dockworkers are threatening Israel with a total block on trade as they vow to support an international flotilla carrying aid to Gaza.”
US
FED (MNI): “Federal Reserve Governor Miki Bowman on Friday said the Fed should place more emphasis on a proactive forward-looking approach and down-weight the latest data points, repeating that the Fed must act "decisively and proactively" to address increasingly fragile labor market conditions.”
POLITICS (BBG): “The top congressional leaders will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to discuss a short-term spending bill ahead of the deadline to avoid a shutdown. Democrats are insisting that the bill must include an extension of health-care subsidies and a restoration of budget cuts to health care, while Republicans say negotiations for those issues can happen after averting a shutdown.”
POLITICS (BBC): “The National Guard will be deployed to Portland, Oregon, for the next two months, following an order by US President Donald Trump. Oregon has responded by suing the Trump administration, arguing that the deployment of the National Guard to Portland is "unlawful".”
DEFENCE (BBG): “President Donald Trump has decided he is going to the last-minute global gathering of the nation's top generals that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered last week, he said Sunday, setting the stage for a highly unusual meeting between the commander in chief and the U.S. military leaders.”
RUSSIA (POLITICO): “Vice President JD Vance on Sunday attributed President Donald Trump’s recent change in attitude toward the Russian-Ukrainian war to the loss of human life and the impact to Russia’s economy.”
POLITICS (POLITICO): “The State Department revoked Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa, the agency announced on social media Friday night, accusing the South American leader of urging “soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence” in a New York rally.”
OTHER
SOUTH KOREA (BBG): “The Bank of Korea is likely to postpone its next interest rate cut to November, as risks from housing, policy signals and currency markets weigh, according to a Citigroup economist.”
AUSTRALIA (BBG): “Australia will report a narrower budget deficit for fiscal 2025 than the center-left government forecast about six months ago as strong employment gains helped bolster revenue. The final outcome is anticipated to be just under A$10 billion, or 0.4% of GDP, following back-to-back surpluses in the prior two years.”
ISRAEL (BBG): “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to hold a meeting with US President Donald Trump amid assertions that a plan to end the war in Gaza is nearly complete. The US leader shared a proposal aimed at concluding the Israel-Hamas conflict with other regional heads in New York last week, with Trump saying "we have a real chance for greatness in the Middle East".”
IRAN (BBG): “The US and European powers urged Iran to return to the negotiation table and comply with nuclear inspectors after UN sanctions snapped back into place. Iran called the sanctions snapback "illegal and baseless" and warned of "an appropriate and decisive response" to any move aimed at harming the country's interests.”
CHINA
TRADE (BBG/TELEGRAPH): “Xi Jinping is planning to use trade negotiations to pressure Donald Trump into declaring that the US opposes Taiwan’s independence, according to reports. The Chinese leader is hoping to capitalize on the success of the recent agreement on TikTok’s future in the US and Mr Trump’s desire to secure a favourable trade deal to pressure Washington to abandon its support for Taipei.”
PBOC (21ST CENTURY): “The People’s Bank of China may continue prioritizing “implementing existing policies” for now, as signaled by its Monetary Policy Committee at the Q3 meeting, 21st Century Business Herald reported.”
PBOC (MNI): “Authorities should boost the supply of short-term treasuries as their scarcity is hampering the PBOC’s open market operations, wrote Guan Tao, global chief economist at BOCI China.”
BUSINESS (YICAI): “Profits at industrial enterprises increased 20.4% y/y in August, reversing a decline of 1.5% in July, driven by efforts to combat aggressive price competition, coupled with a low base from the same period last year, Yicai.com reported citing data by National Bureau of Statistics on Saturday.”
MNI China Press Digest Sep 29: PBOC, Treasury, Ind. Profits
MNI: PBOC Net Injects CNY48.1 Bln via OMO Monday
MNI (BEIJING) - The People's Bank of China (PBOC) conducted CNY288.6 billion via 7-day reverse repos, with the rate unchanged at 1.40%. The operation led to a net injection of CNY48.1 billion after offsetting maturities of CNY240.5 billion today, according to Wind Information
MNI: PBOC Sets Yuan Parity Lower At 7.1089 Mon; -0.77% Y/Y
MNI (BEIJING) - The People's Bank of China (PBOC) set the dollar-yuan central parity rate lower at 7.1089 on Monday, compared with 7.1152 set on Friday. The fixing was estimated at 7.1265 by Bloomberg survey today.
MNI: China CFETS Yuan Index Up 0.61% In Week of Sep 26
The CFETS Weekly RMB Index was 96.97 on Sep 26, up 0.61% from 96.36 on Sep 19.
The gauge, which compares the yuan to a basket of currencies from China's 24 major trading partners, has decreased 4.43% this year, when compared with 101.47 on Dec. 31, 2024.
MARKET DATA
NEW ZEALAND AUG. FILLED JOBS +0.2% M/M; JUL 0%
JAPAN FINAL JULY COINCIDENT INDEX 114.1; Jun 115.9
JAPAN FINAL JULY LEADING INDEX 106.1; Jun 105.0
MARKETS
US TSYS: Asia Wrap - Yields Drift Lower As A Shutdown Looms
The TYZ5 range has been 112-08+ to 112-14 during the Asia-Pacific session. It last changed hands at 112-13+, up 0-05 from the previous close.
Fig 1: 10-Year US Yield Daily Chart

