Germany’s 2026 Growth Outlook Strengthens on Fiscal Spending 
RBI Uses $10 Billion Currency Swaps to Drain Excess Rupee Liquidity 
Asian Stocks Fall as Bond Yields Surge Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit 
Gold Holds Near $4,275 as Rising Treasury Yields Fuel Fed Rate Hike Bets 
Oil Prices Fall on U.S.-Iran Hormuz Deal Hopes 
US Stock Futures Fall as Treasury Yields Surge Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit 
China Agrees to Buy 20 Million Tons of U.S. Coal 
U.S. Dollar Hits Two-Month High as Oil, Treasury Yields Surge 
Dollar Holds Near Two-Month High as Yen Approaches 160 
Japanese Bank Stocks Surge as Bond Yields Fuel Rate Hike Bets 
Dollar Falls as Oil Eases, Yen Jumps on Intervention Signals 
European Stocks Fall as Bond Yields and Geopolitical Risks Weigh 
Wall Street Ends Flat as Oil, Treasury Yields and Fed Jitters Rattle Markets 
Soybean Futures Slip as Traders Await Trump-Xi Trade Signals 
Asian Stocks Fall as Surging Bond Yields Rattle Markets 
Australia Unemployment Hits Five-Year High Despite Strong Jobs Growth 
Canadian Dollar Faces Pressure as Fed-BoC Policy Gap Widens 
Add as a preferred source on Google
Australian bank stocks took a breather on Monday after a brutal eight-session sell-off wiped over A$63 billion ($40 billion) from market value. The "Big Four" banks—Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), National Australia Bank (NAB), Westpac, and ANZ—saw sharp declines, with some hitting multi-year highs before a downturn fueled by an interest rate cut, weak earnings, and rising bad debts.
Despite strong growth in 2023, boosted by superannuation funds and retail investors, the sector faced headwinds last week after the central bank cut interest rates for the first time since 2020. This, combined with concerns over loan arrears and margin contraction, triggered investor exits from overvalued stocks.
Financial stocks rose 0.8% on Monday but remained down over 7% since February 12, underperforming the ASX200’s 3% decline. CBA, the nation’s top lender, lost 10% in eight sessions, erasing A$25 billion in market value, despite reporting strong first-half profits on February 12. NAB, the leading business lender, snapped a six-day losing streak on Monday but remains down nearly 14%, losing A$18 billion in value after warning of borrower strain and rising defaults.
Westpac and ANZ also reported shrinking margins and increased impaired assets, shedding a combined A$19 billion. However, NAB and ANZ gained over 1% on Monday, while Westpac rose 0.6%.
Analysts at Macquarie warned that the long-expected "de-rating" of the banking sector may have arrived, as valuations remain high despite looming risks. With earnings upgrades slowing and interest rates impacting profitability, further downside pressure on bank shares remains a concern for investors.
