Avinash Clarke, assistant secretary of the Complementary and Over-The-Counter Medicine at TGA, said the above during a keynote address at the Natural Products Futures Forum organized by the Southern Cross University’s National Centre for…
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Dollar soft as traders brace for Trump-Xi, central bank meetings
The dollar was weaker on Tuesday ahead of a slate of central bank meetings that will likely see a rate cut in the U.S. and as investors kept a wary eye on President Donald Trump’s Asia tour, hoping for a trade deal with China.
Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images
The dollar was weaker on Tuesday ahead of a slate of central bank meetings that will likely see a rate cut in the U.S. and as investors kept a wary eye on President Donald Trump’s Asia tour, hoping for a trade deal with China.
While early signs of easing trade tensions between the world’s top two economies led to a risk rally on Monday, with the dollar slipping against rivals, investors are apprehensive any real Sino-U.S. deal may offer far less to celebrate.
The spotlight will be on the meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday. “I’ve got a lot of respect for President Xi and I think we’re going to come away with a deal,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One before landing in the Japanese capital, Tokyo.
Chinese officials have so far been circumspect about trade talks with U.S. counterparts and have said little on the potential outcome.
The anticipation has left currency markets fairly muted so far this week. The euro hit a one-week high of $1.1655 in early trading on Tuesday, while sterling last bought $1.3344.
The dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency against six other units, was steady at 98.786 in early Asian hours, having eased 0.15% in the previous session.
“I don’t think financial markets have high expectations that the Trump-Xi meeting will lead to a comprehensive trade deal,” said Carol Kong, currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
Kong, though, said that signs that the two countries have made progress on issues and the prospect of the U.S. lowering tariffs on China are enough to lift sentiment and risk assets.
Fed meeting in focus
With a 25-basis-point rate cut from the Federal Reserve long priced in, markets will closely watch for any signs that the central bank may be preparing to wind down its quantitative tightening program.
Focus will also be on whether the central bank and Fed Chair Jerome Powell provide clarity on further rate cuts as the U.S. government shutdown continues, leaving policymakers without economic data. Traders are pricing in another cut in December.
“We do not expect formal guidance about the December meeting, but if Chair Powell is asked, he will likely be comfortable referencing the September dots, which imply a third cut in December,” said David Mericle, chief U.S. economist at Goldman Sachs. The Fed cut rates last month by 25 bps.
“A cut in December is likely because the labour market data, which will be affected by DOGE deferred resignations and the impact of the shutdown on data collection, are unlikely to send a convincing all-clear signal by then.”
The yen was stronger at 152.42 per U.S. dollar ahead of the Bank of Japan meeting later this week where the central bank is expected to stand pat on rates but the focus will be on whether they provide clues on when the next hike will come.
Attention will be on a meeting on Tuesday between Trump and Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, where the two leaders will discuss trade issues.
Over in Europe, the European Central Bank is all but certain to keep rates on hold again on Thursday as traders waver on whether it will resume easing next year.
The Australian dollar, often seen as a proxy for risk appetite, was 0.11% firmer at $0.6563, a two-week high. The New Zealand dollar inched higher to $0.5778.
“There seems little in the global macro landscape that appears capable of derailing the current melt-up,” said Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone.
“With the ongoing government shutdown limiting the risk that would have come from the tier 1 economic data and when Fed rate cuts align with a still-resilient economy and a market skewed towards selling volatility, the outcome has simply been to buy risk.”
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Dani Carvajal ruled out of UCL clash vs Liverpool, set to miss two months due to knee injury after El Clasico win
Updated on: Oct 28, 2025 07:54 am IST
According to club sources, the veteran defender could be sidelined for up to 10 weeks as he recovers from yet another operation on his troublesome right knee.
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The year’s largest supermoon to be visible in UAE next week
The largest and brightest supermoon of the year will light up the UAE’s skies on Tuesday, November 5.
Known as the Beaver Moon, it will be the penultimate supermoon of the year, appearing about 14 per cent larger and up to 30 per cent brighter…
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OnePlus 15 Launches with 165 Hz Display and Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 “Ultimate” Starting at ~$556 in China
OnePlus has launched the OnePlus 15, a performance-centric flagship built around a 165 Hz OLED display and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (Ultimate) platform. Sales in China start Oct. 28 (10:00) from RMB 3,999 (≈$556) for 12 GB + 256 GB, with…
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The Commodities Feed: Sanction concerns boost diesel prices | articles
The initial positive sentiment around US-China trade talks faded as the oil market progressed through yesterday’s trading session, with ICE Brent settling almost 0.5% lower. Meanwhile, the market continues to digest the impact of US sanctions on Russian oil flows on Rosneft and Lukoil. And for now, a comfortable supply outlook continues to support the market.
However, one part of the oil market that continues to see strength is middle distillates. The ICE gasoil crack rallied above US$31/bbl, after trading around US$23/bbl mid-month. Meanwhile, the ICE gasoil Nov/Dec timespread surged to almost $20/t backwardation yesterday, though it’s given back some of those gains in early morning trading today.
The latest sanctions on Russia threaten diesel flows, as Russia exports around 1m b/d of diesel. So clearly, a significant amount of supply is at risk. Furthermore, there is also the risk that Indian refiners reduce run rates if they stop buying Russian oil. This would lead to lower middle distillate export volumes from India. In addition, the Ukrainian president has said that Ukraine will increase the scale of attacks on Russian refineries, posing further supply risks to the middle distillate market. There have been concerns about tightness in the middle distillate market for several months now, and the potential impact of these sanctions will do little to ease them.
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Dutch volleyball player and child rapist denied Australian visa
A Dutch Olympic volleyball player convicted of raping a British girl more than a decade ago has been denied a visa to compete in Australia.
Steven van de Velde, 31, was due to play at the Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide, South…
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Scientists say gluten isn’t the problem after all
A major scientific review has found that what many people call “gluten sensitivity” may actually be linked to the way the gut and brain communicate, not to gluten itself. The condition affects around 10 percent of people worldwide, and the new…
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vivo S50 series specs leak
vivo unveiled the S30 and S30 Pro mini in May, and if you know anything about Chinese smartphone makers, you know that they hate the number 4, due to prevailing tetraphobia in China. So it won’t surprise you to find out that there will be…
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