Market Reports

• Australian Market Report: The Australian sharemarket closed in the red on Friday as the big miners and banks lost ground, the S&P/ASX 200 fell 69.4 points or 0.8 per cent, to 8428.40 at the close after another rollercoaster night on markets.... [more]

• U.S. Market Report: Wall Street ended sharply lower on Friday, with the S&P 500 closing at its lowest in six months, as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran entered its fourth ​week, deepening worries about inflation and the potential for higher interest rates..... [more]

• European Market Report: After a fairly good start Friday morning, the major European markets turned weak and ended the day's session with notable losses as oil's climb and concerns that major central banks will soon hike interest rates.... [more]

• Asian Market Report: Asian stocks ended mostly lower in thin trading on Friday, with Japanese markets closed for a holiday. A cautious undertone prevailed as strikes targeting infrastructure in Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia stoked concerns.... [more]

Australian Business News

• The Mideast conflict has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz – a world energy chokepoint – and is rippling out across markets and supply chains. We think this is a visible global macro shock no matter the endgame.... [more]

• The price of petrol in Australia jumped again this week to reach an all-time high as the war in the Middle East continued with no end in sight..... [more]

• Australia is yet to directly feel the impact of oil supply shortages caused by the US-Israel war on Iran. Fuel prices locally have increased with the global benchmarks for crude, but stockpiled reserves and lag in the supply chain .... [more]

• Thousands of young Australians have been ripped off by bosses who forgot or refused to pay superannuation entitlements, collectively costing millions in retirement. Fresh figures released by Cbus Superannuation found.... [more]

• Blackstone on finding real value and the Aussie deal that stole the spotlight. The alternative asset giant rolled into town to talk through its headline-grabbing deals and the big ideas in markets..... [more]

• Aguia Resources has drawn a line under its Atocha silver project in Colombia, banking a final C$1M (A$1.028M) to sell its retained equity and completing the clean exit it began late last year..... [more]

• Australian coalminers are set for soaring revenues, as oil and gas exports from the Middle East continue to be hampered by the war in Iran. In a note this week, Morningstar analyst Jon Mills says the financial agency has uplifted.... [more]

• Ampol (ASX:ALD) has has deferred a scheduled major maintenance program at the Lytton refinery from early June to the start of August CY26, to enable increased domestic oil production. .... [more]

• Households could start to feel relief from rising electricity bills within months as authorities move to cut prices on the eastern seaboard by as much as 10 per cent, potentially wiping off hundreds of dollars a year for some customers..... [more]

• Peak fashion body aims to rebuild local manufacturing battered by offshore supply chain interruptions.... [more]

• HaemaLogiX earlier this week announced it has received TGA approval to commence a Phase 1 clinical trial of its KMCAR™ CAR-T cell therapy targeting multiple myeloma, marking a key milestone for the privately held biotech.... [more]

• Australia’s data centre sector is entering a new phase as global demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure accelerates. Hyperscale technology companies are investing heavily in computing capacity to support AI systems.... [more]

• Venture capitalist Clayton Larcombe charged with assault as PAC Capital collapses. A prominent venture capitalist is facing a criminal charge as his financial empire rapidly unravels..... [more]

• Analysis - Gareth Hutchens: What is stagflation and what can we do about it? What is stagflation? You may have heard the word in recent weeks, because experts are worried that the war in the Middle East will cause stagflation.... [more]

• Opinion - Sebastian Bowen: 3 dependable ASX shares to add to a superannuation fund in 2026. I would trust these stocks with my retirement..... [more]

• Analysis - Mike Taylor: The news that Sequoia Financial has been engaged in advanced discussions with a third party regarding a possible transaction involving its troubled advice licensee, InterPrac, has raised eyebrows.... [more]

• Opinio - Mark LaMonica: ASX dividend champions. Lessons from a list of 20 ASX shares that have delivered over the last decade..... [more]

• Comment - Kerry Sun: Weekend Wrap: 88% of the ASX 200 is bleeding Gold is down 32% in three weeks. Oil is spiking. And your servo bill is only going up.... [more]

