Japan Weighs New Tax Breaks to Boost Corporate Investment Amid Spending Debate 
Gold Prices Slip Slightly in Asia as Silver Nears Record Highs on Dovish Fed Outlook 
Modi and Trump Hold Phone Call as India Seeks Relief From U.S. Tariffs Over Russian Oil Trade 
Gold Prices Dip as Markets Absorb Dovish Fed Outlook; Silver Eases After Record High 
Hong Kong Cuts Base Rate as HKMA Follows U.S. Federal Reserve Move 
ETH Whales on Rampage: BitMine Snags 138K ETH as $3,000 Holds Firm – Bulls Gear Up for $4,000 Moonshot 
Asian Currencies Steady as Fed Delivers Hawkish Rate Cut; Aussie and Rupee Under Pressure 
Asian Stocks Slip as Oracle Earnings Miss Sparks AI Profitability Concerns 
Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Indian Rupee Slides to Record Low on Fed Outlook 
Fed Rate Cut Signals Balance Between Inflation and Jobs, Says Mary Daly 
Silver Spikes to $62.89 on Fed Cut – But Weekly Bearish Divergence Flashes Caution: Don’t Chase, Wait for the Dip 
Brazil Holds Selic Rate at 15% as Inflation Expectations Stay Elevated 
Global Markets Slide as Tech Stocks Sink, Yields Rise, and AI Concerns Deepen 
Fed Near Neutral Signals Caution Ahead, Shifting Focus to Fixed Income in 2026 
Australian retail sales increased modestly by 0.2% month to month in February 2025, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This release on April 1, 2025, was below forecasted 0.3% increase. The modest increase was led by increasing food spending for the second month in a row.
It was, nonetheless, tempered by restraint in demand for house-hold equipment and furnishings, declining consecutively over two months. Retailing was greater overall by 3.6% from the level of February 2024 to around A$37.1 billion. Industries were varied; grocery and food retailing experienced rising consumer expenditure while house-hold furnishing and equipment retailing faced declining discretionary expenditure together with the run-down of the previous quarter's promotions.
This sales report for retail precedes a looming Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) policy setting. Interest rates are widely expected to be left untouched at 4.10%, recently cut to spur the economy as inflation was falling. Economists expect interest rate actions in the future will depend on subsequent economic information and risk considerations.
