Reserve Bank of Australia Assistant Governor Hunter said changes in house prices have had only a small effect on consumer spending.

Panama Canal administrator Ilya Espino de Marotta warned drought could force further reductions in daily transits to as low as 27 ships in coming months, below the current constrained level of 32. The potential cut is based on Panama Canal Authority simulations using 1997 (the driest year on record) rainfall patterns and described as a "worst-case" scenario; climate change is shortening the return period for severe low-water events to roughly every three years. The canal, which handles more than 3% of global trade, saw transit demand surge earlier this year amid Middle East tensions, pushing daily usage above its typical 36 ships (spikes to about 40) and raising passage costs via the authority's daily auction. Authorities reduced daily transits to 32 from mid‑September to avoid stricter limits during the Dec–Apr dry season; a further cut toward 27 would intensify pressure on global shipping capacity and freight costs already strained by recent geopolitical disruptions.

CITIC Securities reports Senate races remain tight while House contests are leaning more against Republicans, where a small number of seat flips could change control. A mid‑June ceasefire and falling oil briefly eased public pressure, but a late‑June breakdown of a U.S.‑Iran preliminary agreement coincided with Trump hitting a historic low in August. If Republicans lose the midterms, CITIC says Washington political stalemate would likely deepen, raising resistance to the Trump administration’s policy agenda and increasing the risk of a government shutdown and a debt‑ceiling confrontation.