Australia: News

Markets/Biz/Mining/Energy/Politics/Culture

Australia and World

January 2026

Jan 13

Markets

Australian Dollar: $0.6713 USD (up $0.0042 USD)
Iron Ore: $109.05 USD (up $0.75 USD)
Oil Price: $59.51 USD (up $0.39 USD)
Gold Price: $4,608.44 USD (up $99.24 USD)
Copper Price): $6.0225 USD (up 0.1320 USD)
Bitcoin: $91,157.39 +0.29%
Dow Jones: 49,552.79 (up 48.72 points)

News

Minerals stockpile faces 'long road' to pay-off

The Association of Mining & Exploration Companies' CEO Warren Pearce says the federal government's critical minerals strategic reserve could potentially be generating revenue for the nation by 2030. He adds that its success will depend on securing offtake agreements quickly. Resources Minister Madeleine King has conceded that it will take some time for the strategic reserve to begin producing revenue, but she believes that the need for a more diversified critical minerals supply chain will eventually result in "upside" for the nation. King adds that Australia has some key advantages over resources-rich Greenland in the development of mineral deposits. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Japan chases critical minerals deal

Justin Hayhurst is about to finish his time as Australia's ambassador to Japan, with Hayhurst to be replaced by Andrew Shearer, a former national security adviser to prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison. Hayhurst says that he never left his embassy residence in the last weeks of his appointment without a list of critical minerals on him, with Japanese officials keen to struck a similar deal with Australia to the one that Australia signed with the US last year, with that deal seeing $4.6 billion earmarked to develop new critical minerals projects. (RMS)

News

Allan denies firefighting funding cuts

Victoria's Opposition claims that the state government has cut funding to the Country Fire Authority, with the CFA's most recent annual report being cited as evidence. It shows that government grant funding fell from $351.6m to $339.5m over the four years to 2023-24, with the CFA's 2024-25 annual report not yet released. With Premier Jacinta Allan rejecting the opposition's claims, the row over funding comes as CFA volunteers fighting the state's current bushfires have claimed that they are being expected to do so in ageing trucks with no air-conditioning in temperatures of up to 40C. About 27 fires were still burning across Victoria on Monday. (RMS)

News

Telcos face renewed pressure after fire outages leave people stranded and desperate

Independent federal MP Helen Haines says telecommunications need to be secured during natural disasters such as the bushfires in Victoria; her electorate includes the fire-ravaged town of Longwood. Haines also contends that mobile phone base towers should have back-up power to ensure that there is network coverage during emergencies. The Strathbogie shire area, which includes Longwood, experienced a telecommunications outage during the bushfires, as did Towong and Natimuk. Temporary disaster roaming is already available for Triple Zero calls, but Telstra told a parliamentary inquiry in late 2025 that there a number of challenges in deploying it more broadly. (RMS)

News

Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce use Gina Rinehart's private jet to visit flooded parts of Queensland

One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has defended the use of a private jet to visit flooded regions of Queensland. Joyce and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson recently travelled to Mt Isa on a Gulfstream jet that is owned by mining magnate Gina Rinehart, where they subsequently visited flood-affected towns such as Julia Creek. Joyce contends that they were saving taxpayers' money by using the jet; he adds that the trip was an important sign of support for towns that have been affected by heavy rain and flooding from ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji in recent weeks. Hanson also travelled to the US on Rinehart's jet in October, along with her chief-of-staff James Ashby. (RMS)

News

'I'll cut off Cuba's oil, put Rubio in charge': Trump

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum says her country will continue to supply Cuba with crude oil, referring to the shipments as humanitarian aid. Sheinbaum's comments come after US President Donald Trump cut off Cuba's entire supply of heavily subsidised oil from Venezuela, while he also re-posted an account on his Truth Social site which stated that "Marco Rubio will be president of Cuba", accompanied by a laughing face emoji. Trump's secretary of state, Rubio is Cuban-American and a long-time opponent of the Cuban government. (RMS)

News

Wheatbelt family in wind farm court fight

Western Australia's Wheatbelt region has been labelled as the next frontier for renewables in WA, with $20bn worth of renewables projects in the region at various stages of approval or proposed. However, renewable energy companies have told the state government that a tactic being used by some farmers in the region is creating "operational risk" and investor uncertainty. It involves farmers who are against wind farms on neighbouring properties building a house on or close to their boundary to ensure no wind turbines can be built within 1.5km, a standard adopted to reduce the impact of turbine noise on neighbours. (RMS)

News

ASX gains on miners; Light & Wonder soars

The Australian sharemarket posted a solid gain on Monday, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.5 per cent to close at 8,759.4 points. The rising gold price boosted producers of the precious metal, with Ramelius Resources advancing 6.3 per cent to $4.39 and Newmont Corporation up 5.8 per cent at $166.59. Light & Wonder rose 18 per cent to $182.50 and PWR Holdings ended the session 10 per cent higher at $9.60; however, BHP was down 2.5 per cent at $46.51 and Super Retail Group fell 5.3 per cent to $14.90. (RMS)

News

BHP closes in on CBA's crown as ASX king

Shares in BHP have risen by 30 per cent in the last six months, lifting its market capitalisation to $236bn. The resources giant is now just 8.5 per cent shy of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia's market cap of $258bn, and a continued strong run could see it reclaim the title of the ASX's biggest company. CBA's shares peaked at $192 in mid-2025; Peter Gardner from Plato Investment Management believes that CBA is still a bit overvalued at its current price of about $154 per share. Meanwhile, BHP has been buoyed by strong commodity prices, which has prompted investors to rebalance their portfolios in favour of mining companies rather than banks. (RMS)

News

Woolworths strikes Google deal allowing AI to fill shopping baskets

Woolworths CEO Amanda Bardwell says its new partnership with Google will alter how its customers interact with it online. The deal with Google will see the supermarket chain use Google's Gemini artificial intelligence platform in Olive, which is Woolworths' chatbot. It will mean that Olive will be able to help Woolworths' customers plan their meals, and, with their permission, add items to their online shopping baskets. (RMS)

News

The true value of BlueScope

AustralianSuper has effectively told the Stokes family and US firm Steel Dynamics that the traditional practice of linking a takeover bid to the pre-bid market price does not apply to BlueScope Steel. This would seem to be the only interpretation that can be put on the fact that AustralianSuper started buying BlueScope shares at around $30, which is the price that the Stokes/Steel Dynamics alliance is offering for BlueScope, with AustralianSuper's strategy having essentially 'killed off' the bid. (RMS)

News

Wind, solar to get big federal boost

Clean Energy Finance Corporation CEO Ian Learmonth says it plans to back a number of big wind projects this year, including the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone in western NSW. Wind power is seen as vital to the federal government's goal of 82 per cent renewable energy in the grid by the end of the decade, while Learmonth says that large-scale wind, solar and battery projects will continue to be the CEFC's focus as far as projects that it will invest in. (RMS)

News

Upgrades at airports to transform travel experience

Airports have introduced advanced screening technology in response to legislative changes, with the technology eliminating the need for airline passengers to remove laptops, aerosols and drink bottles from carry-on baggage. This is expected to double the rate of passenger screening when compared to existing systems, while other changes expected to improve the travel experience at Australian airports this year include fixing Melbourne Airport's problem-plagued baggage system and improving travel access at Perth Airport. (RMS)

News

Directors vote to close Sendle after ill-fated US merger

Founded in 2014 and promoted as an alternative to Australia Post, parcel delivery company Sendle was recently merged with two US-based start-ups to form a new company called Fast Group. However, the directors of Fast Group have voted to close that company down, due to problems with gaining new funding; Sendle advised its customers on Sunday evening that it had ceased operations and had cancelled all scheduled parcel deliveries. (RMS)

News

Battle of the poker machine giants settled for $190m after two years

Light & Wonder has settled a dispute with fellow poker poker machine manufacturer Aristocrat Leisure that began two years ago. The spat started when Aristocrat Leisure alleged that Light & Wonder had 'ripped off' the programming behind its Dragon Link gaming machine, and had used it to create its own games: Dragon Train and Jewel of the Dragon. Light & Wonder advised on Monday that it has agreed to pay US127.5 million ($190 million), while it will cease commercialisation of the Dragon Train and Jewel of the Dragon games. (RMS)

News

'It's embarrassing': riders say time is up for fossil fuel sponsorship of heat-affected Tour Down Under

