Asian Stocks Sink as Apple Price Hikes Spark AI Valuation Fears, South Korea and Japan Lead Selloff 
S&P Affirms Brazil’s BB Credit Rating with Stable Outlook Amid Fiscal Challenges 
Asian Currencies Trade Mixed as Yen Hovers Near 40-Year Low, Dollar Holds Firm on Fed Outlook 
Canada Grants C$7 Million to Greenland Molybdenum Mine to Strengthen Critical Minerals Supply 
Gold Prices Rise Above $4,000 as Inflation Data and Weaker Dollar Boost Demand 
China Expands Export Controls, Adds 20 Japanese Companies to Restricted List 
Oil Prices Rise as US-Iran Tensions Threaten Strait of Hormuz Oil Shipments 
Trump Threatens 100% Tariffs on Countries Imposing Digital Services Taxes on U.S. Tech Firms 
Asian Stocks Slip as US-Iran Ceasefire Hopes Lift Oil, Dollar Strength Persists 
Wall Street Ends Mixed as Micron Surges, Apple Drops After Price Hikes 
White House Seeks $87.6 Billion Emergency Funding for Iran War, Farmers, and Ebola Response 
Asian Currencies Stay Range-Bound as Investors Eye China Data, RBNZ Outlook and U.S.-Iran Ceasefire 
Gold Price Falls as Fed Rate Hike Fears and U.S.-Iran Tensions Weigh on Bullion 
US Dollar Slips After PCE Inflation Data Eases Fed Rate Hike Expectations 
Morgan Stanley Sees Chinese Auto Market Recovery Gaining Momentum in Late Summer 
Iran Attack in Strait of Hormuz Pushes Oil Prices Higher 
In January 2025, the Australian labor market was complex, as the recent Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) report shows. The unemployment rate increased by a mere 0.1 percentage point to 4.1%. This increase is a situation where the expansion of the labor force outpaced the capacity to generate employment during the period.
Despite the rise in unemployment, total employment showed impressive growth as the economy added 44,000 jobs. It is a growth rate of 0.3%, led primarily by growth in full-time employment, which added 54,100 jobs. Meanwhile, part-time employment registered minimal contraction, testifying to the character of change in labor forces.
Participation rate reached as high as 67.3%, reflecting higher labor force participation. The rate of underemployment was at 6.0%, though combined underutilization rate rose to 10.1%. It reflects that as more individuals participate in the labor force, there is still a high percentage struggling with unemployment or underemployment, reflecting that full and effective use of the labor force is still a problem.
