Market Reports

• Australian Market Report: The Australian sharemarket fell back into the red on Wednesday. The S&P/ASX 200 finished down 108.1 points, or 1.3 per cent, at 8496.6, The Australian dollar was trading at US71.04¢ shortly before 5pm AEST..... [more]

• U.S. Market Report: Wall Street's main indexes rose on Wednesday, as a rebound in chip stocks ahead of ​Nvidia's quarterly results lifted sentiment after a recent selloff driven by rising bond yields and inflation concerns..... [more]

• European Market Report: European stocks closed higher on Wednesday as hopes of a potential U.S.-Iran peace deal helped offset concerns about economic growth and prompted investors to indulge in some buying..... [more]

• Asian Market Report: Asian stocks tumbled on Wednesday as oil prices remained elevated on Hormuz concerns and global bond yields hit multi-year highs, raising concerns about inflation, interest rates and economic growth..... [more]

Australian Business News

• Homebuyer sentiment has dipped to “pessimistic” levels but broader consumer sentiment has ticked up from extreme lows, the latest Westpac-Melbourne Institute survey shows. Released on Tuesday.... [more]

• Labor MPs are gearing up for a hard sell on the impact of the federal government's tax changes for some small businesses, trusts and shares despite many reporting "positive" feedback on housing reforms..... [more]

• The NSW government will likely collect a whopping $8bn less in stamp duty and land tax as the Australian economy continues to grapple with the fallout of the Iran war, Treasurer Daniel Mookhey has warned..... [more]

• The ASX sectors and stocks Morgan Stanley prefers - and where it likes even more. Morgan Stanley is backing resources, energy and AI-linked capex as Australia’s economy slows sharply..... [more]

• The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has sought to portray a positive outcome within its latest Regulatory simplification progress report but has had to admit receiving plenty of negative feedback.... [more]

• Why CBA shares might never retake the biggest ASX stock crown from BHP.... [more]

• MLC Expand’s newly launched innovative retirement income stream (IRIS) solution, MLC Retirement Boost, has surpassed $500 million within two months of its gradual rollout across its savings and retirement income phases..... [more]

• 88 Energy locks in rig for giant 2027 Alaskan oil shot.... [more]

• Maronan Metals has received a hefty $22m vote of confidence from Kinterra Capital’s Kinterra Critical Materials & Infrastructure Opportunities Fund through a strategic private placement..... [more]

• Australia should be “unleashing” its oil and gas sector instead of controlling it as Canada plots to snaffle our markets, Santos boss Kevin Gallagher says. The chief executive agreed at the Australian Energy Producers conference.... [more]

• Critica Limited has secured $300,000 in non-dilutive R&D funding from Western Australian government-backed sources to accelerate metallurgical studies at its massive Jupiter rare earths project near Mt Magnet.... [more]

• Outgoing ASIC chair Joe Longo will use his final public appearance to issue a dire warning that Australia risks a “lost generation” if it doesn’t embrace innovation in technology and startups. “We are in a global innovation race,” .... [more]

• Core Lithium restarts Northern Territory mine as price rebounds above $4,000 per tonne.... [more]

• Mount Ridley Mines has officially fired up a phase one metallurgical test work program at the Winstons and Keiths prospects, which form part of its Grass Patch heavy rare earths project in Western Australia.... [more]

• Surging gold prices are breathing new life into Western Australia's mostly idle nickel industry, with plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on retrofitting three mothballed plants to churn out gold bars.... [more]

• The purchase of Australian coal mines and community infrastructure by a little-known international mining company is causing concern among workers and Queensland residents. On Monday Dhilmar Ltd acquired Anglo American's.... [more]

• James Murdoch buys New York magazine, Vox podcasts for $419 million.... [more]

• Travellers looking for cheap flights on Webjet may find fewer airfare deals in the future after Virgin Australia slashed the commissions it pays the online travel agent to cut out the middleman and send consumers directly.... [more]

• TechnologyOne shrugs off earnings wobble as AI ambitions drive SaaS momentum.... [more]

• Cracks in the share price of 4D Medical (ASX:4DX) have started to show as the company faces record high short pressure eyeing 7% of shares on issue..... [more]

• Astera Labs Shares Up More Than 50% in Month, Setting New Highs.... [more]

• XDC Network has welcomed Animoca Brands Corporation Ltd (Unlisted (AU):AB1) as a strategic validator, with the Web3 investment and development group set to operate masternodes on the enterprise-focused blockchain..... [more]