Oil and gas company Santos is the sponsor of cycling's Tour Down Under, which begins on 16 January. With cyclists facing increasingly extreme heat in events as a result of climate change, there are calls for the Tour Down Under to end its association with the fossil fuel producer. Former national champion Cyrus Monk says it is "embarrassing" that Santos sponsors the biggest cycling race in Australia, while former Tour De France commentator Matt Rendell claims fossil fuel companies like to associate themselves with cycling events because "cycling is cheap and the bicycle has impeccable environmental credentials". (RMS)

News

Labor warms to mining merger

The proposed merger between Rio Tinto and Glencore would require regulatory approval in a number of countries, including Australia. Resources Minister Madeleine King does not believe that a merger would be negative for Australia, noting that both companies have a significant presence in the nation's resourcs industry; she adds that Rio Tinto will always be an important part of the domestic economy. Meanwhile, Barrenjoey analysts suggest that Glencore's coal assets could be spun-off to existing shareholders if the proposed merger proceeds, given that Rio Tinto has exited coal mining. (RMS)

News

BHP considering its options amid mega-merger talks

BHP has declined to comment on speculation about its possible response to the renewed merger between Rio Tinto and Glencore. Romano Sala Tenna from Katana Asset Management says it could make more sense for BHP to merge with Glencore, given that both companies have significant coal assets and Rio Tinto has completely exited that sector. He adds that growing global sovereign risk means that achieving scale in the mining sector also makes sense. MKI Global Partners' CEO Mark Kelly in turn notes that BHP is seeking to reduce its reliance on iron ore for export earnings. (RMS)

News

Gold to crack $US5K amid Iran protests and Fed pressure

The price of gold rose by 65 per cent during calendar 2025, and it has risen above $US4,600 per ounce for the first time in early 2026. Sebastian Mullins from Schroders notes that the traditional 'safe haven' investment is benefiting from factors such as geopolitical uncertainty in Venezuela and Iran, as well as the Trump administration's latest attack on the independence of the US Federal Reserve. Justin Lin from Global X says the firm regards gold as one of the most attractive investments of 2026, and he is among the market watchers who believe that the gold price could rise above $US5,000 an ounce this year. (RMS)

News

Hedge funds 'toasted' as lithium spike hits shorts

The price of lithium carbonate in China has risen by 20 per cent so far in 2026, while spodumene - the type of lithium that is mined in Australia - has gained 22 per cent. This has in turn boosted ASX-listed lithium producers, which were among the bourse's top-performing stocks in 2025; Liontown Resources has gained 34 per cent since the start of this year, while Core Lithium is up 15 per cent. Meanwhile, there has been a sharp fall in the short-selling of Australian-listed lithium stocks, and the rising price of the battery metal has forced hedge funds to buy more shares in order to cover their short positions. (RMS)

News

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Company Of The Month' award

News

Mining, Energy, Resources, Markets, Biz, Heavy Industry, Blue Collar, Energy, Culture, News

Heavy Industry Awards

Mack Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Caterpillar wins Media Man 'Heavy Equipment Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Bingo Industries wins Media Man 'Construction Brand Of The Month' award

Elders wins Media Man 'Agribusiness Of The Month' award

Landman wins Media Man 'Streaming Series Of The Month' award (Oil/mining industry based story via Paramount Plus)

Jim's Mowing wins Media Man 'Australian Business Of The Month' award

News

Pop Culture News

Landman (Paramount Plus)

(In Case You Missed It)

Plot

Set against the backdrop of the booming West Texas oilfields, Landman follows Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton), a crisis manager and landman for an independent oil company. Tommy navigates cutthroat deals, family tensions, and moral dilemmas while trying to keep his business afloat. The story kicks off with an investigation into a fatal accident involving an out-of-town lawyer, weaving in elements of drug cartels.

Landman is an American drama television series created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, inspired by Wallace's podcast Boomtown. It explores the high-stakes world of the oil industry in West Texas, blending themes of fortune-seeking, corporate intrigue, and personal drama amid roughnecks, billionaires, and geopolitical shifts.

The series premiered on Paramount+ on November 17, 2024, and has been renewed for a second season.

Landman: Season 2. Trailer (Paramount Plus)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=mhzQawESdqg

"You think you understand how this business works, but you don't." Things are heating up in the final Landman trailer. Season 2 premieres November 16, 2025, only on Paramount+.

"Death and a Sunset"
November 16, 2025

"Sins of the Father"
November 23, 2025

"Almost a Home"
November 30, 2025

"Dancing Rainbows"
December 7, 2025

"The Pirate Dinner"
December 14, 2025

"Dark Night of the Soul"
December 21, 2025

"Forever Is an Instant"
December 28, 2025

"Handsome Touched Me"
January 4, 2026

"Plans, Tears and Sirens"
January 11, 2026

"Tragedy and Flies"
January 18, 2026

News

Gold Movie

Gold is a 2016 American epic crime drama film directed by Stephen Gaghan and written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Édgar Ramírez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Corey Stoll, Toby Kebbell, Craig T. Nelson, Stacy Keach and Bruce Greenwood. The film is loosely based on the true story of the 1997 Bre-X mining scandal, when a massive gold deposit was supposedly discovered in the jungles of Indonesia; however, for legal reasons and to enhance the appeal of the film, character names and story details were changed.

Trailer

Gold (YouTube Movies and TV)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=yc0S96OZhi0

Gold is the epic tale of one man's pursuit of the American dream, to discover gold. Starring Oscar® winner Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar, Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf Of Wall Street) as Kenny Wells, a modern day prospector desperate for a lucky break, he teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on an amazing journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Getting the gold was hard, but keeping it would be even harder, sparking an adventure through the most powerful boardrooms of Wall Street. The film is inspired by a true story.

News

Best Quotes

The best and biggest gold mine is in between your ears."

"You are a gold mine of potential power. You have to dig to find it and make it real."

"Your mind is like a gold mine, if you dig deep you will find something golden."

"Don't die without mining the gold in your mind."

"We're like goldfields. Until we dig deep to find what's inside us, our true potentials may be hidden forever."

"If you want to find gold, you've got to love the process of digging."

"Even if you're sitting on a gold mine, you still have to dig."

"Develop men the same way gold is mined"

"Don't go into the mine looking for dirt; instead, go in looking for the gold."

"A prospector's job is to remove dirt as quickly as possible"

"A prospector who analyses every speck of dirt won't find much gold"

"The world is sitting on a gold mine but knows it not." "Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."

"All that is gold does not glitter."

"Gold is forever. It is beautiful, useful, and never wears out"

"Gold is the money of kings"

"Mining is the art of exploiting mineral deposits at a profit. An unprofitable mine is fit only for the sepulcher of a dead mule."

"Anyone can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds the gold."

"True gold fears no fire."

"The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit."

"Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."

"When taken for granted, gold in one's hand is sometimes considered like cheap copper – so are people."

Media Man

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Provider Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: X, Google News, Yahoo! Finance

Markets, Crypto and Culture

January 2026

Sin City Sydney, Australia to Wall Street, New York

Mining, Media and Intel

Digital Bush Telegraph

Jan 13

ASX 200 futures are up 24 points/0.3 per cent to 8755

AUD +0.4% to US67.13¢

Bitcoin $91,736.39 +1.24%

Wall St:
Dow +0.03%
S&P +0.2%
Nasdaq +0.5%
VIX +0.56 to 15.05
Gold +2.3% to $US4614.16 an ounce
Brent oil +0.7% to $US63.76 a barrel
Iron ore +0.5% to $US109.05 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.18% Australia 4.70%

Shares Today

TKO $199.73 +0.020 +0.010%
Tesla Inc $449.56 +4.55 +1.02%
Trump Media & Technology Group Corp
$13.97 -0.44 -3.05%

News

Crypto: sell-the-growth continues

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation grew by 1% over the past day and is down 1% from a week ago. Bitcoin received a boost from reports of a criminal investigation against the head of the Federal Reserve, which created momentum for a flight from US assets. In our view, this precedent is negative for risk appetite.

Bitcoin jumped to $92,500 but saw a significant influx of sellers, returning to $90,300 at the time of writing. Testing of the 50-day moving average as support continues. A slip below $90K could have a strong psychological effect, quickly taking the price to $87K and then sending it lower below $80K.

XRP is losing for the seventh day in a row, like Bitcoin, rolling back to the 50-day MA and close to the round level of $2.0. The coin is still up 10% since the beginning of the year, but the initial momentum has clearly lost steam, as there are too many people in the markets willing to sell on the rise. Most likely, this change in strategy for all cryptocurrencies will characterise the market in the coming months.

