Papua New Guinea
KOICA plans to open a Papua New Guinea office, expanding Asia-Pacific donor diversity. Targeting skills, health, and digital governance, the move could boost execution capacity and reduce donor dependence—if coordination prevents project fragmentation.
Australia
Australia is the Pacific’s principal donor as others retrench; tourism and climate-resilience finance drive the macro path. Watch DXY, airline capacity metrics, and grant/loan splits for signal.
Australia
Australian equities rose as US–China trade tension eased, trimming risk premia and lifting banks and energy stocks. The ASX 200 gained ~0.4%, with sentiment stabilising on softer global rates and reduced volatility into early 2026.
Australia
Australia’s consumer watchdog intensifies scrutiny of global tech platforms, targeting opaque pricing, AI integration, and competition barriers. The campaign signals a tougher enforcement era as Canberra seeks digital-market transparency and fair competition for Australian consumers and businesses.
Australia
Australian M&A momentum is shifting from caution to execution as board confidence, stronger balance sheets, and rate-cut hopes lift deal appetite. Strategic combinations in mining, renewables, and consumer sectors drive a new phase of scale-focused, disciplined consolidation.
Fiji
Fiji’s “Ocean of Peace” vision marks a shift toward blue-economy growth, linking marine conservation to investment in tourism, fisheries, and renewable energy. Backed by China, the initiative aims to turn ecological vulnerability into a sustainable economic advantage across the Pacific.
Asia-Pacific
The IMF’s latest Asia-Pacific outlook shows resilient growth led by India and Southeast Asia, but warns of weakening exports, tighter liquidity, and rising geopolitical risk. Regional policy shifts now focus on inflation control, FX stability, and sustaining domestic investment momentum.
New Zealand
New Zealand’s Reserve Bank stunned markets with a 50-basis-point rate cut, citing weak growth, falling inflation, and deteriorating credit conditions. The move signals the region’s first clear pivot toward easing, with ripple effects for currency stability and regional policy outlook.
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea’s MRDC is channeling LNG royalties into four new Hela Province projects, aiming to convert gas wealth into jobs and local assets. Success now depends on transparent execution, cost control, and measurable gains in service delivery.
Australia
WA tops the composite scoreboard; outperformance is real but narrow. Watch ^AXJO, AUDUSD, DXY and housing-finance vs completions for the durability of the lead.
Australia
Microsoft’s alleged AI-bundle mispricing faces ACCC scrutiny; outcome could force equal-prominence “Classic” options globally. Watch MSFT, ^AXJO, AUDUSD, DXY for second-order effects.