Australia

Dollar and Wall Street futures fell and gold rose?on monday as Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell claimed that the Trump administration threatened him with criminal charges over the refurbishment of the central bank's HQ. This has heightened concerns about the Fed’s independence from political influences and added to the?a?frenzied start to 2026. Already, the U.S. captured Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro. They have also ramped up the talk of taking over Greenland. S&P futures dropped more than 0.5%. Meanwhile, safe-haven metals like gold - that investors use as a hedge against inflation and turmoil - reached another record high. Money markets have...

The dollar fell and U.S. stock futures dropped after Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell claimed that the Trump administration had?threatened? him with a criminal investigation, fueling investor concerns about the independence of the central bank. S&P 500 futures were down 0.5%. European futures fell 0.1% during the morning of Asia. The dollar dropped 0.2% against the major currencies, dropping below 158 yen to $1.1660. The news, traders said, was unsettling. However the immediate impact on interest rates is not known. Benchmark 10-year Treasury Futures rose by 3 ticks, resulting in an implied yield (4.15%), which is about one basis point...

Global stocks edged up on Friday, ahead of an important U.S. report. Investors also awaited the Supreme Court's ruling on President Donald Trump’s global tariffs which shocked markets last year. Geopolitical tensions around the world have boosted oil and defence stocks. Traders will continue to be concerned about developments in Venezuela, Iran, and Greenland. The U.S. Supreme Court's possible ruling on tariffs will dominate Friday's news. The reduction of tariffs may impact U.S. revenue, driving Treasury yields up and causing new waves in volatility. Kyle Rodda is a senior financial markets analyst with Capital.com. He said that the Supreme Court's...

The major?stock indices were mixed on Thursday, and Treasury yields increased ahead of the key?U.S. Jobs report was mixed, but defense shares rose amid President Donald Trump's plans for a $1.5 trillion budget. The aerospace and defense index reached a record high. European defense shares also hit a new all-time high. Investors also watched developments in Venezuela, which led to a rise in oil prices. The U.S. forces captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro over the weekend. Tuesday, the White House announced that Trump had also discussed options to acquire Greenland. "The defense budget is growing, if not increasing." Joe Saluzzi...

The European defence stocks rose to a "record high" on Thursday as oil prices and dollar gained ground. Geopolitical tensions rumbled from Venezuela to Greenland, keeping traders guessing. seizure Two Venezuelan-linked oil tanks in the Atlantic were reported alongside the news that U.S. Secretary Marco Rubio will?attend Meet?Denmark leaders Next week we will be discussing Greenland, and there are also some mixed economic statistics. STOXX, Europe's aerospace and defence stock index, has risen nearly 2% in the first hour of a fifth consecutive day of gains. They have already risen 13% so far this year and over 260% since Russia...

Oil prices remained stable?on Thursday, after a recent decline. Stocks fell as investors assessed the impact of escalating geopolitical tensions. labour market data. Top U.S. officials stated on Wednesday that the country must control Venezuela's oil sales and revenue indefinitely in order to stabilize the economy of the latter, rebuild its oil industry, and ensure that it acts in America’s interest. As part of Donald Trump's aggressive campaign to control oil flows in America, the U.S. also seized on the same day two Venezuelan-linked oil tanks in the Atlantic Ocean, including one that was sailing under the Russian flag. The...

Asian shares rose on Wednesday, capping off a year of rapid artificial intelligence-driven gains. Commodities such as gold and silver also extended their bullish trend to new highs, as 2025 approaches. Overnight, on Wall Street the S&P 500 closed at a record high as the long-elusive Santa Claus rally finally took hold. The U.S. economic data that showed the economy expanding at a faster rate than expected in the third quarter helped boost risk sentiment, but also weighed on bonds. Early Asian trading was dominated by gold and silver. Gold spot prices rose 0.8%, to $4,524 an ounce. This brings...

Wall Street opened higher, while the yen fell to near-all-time lows versus the euro. Higher interest rates put pressure on Japanese government bonds. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4%. Nasdaq futures gained 0.1%. MSCI's broadest world share index added 0.2%. Due to the fact that the?U.S. The?U.S. Investors are primarily focused on closing the year before January's inflation and labour market releases," he said. Even though it was a holiday-shortened weekend for most of the world, momentum funds continued to flow to equities and precious metals ahead of delayed data which is expected to show that the U.S. economic growth has...