News Background

The total open interest in Bitcoin derivatives has fallen to its lowest level since the end of 2022, according to CryptoQuant. Historically, reaching such levels has preceded periods of consolidation or even bullish reversals.

Bitcoin could reach $2.9 million by 2050 in a base case scenario, according to VanEck's forecast. This will happen if the first cryptocurrency becomes a currency for international settlements and enters the reserves of central banks. The main obstacle to mass adoption remains the scalability of the network. VanEck emphasised the importance of developing second-level solutions that will speed up transactions and reduce commissions.

Monero (XMR) is regaining its status as the leading anonymous coin amid the crisis in the Zcash ecosystem following the departure of its development team. The asset has been growing steadily for several weeks, outperforming most of its competitors in the sector.

There are more and more signs in the crypto market pointing to the end of the sell-off. Among them are the stabilisation of outflows from ETFs, the situation with perpetual futures and positions on the CME, according to JPMorgan.

MSCI's decision on 6 January regarding companies accumulating cryptocurrencies is also favourable for cryptocurrencies. The global provider of stock indices has decided not to exclude them from its indices during the review in February 2026.

News

Gold shines on an anti-fiat thesis

The dollar suffered due to threats to the Fed’s independence

Gold managed to renew its record highs.

While labour market statistics strengthened the US dollar, the Justice Department's lawsuit against Jerome Powell seriously weakened it. The USD index recorded its worst fall in three weeks due to fears that the White House could undermine the Fed's independence, filling the FOMC with very dovish members. This risk stands in striking contrast with the current expectations of just two cuts by the end of 2026.

The US administration's lawsuit against Lisa Cook is not without logic. She will remain a member of the FOMC for a long time to come. By comparison, the developments involving the Fed Chair appear considerably more perplexing. Jerome Powell is due to leave his post in May. Moreover, thanks to him, the Committee has been leaning towards lowering rates at recent meetings. The case concerning the renovation of the Federal Reserve building may set a precedent for investigating the circumstances surrounding the recent demolition of the East Wing of the White House.

Markets perceive the resumption of pressure on the Fed as a reason to close short positions on EURUSD.
December employment growth in line with forecasts and a drop in unemployment to 4.4% gave derivatives reason to reduce the chances of easing in March to 29% and in April to 42%, with a full cut not priced in until June. The five-month pause, coupled with wide spreads on US and other bonds, had created a solid foundation for the US dollar to strengthen over the previous two weeks.

The Supreme Court is ready to come to the greenback's aid. It has stated that it will rule on the legality of the White House tariffs on 14 January. The US economy could receive additional stimulus in the form of a return to tariffs. Its acceleration could force the Fed to keep rates high for a long time. This will support the bears on EURUSD.

However, the risks of tariffs being declared illegal do not scare the White House. According to Kevin Hassett, the US will be able to quickly bring its tariff policy back to its previous format. Washington has a plan B that is just as effective as plan A.

The revival of the topic of the Fed's loss of independence allowed Gold to update its record high. For the first time in history, the precious metal exceeded $4,600 per ounce. According to JP Morgan, gold is an anti-fiat currency. The growth of public debt and attacks on central banks are increasing interest in debasement trading. The company is ready to hold up to 20% of its portfolio assets in precious metals and similar assets, changing the classic 60/40 model. (FxPro)

The Lead Up

Jan 12

ASX futures up 12 points or 0.1%/8697
AUD flat at US66.94¢
Bitcoin $90,571.34 - 0.17%
Dow +0.5%
S&P +0.7%
Nasdaq +0.8%
Gold +0.7% to $US4509.50 an ounce
Brent oil +2.2% at $US63.34 a barrel
Iron ore +0.4% at $US108.30 a ton

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Before The Bell

Media Man Favs

TKO Group Holdings Inc $199.63 -2.46 -1.22%
Netflix Inc $89.44 -1.09 -1.21%
Paramount Skydance Corp $12.06 -0.21 -1.71%
Tesla Inc $445.01 +9.21 +2.11%
Microsoft Corp $479.28 +1.17 +0.24%
Alphabet Inc Class A $328.57 +3.13 +0.96%

News

Jan 12

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.6671 USD (down $0.0022 USD) Iron Ore Feb Spot Price: $108.30 USD (up $0.05 USD) Oil Price: $59.12 USD (up $0.90 USD)
Gold Price: $4,509.20 USD (up $52.48 USD)
Copper Price: $5.8905 USD (up 0.0990 USD)
Dow Jones: 49,504.07 (up 237.96 points)

News Lead Up

Jan 10

ASX 200 futures up 29 points/0.3 per cent to 8714

AUD -0.1% to US66.90¢

Bitcoin $90,338.65 -0.95%

Wall St:
Dow +0.5%
S&P +0.7%
Nasdaq +0.8%
VIX -0.97 to 14.48
Gold +0.6% to $US4506.19 an ounce
Brent oil +1.7% to $US63.02 a barrel
Iron ore +0.4% to $US108.30 a ton

10-year yield:
US 4.17%
Australia 4.68%

News

Geopolitics will destroy the euro

EURUSD falls due to geopolitics and expectations of tariff removal

Gold returns to debasement trading

The US dollar continued its advance on Forex thanks to a new batch of strong macro statistics. Jobless claims rose less than expected. Productivity rose to a two-year high, and the US trade deficit unexpectedly narrowed to its lowest level since 2009. Donald Trump's plan to balance foreign trade with import tariffs is working. However, the Supreme Court may rule the tariffs illegal by the end of the week on 9 January. The cancellation of import duties would return funds to American companies and households, which have largely absorbed the cost of tariffs that previously weighed on economic growth. The US economy has continued to expand, supported by investment in artificial intelligence, rising productivity, and the wealth effect created by record equity markets that have boosted household prosperity. The return of tariff revenues would effectively act as a fiscal stimulus, increasing disposable income and corporate cash flow. As a result, GDP growth and inflationary pressures are likely to accelerate. This combination will create another barrier to lowering the federal funds rate. Stephen Miron's calls to cut it by 150 basis points in 2026 seem like a voice crying in the wilderness. Most FOMC members understand perfectly well what the return of money from tariffs could lead to. The hawks will gain a strong trump card, the pause in the monetary expansion cycle will be prolonged, and the US dollar will benefit from this. Rumours of additional sanctions against Russia are putting pressure on the EURUSD. Diplomatic efforts to bring peace to Ukraine are not yielding results, and the continuation of the armed conflict will continue to hold back the eurozone economy. Events in Venezuela and talk of Greenland joining the US are increasing geopolitical tensions. According to ECB Vice-President Luis Guindos, this could hurt business, and increased household savings will slow GDP growth. Despite the strengthening of the US dollar, gold has managed to counterattack. The precious metal is able to benefit from the Supreme Court's repeal of tariffs. The return of money will lead to an increase in the US budget deficit and public debt. These processes underlie debasement trading. In 2025, it became one of the key drivers of the 65% rally in XAUUSD. (FxPro)

News

From gold to crypto, fundies name their top trades for 2026

It’s not all about gold in 2026 as investors reveal their high-conviction plays across the ASX, commodities, currencies and bitcoin.

Jan 7

Investors have headed into the new year convinced that the roaring bull market in safe havens like gold and silver will not be the only game in town for making money.

While the record run for gold is expected to hold its ground, fund managers and strategists say the road map for financial markets will start to broaden into slightly more adventurous territory.

After 12 months of the ASX struggling to keep pace with its international peers and the stubborn weakness in the Australian dollar, bitcoin is among the assets tipped to make a comeback.

The market is expected to shift its focus towards the changing of the guard at the US Federal Reserve and the path of global interest rates.

Against this backdrop, here are some of the top trades that professional investors have made across asset classes for 2026.

Commodities
Geologist turned fund manager Rick Squire at Acorn Capital says the multi-year rally in gold will continue, but he is betting that producers of the yellow metal and businesses with advanced development projects like Golden Horse Minerals and Rox Resources will be the biggest winners.

“The best gains will come from developers or companies starting up new operations,” he says. “Explorers may also start to run, but that will be in late 2026 or later.”

Argonaut’s David Franklyn is the most bullish on uranium as major global economies look to nuclear energy as a component of their base load power.

