ANZ Research says Australia’s current 4.35% cash rate is already the highest among major Western economies. Interbank futures pricing implies the cash rate could climb to 4.99% by mid2027, above expected peak rates for the US, UK, New Zealand, the eurozone and Canada. The analysis points to a prolonged stretch of elevated borrowing costs for Australian households.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the Food Department to begin releasing government wheat to flour mills from October 1 to help stabilise flour prices across the province. Authorities have seized and reconciled 226,918 metric tonnes of wheat, and the Food Department has disbursed Rs2.855 billion against stock already lifted. Separately, the Trading Corporation of Pakistan has floated a tender to import 0.3 million metric tonnes of wheat.

Oracle has launched another round of layoffs even as it reported strong quarterly growth. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said it is adding $700 million to its FY2026 restructuring budget, with total costs expected to reach as much as $2.1 billion, largely for employee severance. Oracle reported Q1 revenue of $19.3 billion, up about 30% year over year, and net income of $4.76 billion. Some affected employees said on LinkedIn they had worked at Oracle for 20 years.

The US Defense Department is set to invest $450 million in The Elmet Group, including $150 million to restart Blue Moon Metals’ Springer tungsten complex in Nevada, as Washington seeks to curb reliance on China for critical minerals. Under a binding deal, Blue Moon would receive a $50million tungsten concentrate prepayment facility and a $25million equity investment. Elmet would add $75 million through a joint venture to restart the site’s ammonium paratungstate (APT) plant, with a further $25 million available if needed.

U.S. stocks fell on Monday, led by losses in Nvidia and other chipmakers after executives at major AI companies voiced safety concerns around artificial intelligence development. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield briefly moved above 5%, adding to investor unease ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting. Persistently high inflation and rising borrowing costs also weighed on sentiment.

Canadian Natural Resources’ stock has gained more than 50% in 2026, supported by a rebound in oil prices after supply disruptions in the Middle East. The company posted record Q2 production of 1.7 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, up 18% from a year earlier, and record adjusted net earnings of $4.6 billion. Its 2026 capital program remains set at $6 billion, while net debt fell to about $14.5 billion, approaching a $13 billion target. The company says it plans to begin returning 100% of free cash flow to shareholders once that target is reached.

Ripple said it has partnered with cross-chain protocol Wormhole to connect the XRP Ledger and the XRPL EVM sidechain to Wormhole’s cross-chain network. The integration expands the set of blockchains that can move assets into and out of XRPL directly.

U.S. stocks fell on Monday as chipmakers including Nvidia slid after executives at major AI companies called for a slowdown in AI development over safety concerns. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed above 5% for the first time since 2023, adding to jitters ahead of a Federal Reserve policy meeting. Worries about U.S. fiscal health and Middle East energy supply also weighed on sentiment.