• Opinion - Greg Jericho: In February the unemployment rate rose from 4.1 per cent to 4.3 per cent, providing further evidence the Reserve Bank misread the economy when it made two consecutive rate rises..... [more]

World Business News

• Wall St Week Ahead Persistent Iran war, energy price surge set to sway wavering stocks.... [more]

• Gold just had its worst week since 1983.... [more]

• The U.S. economy was supposed to start the year with a bang, fueled by an unusually large jump in tax refunds from President Donald Trump’s tax cut legislation. Yet spiking gas prices are on track to eat up those refunds.... [more]

• How to survive a potential 'lost decade' in stocks, according to an investor whose firm thrived in the S&P 500's last drought.... [more]

• Financial markets are responding to the Iran conflict in unexpected ways — leaving some investors puzzled. Gold, often a haven during times of stress, has been falling. Meanwhile, stocks are down, but not as much as many expected..... [more]

• Famed short-seller Carson Block unpacks how he picks his bearish targets.... [more]

• Musk unveils record chip-building plan, Terafab.... [more]

• A jury has found Elon Musk liable for misleading investors by deliberately driving down Twitter's stock price in the tumultuous months leading up to his 2022 acquisition of the social media company for $44 billion. But it absolved him .... [more]

• United Airlines to cut more flights as it eyes oil above $100 through 2027.... [more]

• Compass drops lawsuit against Zillow over how some homes are marketed online.... [more]

• A trio linked with a US technology supplier have been charged over a ploy to smuggle American artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China, the Department of Justice said on Thursday..... [more]

• Argentina's economy expanded 4.40% in 2025 compared with the prior year, ​the country's INDEC statistics agency said on Friday, a ‌touch below analysts' 4.45% estimate..... [more]

• Global bond rout deepens with concern over war-driven inflation.... [more]

• Starmer adviser urges ministers to look at profits cap for energy and petrol firms. PM’s ‘cost of living champion’ calls for consideration of temporary measure to prevent profiteering from Iran war.... [more]

• The National Farmers' Union has warned that food prices in the UK are likely to go up as a result of the conflict in the Middle East..... [more]

• Palantir extends reach into British state as it gets access to sensitive FCA data. Exclusive: Allowing US tech firm to analyse intelligence in name of tackling fraud raises fresh concerns over privacy.... [more]

• UBS Asset Management Europe (AME), a Luxembourg-based unit of Swiss bank UBS (UBSG.S), has written to unions in Italy to start ‌negotiations over nine job cuts at its local business, roughly a fifth of overall staff.... [more]

• Volkswagen CEO tells newspaper German carmakers should look to Chinese planning.... [more]

• Chinese Premier Li Qiang pledged on Sunday to further open ​the country's economy to foreign firms and pursue more balanced trade with its global partners, after a year marked ‌by trade friction and tariff wars.... [more]

• Alibaba chairman Joe Tsai credits China’s AI edge to power grid, open-source models. Investment in power and open-source models, plus industrial depth, highlights China’s vast potential for AI applications, Joe Tsai says.... [more]

• Tencent integrates WeChat with OpenClaw AI agent amid China tech battle.... [more]

• Electric vehicle maker Xpeng (9868.HK), said on Friday it aims to double overseas sales this year ‌to raise the contribution from international markets to 20% of revenue, as it prepares to launch its G6 ​and G9 models in Mexico.... [more]

• South Korea Names BIS Veteran as New Central Bank Governor.... [more]

• Union coal and mines minister G Kishan Reddy on Sunday said coal gasification will play a critical role in enhancing India’s energy security, reducing import dependence and supporting industrial growth..... [more]

• As War Disrupts India’s Gulf Ties, Economy Faces ‘New Broadside’. Generations of Indian workers and businesses have turned the Arab side of the Gulf into a vital appendage of their own country..... [more]

• Explainer - Zoe Wood and Sarah Marsh: ‘Trumpflation’: how the Iran war’s economic storm could affect Britons. Yet another cost of living crisis looms with fuel, food, holiday, energy and home loan prices expected to rise.... [more]