Market Reports

• Australian Market Report: The Australian sharemarket surged 2.2 per cent on Wednesday, giving investors a $57 billion windfall. the ASX/S&P 200 jumped 190 points to 8671.80 The Australian dollar was stronger at US69.10¢..... [more]

• U.S. Market Report: Wall Street's main indexes rose on Wednesday, building onto their biggest one-day gains in nearly a ‌year, after President Donald Trump's comments suggested an end to the Middle East conflict could be close..... [more]

• European Market Report: European stocks rallied on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump said the Iran war could end in two weeks sans a deal to re-open the Hormuz, brining a much-needed relief to markets roiled by the conflict..... [more]

• Asian Market Report: Asian stocks soared on Wednesday after U.S. stocks saw their best day in almost a year overnight on renewed hopes that the Iran war, which is in its fifth week, could soon end..... [more]

Australian Business News

• ASX 200 rips 190 points — Time to buy? Depends on whether you believe the President of the United States. The ASX 200 surged as markets latched onto fresh signals the US may soon step back from the Iran conflict.... [more]

• Jim Chalmers has unveiled a suite of Covid-era support measures for businesses struggling with soaring fuel prices and the prime minister is set to address the nation in the latest sign the government is preparing.... [more]

• ATO offers tax relief for small businesses hit by Middle East war.... [more]

• Petrol prices in Australia’s biggest cities began falling on Wednesday as retailers moved unexpectedly early to pass on the federal government’s 26¢-a-litre excise cut in part or in full, even before most sites had depleted existing stocks.... [more]

• Rising costs, fuel prices and fire-related closures are pushing some regional Victorian small businesses to the brink, with owners saying they are struggling to stay open. The Reserve Bank lifted interest rates by 0.25% on March 17.... [more]

• The ASX’s most shorted stocks in 2026. What we can and can’t learn from the top 20 most shorted ASX shares..... [more]

• The Federal Court has ordered ⁠Binance's ⁠local unit to pay $10 million for misclassifying over 85 percent of its Australian clients that exposed them to high-risk crypto products, ‌the country's securities regulator said..... [more]

• Marcus Padley’s plan for the next big rebound. Some mocked his decision to go 100% cash. Now Marcus Padley wants one irresistible signal before buying - here’s what’s on his watchlist..... [more]

• Calls for a 25 per cent tax on gas exports have been rubbished by energy producers and the federal opposition. Days after Liberal industry spokesperson Andrew Hastie expressed openness to higher taxes on the fossil fuel.... [more]

• In its march towards becoming a self-sufficient gold producer, Auric Mining has taken a significant step, locking down the services of a highly regarded industry veteran to lead the development and construction of its Burbanks.... [more]

• St George Mining has rolled out another big-ticket partnership at its Araxá critical minerals project in Brazil, striking a strategic alliance with innovative metals processor Boston Metal to chase a cleaner, potentially cheaper pathway.... [more]

• Larvotto hits thick gold-antimony with tungsten credits in NSW.... [more]

• Prospect Resources (ASX:PSC) has jumped nearly +10% higher in Wednesday trades at lunchtime after the company unveiled what its geotechs are thinking on the back of recent drilling: that its Mumbezhi Copper Project (MCP).... [more]

• Greatland Resources shares surge as Telfer update sinks in amid a sector re-rating.... [more]

• BMG Resources is turning the diamond bits at its 100 per cent-owned Abercromby gold project near Wiluna in Western Australia, as it hunts for high-grade extensions to its existing half-million-ounce gold resource..... [more]

• Anthropic, the artificial intelligence giant locked in a legal war with the Trump administration over military use of its technology, has signed a formal AI safety pact with the Albanese government..... [more]

• Aussie e-commerce, online sales platform Click Frenzy to be wound up, liquidators appointed.... [more]

• Australia's largest wild-caught prawn operation will close its doors after 60 years. A Raptis & Sons Group is expected to axe more than 200 jobs across South Australia and Queensland .... [more]

• The biotech winners and losers from a messy March of mayhem.... [more]

• Brisbane-based Australian fashion label Sabo Skirt has taken Shein, Kmart and 14 other brands to the Federal Court for allegedly copying dozens of its clothing designs, as design “duping” continues at pace..... [more]

• Entertainment company Village Roadshow has launched an investigation into allegations staff misused company funds for their personal benefit. On Wednesday, Village Roadshow chief executive Clark Kirby told employees.... [more]

• Australia into a joint anti-scam effort with the US and Canada. North Korean IT workers posing as legit white-collar workers have stolen an estimated $US2.8bn ($A4.04bn) in crypto since January 2024.... [more]

• Comment - Greg Jericho: Australia’s land value has gone through the roof. Where does that leave young people who want to buy a home? The capital gains tax discount helps real estate investors become even wealthier..... [more]

