Key View

• The listing of new innovative medicines on the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) will improve the commercial opportunities for innovative drugmakers.
• While the recent inclusion of treatments on the PBS is a significant step for the industry and the patients, the pressure to rationalise pharmaceutical spending remains in

Key View

• Australia’s real GDP growth registered a slight pick-up to 1.7% y-o-y in Q319, from 1.6% y-o-y in Q219, as a smaller drag from inventories offset a broad-based slowdown across domestic demand and a smaller net exports contribution.
• In light of a softer-than-expected recovery and a weak economic outlook for the final quarter, we are

Key View

• Australia possesses strong technological fundamentals and positive demographic characteristics for the adoption of fintech, but the dominance of incumbent banks present downside risks to the segment
• Regulation is increasingly present, as the government recognises that it needs to take a more proactive role to stimulate growth.

Aust

Key View

• Australia’s wheat and dairy prospects have deteriorated in recent months as a result of an ongoing drought. We have thus revised down our 2019/20 wheat production forecast.
• Strong wheat production in the EU, Russia, Ukraine and the Americas will keep the global market well-supplied, keeping benchmark prices subdued in 2020 and

Key View

• We believe that there will be an increasing number of projects related to renewable energy over the next decade as Australia seeks to tap on its geographical advantage to produce more clean energy.
• As for thermal energy, we are more positive on gas projects vis-à-vis coal projects, given the planned shutdowns of several ageing coal

Key View

• The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cut its policy cash rate by 25bps to 0.75% during its monetary policy meeting on October 1.
• We at Fitch Solutions forecast the RBA to ease by another 25bps by end-2020, which would take the cash rate to 0.50%, with risks weighted to the downside.
• A weak outlook for growth, inflation, and the

Key View

• The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) held its cash rate at 1.00% during its monetary policy meeting on August 6, after 50 basis points (bps) worth of cuts in the year-to-date.
• We at Fitch Solutions forecast significant downside for interest rates in Australia, and are revising our forecast for the RBA’s policy cash rate to fall to 0