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US retail sales flat, CBA boss rejects suggestions housing market is systemic risk, German bonds near record low, China credit drop

US retail sales flat, CBA boss rejects suggestions housing market is systemic risk, German bonds near record low, China credit drop

Here's our summary of the key news overnight in 90 seconds at 9 am, including news July retail sales in the US were flat month-on-month against economists’ expectations of a 0.2% rise.

The drop saw equity markets rise on the hope the Federal Reserve may not start raising interest rates, once it stops printing money, quite as soon as anticipated in some quarters.

In Australia, the New Zealander running ASB’s parent Commonwealth Bank of Australia has rejected suggestions the housing market is a systemic risk to the economy, or a bubble. After CBA posted record breaking A$8.68 billion annual profit, Ian Narev addressed issues raised by one of its predecessors, David Murray, who heads a government financial system inquiry.

Murray has said big Aussie banks may be too mortgage heavy after a rapid increase in household debt since the mid 1990s. Mortgages make up 54% of CBA’s assets. But Narev said in a recession institutional credit quality, and SME loans, are the first areas to come under pressure.

Meanwhile, the latest data on the Greek economy, the poster child of the euro crisis, suggests it may emerge from a six year recession this year. Greece's economy shrank in the second quarter at its slowest annual pace since late 2008, with GDP down 0.2% year-on-year.

Nonetheless elsewhere in Europe yields on 10-year German government bonds neared a record low as slowing inflation in the eurozone, and the weak US retail sales, boosted speculation global monetary policy will stay accommodative. Benchmark German 10-year yields fell three basis points to 1.03%.

Elsewhere major banks have backed most recommendations from regulators for reform of the world's largest and least regulated financial market, the forex, or foreign exchange market.

And in China there has been what the South China Morning Post is describing as a “shock fall” in the broadest measure of credit in the Chinese economy, and sluggish data for real estate investment in July.

In the currencies markets the New Zealand dollar is at US84.60 cents this morning, A90.91c, and the Trade Weighted Index (TWI) is at 79.37.

You can check what happened yesterday here, and see our Economic Calendar here »

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4 Comments

Why is there incredible vigilance about inflation, when most wage salary earners will be lucky to get a 1% cost of living adjustment? 

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Have u ever wondered what happens over time when most wage and salary earners get a 1-3% yoy  rise .....yet money supply growth averages 6%...???

What happens over time... and how do the principles of exponential growth impact things..??

 

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And in that scenario, are wage earners in the mortgage belt getting ahead?  

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Motgagebelt... How do you mean.??      Do u mean wage earners who have mortgages,....??

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