Market Reports

• Australian Market Report: The Australian sharemarket closed sharply higher on Friday, with miners and the big banks shining after Wall Street hit a fresh record overnight. The S&P/ASX 200 was up 105.3 points, or 1.2 per cent, to 8697.3 at the close..... [more]

• U.S. Market Report: U.S. stocks fell on Friday, sending the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq to more than two-week lows, as Treasury yields rose following hawkish remarks from several policymakers, while Broadcom's latest results sparked concerns.... [more]

• European Market Report: European stocks traded higher on Friday, with banks rising on investor optimism that the U.S. Federl Reserve will deliver more interest-rate cuts in 2026..... [more]

• Asian Market Report: Asian stocks rallied on Friday after the U.S. Federal Reserve delivered an outlook that was not as hawkish as some had anticipated..... [more]

Australian Business News

• 4 brokers on the ASX's hottest sector and the stocks best placed for 2026. 4 major brokers break down the outlook for materials in 2026, revealing the commodities and ASX stocks best placed for another strong year..... [more]

• Australia’s lack of productivity gains could impact the economy over the long term, a big four bank chief executive has warned. In prepared remarks at National Australia Bank’s annual general meeting,.... [more]

• Westpac has hiked its fixed home loan rates by up to 0.35 percentage points following indication from the Reserve Bank of Australia that a cash rate increase might happen next year..... [more]

• Bell Financial Group (BFG) has claimed a marked second half turnaround after notifying the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) of a 17% increase in unaudited profit before tax..... [more]

• Former ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott has launched legal action against the bank demanding it pay bonus incentives he had cancelled for his role in overseeing a horror run of regulatory fines and operating blunders..... [more]

• A Singaporean energy giant has struck a $6.5 billion deal to buy Australia’s fourth-largest power generator and retailer, Alinta, and outlined plans to invest in a major build-out of renewable energy across the country..... [more]

• Estrella Resources has delivered another set of exceptional assay results assaying up to 58 per cent manganese from its Ira Miri prospect, 10 kilometres west of Bauro in Timor-Leste,.... [more]

• More than 1000 jobs at Australia’s biggest aluminium smelter have been secured, the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared, announcing a deal likely worth billions of dollars to prevent the plant’s imminent closure..... [more]

• GreenX Metals (ASX:GRX) has activated an option to secure control of the Tannenberg Copper Project in Germany, declaring the “potential is enormous” at the 1,900km² licence area as it continues to dig for copper..... [more]

• ASX-listed mining heavyweight IGO has doubled down on its push into Venus Metals’ Bridgetown-Greenbushes lithium play, electing to roll straight into Stage 2 of the farm-in with a fresh $3 million exploration commitment..... [more]

• Battery subsidy scheme set for 'urgent' overhaul as costs run out of control.... [more]

• BHP Shares (ASX:BHP) Reach New High as Break Holds Into Weekend.... [more]

• For Ryman Healthcare (ASX:RYM) CEO Naomi James, it’s a great time for the retirement and aged-care operator to be straddling both sides of the Tasman..... [more]

• Austal shares fall after Treasurer greenlights higher Hanwha stake.... [more]

• Administrators for failed Australian salad farm company Dicky Bill have revealed its business debts to hundreds of staff and suppliers could exceed $10 million. Dicky Bill went into voluntary administration late last month,.... [more]

• US-based platform Reddit has filed a challenge in Australia’s High Court seeking to overturn the nation’s world-first social media ban for under 16s, arguing that the law infringes on free political speech and poses serious privacy risks..... [more]

• Analysis - Michelle Grattan: Albanese's social media ban is bold reform, but it will take years to judge its real success.... [more]

• Opinion - Andrew Leigh: Christmas cracker or consumer trap? Retailers put on notice. The Christmas shopping rush has settled into its familiar rhythm..... [more]

World Business News

• Bitcoin Drifts Lower With Any Push Higher Being Met by Fresh Sellers.... [more]

• A contrarian signal is close to flashing red, pointing to another potential sell-off looming for stocks. Bank of America's Bull & Bear Indicator, which measures investor positioning.... [more]

• Coinbase to launch prediction markets with Kalshi.... [more]

• Nvidia (NVDA.O), has told Chinese clients it is evaluating adding production capacity for its powerful H200 AI chips after orders exceeded its current output level, according to two sources briefed on the matter..... [more]

• Broadcom is the latest victim of sky-high expectations from AI investors.... [more]

• Wealthfront shares begin trading at $14 on Nasdaq, matching IPO price.... [more]

• Space stocks are surging on a colossal SpaceX IPO expected in 2026.... [more]

• Onetime cryptocurrency mogul Do Kwon was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison after a $40 billion crash revealed his crypto ecosystem to be a fraud..... [more]

• How tight supply, AI demand propelled copper towards $12,000.... [more]

• The Royal Canadian Air Force ordered six Global 6500 aircraft from Bombardier Inc. in a deal valued at about C$753 million ($547 million) for multi-role missions..... [more]

• Lululemon Athletica said on Thursday that its CEO, Calvin McDonald, will step down in January, after about seven years at the helm as the yogawear maker navigates a challenging consumer environment in the United States.... [more]

• Lululemon’s ousting of CEO draws praise from activist founder Chip Wilson.... [more]

• EU Approves Extending Freeze on Russian Assets to Help Ukraine War Efforts.... [more]

• Russia’s Central Bank sues Belgian financial institution as EU mulls using Moscow’s frozen assets.... [more]

• EU’s 2035 petrol and diesel car ban will be watered down, says senior MEP. Decision would anger environmental campaigners, who say it would amount to ‘gutting’ of green deal.... [more]

• UK economy shrank unexpectedly by 0.1% in October.... [more]

• Nationwide has been fined £44m by the City watchdog over “weak” financial crime controls that culminated in a serious case of Covid fraud that cost UK taxpayers £800,000..... [more]

• Coleen Rooney-backed sports nutrition and health firm Applied Nutrition has seen shares surge as it said full-year results are expected to be around 10% higher than expected..... [more]

• China will implement a broad licensing system for steel exports, the country’s Ministry of Commerce said, in what could be a bid to tame record shipments.... [more]

• China’s 2026 stimulus plan isn’t exports, it’s economic reform. The leadership of Xi’s Communist Party has made strengthening domestic demand the No. 1 goal for 2026.... [more]

• China Prepares as Much as $70 Billion in Chip Sector Incentives.... [more]

• Chinese autonomous-driving technology firm Pony.ai is betting on an “asset-light” strategy and newer generations of low-cost driverless cars to drive growth for its robotaxi operation as the company expects to break even by 2030..... [more]

• Prada to launch $930 'Made in India' Kolhapuri sandals after backlash.... [more]