Market Reports

• Australian Market Report: The Australian sharemarket closed higher on Tuesday, the S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.9 per cent or 78.5 points, after rising 1.2 per cent in early trade, to close at 8857.1..... [more]

• U.S. Market Report: The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq fell, but the Dow edged higher on Wednesday, as some strong company earnings results offered a measure of support to a market still grappling with the selloff in some software and cloud stocks..... [more]

• European Market Report: European stocks were mixed on Wednesday ahead of flash Eurozone CPI data due later in the day..... [more]

• Asian Market Report: Asian stocks ended mixed on Wednesday as software stocks followed their U.S. peers lower on fears over artificial intelligence affecting future business growth..... [more]

Australian Business News

• Market consensus has determined that while inflation had backed the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) into a corner with no choice but to hike the official cash rate by 25 basis points.... [more]

• What the RBA wants Australians to do next to fight inflation – or risk more rate hikes.... [more]

• RBA rate hike highlights plight of borrowers versus boomers.... [more]

• Volatility is back: what it means for bonds, equities and AI. Schroders’ Sebastian Mullins and Ben Arnold on why selectivity, not calm markets, is driving opportunity today..... [more]

• Are ASX tech stocks heading to zero? The ASX tech sector is as oversold as the dot-com crash, but AI disruption fears suggest the selloff may have further to run..... [more]

• The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has revealed a review of anti-scam and fraud practices has exposed significant gaps in superannuation funds’ communications with members..... [more]

• Zenith Minerals has confirmed high-grade gold at surface at its wholly owned Auburn gold project in Queensland, with fresh grab rock-chip samples from last December returning up to a whopping 6.76 and 7.96 grams per tonne (g/t) gold..... [more]

• Perth-based ADX Energy has lifted the lid on what it now believes is a dual-prize appraisal opportunity at its flagship Welchau discovery in Upper Austria..... [more]

• Dalaroo Metals has ramped up its West African gold push, kicking off field mapping and drill targeting programs at its Bongouanoa project in southeast Côte d’Ivoire..... [more]

• Black Rock Mining Ltd (ASX:BKT) has awarded a bulk earthworks contract for its Mahenge Graphite Project in Tanzania to local contractor Taifa Mining and Civils for a total contract sum of US$11 million. .... [more]

• TMK Energy has continued its impressive run, notching up yet another new gas production record at the company’s Pilot Well project, which forms part of its Gurvantes XXXV coal seam gas project in southern Mongolia..... [more]

• A four-fold surge in residential battery uptake is being hailed as a transformative moment for the electricity grid, offering hopes of lower prices by absorbing more of the excess renewable energy from solar panels during the day.... [more]

• The future of hundreds of coal workers hangs in the balance due to a stalemate between the owner of Australia's largest power station and a regional coal mine. The Myuna Colliery near the NSW town of Lake Macquarie.... [more]

• In case you haven’t noticed what with gold and silver going crazy, the Australian XTX technology index had an extremely poor day all through Wednesday, with the tech sector easily the biggest faller of the Aussie day.... [more]

• Restaurants and cafes face wave of closures amid dire profit warnings.... [more]

• As property prices soar and interest rates begin to tick up, one Australian start-up has teamed up with Bunnings for what might just be an innovative solution. This week, the hardware giant began selling luxury tiny homes .... [more]

• Australia's forestry industry says cheap imported timber products are flooding the local market and taking up increased space in local homes and buildings..... [more]

• Cold cathode X-ray technology developer Micro-X has started activation at its first hospital trial site, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, for its portable Head CT scanner designed to rapidly detect stroke..... [more]

• Comment - Shani Jayamanne: 3 investing questions I’m constantly asked.... [more]

• Comment - Samantha Menzies: Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) shares delivered explosive growth throughout August to October last year, reaching a four-year peak before crashing 40% in November..... [more]

World Business News

• U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday unveiled plans to marshal allies into a preferential trade bloc for critical minerals, proposing coordinated price floors as Washington escalates efforts to loosen China's grip on materials.... [more]

• Tax refunds are about to give everyday Americans a boost. BofA says buy these 8 stocks to ride the wave of spending..... [more]

