Market Reports

• Australian Market Report: The S&P/ASX 200 slid after it opened on Friday before making up ground to close just shy of where it started, down just 0.11 per cent at 8516.3..... [more]

• U.S. Market Report: U.S. stocks tumbled on Friday, with each of the three major U.S. indexes falling to their ​lowest levels in over six months as megacap stocks provided the biggest drag, as the month-long Middle East war continued to ‌stifle risk appetite..... [more]

• European Market Report: European stocks fell on Friday, extending losses from the previous session, amid a lack of meaningful progress in U.S.-Iran peace talks, and concerns about inflation, growth and interest rates..... [more]

• Asian Market Report: Asian stocks ended mostly lower on Friday, mirroring steep declines on Wall Street overnight amid lingering geopolitical tensions in the Middle East..... [more]

Australian Business News

• Fuel surcharges across a broad range of industries are adding to consumers' financial stress..... [more]

• Australian petrol stations report 25% surge in demand as governments plan for ‘biggest energy crisis in history’. Rationing is not under consideration yet as hundreds of retailers report being without one or more types of fuel.... [more]

• Employers across the country have been told to “plan for the worst” and prepare for the possibility of Covid-style working from home arrangements..... [more]

• Federal treasurer Jim Chalmers has committed to tax reform in his upcoming budget, but has added that no decision has yet been made on whether capital gains tax will be part of those changes..... [more]

• Millions of Australians are about to feel the pinch as interest on mortgage rates rise from Friday. The RBA’s decision last Tuesday to lift the cash rate up another 25 basis points, from 3.85 to 4.10 per cent is about to hit every variable rate.... [more]

• Should you downsize before or after you retire? The experts weigh in.... [more]

• Superannuation admin provider Grow Inc's financial trouble raises concerns for HESTA.... [more]

• Funding your dream retirement. An effective investment strategy for retirement must deal with several challenges while catering for your unique circumstances..... [more]

• 7 ETFs Aussie investors are leaning into right now.... [more]

• Structural tailwinds driving the next commodities supercycle. Resources stocks have the potential to deliver attractive long‑term returns and offer valuable diversification benefits..... [more]

• Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie says he is open to a new 25% tax on soaring gas profits as part of a Scandinavian-style sovereign wealth fund to strengthen the federal budget amid the global energy crisis..... [more]

• American West launches hunt for US indium and gallium.... [more]

• Fortescue shares (ASX: FMG) closed the week out at A$20.19, completing a 6.49% weekly gain that saw the iron ore major break decisively above a technical level that has defined recent trading ranges..... [more]

• With more than a decade under its belt in minerals-rich Greenland, rare earths explorer Energy Transition Minerals will return to its flagship Kvanefjeld project in a $10 million exploration program slated to begin in May..... [more]

• Valiant Gold’s shares rise 20 per cent on ASX debut as Westgold spin-out defies bear market.... [more]

• Lumos raises $20 million to back FebriDx US rollout.... [more]

• 1414 Degrees attracts $2.69M to fund global data centre market opportunity.... [more]

• David Jones is trying to defy retail gravity. It’s causing problems. David Jones is moving to permanently pay suppliers up to eight weeks after their goods have sold in a sign of major financial pressure on the 188-year-old department store.... [more]

• Comment - Marc Van Dinther: ASX chaos? Here's how to invest smart, stay calm and win. Stick with defensives, back quality, diversify with ETFs, and invest consistently..... [more]

World Business News

• How long will the war last? No one knows, and it's making oil prices weird.... [more]

• Investors Are Losing Patience With the War in Iran. The S&P 500 is on course for its fifth straight week of losses and its worst weekly losing streak in roughly four years..... [more]

• Barclays says the "Trump put," or the president's ability to prop up jittery markets, is losing its power. So far in the war, Donald Trump has been able to ease the market's fears with his comments and updates.... [more]

• The US housing market was supposed to turn a corner this year, but economic uncertainty and a jump in mortgage rates fueled by the US-Israeli war in Iran are complicating affordability for American homebuyers..... [more]

