(MENAFN- The Rio Times) Holiday-thinned trading in Asia (China National Day, Korea Chuseok) kept liquidity light as fresh prints highlighted resilient domestic demand in India and ongoing softness in European construction.

Short-tenor funding costs eased slightly in the U.S. bill auctions, while euro area sentiment improved at the margin and retail volumes stabilized.

Flows and price action were muted ahead of heavier U.S. data later in the week and post-holiday releases from China and Korea.
United States
Front-end funding costs dipped: the 3-month bill cleared at 3.850% and the 6-month at 3.695%. Fed communications stayed in focus, with regional presidents on the circuit and no new hard data beyond auctions.

The calendar ahead features credit, labor, and energy updates that will test the soft-landing narrative after last week's mixed ISM readings.
Europe & UK
Euro area signals were mixed but slightly firmer. Sentix investor confidence improved to −5.4 in October (from −9.2), and retail sales rose 0.1% m/m in August (1.0% y/y).

Construction PMIs remained in contraction: euro area 46.0; Germany 46.2; Italy 49.8; France 42.9. French BTF auctions printed near recent levels (3-month 1.999%, 6-month 2.034%, 12-month 2.051%).

In the UK, car registrations rose 13.7% y/y in September with 312,891 new vehicles, while construction PMI stayed weak at 46.2.

Swiss unemployment held low (2.8% n.s.a.; 3.0% s.a.). ECB speakers (De Guindos, Lane, Lagarde) provided color but no policy shifts.


Asia
India's momentum cooled from very strong levels but remained robust: services PMI 60.9 and composite 61.0 for September.

Japan's household spending rose 0.6% m/m and 2.3% y/y in August; FX reserves increased to $1.341T; a 30-year JGB auction cleared at 3.248%.

Australia's Westpac consumer sentiment fell 3.5% m/m and ANZ job ads declined 3.3% m/m, flagging softer labor demand ahead.

China's FX reserves edged up to $3.339T, with mainland and Hong Kong markets largely quiet due to holidays.

New Zealand's NZIER business confidence eased to 18% and capacity utilization to 89.1%.
Major Emerging Markets
Brazil posted a September trade surplus of $2.99B, narrower than August's $5.86B, consistent with softer external tailwinds.

Mexico's consumer confidence dipped slightly to 46.5 (46.1 n.s.a.), still near its recent range. South Africa's data were light, with attention on reserves later in the week.
Commodities & Flows
With Asia holidays curbing activity and major energy reports due later, commodity markets saw limited direction.

Auction results in Europe and the U.S. suggested modestly easier near-term funding conditions, while risk appetite awaited clearer cues from upcoming U.S. and China releases.
Risks and Framing
Policy divergence remains the theme: Europe's growth is fragile with improving sentiment but weak construction, India is running hot, and Japan's demand signals are uneven amid rising long JGB yields.

The next catalysts are U.S. credit and labor data, China's post-holiday high-frequency prints, and any shift in central-bank rhetoric that could reprice front-end curves.

Energy and shipping costs remain the quickest channels to re-accelerate headline inflation if supply tightens into Q4.

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