• The former executive chairman of Rex Airlines has capitulated just days into a major trial and admitted to failing to disclose the airline’s true financial state in 2023 before its ultimate collapse a year later..... [more]

• Former Woolworths boss Brad Banducci has abruptly stepped down as chief executive of Ticketek after little more than a year in the top job, during which the company lost multiple lucrative clients..... [more]

• Opinion - Greg Jericho: Death, taxes and scare campaigns: here’s the truth about Labor’s budget changes.... [more]

• Comment/Analysis - Tamara Wilkinson: Are this budget’s tax changes really an ‘assault on aspiration’? With this year’s budget, the Albanese government has delivered a suite of bold tax reforms aimed at improving.... [more]

• Opinion - Simonelle Mody: The federal budget’s hidden trade-offs. My take on a budget sold as intergenerational reform, but built on contradictions..... [more]

• Comment/Analysis - John L. Hopkins: 15 Australian companies switched to a four‑day work week. It went surprisingly well. In a 1930 essay, British economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that in 100 years time.... [more]

World Business News

• All 50 states top $4 a gallon gas as Iran impacts linger.... [more]

• Bond Yields Hit Highest Level Since 2007 as Inflation Fears Set In. The 30-year U.S. Treasury yield hasn’t been this high since the lead-up to the global financial crisis. Across Europe and Asia, yields are also elevated..... [more]

• Single Gen Z women are outpacing their male counterparts when it comes to buying a home. They accounted for 35% of all homebuyers in their generation, while single Gen Z men represented 18%, according to survey data.... [more]

• Nvidia earnings are just moments away. Here's what investors need to know. ++live updates, story subject to change++.... [more]

• OpenAI is preparing to confidentially file for a U.S. initial public offering in the coming weeks, a source ​familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, adding to a wave of blockbuster ‌listings anticipated in the year ahead..... [more]

• Meta slashes 8,000 jobs as it pivots towards AI.... [more]

• Meta’s campaign to promote scrutinized youth safety features involved hundreds of family influencers.... [more]

• Has Google lost its AI edge? How its ‘unexciting’ strategy could actually pay off. Critics worry Google is losing ground to flashier rivals, but rapid Gemini adoption and AI-native integrations are driving monetization behind the scenes.... [more]

• Target on Wednesday posted earnings and revenue that beat Wall Street expectations, and reported that net sales grew more than 6% year over year as the retailer tries to win back customers amid slumping sales..... [more]

• PepsiCo (PEP.O), is preparing to raise prices on some of its smaller bags ​of chips due to higher expenses in ‌the U.S. The planned increases were prompted by higher production, distribution ​and retail expenses in the U.S..... [more]

• Stellantis plans to launch a lineup of what it’s calling “muscle trucks” for its Ram brand despite high U.S. gas prices due to the Iran war..... [more]

• JPMorgan sees biotech sector at inflection point, resumes coverage on 14 Firms.... [more]

• Canadian miner Sherritt International Corp. has signed a non-binding agreement with Gillon Capital LLC, a family office linked to a former adviser of U.S. President Donald Trump, that would allow Gillon to buy a majority stake .... [more]

• Canada's inflation rate accelerates to 2.8% as Iran war pushes up gasoline prices.... [more]

• The boss of Marks & Spencer has called a government proposal for voluntary price caps on essential food items “completely preposterous”, saying it should reduce tax and regulatory burdens instead..... [more]

• The 5p cut on fuel duty will be extended to the end of the year, instead of being phased out in September, the government has said. The reduced tax rate for petrol and diesel was introduced.... [more]

• Germany will acquire 40% stake in tank maker KNDS at listing, German official says.... [more]

• China has confirmed that it will buy 200 Boeing jets after US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met in Beijing last week..... [more]

• Bond tremors from Washington to London to Tokyo upend Asia. Surging dollar hogs wealth needed to finance developing nations’ budget deficits, keep bond yields stable and support equity markets.... [more]

• Private equity activity is picking up in China, with limited partners growing more selective about opportunities in technology, including chips, manufacturing, artificial intelligence and robotics, according to industry players..... [more]

• Indonesia unveils ambitious targets, tightens commodities grip in pursuit of 'magnificent prosperity'.... [more]

• Samsung Electronics' (005930.KS), union said it would suspend a strike shortly before it was set to begin on Thursday after it reached a tentative pay ‌deal with the company, averting action that threatened South Korea's economy .... [more]