Asian shares rose broadly on Monday, tracking Wall Street's tech-driven gains. Meanwhile, the yen fell to new lows against the Euro and Swiss Franc due to higher interest rates. Even though it was a holiday-shortened weekend for most of the world, momentum funds continued to flow to commodities, precious metals, and equities ahead of delayed data which is expected to show that the U.S. economic growth has been strong in the third quarter. Median estimates predict an annualised increase of 3.2%. This is due to a sharp drop in imports following a surge earlier in the year before the introduction...

Early trading Tuesday saw European stocks fall as traders remained cautious ahead of important U.S. employment data. The dollar also remained near its lowest level in the past two months. Investors waited for the U.S. Employment Reports for October and November due later in session. Data collection was delayed during the U.S. Government Shutdown. After the Fed's comments when it reduced rates last week were interpreted as being less hawkish that anticipated, this could affect expectations for the U.S. Federal Reserve monetary policy in the coming year. This would strengthen expectations for further rate cuts by 2026. The stock markets...

Asian stocks fell on Tuesday while the dollar drifted to two-month lows. Investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of the release of several U.S. economic data including the jobs report that could 'help gauge the direction of Federal Reserve policy for next year. Risk assets were under pressure due to the defensive mood, including bitcoin. Bitcoin, which?hit an all-time low of two weeks in the previous session, was down by 0.3%, at $86,017.67. Nasdaq Futures dropped 0.8%, and European Futures declined 0.5%. Hang Seng's technology index fell 2.7%. The MSCI broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan fell by 1.45%, its...

Investors reined-in risk-taking as they began a week that would be peppered with important central bank decisions and data release. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific index outside Japan fell 1%. This was largely due to a fall of up to 2.7% on South Korean shares. South Korea is one of the best-performing markets in the world this year. Chris Weston said, "We are now in the last week of trading before many close their books for 2025 and call it an end of year," said Chris Weston. He is head of research at Pepperstone Group based in Melbourne. "Some may have already...

Rio Tinto's plans to acquire Glencore to?create a global industry leader? could encourage consolidation in the copper-hungry sector, and put pressure on BHP to act. The bid, depending on the final value, could be one of the largest?10?M&A transactions ever. It reflects a desire for scale, which bankers say could lead to mega-deals by 2026. Mark Kelly, CEO of advisory firm MKI Global said, "This is another example that mining is consolidating, and big firms are forced to take corporate action in order to create value." Anglo American, a London-listed company, announced in September last year what was at the...

VHM, an Australian rare earths mining company, announced on Monday that it has terminated the?offtake contract with China's Shenghe Resources in relation to its Goschen rare Earths project? after conditions precedent were not met. If current trends continue, shares of?VHM could rise as much as 12.1% in early trading to A$0.465. This would be their best day since the 10th November. VHM stated that the decision was a sign of its intention to reach out to a larger pool of buyers, as global demand for minerals critical is increasing from buyers outside China. Macquarie Capital was hired by the company...

AustralianSuper, BlueScope Steel's largest shareholder, said that a $9 billion takeover bid from SGH & Steel Dynamics in the U.S. undervalued the company and it supported its decision to reject this offer. After announcing its increase from 12.5% on Thursday, the pension fund now holds 13.52% in BlueScope. BlueScope, which rejected the SGH Steel Dynamics offer of?A$30 a share on Wednesday, said that it was "significantly undervalued" and accused the acquirers for trying to purchase BlueScope 'on the cheap. AustralianSuper's spokesperson stated that "we?support the BlueScope Board's decision to?reject?the offer" and to'remain focused' on executing the strategy of the company...

BlueScope Steel’s largest investor, AustralianSuper said on Friday that it supported the Australian company's decision to reject a $9 billion offer from U.S.-based Steel Dynamics and?SGH?. After announcing its increase in stake on Thursday, the pension fund now holds 13.52 % of BlueScope. BlueScope rejected the $A30 offer from?SGH & Steel Dynamics on Wednesday, saying that it was "very significantly undervalued". The company also accused the acquirers of trying to buy BlueScope 'on the cheap. AustralianSuper's spokesperson stated that "we support the BlueScope Board's decision to reject the offer and remain focused on executing the company's strategy, without distraction." The...