• The U.S. services sector held steady in January, but businesses paid more for inputs, suggesting that services inflation could pick up after being on a slowing trend in recent months..... [more]

• U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday said he was wrong when he and his Key Square investment firm told partners in January 2024 - before U.S. President Donald Trump won the presidency - that "tariffs are inflationary.".... [more]

• A top JPMorgan strategist says the software-driven tech sell-off is actually a healthy rotation into ignored parts of the market.... [more]

• Why A.I. Fears Are Battering Stocks, Again. New tools by artificial intelligence companies like Anthropic have reignited worries that businesses will pare down their subscriptions to software services..... [more]

• Software Billionaires Drop $62 Billion in AI-Driven Stock Slump.... [more]

• Why AMD’s stock is diving toward its worst day in years after earnings.... [more]

• Nvidia boss Jensen Huang says AI-replacement fears tanking software stocks is the 'most illogical thing in the world'. Tech stocks continued to wobble on Wednesday as Wall Street's worries that AI will replace software.... [more]

• OpenAI gets a Meta-style makeover with ads.... [more]

• Yum Brands on Wednesday reported mixed quarterly results, despite strong demand for Taco Bell. Here’s what the company reported for the period ended Dec. 31 compared with what Wall Street was expecting.... [more]

• UBS Profit Beat Overshadowed by Worries Over US Wealth Outflows.... [more]

• Five problems awaiting Disney’s new CEO. The only Disney news you’re likely to see today is about Josh D’Amaro, the guy replacing Bob Iger next month as the CEO of Disney. But.... [more]

• Pizza Hut is closing hundreds of locations.... [more]

• Eli Lilly on Wednesday posted fourth-quarter earnings and revenue and 2026 guidance that blew past estimates, as demand for its blockbuster weight loss drug Zepbound and diabetes treatment Mounjaro soars..... [more]

• Chipotle, Mondelez shares slide as weak demand, rising costs hurt sales view.... [more]

• The PGA of America has appointed UnitedHealth Group executive Terry Clark to be the next CEO, the second time in its last three hires the organization has chosen a business leader who was on its board of directors..... [more]

• ElevenLabs triples valuation to $11 billion in new funding round.... [more]

• Elon Musk’s SpaceX Said to Open IPO Pitching to Non-US Banks.... [more]

• The Washington Post moved Wednesday at the behest of owner Jeff Bezos to cut a third of its entire workforce. The layoffs affect every corner of the newsroom..... [more]

• EU Unfreezes US Trade Deal After Trump’s Greenland U-Turn.... [more]

• UK services sector job cuts continue as companies automate, PMI survey shows. ‘Longest period of job shedding’ in 16 years taking place as business activity grows at fastest rate since August.... [more]

• The Unite trade union has criticised oil giant ExxonMobil as it shuttered its Mossmorran plant. The Fife Ethylene Plant was due to close this month, but the union claimed it was shut down early, with production ending on Monday..... [more]

• Senior executives at Drax raised concerns internally about the validity of the energy company’s sustainability claims while it publicly denied allegations that it was cutting down environmentally important forests for fuel,.... [more]

• Chinese carmaker Chery to launch fourth brand in UK.... [more]

• Italy's economy is estimated to grow by 0.7% both this year and next, the parliamentary budget watchdog UPB said on Wednesday, upgrading its 2026 estimate and slightly lowering next year's outlook..... [more]

• China’s global outbound direct investment surged to a seven-year high in 2025 as Chinese firms pivoted their capital towards strategic raw materials and data centres, according to a report by Rhodium Group released on Wednesday..... [more]

• India Regulator Mulls Supervision Revamp for Banks to Curb Risks.... [more]

• Engine maker Cummins India (CUMM.NS), reported a nearly 6% rise in adjusted quarterly profit on Wednesday, helped by lower expenses despite a drop in revenue from a year ago..... [more]

• Syria ’s state-owned petroleum company signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. and Qatar on Wednesday for the development of the country’s first offshore oil and gas field. Syrian Petroleum Company’s.... [more]

• Comment - Saroj Kumar Rath: What the US-India trade deal really means.... [more]

• Opinion - Nils Pratley: Elon Musk is taking SpaceX’s minority shareholders for a ride.... [more]