• Tesla’s upcoming delivery report is a lot more important than it may seem. Investors have lost some of their fascination with Tesla’s car business, but selling lots of EVs is critical to funding Elon Musk’s more futuristic ambitions.... [more]

• Elon Musk participated in a phone call on Tuesday with President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India during a wartime crisis, according to a report from the New York Times, citing two U.S. officials..... [more]

• From rocket launches drawing millions ​of YouTube views to social media frenzy over its potential listing, SpaceX's debut is shaping up to be a ‌landmark moment for Wall Street. Traders are betting thousands of dollars.... [more]

• Judge temporarily blocks Pentagon's ban on Anthropic.... [more]

• Amazon’s big bet in AI has been 20 years in the making.... [more]

• Cybersecurity stocks fell Friday, with CrowdStrike (NASDAQ:CRWD) dropping 7%, Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) declining 6%, Zscaler (NASDAQ:ZS) down 4.5%, and Okta (NASDAQ:OKTA), SentinelOne (NYSE:S).... [more]

• The Trump administration ordered U.S. refiners on Friday to increase the amount of biofuels they blend into gasoline and diesel this year and next, a move the industry said would only ​raise pump prices already spiking due to the war.... [more]

• Infiniti hopes new SUV can turn around fortunes in the U.S..... [more]

• U.S. President Donald Trump ​said on Friday that he ‌wanted top agriculture supply brands, including John Deere, Case and Caterpillar, to lower farmers' tractor ​and equipment costs. Deere & Co (DE.N), shares ​were down 2% after.... [more]

• Iran war wipes out $100 billion from luxury stocks.... [more]

• The hedge fund manager who helped engineer the Opendoor stock rally last summer is back with a new bullish target. On Friday, Eric Jackson, the founder of of EMJ Capital, said he is betting big on a pandemic-era darling.... [more]

• Trump signs executive action to pay TSA employees after Congress fails to agree on DHS funding.... [more]

• The European Central Bank should not rush to raise interest rates to combat a ​surge in inflation and should instead take time to analyse whether ‌the jump is becoming entrenched, board member Isabel Schnabel said on Friday..... [more]

• UK government borrowing costs hit 5% as Iran war fuels bond market sell-off. Yields on 10-year debt reach highest since the 2008 financial crisis, raising concerns of faster interest rate rises.... [more]

• Pound heads for biggest monthly loss against the safe-haven dollar since October.... [more]

• The boss of Asda has rejected claims retailers are using soaring oil costs to boost their own profits, after fuel prices inched up again on Friday. The average price for a litre of petrol rose above 150p for the first time in nearly two years.... [more]

• Asda’s executive chair has called on the government to “stand up and start doing stuff” to support farmers and ease the price of fuel as he warned that food prices would inevitably rise as a result of the conflict in the Middle East..... [more]

• Food delivery giant Just Eat and motoring site Autotrader are among five firms being investigated as part of a probe into fake and misleading online reviews by the UK's competition watchdog..... [more]

• China’s top chip foundry SMIC unveils action plan for seizing new growth opportunities. Firm aims for above-average growth this year under plan for ‘optimising existing stock and digging for new increments’.... [more]

• BYD's annual profit drops for first time in four years as price war hurts margins.... [more]

• Another PlayStation price hike means the gaming console will cost 30% more than it did last year.... [more]

• Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Friday met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and reviewed the next steps in negotiations for the proposed India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA)..... [more]

• India authorised some state firms including Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL.NS), and ​Steel Authority of India (SAIL.NS), on Friday to procure critical equipment from ‌China, according to a government source and document.... [more]

• Comment - Simon English: Primark, Magnum, Castrol... who’s next? Why Britain’s top brands are being sold or split by their owners.... [more]

• Comment/Analysis - Adi Imsirovic: Will the energy crisis hit global economy harder than Covid? Emergency reserves are cushioning the blow for now, but if Iran war drags on, shortages will quickly spread misery worldwide.... [more]