Australian shares were up slightly on Thursday as gains in healthcare and banking stocks offset a fall in mining stocks. This comes a day after mixed data about inflation left the central banks' monetary policy uncertain. S&P/ASX 200 Index?edged?up?0.1% to 8,707.50 at 0012 GMT. The benchmark index rose by 0.2% on Tuesday. The Reserve Bank of Australia has set a target range of 2%-3% for core inflation. However, the data released on Wednesday shows that consumer prices increased 3.4% from a month earlier in November. This is slower than the alarmingly high rate of 3.8% seen in October. RBA already...

BlueScope Steel shares were down by 2% on early Thursday trading after the company turned down an A$13.2 Billion ($8.87 Billion) takeover bid from Australian conglomerate SGH and U.S. based Steel Dynamics. BlueScope's shares were trading slightly below the A$30 per share cash offer, which indicates investors believe a deal can still be struck despite the official rejection by the board. SGH shares traded 0.7% lower on Thursday after BlueScope stated that the offer "significantly undervalued" SGH after trading closed Wednesday. Steel Dynamics shares ended Wednesday's U.S. trade 2.8% lower. Macquarie analysts predicted that the takeover fight would continue. They...

BlueScope Steel's investors are hoping for a A$13.2 Billion ($8.92 Billion) buyout offer from SGH and U.S. based Steel Dynamics to gain their support to sell Australia’s largest steelmaker. BlueScope closed Wednesday with a 1.12% increase in its shares at A$29.87. This is a fractional amount below the A$30 offer that was made public on Monday. The BlueScope board has yet to deliver an official recommendation on the all-cash bid, which was the fourth approach from Steel Dynamics put to the Melbourne-headquartered firm since late 2024. SGH, owned by Australian billionaire Kerry Stokes would purchase BlueScope, and then sell the...

BlueScope Steel, an Australian steelmaker, said Monday that it received a preliminary?takeover bid in December from a consortium consisting of SGH?and U.S. based Steel Dynamics. The offer valued the steelmaker at $8.78 billion (?A$13.15?billion). SGH Ltd, a Sydney-listed industrial conglomerate and Steel Dynamics, a Nasdaq listed company, made a cash offer of A$30 per share on December 12. This represents a premium over BlueScope’s closing price on December 11 and a premium exceeding 22.7% above its Monday close. SGH, owned by Australian billionaire Kerry Stokes, would acquire all?BlueScope shares and sell its North American business to Steel Dynamics. BlueScope’s board...

European stocks rose on Monday as investors bought up defense stocks following the U.S. military strikes against Venezuela. This sparked new 'geopolitical' concerns. The STOXX 600 pan-European index was 0.3% higher by 0810 GMT. As investors return from their New Year holidays, trading volumes should normalize. Defense?index grew by 2.7%, reaching its highest level in two months. The technology and basic resources also rose by 2.1% and 2% respectively. Investors continue to monitor the impact of the 'dramatic capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas?Maduro over the weekend by U.S. forces. Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he would temporarily place Venezuela...

According to Barclays, activist investors who want companies to improve their performance launched a record-breaking number of campaigns in 2025. Market volatility, favorable financing terms, and increased deal activity created the ideal environment for lobbying for change. Blue-chip activists including Elliott Investment Management and a large number of newcomers launched attacks in 2025 on global companies, urging them to improve operations, replace board members, or even sell themselves. Activists attacked well-known brands like athleisure brand Lululemon Athletica and ride-hailing service Lyft. PepsiCo, the maker of soda and snacks, and Yeti, a cooler and drinkware manufacturer, were also targeted. The data...

Australian shares rose on Monday as mining and gold stocks extended gains to reach record highs. This was due to a rise in commodity prices that overshadowed the losses of?energy companies. S&P/ASX 200 index increased 0.2% to 8,777.90 by 2319 GMT. The benchmark index fell by 0.4% before the markets closed on Boxing Day and Christmas Day. The mining stocks rose by 1.1%, reaching a new record high. Copper prices reached a new high on Friday and iron ore prices also increased. Rio Tinto, the world's largest iron ore company, rose 0.7% following a?briefly reaching another record high. The Anglo...

China's iron ore state buyer uses increasingly aggressive tactics against mining giants like BHP in order to tighten their grip on the $132 Billion seaborne market, and to extract better terms from steel?mills. This is happening just as an enormous new supply source is about to strengthen China's hand. China Mineral Resources Group, (CMRG), in November asked their steel mills and traders to refrain from buying spot cargoes for a second BHP-product. This was months after the group blacklisted a product that had raised concerns with Australia's top supplier. Analysts and traders said that the standoff over a supply deal...