The Last Word: Episode 9
Each week The Last Word will offer a review of the week's events and their impact on the markets.
Read MoreEconomics
Winston’s Weekly: Fed rate hike and RBA’s balancing act
Winston Sammut, the Director Property of Euree Asset Management, gives his weekly take on the REITs sector.
Read MoreSilver soars 4.5% as gold reaches new heights
Believe it or not but gold futures are within $US15 of topping the $US2,600 mark as prices lurched upwards on Thursday.
Read MoreECB delivers another rate cut as economic growth slows
A second rate cut in Europe and one next week for the US – the pace of central bank policy easings is accelerating.
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Brickworks faces tough times ahead
Thursday, we learned about impairment losses from Brickworks and its 43% shareholder, Washington H Soul Pattinson, related to their brick-making and masonry businesses in Sydney and the U.S.
Read MoreAnalysis of ASX, Endeavour Group, Platinum Asset Management
Fund Manager Chris Pedersen discusses ASX Ltd (ASX:ASX), Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX:EDV) and Platinum Asset Management Ltd (ASX:PTM).
Read MoreAugust gold ETF inflows hit record as markets wobble
In the midst of a volatile yen crisis, a global carry trade sell-off, and anticipation surrounding the Jackson Hole symposium, global physically-backed gold ETFs continued to show confidence in the precious metal during August, adding another US$2.1 billion in inflows. This marked the fourth consecutive month of positive inflows, with Western funds standing out, according to a World Gold Council (WGC) survey.
Read MoreAngloGold’s bid signals new wave of gold sector mergers
The much-anticipated wave of gold sector consolidation is finally gathering momentum. While some notable deals, such as Newmont’s $19 billion bid for Newcrest last year, have made headlines, mergers and acquisitions in the gold space have been relatively sporadic. However, AngloGold Ashanti’s recent £1.9 billion bid for UK-listed Centamin signals that pressure for consolidation is mounting.
Read MoreAPRA to phase out high-yield bank hybrids to ensure financial stability
Australian investors will no longer be able to invest in high-yielding, bank-issued hybrids after the key financial regulator, APRA, ruled that they posed a risk to the stability of the Australian financial system and economy.
Read MoreFederal Reserve scales back capital requirements for major banks
The Federal Reserve has significantly scaled back its proposed increase in capital requirements for the largest U.S. banks following pushback from the banking industry and lawmakers.
Read MoreBrent crude drops as OPEC and EIA lower 2024 demand forecasts
Global oil prices slumped to multi-year lows on Tuesday in the wake of a cut by OPEC in its forecasts for this year and next, coupled with weak data from China.
Read MoreEU court orders Apple to pay 13 billion euros in back taxes to Ireland
Ouch! Hours after launching its new iPhone 16 and watch, along with other products, Apple has been hit by a shock court ruling in Europe, forcing it to pay €13 billion in taxes.
Read MoreIron ore steadies as Chinas steel industry struggles
August saw yet another series of mixed messages from China regarding its appetite for key commodities such as oil, coal, iron ore, and copper.
Read MoreHas the Reserve Bank missed its chance to ease economic pressures?
Has the Reserve Bank’s "control inflation at all costs" approach caused it to miss the chance to ease pressures on the economy?
Read MoreAnglo American’s coal mine sale faces hurdles due to price drop
Monday, September 9, was the date Anglo American had indicated it would begin receiving bids for its five central Queensland coking coal mines.
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China’s consumer prices rise slightly, but weak demand persists
Inflation continues to tiptoe its way back into the Chinese economy, but for that, the Chinese government can thank another surge in food prices, especially the volatile price of pork.
Read MoreBeyond AI: Tech industry Faces Post-2022 Slowdown
Enthusiasm surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) is overshadowing broader struggles across the technology sector, with many companies still grappling with the slowdown that began in 2022, according to investors and recent financial reports.
Read MoreAldi UK reports record revenues despite market share dip
The annual UK results of discount supermarket giant Aldi have undermined analysts' and others' obsession with market share.
