China’s stock market in crisis amidst property slump and IMF’s housing alert

A week before the start of China's Lunar New Year break on February 10, the country's stock market has experienced its worst performance in five years. Despite government support discussions for the market, property companies' concerns overshadowed the market due to the Hong Kong court's decision to order the liquidation of China Evergrande, the country's second-largest developer with $US328 billion in debt.

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Retail sales fall after Black Friday boost, puzzling analysts

Now, this will puzzle the Reserve Bank and all those 'rate rise looms' urgents still breathing in the markets and among the commentariat – as expected, retail sales in December fell after the Black Friday sales event boost in November. However, November was, in turn, weaker than first reported a month ago by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

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Wall Street wraps Up 12th winning week amid Fed decision

Wall Street capped off a successful week on Friday, marking its 12th winning week out of the last 13, as investors eagerly anticipated the Federal Reserve's upcoming decision and Chair Jay Powell's remarks. While the market closely watched the central bank, it was the quarterly reports from tech giants Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet that stole the spotlight, potentially overshadowing the Fed's impact.

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Major Aust Ag shareholder convicted of insider trading in US court

The biggest shareholder in Australian Agricultural Co, 86-year-old Joe Lewis, who holds a 52% stake in Aust Ag through his company, Tavistock Group, has been convicted of insider trading by a US court. Lewis, who also revealed the purchase of another 6 million shares in the beef producer midway through 2023, pleaded guilty in a New York federal court to securities fraud related to insider trading.

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