Source: MNI - Market News/Bloomberg Finance L.P
JGBS: Good Start to the Week for JGBs
AUSTRALIA: Decent Rally Ahead of RBA
NEW ZEALAND: BONDS NZGBS: Strong Start to the Week for Bonds
FOREX: Asia FX Wrap - The USD Slips Lower As Shutdown Looms
The BBDXY has had a range of 1202.41 - 1205.07 in the Asia-Pac session; it is currently trading around 1202, -0.25%. The USD topped out towards 1210 again on Friday and has drifted lower very easily, the follow through this morning being aided by US shutdown fears. I can’t see any big directional moves this week until the market sees the Payroll number. Next resistance is back towards the 1215-1225 area where I would expect sellers to remerge initially. The big question is at what level do the global asset managers return to selling for hedging purposes. First support back towards the 1200 area and then 1195. Quarter-end for Asset managers likely to see some USD selling to rebalance portfolios.
Fig 1: BBDXY Spot 2H Chart

Source: MNI - Market News/Bloomberg Finance L.P
JPY: Asia Wrap - USD/JPY Slips Back Below 149.00 As US Shutdown Looms
The USD/JPY range has been 148.89 - 149.52 in the Asia-Pac session, it is currently trading around 148.95, -0.35%. The USD’s bout of strength stalled as the data on Friday came in as expected. This saw USD/JPY fail toward 150.00 and the drift lower has extended this morning as the market begins to price in a US shutdown. Having closed back above 149.00 to end the week the JPY bears would be hoping that dips remain supported. Non-Farms this week if released could have a significant bearing on price, so the market will be setting up for this to start the week. First Support is around the 148.50/149.00 area, if this doesn't hold due to shutdown fears we will go into payrolls back in familiar ranges.
Fig 1 : JPY CFTC Data

Source: MNI - Market News/Bloomberg Finance L.P
AUD: Asia Wrap - AUD/USD Bounces As USD Gets Hit On Shutdown Fears
The AUD/USD has had a range of 0.6547 - 0.6567 in the Asia- Pac session, it is currently trading around 0.6565, +0.35%. US stocks found some support and the USD’s bout of strength stalled as the data on Friday came in as expected. The AUD found some demand back towards the 0.6500 area and is trying to bounce, getting an added nudge this morning as the risk of a US government shutdown increases. Price is back in the range and the market will be turning its attention towards the Fridays Payroll number. RBA is tomorrow.
Fig 1: AUD CFTC Data

Source: MNI - Market News/Bloomberg Finance L.P
NZD: Asia Wrap - NZD/USD Weakness Gets A Reprieve
The NZD/USD had a range of 0.5771 - 0.5786 in the Asia-Pac session, going into the London open trading around 0.5785, +0.25%. US stocks found some support and the USD’s bout of strength stalled as the data on Friday came in as expected. The NZD found some demand back towards the 0.5750 area and is trying to bounce, getting an added nudge this morning as the risk of a US government shutdown increases. The NZD broke through its pivotal 0.5800 support last week which should keep the pair under pressure heading into payrolls. The first sell zone would be back towards the 0.5850/0.5900 area.
Fig 1: NZD CFTC Data