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Fed prepares for rate cut as AI and tech stocks face investor scrutiny
This week presents a heady mix of developments, including interest rates in Europe, inflation in China and the US, and share markets shifting focus from economic factors to market momentum issues.
Read MoreChinese markets slip as central bank hints at rate cuts
China was expected to release its monthly trade data on Saturday, September 7. It typically releases this data on the 7th day of the following month, except at the start of the year and sometimes after the end of a quarter.
Read MoreOPEC+ price boost fails as global oil markets tumble
The OPEC+ group’s latest attempt to boost global oil prices collapsed within a day of its announcement on Thursday. On Friday, US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude hit its lowest level since June 2023, marking its worst week in nearly a year. The postponement of OPEC+ production increases confirmed a dimmer outlook for crude than many had anticipated.
Read MoreChina’s gold reserve stays steady amid record price increases
Gold bugs will be beside themselves as China has stayed out of the very expensive gold market for the fourth month in a row.
Read MoreThe Last Word: Episode 8
Each week The Last Word will offer a review of the week's events and their impact on the markets.
Read MoreMoody’s sees Australian companies weathering the storm
Moody's Ratings says in a new report that Australian listed companies (carrying Moody's ratings) ended the June 30 fiscal year in good shape. They expect these companies (like BHP, Scentre, Dexus, Santos, Woolworths, Coles, Wesfarmers, Brambles, CSL, BlueScope Steel) to weather the economic slowdown.
Read MoreWinston’s Weekly: Is the property market bottoming out?
Winston Sammut, the Director Property of Euree Asset Management, gives his weekly take on the REITs sector.
Read MoreHow retailers thrived in a challenging market
Two of the oddities of the June 30 reporting season were the better-than-expected results from JB Hi-Fi and Gerry Harvey's relaxed attitude after a stronger-than-anticipated end to his company's tough financial year.
Read MoreOil prices plunge as OPEC hesitates
The OPEC+ oil alliance has blinked, delaying a planned easing of production cuts as global oil prices continue to slump.
Read MoreTop strategist predicts gold price drop
Gold prices are hovering near record highs above $2,500 per ounce, making it a standout year for gold enthusiasts. However, one top investment strategist suggests the precious metal’s impressive run may soon come to an end.
Read MoreU.S. job openings drop to three-year low as labour market cools
In a further sign that the U.S. labour market is cooling, job openings in July slumped to a more than three-year low.
Read MoreUS Steel shares plunge as Biden prepares to block Nippon Steel deal
President Joe Biden is expected to block Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion bid to acquire US Steel, following an assessment by his administration that the deal poses a national security risk that cannot be mitigated by the US and Japanese companies involved.
Read MoreUS coal industry consolidates amid declining revenues and export disruptions
The US coal industry is hunkering down as falling sales and revenues take an increasingly large bite out of bottom lines. The situation worsened earlier this year when the destruction of a bridge in the US East Coast port of Baltimore disrupted coal exports for a couple of months.
Read MoreHousing market struggles as lending to US homebuilders declines
US homebuilders are experiencing the most significant credit crunch in over a decade, with banks reducing lending for residential construction by more than 10%.
Read MoreAnalysis of Mineral Resources, Woolworths, Wesfarmers, Qantas
Fund Manager Chris Pedersen discusses Mineral Resources, Woolworths Group, Wesfarmers and Qantas Airways.
Read MoreTransport services drag on GDP growth
The Australian economy performed slightly better than forecast in the June quarter, but it still showed weakness for both the three months and the 2023-24 financial year.
Read MoreBlackstone bites into Aussie data centre
Global investment titan Blackstone has snapped up Australian data center giant AirTrunk for a whopping $23.5 billion. The deal, which marks the largest corporate transaction in Australia this year, underscores the insatiable appetite for data centers as artificial intelligence continues to reshape the technological landscape.
Read MoreShares of copper miners decline after Goldman Sachs lowers copper price forecast
Shares of Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and other major copper miners took a hit after Goldman Sachs ended its long-standing recommendation to buy copper and significantly reduced its price forecast for the metal.
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