Perennial’s resource specialist Sam Berridge agrees, adding that uranium could be the next critical mineral that the US backs as a means of spurring investment in domestic supply.

“The nuclear renaissance 2.0 accelerated materially into the close of 2025,” Berridge says.

In a more contrarian pick, Richard Morrow, who runs the Lowell Resources Fund, believes oil will shrug off concerns about oversupply and bounce back as the US dollar continues to soften. Brent prices lost 16 per cent last year because of a global supply glut.

Stocks
While the broader sharemarket is tipped to grind higher in 2026, Australian Ethical head of Australian equities Nathan Parkin says some of the best opportunities are in building materials, particularly companies with meaningful US exposure such as Reece.

While the stock declined into the back half of 2025, causing it to slip out of the ASX 100, Parkin believes Reece’s earnings have finally bottomed. “The propensity for those earnings is to be sharply higher in the next few years,” he says.

Parkin also likes Reliance Worldwide, describing its focus more on home repair and maintenance rather than new builds that is still leveraged to a recovery in building demand.

Aaron Binsted of Lazard Asset Management, meanwhile, says he has shifted his focus to more long-term bets for 2026 and is betting on logistics and moving away from the local tech sector.

His top picks are New Zealand-based Mainfreight and Freightways.

“As the economy turns, we’re expecting those to be good long-term earnings per share and dividend growers,” Binsted says.

For Morningstar director of equity research Johannes Faul, the best opportunities are in the smaller retailers – specifically fast food and footwear. Faul says that stocks such as Domino’s Pizza have been unfairly beaten down, creating attractive entry points.

He’s also backing Accent Group, the firm behind several shoe retailers including Hype and Platypus. He says the company’s recent share price slump is “overdone” that has left the stock trading at a deep discount.

Foreign exchange
Currency strategists are betting on a stronger Australian dollar as the Reserve Bank of Australia keeps interest rates high, while other central banks like in Europe and the US look to cut.

Alvise Marino of UBS favours the Aussie against the euro as the German economy falters. He says Australia’s lower debt and higher rates make it the safer bet. “The Aussie is likely to retain an interest rate advantage,” he adds.

The strategist has forecast the euro to drop to $1.70 by late 2026, from $1.75 currently.

Westpac’s Richard Franulovich and NAB’s Ray Attrill, meanwhile, are backing the Aussie against the US dollar. They expect a “diverging” rate path with the Fed to cut the benchmark while the RBA could look to hike.

Attrill adds that a new and likely more “dovish” head of the Fed when chairman Jerome Powell steps down in May will provide an extra tailwind.

Cryptocurrency
In the world of digital assets, Merkle Tree Capital chief investment officer Ryan McMillin is expecting bitcoin to rebound later in the year as the Trump administration “runs the economy hot” heading into the midterm elections.

While bond markets imply at least two US rate cuts in 2026, McMillin is expecting even more easing to be priced once US President Donald Trump names the new Fed chief.

“We see 2026 as a year where market structure and macro finally catch up with the underlying progress,” he says. “Bitcoin to new all-time highs in the second half … led by institutional flows rather than retail leverage.”

Crypto exchange giant Coinbase believes bitcoin will lead a digital rally in the first half before smaller alt-coins play catch up later in the year.

Global head of institutional research David Duong notes that there is $US7.5 trillion ($11.2 trillion) sitting in US money market funds which will be partially redeployed into crypto markets as the Fed cuts rates.

Citi forecasts bitcoin will soar to a record $US143,000 this year, up from about $US93,747 currently, and ethereum will climb to $US4304, up from $US3224, driven by a rebound in demand for exchange-traded funds.

Fixed income
Matthew Wacher, Morningstar’s chief investment officer for Asia-Pacific, likes Australian 10-year government bonds. He argues that with yields of about 4.8 per cent, the bonds offer a better balance of reward and safety than riskier corporate loans or US debt.

“The safety of Aussie government bonds and such yields are pretty attractive. They can give your portfolio a lot of protection,” he says, noting they currently offer the best “risk-adjusted” returns for the year ahead.

Australia is one of only nine countries with a top-notch triple-A rating by the top three rating agencies.

In addition to Australian government bonds, Tim Hext at Pendal is also bullish on gilts, adding that he likes how both Australia and the UK governments are managing their budgets. “At the end of the day, fiscal policy matters more than monetary policy,” he says.

While the United States and Germany continue to spend freely, he says Australia and the UK are cutting public spending or raising taxes. It’s for this reason Hext is betting against US and German government bonds and expects both to perform poorly by comparison. (AFR) *Full article and coverage via subscription to The Australian Financial Review

News

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award

News

Australia

Jan 9

ASX gains on tech and health; Ansell dives 6pc

The Australian sharemarket posted a modest gain on Thursday, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.3 per cent to close at 8,72.8 points. WiseTech Global was up 2.2 per cent at $68.28, CSL advanced 2.6 per cent to $174.45 and Monadelphous Group finished 2.2 per cent higher at $27.37. However, BHP fell 0.8 per cent to end the session at $47.34, Beach Energy was down 1.4 per cent at $1.07 and takeover target BlueScope Steel shed 1.6 per cent to close at $29.40. (RMS)

News

Employment Hero settles with rival Seek

Human resources technology company Employment Hero has dropped its legal action against recruitment firm Seek, which is both an investor in Employment Hero and a rival. Employment Hero launched its action after Seek cut off access to its application program interface (API), which is a tool that permits companies such as Employment Hero to directly post job ads to Seek and to manage job candidate applications. Employment Hero had claimed that Seek's action amounted to anti-competitive conduct, but the two firms have advised that the matter has been resolved. Employment Hero's access to Seek's API will be permanently reinstated, and a three-week hearing scheduled for September will not go ahead. (RMS)

News

Nvidia's platform to slash AI costs

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has used the CES, the world's biggest consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, to announce the release of a new hardware platform. Known as Rubin, it promises to reduce the cost of operating large scale artificial intelligence models by 90 per cent, while Huang also announced that Nvidia has entered into a partnership with Mercedes to create the world's first ‘thinking' and 'reasoning' car; he says Nvidia's vision is that every car and truck will be autonomous at some stage in the future (RMS)

News

Sports

As Aussies seal Ashes victory, economists hit Bazball for six

England's aggressive batting style known as 'Bazball' is under renewed scrutiny after losing the 2025-26 Ashes series 4-1. E61 Institute economists Adit Maitra and Matthew Maltman have analysed England's performance in Test matches since Bazball was introduced by incoming team coach Brendon McCullum in 2022. They found that England had initial success, winning 13 Tests during the first 18 months of the Bazball era; the team lost four matches and just one resulted in a draw. However, England's win rate has fallen sharply since the 2023 Ashes series, as opposing teams have adjusted their own playing style in response to the Bazball tactics; it should also be noted that England did not tour Australia or India - two of the highest-rated Test nations - during the initial phase of the Bazball era. (RMS)

News

Resources/Energy

Defence demand tipped to boost copper stampede

S&P Global has forecast that worldwide demand for copper will top 42 million tonnes by 2040, compared with 28 million tonnes in 2025. However, the firm warns that the demand-supply deficit could reach 10 million by 2040 unless there is a big increase in copper production. Carlos Pascual from S&P Global emphasises that copper supply is now a national security issue, given its importance to industries such as defence and artificial intelligence, and the fact that copper processing is now dominated by China. BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue are amongst the big miners that are ramping up their exposure to copper. (RMS)

News

'Like a sauna': World's hottest location

While 40-degree temperatures in Victoria this week amounted to a near record for that state, such temperatures are commonplace in Western Australia's Pilbara region. It is home to much of WA's $150 billion resources sector, but extreme heat there is becoming a material risk and is forcing mining companies to put in measures to protect their assets and their workforces. Dee Egan, who is a resident of the Pilbara town of Onslow, which has endured 45-degree heat for the better part of the past week, says living there feels like you are in a sauna all day. (RMS)

News

Oil stocks are cheap for a reason

Shares in Woodside Energy, Santos and Beach Energy have fallen in value by between eight per cent and 44 per cent over the last five years. In contrast, shares in the world's biggest oil companies have risen by up to 161 per cent over this period. Sharemarket experts contend that there are a number of reasons why Australian oil producers are trading at a discount; they include government policy headwinds and the fact that takeover bids are unlikely, as well as company-specific issues. Meanwhile, analysts say the Trump administation's military action in Venezuela is likely to drive the crude oil price lower, while rebuilding the nation's oil industry is expected to take years. (RMS)