• Explainer - Josh Nicholas and Andy Ball: Empty petrol stations and volatile prices: Australia’s fuel crisis in charts. Track the latest data on fuel prices, outages and oil tanker deliveries.... [more]

• Opinion - Samantha Menzies: Why now could be the perfect time to buy ASX dividend stocks. Regardless of what point of the economic cycle we're in, ASX dividend stocks are a long-term play..... [more]

• Analysis - Bob Kohut: BHP vs Rio Tinto – Which is the better investment?.... [more]

World Business News

• Stopgap measures aren’t enough to halt rising gas prices as the world scrambles for more oil.... [more]

• As traders approach another pivotal day for financial markets, a series of crucial decisions and economic data releases that could sway market dynamics are expected on Thursday, April 2, 2026. The day’s agenda features the release.... [more]

• Americans stepped up their spending at US retailers in February, after three consecutive months of declines, showing the US consumer hasn’t tapped out yet in the face of weak job growth and low consumer sentiment..... [more]

• The investor who coined the 'HALO trade' says now's the time to buy the dip in software.... [more]

• The professor who first warned the US about a K-shaped economy is raising another red flag: the stock market may be too optimistic about the Iran war..... [more]

• A rocky U.S. market for electric vehicles could mean muted sales growth when Tesla reports its delivery figures. On Thursday, Tesla TSLA +1.71% is expected to publish its delivery update for the first quarter..... [more]

• SpaceX has filed confidentially for an initial public offering, per multiple reports, with expectations that Elon Musk's company will go public this summer..... [more]

• Companies raised the most through share sales in the ​first quarter since 2021, and mega-IPOs from Space X and OpenAI may raise tens of billions more in the coming months despite ‌volatility.... [more]

• Visa is launching six new tools using artificial intelligence to modernize the process of disputing credit card charges, the company told CNBC exclusively. The digital payments company said the tools are designed to reduce the costs.... [more]

• The U.S. FDA on Wednesday approved Eli Lilly's (LLY.N), weight-loss pill, setting up the next battle ‌with Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), for the millions of Americans seeking highly effective GLP-1 medicines..... [more]

• Nike shares fall 9% on weak outlook, expected 20% sales decline in China.... [more]

• Boeing’s stock surges again after 7-year missile deal with the Trump administration. Shares lead the Dow’s gainers as Boeing will provide supplies to help triple production capacity of PAC-3 missiles.... [more]

• Allbirds, Once Silicon Valley’s Favorite Shoe, Sells for $39 Million. Despite once being valued at $4 billion, the company that made sneakers from Merino wool struggled to capture a wide customer base and turn a profit..... [more]

• Brazil's central bank boosts gold holdings to second-largest reserve asset in 2025.... [more]

• About 1.3 million UK homeowners may face higher mortgage payments by the end of 2028 as a result of the war in the Middle East, the Bank of England has said. The Bank's latest report into the risks facing the economy.... [more]

• UK food inflation ‘could hit 9%’, trade body warns as Reeves meets retail chiefs. Discussion on how to ease impact from Iran war coincides with Food and Drink Federation almost tripling forecast.... [more]

• J.P. Morgan sees only one BoE rate hike in 2026 after Bailey's Reuters interview.... [more]

• UBS has identified its top picks in the European luxury sector ahead of the first-quarter earnings season, with Richemont and Burberry leading the list as geopolitical uncertainty weighs on valuations..... [more]

• The UK is the most vulnerable country in Europe to potential jet fuel shortages as the Iran war throttles supplies from the Gulf, the boss of Ryanair has said..... [more]

• Tech giant Palantir has pushed back against concerns that military use of its AI platforms could lead to unforeseen risks, in an exclusive interview with the BBC, insisting that the way the technology is used is the responsibility of.... [more]

• Fragrance entrepreneur Jo Malone and companies connected to her are being sued for more than £200,000 in damages by Estee Lauder’s parent company over claims they infringed trademarks, High Court documents show..... [more]

• Peppa Pig and Transformers owner Hasbro hit by cyber-attack.... [more]

• Volkswagen deal with EV maker Xpeng shows how China tech threatens Western automakers.... [more]

• Russia exported more liquefied natural gas in the first quarter of 2026 than it did a year earlier, with shipments to Europe ​increasing despite Moscow's push to redirect supply away from the ‌region..... [more]

• Mainland China, Hong Kong premium office supply to peak as demand lags, Cushman says. Weak absorption reflects cautious corporate leasing amid global uncertainties, but Cushman expects gradual recovery as new sectors expand.... [more]

• Business sentiments in Japan improving despite Iran worries.... [more]

• Iran war pushing India to edge of a currency crisis. With oil over $100 and the rupee in free fall, India faces a reckoning that years of Modi spin can no longer hide.... [more]

• Explainer - Manya Saini: From filing to first trade: Inside the US IPO process.... [more]