Source: MNI - Market News/Bloomberg Finance L.P
OIL: Crude Lower As Excess Supply Worries Come Back Into Focus
Oil prices have unwound Friday’s moderate gains during Monday’s APAC trading as excess supply concerns dominate with flows from Iraqi Kurdistan restarting on the weekend and OPEC due to meet on 5 October. WTI is down 0.6% to $65.36/bbl, close to the intraday high, while Brent is 0.6% lower at $69.73/bbl after reaching $69.84. The USD index is down 0.2%.
Gold & Silver Rally As US Funding Impasse Unresolved
After rising 2% last week, gold prices are currently up 1.0% to $3797.7/oz so far in Monday’s APAC session. It is not too far off the new record high at $3799.40 reached today, holding below round number resistance at $3800, the last record was $3791.1 on 23 September. It is being supported by flight-to-quality flows as a US government shutdown looms from Wednesday as Democrats and Republicans can’t agree on a debt ceiling lift. In addition, the market has almost two Fed cuts by end 2025. The US dollar has also softened further (BBDXY -0.2%) and the 2-year yield is slightly lower.
ASIA STOCKS: China Has Strong Start to the Week
China's major bourses were very strong today with the Hang Seng leading the way, with Korea following the lead whilst Taiwan is closed. The NIKKEI appears to be suffering from profit taking after hitting highs last week.
UP TODAY (TIMES GMT/LOCAL)
| Date | GMT/Local | Impact | Country | Event |
| 29/09/2025 | 0650/0850 | ECB Cipollone Keynote At Baltic Digital Euro Conference | ||
| 29/09/2025 | 0700/0900 | *** | HICP (p) | |
| 29/09/2025 | 0830/0930 | ** | BOE Lending to Individuals | |
| 29/09/2025 | 0830/0930 | ** | BOE M4 | |
| 29/09/2025 | 0900/1100 | * | Consumer Confidence, Industrial Sentiment | |
| 29/09/2025 | 0900/1100 | ECB Schnabel On Current Aspects of Monetary Policy | ||
| 29/09/2025 | 1130/0730 | Fed Governor Christopher Waller | ||
| 29/09/2025 | 1200/1400 | ECB Lane In Policy Panel At Inflation Conference | ||
| 29/09/2025 | 1200/0800 | Cleveland Fed's Beth Hammack | ||
| 29/09/2025 | 1200/1300 | BOE Ramsden On ECB Inflation Panel | ||
| 29/09/2025 | 1330/0930 | NY Fed's Roberto Perli | ||
| 29/09/2025 | 1400/1000 | ** | NAR Pending Home Sales | |
| 29/09/2025 | 1430/1030 | ** | Dallas Fed manufacturing survey | |
| 29/09/2025 | 1530/1130 | * | US Treasury Auction Result for 26 Week Bill | |
| 29/09/2025 | 1530/1130 | * | US Treasury Auction Result for 13 Week Bill | |
| 29/09/2025 | 1730/1330 | St. Louis Fed's Alberto Musalem | ||
| 29/09/2025 | 1730/1330 | Ex-St. Louis Fed's James Bullard | ||
| 29/09/2025 | 1730/1330 | New York Fed's John Williams | ||
| 29/09/2025 | 2200/1800 | Atlanta Fed's Raphael Bostic | ||
| 30/09/2025 | 2301/0001 | * | BRC Monthly Shop Price Index | |
| 30/09/2025 | 2350/0850 | ** | Industrial Production | |
| 30/09/2025 | 2350/0850 | * | Retail Sales (p) | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0130/0930 | *** | CFLP Manufacturing PMI | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0130/0930 | ** | CFLP Non-Manufacturing PMI | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0130/1130 | * | Building Approvals | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0145/0945 | ** | S&P Global Final China Manufacturing PMI | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0430/1430 | *** | RBA Rate Decision | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0600/0800 | ** | Retail Sales | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0600/0800 | ** | Import/Export Prices | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0600/0800 | ** | Retail Sales | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0600/0700 | * | Quarterly current account balance | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0600/0700 | *** | GDP Second Estimate | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0645/0845 | *** | HICP (p) | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0645/0845 | ** | PPI | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0645/0845 | ** | Consumer Spending | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0700/0900 | ** | KOF Economic Barometer | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0755/0955 | ** | Unemployment | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0800/1000 | ** | PPI | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0800/1000 | *** | Bavaria CPI | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0800/1000 | *** | North Rhine Westphalia CPI | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0800/1000 | *** | Baden Wuerttemberg CPI | |
| 30/09/2025 | 0900/1100 | *** | HICP (p) | |
| 30/09/2025 | 1000/0600 | Fed Vice Chair Philip Jefferson | ||
| 30/09/2025 | 1100/1300 | ECB Cipollone In Panel At Sibos | ||
| 30/09/2025 | 1150/1250 | BOE Lombardelli Panel On MonPol, Bank of Finland | ||
| 30/09/2025 | 1200/1400 | *** | Germany CPI (p) | |
| 30/09/2025 | 1200/1400 | *** | Germany CPI (p) | |
| 30/09/2025 | 1250/1450 | ECB Lagarde Keynote at MonPol Conference, Bank of Finland | ||
| 30/09/2025 | 1255/0855 | ** | Redbook Retail Sales Index | |
| 30/09/2025 | 1300/0900 | ** | S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index | |
| 30/09/2025 | 1300/0900 | ** | FHFA Home Price Index | |
| 30/09/2025 | 1300/0900 | ** | FHFA Home Price Index | |
| 30/09/2025 | 1300/1500 | ECB Elderson In Panel On Climate Action | ||
| 30/09/2025 | 1300/0900 | Boston Fed's Susan Collins | ||
| 30/09/2025 | 1325/1425 | BOE Mann Fireside Chat At FT | ||
| 30/09/2025 | 1342/0942 | *** | MNI Chicago PMI |