News

Jan 8

ASX miner cheers Trump's 'involvement' in Greenland

Energy Transition Minerals' MD Daniel Mamadou contends that the potential for increased US involvement in Greenland is a "positive", and that it will benefit companies which operate in the Danish self-governed territory. Energy Transition Minerals is engaged in a long-running dispute with the Greenland government over its Kvanefjeld rare earths project; the deposit also contains uranium, and the government banned uranium mining in 2021. Kvanefjeld is estimated to contain up to one billion tonnes of rare earth minerals, including terbium. Energy Transition Minerals' share price rose 44.9 per cent to $0.145 on Wednesday. (RMS)

News

Nickel price offers respite for last few Australian mines

The price of nickel has risen to $US18,785 per tonne in London trading, which is its highest level since October 2024. The rally follows Vale's decision to suspend nickel production in Indonesia until the nation's government approves its annual production plan. Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings subsidiary BMI has downgraded its nickel price forecast for 2026 due to expectations that the global surplus will rise; the firm now expects the nickel price to average $US15,000 per tonne. However, BMI is upbeat about the longer-term price outlook, contending that rising demand for nickel will reduce the glut. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Best Quotes Of The Day

Media Man

Cryptocurrency, Finance and World

"Volatility is Satoshi’s gift to the faithful." - Michael Saylor

"Bitcoin is a tool for freeing humanity from oligarchs and tyrants, dressed up as a get-rich-quick scheme." — Naval Ravikant

"We have elected to put our money and faith in a mathematical framework that is free of politics and human error." — Tyler Winklevoss

"You can't stop things like Bitcoin. It will be everywhere, and the world will have to readjust. World governments will have to readjust." — John McAfee

"Bitcoin is the most important invention in the history of the world since the Internet." — Roger Ver

"Cryptocurrency is such a powerful concept that it can almost overturn governments." — Charles Lee

"In the future, national currencies will become obsolete. Bitcoin will become the single global currency." — Jack Dorsey

"The future of finance is crypto, whether it’s in payments, contracts, or savings." — Changpeng Zhao

"Crypto offers freedom to the unbanked and hope to the underprivileged." — Elizabeth Stark

"The new frontier of innovation is in decentralization. Blockchain leads the charge." — Don Tapscott

"Digital currency is here to stay, and it’s only a matter of how long before governments embrace it." — Brad Garlinghouse

Pop Culture

Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking

Santa vs Grinch
Bulls vs Bears
Crypto King vs Mr World Bank
Citizens vs NWO
Neo vs Agent Smith
John McAfee vs You Know Who!
TKO vs Naysayers
Jake Paul, Polymarket and BETR vs Naysayers
Pro Boxing vs Newspaper Reports
VKM vs The World
Paul Bros vs Mainstream Wokes
Mr X vs Mr Bluesky
Chris Jericho vs Dirtsheets
NFL vs everyone
Zuffa vs MVP
Netflix vs World
Meta vs Australia

Markets, Cryptos and Pop Culture

Culture In Biz Edition

December To Remember

Dec 10

Cryptos Struggling; All That Glitters. TKO To Naysayers!
World Streaming Wars
Online Media vs Legacy Media: Disruptors
Media Pop Culture Theme: "Another Brick In The Wall" aka "We Don't Need No Education" (Pink Floyd)
"Schools Out" (Alice Cooper)
Silicon Valley theme: "Stretch Your Face" (Tobacco)
"The Social Network" (score album for film)
"Hall of Fame" (The Script)
"Eight Days a Week" (The Beatles)
"The Wolf of Wall Street" ("Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (Cannonball Adderley)

December 10, 2025

Sin City Sydney, Australia

Australian dollar +0.21% to 66.39 US cents

Wall Street:
S&P 500 +0.04%
Dow Jones -0.26%
Nasdaq +.28%

Europe:
Stoxx 50 -0.13%
FTSE -0.03%
DAX -1.1%
CAC +0.49%

Bitcoin $92,341.80 +2.12%

Gold +0.42% to $US4208.41 per ounce
US oil -1.12 to $US58.22 a barrel
Brent crude oil -0.9% to $US61.93 a barrel
Iron ore -0.79% to $US106.42 per ton

10-year yield:
US 4.18%
Australia 4.75%
Germany 2.85%

Bitcoin

Bitcoin: (Near Live) $92,341.80 +2.12%

Ethereum $3,317.79 +6.32%

XRP $2.0989 +1.18%

News Update: (Near Live)

News

New York/Wall St via Mr Wolf!
December To Remember!

Dec 9
After The Bell; Bells To Be Rung

NYC!

Cryptos Today: (Near Live)

Cryptos shining up a little!

Bitcoin $92,572.31 +2.38%

Market ups and downs! Mood: Medium: Still picking up. Play the long game?! Hardcores keep dream, as always!

Media Man Favs:

(Near Live)

Bells Rung by Mr Wolf! TKO hulks up! Christmas Grinch vs Santa. Miners on hunt. Gamers full speed instead of socials.. Tech heads grapplers watch streaming wars! NYSE Bell Ringers With Trees! Prep for new Season's Beatings! TKO kicks out heading towards Saturday Night's Main Event

Wall St, New York

TKO Group Holdings Inc $197.11 -6.71 -3.29%
NVIDIA Corp $184.97 -0.60 -0.33%
Formula One Group Series $85.13 +1.63 +1.95%
Alphabet Inc Class A $317.08 +3.36 +1.07%
News Corp Class A $25.95 +0.22 +0.86%
Netflix Inc $96.71 -0.11 -0.11%
Caterpillar Inc $594.36 -2.14 -0.36%
Trump Media & Technology Group Corp $11.30 +0.20 +1.80%
Tesla Inc $445.26 +5.68 +1.29%
Walt Disney Co $107.02 -0.61 -0.57%
Wynn Resorts Ltd $124.22 -2.91 -2.29%
Meta Platforms Inc $656.96 -9.84 -1.48%
Elders ADR $19.73 (US) (NYSE)
Mercedes Benz Group ADR $17.71 -0.100 -0.56%
Rio Tinto Ltd $90.58 (US)
Paramount Skydance Corp $14.64 +0.070 +0.48%
Red Light Holland Corp $0.018 -0.00028 -1.53%
Volvo ADR (parent/owner of Muck Trucks) $30.89 -0.53 -1.69%
Porsche Automobile Holding SE Unsponsored Germany ADR $4.72 +0.020 +0.43%
Microsoft $492.02 +1.00 +0.20%

News

Crypto market awaits the final battle of the year

Market Overview

The crypto market lost just over 1% in 24 hours to $3.08T, falling back to the consolidation levels of late November. Attempts to shake up the market at the beginning of this month were unsuccessful for both bulls and bears. Excluding this impulse, the market has been treading water for almost two weeks, hovering around the 23.6% correction rebound line from the October-November decline. Such a shallow rebound could be a sign of a strong bear market, but this will only be confirmed if November's lows of $2.73T are updated.

Bitcoin is trading near $90K, having crossed this level for the fifth consecutive day. An upward trend line can be drawn through the lows of late November, but BTC is now trading dangerously close to this line. At the same time, horizontal resistance has formed in the $92K area, bringing the positions of bulls and bears closer together over time and promising a decisive battle by the end of this week. It could not only be the last significant battle of the year but also determine the trend for the coming months.

News Background

Short positions on Bitcoin have recorded their largest outflow since March 2025, when the price of BTC was near its lows. Investors likely believe that the current surge in negative sentiment has bottomed out, according to CoinShares.

According to Glassnode, the reserves of long-term Bitcoin holders fell to a cyclical low in November. This marks the end of the spot sell-offs that have hindered market growth throughout 2025.

Ethereum exchange reserves have fallen to record lows, which could signal an imminent supply crisis, according to CryptoQuant. Since July 2025, the indicator has fallen by about 20%.

The largest American investment company, BlackRock, has applied with the SEC to register an ETF that will allow investors to earn income from staking Ethereum without directly owning the cryptocurrency.

Strategy has increased its weekly Bitcoin purchases to their highest level since July. The company bought 10,624 BTC ($963 million) last week at an average price of $90,615 per coin. Strategy now owns 660,624 BTC, purchased for $49.3 billion at an average price of $74,696 per Bitcoin. (FxPro)

News

Streaming Wars: Netflix vs Paramount (for Warner Bros) aka WBD. What's Up Doc?!

