Markets
China
China factory PMI drops to 49.2 in first contraction since March
Watch the new-orders line and you know where China's factories are heading before output figures arrive. In July 2026, that line dropped to 48.5, the weakest new-orders reading since 2023, and the headline manufacturing PMI followed it down to 49.2, the first sub-50 reading in five months.
UK
Bank of England holds rate at 3.75% amid Iran war uncertainty
The number that matters most from the Bank of England's latest meeting is not 3.75, it is three. Three members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted against holding Bank Rate, preferring an immediate rise.
Apple
Apple posts record $109bn June quarter as Cook era closes
Total net sales came in at $109.42 billion, up 16 per cent on the same period a year earlier, and net income of $29.79 billion was up 27 per cent from $23.43 billion. By any measure those are exceptional numbers for a June quarter. The market's reaction was to sell the stock.
Markets
Shell profits double to $9.8bn as Iran war lifts oil prices
Shell posted a quarterly profit of $9.84 billion, more than double the $4.26 billion recorded in the same period a year earlier, making it the company's second-highest quarter on record. The figures came out of Shell's second-quarter results webcast on 30 July 2026.
Markets
Australian shares rise as tech rallies and energy stocks slide
Tech stocks dragged the Australian sharemarket higher on Monday, with Xero and WiseTech surging while cheaper oil pulled Santos and Woodside to the bottom of the board.
Markets
Central banks keep buying as gold slides below US$4,000
The LBMA gold price reached a historical high of US$5,405 per ounce in January 2026, capping a multi-year rally that rewrote the calculus for central bank reserve managers, sovereign wealth funds and retail buyers alike.
Finance
ASX 200 slips 0.51% on FY26's final day as RBA minutes turn hawkish and gold miners retreat
The RBA warned it might not be done raising rates. The ASX 200 finished the year 0.51 per cent lower.
Trade
Liberation Day, One Year On: How Australia's 10% Tariff Played Out
A year after Trump's Liberation Day tariffs hit 185 countries, Australia remains at the 10% floor rate, the lowest applied globally. Exports have shifted, the trade relationship has held, but new pharmaceutical tariffs and an escalating Iran situation are adding fresh complications.
Iran
Iran Dismisses Ceasefire Offer as April 8 Deadline Lapses
Tehran rejects US ceasefire proposal, escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz as global shipping scrambles to reroute from the vital chokepoint.