Paramount makes hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery

Dec 9

Paramount Skydance has directly approached Warner Bros Discovery's shareholders with a takeover offer; it has opted to bypass the rival media group's board, contending that Warner's directors have backed an "inferior proposal". Paramount has proposed a cash offer of $US30 per share, valuing its bid for the entire company at about $US108bn. It is seeking to trump Netflix's deal to acquire some of Warner's assets for around $US83bn, which has been approved by the boards of both companies. Warner has rejected Paramount's claims that its sale process had favoured a single bidder.
*Developing news story "The Streaming Wars"

News

Australia - USA Connection

Praise for Trump's review of AUKUS

Defence Minister Richard Marles says the federal government is currently "working through" the Trump administration's now-completed review of the AUKUS alliance. He adds that the US is "completely supportive" of the deal to sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. The review was headed by US defence official Elbridge Colby, who has been a notable critic of AUKUS in the past. The AUKUS alliance is likely to be a key focus when Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong hold the annual AUSMIN talks with US counterparts Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio in Washington DC next week.

News

24 hours ago

The crypto market tries to form an uptrend

Market Overview

The crypto market soared by almost 7% over the past day, reaching a capitalisation of $3.15T and forming a higher local peak compared to Sunday. The mood on the crypto market was buoyed by moves from institutional giants Vanguard and Bank of America to open access to digital assets for their clients. Combined with the fact that the low point on December 1st is higher than the lows on November 21st, we are seeing a series of vital signs of an upward trend forming. However, a conservative view suggests that fluctuations below $3.38T are a correction from the previous decline.

Bitcoin approached $94K on Wednesday morning, recovering half of its losses from the sell-off between November 11th and 21st. Considering the entire decline from its October peak, BTCUSD remains trading below $ 98K as part of the correction. The $98-100K range contains three psychologically significant levels: the 50-day average, early November support, and 61.8% of the decline from the peak. Consolidation above this level could convince buyers that crypto winter has not arrived.

News Background

Vanguard, the world's second-largest investment company by assets, will open access to crypto ETF trading for its clients on December 2nd. The company had previously stated that it would avoid Bitcoin funds because cryptocurrency is an “immature asset class” and does not fit with the company's philosophy.

Bank of America, one of the largest banks in the United States, has recommended that its institutional clients allocate 1% to 4% of their portfolios to cryptocurrencies. Previously, investors were unable to access cryptocurrencies because advisors were prohibited from recommending such instruments.

The four-year cycle theory has ceased to work, so Bitcoin has a chance to reach new highs in 2026, according to Grayscale. Analysts believe there are already some signs that Bitcoin has likely bottomed out.

News (from Friday: Sydney)

ASX up as tech stocks rally, WiseTech gains

The Australian sharemarket posted a modest gain on Thursday, with lower trading volumes ahead of Wall Street's closure for Thanksgiving Day; the S&P/ASX 200 added 0.1 per cent to close at 8,617.3 points. WiseTech Global was up 6.9 per cent at $69.72, Bellevue Gold rose 3.2 per cent to $1.29 and Reece advanced four per cent to $12.73. However, DroneShield was down 7.8 per cent at $2 and Santos fell 1.8 per cent to end the session at $6.44. (RMS)

News

The Dollar's new edge: from shield to sword

The dollar is losing its safe-haven status. • The scale of the Fed's rate cuts has been overestimated. • The yen is the main favourite for 2026.

BoJ may not raise rates until March. If the US dollar was previously a shield, it is now turning into a sword. (FxPro)

News

Pop Culture News

Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking/Sports; Media Man Group Dream Match Series; Crack The Code!

Million Dollar Man vs IRS
Michael Wall Street vs Billionaire Ted
Mr X vs Mr BTC
Mr Green vs Mr Cash
VKM vs Easy E
Vinnie Vegas vs Mr Corbin
Mr Corp Merch vs Mr Freelance
Masked Superstar vs John McAfee
Sid Justice vs Mr Blood Diamond
Mr Bluey Chipper vs Street Fighter - King Of The Streets Mr Dotcom vs Mr Wiki
Mr Gold vs Mr Green - Money In The Bank Ladder Match Khan vs Khan - Winner Take All Match
Mr Wolff vs The Cleaner
Mr News vs Mr Vice - U.S Market Footprint Stipulation Mr Paramount vs Mr Netflix
Mr ESPN vs Mr Fox
Mr Kross vs Mr Cardona
Cesaro vs Rollins
Dirty Dom vs Mr AAA
Punks vs Egos
Kross vs H
Murdoch Title vs Title
Mr Black Coffee vs Mr Claudio's Cafe Blend
Mr Warner vs Mr Netflix: Broadway draw thus far! Re-match! Winner take all?!
TMZ vs Riddle
UFC vs PFL
The Oracle vs Cincinnati, Ohio
Mr X vs Hollyweird
Succession vs Billions
Mouse House vs Art House
NFL vs UFL
ABC vs Mainstream Aussies
Reigns vs Blanka
Cody Rhodes vs Joe
E. Honda vs NJPW
Capcom vs Warner
Cena vs ACME
Combat Sports Players vs Father Time
NXT vs TNA Wrestling (Showdown, not Invasion)!
Alpha vs Meta
TED X vs The Others
WWE's Solo vs NYC and Western Australia
UFC Predator vs MMA Predator
UFC Legal vs UFC Bad Egg Betting Disruptors
Bulls vs Bears
Logan Paul vs WWE babyfaces
Santa's Helper vs Grinch
John McAfee vs FBI + + +, Running .... Netflix Wins again!
Killer Kross vs Matt Riddle - Shoot Fight/Wrestling (MLW)! Holliday working web?! Most Marketable?!
VKM vs Numerous!
MLW vs The World
The Big Event vs US Promoters
Storm vs WWE Locker Room. Lash Legend on side!
NXT Gold Rush: Page & Green vs Hendry & Hail
Baszler vs Itoh - HOG Superclash - Nov 15
MSG, NY winning with WWE and UFC in Nov
The Vision vs WWE Lockerroom
John Cena vs Dirty Dom
Miz vs Management
Jericho vs Internet Marks
Mr Gold vs Mr Fool's Gold
Neo vs Mr Smith
PBR vs Others. No Bull?!
Aus Gvt vs Big Tech
Banks vs Cryptos
NVIDIA vs World
White House vs Wokes
Packer vs Devil D
Lucha Bros vs AAA Heels
WWE Black Scorpion/Masked Man vs Babyfaces
CM Punk vs The Hood
Starks vs Oba Femi - NXT Deadline
TNA Wrestling vs Dirtsheets
TKO vs Naysayers
John Cena vs Gunther: SNME
Chris Jericho and Mr X vs IWC
Mr Netflix vs Mr Paramount

News

Crypto Movies/Docos

The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014)
Follows early Bitcoin adopter Daniel Mross, exploring Bitcoin’s origins, its volatile rise, and the community behind it. Great for understanding Bitcoin’s early days and its potential to disrupt finance.

Banking on Bitcoin (2016)
Examines Bitcoin’s history, ideological roots, and impact on global financial systems through interviews with pioneers and experts. A solid primer for newcomers.

Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains, and the Future of the Internet (2020)
Directed by Torsten Hoffmann, this documentary dives into blockchain’s broader applications beyond cryptocurrency, addressing scalability and regulatory challenges. Ideal for those interested in blockchain’s transformative potential.

Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain (2018) Narrated by Rosario Dawson, it explores blockchain’s societal impact, from financial inclusion to voting systems. A comprehensive look at real-world applications.

Bitcoin: The End of Money as We Know It (2015)
Traces the history of money and introduces Bitcoin as a decentralized alternative, critiquing centralized financial systems. Features interviews with crypto experts.

Deep Web (2015) Narrated by Keanu Reeves, this documentary focuses on the Silk Road marketplace and its creator, Ross Ulbricht, highlighting Bitcoin’s role in dark web transactions.

Bitconned (2024) Explores the Centra Tech crypto scam, detailing how three individuals defrauded investors during the 2010s crypto boom. A cautionary tale about unregulated markets.

Feature Films

Crypto (2019)
A crime thriller starring Beau Knapp, Luke Hemsworth, and Kurt Russell. It follows a young anti-money laundering agent investigating corruption and cryptocurrency in his hometown. Critics note its exaggerated portrayal but praise its entertainment value.

Silk Road (2021)
A dramatization of Ross Ulbricht’s creation of the Silk Road, a dark web marketplace using Bitcoin. It explores his rise and fall, blending crime and drama.

Dope (2015) A coming-of-age comedy-drama featuring Bitcoin as a plot device. High schooler Malcolm uses Bitcoin for a dark web transaction, reflecting its early association with illicit activities.

Bonus Mentions

Life on Bitcoin (2014): Follows a couple attempting to live solely on Bitcoin for 100 days, showcasing early adoption challenges.

Bitcoin Heist (2016): A Vietnamese action-comedy about hackers chasing a crypto criminal, blending humor and thrills.

Notes Documentaries are generally more educational, focusing on Bitcoin’s history, blockchain technology, and real-world implications. They’re great for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Feature films often dramatize crypto’s association with crime or scams, sometimes oversimplifying or exaggerating for effect. They prioritize entertainment over accuracy. For a deeper dive, check streaming platforms like Prime Video, Fandango at Home, or YouTube, where many of these are available.

News

Wall Street (Movie)
Wall Street (1987), directed by Oliver Stone, is a drama about ambition and greed in the 1980s financial world. It follows Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a young stockbroker desperate to succeed, who gets entangled with Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a ruthless corporate raider. Gekko’s mantra, “Greed is good,” drives the story as Bud is lured into insider trading and unethical deals, compromising his morals for wealth and power.

The film explores themes of capitalism, loyalty, and betrayal, with Bud navigating pressures from Gekko, his father (Martin Sheen), and his own conscience.

Key Details: Cast: Michael Douglas (Gordon Gekko), Charlie Sheen (Bud Fox), Daryl Hannah (Darien Taylor), Martin Sheen (Carl Fox).
Runtime: 2h 6m.
Genre: Drama/Crime.
Rating: R. Box Office: ~$44 million (US).

Awards: Michael Douglas won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Notable Aspects:

Gekko’s “Greed is good” speech is iconic, reflecting 1980s excess. Inspired by real-life figures like Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken.

A sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), continued the story.

Where to Watch (as of 2025):
Streaming: Available on platforms like Peacock or rentable on Amazon, YouTube, or Apple TV (check current availability).
Physical: DVD/Blu-ray via retailers like Amazon.

News

Best Quotes

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." — Benjamin Franklin

"Bottoms in the investment world don't end with four-year lows; they end with 10- or 15-year lows." — Jim Rogers

Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful." — Warren Buffett

Media Man "Bullish is a mindset"

Content News

Australia: Content quota for streamers becomes law

November 29, 2025

(In Case You Missed It)

Australia’s federal parliament has passed legislation that will enforce content quotas for major SVoD platforms such as Disney+, Netflix and Prime Video.

The national government announced it would roll out such quotas earlier this November, which require streaming services with over 1 million domestic subscribers to spend 10 per cent of their total Australian expenditure – or 7.5 per cent of their revenue – on local originals. Now those points become law, and failing to comply will see streamers fined up to ten times their annual revenues in Australia.

Several Australian industry figures and organisations have welcomed the news.

Australia’s Arts Minister, Tony Burke, said: “We have Australian content requirements on free-to-air television and pay television, but until now, there has been no guarantee that we could see our own stories on streaming services. Streaming services create extraordinary shows, and this legislation ensures Australian voices are now front and centre. Now, no matter which remote control you’re holding, Australian stories will be at your fingertips.”

Australian Writers’ Guild (AWG) and Australian Writers’ Guild Authorship Collecting Society (AWGACS) CEO, Claire Pullen, commented: “This is a watershed moment for Australia’s screen industry. This will give our members and the entire creative community more certainty around their careers, and the industry here at home. Securing local content quotas is a significant step forward in levelling the playing field for streamers and broadcasters, and it acts as a strong reminder of what we’ve been continually told – that Australians want to see more Aussie content on their screens. We congratulate the Albanese Government, Arts Minister Tony Burke, Communications Minister Anika Wells and the many members of Parliament who’ve supported the campaign over the years on this achievement.”

“Today marks a watershed moment for Australian storytelling and the music that brings screen stories to life,” said Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS. “This legislation means local composers will have unprecedented opportunities to contribute to the next era of local screen creation. With post-production to occur in Australia, we’re looking at a significant pipeline of opportunities for our screen composers and sync music to play a central role in local productions. This represents a significant platform for growth for Australia’s music creators working in screen.”

SPA CEO, Matthew Deaner, said: “It finally puts in place a strong starting point for a regulatory framework that responds to the enormous changes that digital streaming platforms have made to our industry dynamics and viewing habits. For more than ten years, our members through SPA have worked both patiently and tirelessly together and with others parts of our industry to support the work needed to ensure that streaming platforms generating significant revenue from Australian subscribers also deliver a consistent and ongoing contribution to our industry and to our audiences, to ensure local Australian stories also find a place on their increasingly dominant services.”

News, Markets, Biz, Politics, Mining, Media, Marketing, Culture: Australia and World

December 2025

December 1

Markets

Australian Dollar: $0.6540 USD (up 0.0011 USD)
Iron Ore: $105.40 USD (down $1.30 USD)
Oil: $58.55 USD (down $0.55 USD)
Gold: $4,219.23 USD (up $61.79 USD)
Copper: $5.2780 USD (up $0.1155 USD)
Bitcoin: $87,321.17 -3.98%
Dow Jones: 47,716.42 (up 289.30 points)

News

ASX tipped for solid start ahead of GDP data

Futures pricing suggests that Australian equities will gain about 0.1 per cent when the market opens on Monday, following a positive lead from Wall Street. The release of GDP data for the September quarter is set to be a key focus for local investors in the coming week, as they seek guidance on the outlook for official interest rates. Inflation data released last week has heightened speculation that the next rate move may be up rather than down. The S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.37 per cent to close at 8,614.1 points on Friday, and it fell by three per cent in November. (RMS)

News

Nov 28

Gold may have doubled, but miners a gamble

Factors such as its 'safe haven' staus and record buying by central banks have seen the price of gold rise by more than 50 per cent so far in 2025. The share prices of Australian-listed gold producers have also rallied during 2025, and some have posted solid returns over the last decade. However, analysis shows that just 100 of the 172 listed gold miners in 2015 are still in business now. Meanwhile, about 40 per cent of the survivors have posted a negative return over the last 10 years. (RMS)

News

'Bloodbath': Black Friday deals pose a dilemma for small business

Australians are expected to spend nearly $7bn over the four days of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, and up to $39bn over the month of November. Indeed, Black Friday has evolved to essentially become a one-month sales event, and there is a growing expectation among consumers that every store will offer big discounts. However, Black Friday is challenging for many small businesses, which simply cannot match the deep discounts of large retailers. This is highlighted by research from the Council of Small Business Organisations; it found that 60 per cent of small business owners do not pay themselves at least occasionally, while 25 per cent have used their personal savings to stay afloat. (RMS)

News

Australia's Most Trusted and Distrusted Brands + The Retail Landscape

Join Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine to discover Australia's most Trusted and Distrusted brands; how traditional retail brands are being impacted by Temu, Shein, and AliExpress; how the dramatic shift to low prices is affecting discount department stores like Kmart and Big W; whether Amazon has finally become the digital category killer, impacting Myer, JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman; whether Coles and Woolworths are finally showing real signs of reputational recovery; and whether the retail sector seeing a rise in distrust amid all the upheaval. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Media and Marketing

Sport keeps TV afloat as Seven pips Nine

The Seven Network has become Australia's top-rating commercial free-to-air broadcaster for a fifth consecutive year. Seven's national audience share across the 2025 rating year was 41.6 per cent, ahead of the Nine Network on 40.5 per cent. Seven's total audience share across all five free-to-air networks was 29.4 per cent, followed by Nine (28.7 per cent), the ABC (21.5 per cent), Ten (12.6 per cent) and SBS (7.7 per cent). Nine's live coverage of the NRL Grand Final was the highest-rating program for the year, with a record 4.56 million viewers; the AFL Grand Final attracted a total audience of 4.18 million. (RMS)

News

The Age misses mark on AFL deal

A spokesman for DAZN says the UK-based sports-focused streaming company "categorically refutes" a recent media report which suggested that it could seek to renegotiate Foxtel's current seven-year AFL broadcasting rights deal. The Age reported last week that unnamed sources had claimed that DAZN believes it is paying too much for the AFL rights. Foxtel was acquired by DAZN earlier in 2025, in a deal that is said to have been worth about $3.4bn. (RMS)

News

News media eyes $600m yearly boost

Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok and Apple are estimated to have had combined revenue of $41bn in Australia during fiscal 2024. They could potentially pay local news publishers about $610m a year via the federal government's News Bargaining Incentive, which will penalise technology companies that fail to secure content deals with the nation's news publishers; based on the revenue of the 'big five', the financial penalty for not striking such deals could be around $920m a year. The NBI would apply to all digital platforms that operate "significant" social media or search services, even if they do not feature any news content. (RMS)

News

Magazine stable faces carve-up

Private equity firm Mercury Capital still hopes to sell the whole of Are Media to a single buyer. However, sources at Are have said there is speculation within the publisher that several potential suitors have expressed interest in selectively buying some magazine titles, and shunning the less profitable ones. Mining magnate Andrew Forrest is said to have been approached about buying the flagship Australian Women's Weekly via his family company, Tattarang, which already owns the RM Williams magazine. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

AI threat slashes billions from classifieds giants

Jarden analyst Tom Beadle has downplayed the risks that online classified advertising groups are facing due to the growing use of artificial intelligence platforms. He contends that AI companies are unlikely to develop a 'killer application' that will disrupt the business of Real Estate Dotcom Dot Au http://realestate.com.au owner REA Group in the near term. However, REA Group's market capitalisation has fallen by nearly $9bn since August, while CAR Group - which owns Car Sales http://carsales.com.au - has shed 16 per cent of its value. Nevertheless, there are fears that AI platforms will be increasingly used to directly search for jobs, homes or cars. (RMS)

News

Nov 28

Free entry gets museum record-breaking visitors

Analysis of the annual reports of museums in Australia shows that consumers continued to embrace the nation's cultural institutions in 2024-25. Museums Victoria had the highest patronage, with 1.93 million visitors during the financial year; however, this was 13 per cent lower than previously. Meanwhile, Western Australia Museum was the nation's second-most-visited museum, with visits to its three sites rising by 21 per cent year-on-year to 1.2 million. WA Museum chair Sheila McHale notes that visitor numbers were boosted by the state government's decision to waive entry fees during the 2024-25 summer. (RMS)

News

Mining/Resources/Energy

Nov 28

Inside the battle for BHP's future

There is growing speculation that BHP's CEO Mike Henry is preparing to step down after six years in the role. However, BHP's merger talks with Anglo American last week showed that Henry is still deeply engaged in high-stakes strategic endeavours, rather than easing into retirement. Potential internal candidates to succeed Henry when he eventually steps down include Geraldine Slattery, Rag Udd, Vandita Pant and Catherine Raw. Meanwhile, some BHP directors believe that the resources group should simplify its commodities portfolio by exiting the coal sector and focusing on copper; indeed, analysis shows that both BHP and Rio Tinto have underperformed those of pure-play copper mines in recent years. (RMS)

News

Nov 28

Bitcoin stalled at a critical resistance

Market Overview

The crypto market cap corrected by 0.4% to $3.10T, pausing the cautious rebound from last Friday. Yet we can’t talk about the rebound running out of steam, as there was strong growth the day before. But we do not see any increase in optimism, as just about one in seven coins has gained in the last 24 hours, compared to a decline for most.

The sentiment index rose to 25, the threshold for exiting the territory of extreme fear, despite the latest round of weakness. The index’s dynamics are likely to attract buyers who were eager to enter the market but were waiting for a discount after the highs were set in early October.

Bitcoin has fallen below $ 91K, stabilising near the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level of the decline since November 11th. The area near $90K was significant for the market about a year ago, serving as support for the correction after the growth momentum in early November. There is some risk that it will now act as resistance, reinforcing the bearish signal of a possible end to the rebound. A rise above $95K would signal a victory for the bulls and a return to a bull market, while a decline below $87K could open the way to $80K, driving the market into a depression.

News Background

Kronos Research describes the current dynamics as a classic rebound from oversold conditions. The market has cleared out excess long positions, creating room for growth, according to Presto Research.

Futures and options data point to a return of bullish sentiment. The market is ‘ready for growth’ after speculative longs were closed over the past two weeks, according to GSR.

According to CryptoQuant, in November, the Binance crypto exchange increased its stablecoin reserves to a record $51.1 billion. The growth of this indicator can be seen as a positive factor for the crypto market.

The potential exclusion of Strategy from the S&P 500 index and continued outflows from spot crypto ETFs could bring back bearish sentiment and trigger sell-offs, warns QCP Capital.

Bolivia will include cryptocurrencies and stablecoins in its national financial system to modernise it.

Cryptocurrencies will be allowed to be used as a means of payment, savings accounts, credit products and loans. The authorities’ decision is a result of the country’s challenging economic situation. (FxPro)

News

Heavy Industry News

Mack Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Caterpillar wins Media Man 'Heavy Equipment Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Bingo Industries wins Media Man 'Construction Brand Of The Month' award

Elders wins Media Man 'Agribusiness Of The Month' award

Landman wins Media Man 'Streaming Series Of The Month' award (Oil/mining industry based story via Paramount Plus)

Jim's Mowing wins Media Man 'Franchise Of The Month' award

News

Pop Culture Flashback

Citizen Kane (1941)

Directed by Orson Welles | Written by Orson Welles & Herman J. Mankiewicz | Cinematography by Gregg Toland

Why it’s considered one of the greatest films ever made:

Revolutionary storytelling: Non-linear structure jumping through multiple perspectives and timelines — decades before it became common.

Iconic moments/lines:

“Rosebud…”

The campaign speech with the giant Kane poster

The slow push-in on young Charlie playing in the snow as his future is decided

“Old age… it’s the only disease, Mr. Thompson, that you don’t look forward to being cured of.” (Bernstein)

News

Salt of the Earth (1954

Mexican workers at a zinc mine call a general strike. It is only through the solidarity of the workers, and importantly the indomitable resolve of their wives, mothers, and daughters, that they eventually triumph.

Best Quotes

The best and biggest gold mine is in between your ears."

"You are a gold mine of potential power. You have to dig to find it and make it real."

"Your mind is like a gold mine, if you dig deep you will find something golden."

"Don't die without mining the gold in your mind."

"We're like goldfields. Until we dig deep to find what's inside us, our true potentials may be hidden forever."

"If you want to find gold, you've got to love the process of digging."

"Even if you're sitting on a gold mine, you still have to dig."

"Develop men the same way gold is mined"

"Don't go into the mine looking for dirt; instead, go in looking for the gold."

"A prospector's job is to remove dirt as quickly as possible"

"A prospector who analyses every speck of dirt won't find much gold"

"The world is sitting on a gold mine but knows it not." "Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."

"All that is gold does not glitter."

"Gold is forever. It is beautiful, useful, and never wears out"

"Gold is the money of kings"

"Mining is the art of exploiting mineral deposits at a profit. An unprofitable mine is fit only for the sepulcher of a dead mule."

"Anyone can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds the gold."

"True gold fears no fire."

"The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit."

"Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."

"When taken for granted, gold in one's hand is sometimes considered like cheap copper – so are people."

Media Man

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Provider Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: X, Google News, Yahoo! Finance

Mining/Energy/Rare Earths/Biz/Culture/Politics: Australia, U.S and World

Markets, News, Biz, Mining, Energy, Politics: Australia and World

November 2025

Nov 28

Heavy Industry News

Mack Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Caterpillar wins Media Man 'Heavy Equipment Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Bingo Industries wins Media Man 'Construction Brand Of The Month' award

Elders wins Media Man 'Agribusiness Of The Month' award

Landman wins Media Man 'Streaming Series Of The Month' award (Oil/mining industry based story via Paramount Plus)

Jim's Mowing wins Media Man 'Franchise Of The Month' award

News

Markets

Australian Dollar: $0.6529 USD (up 0.0009 USD)
Iron Ore: $106.70 USD (up $0.10 USD)
Oil: $59.10 USD (up $0.40 USD)
Gold: $4,157.44 USD (down $8.15 USD)
Copper: $5.1625 USD (down $0.0410 USD)
Bitcoin: $91,056.34 -0.12%
Dow Jones: 47,427.12 (closed for Turkey Day)

News

Labor urged to bite the bullet on energy bills

Treasurer Jim Chalmers recently indicated that the federal government has yet to decide whether to extend its electricity bill rebates beyond December 2025. The rebate was introduced in 2023 and extended by six months in the March budget. The expiry of state energy rebates contributed to the higher-than-expected 3.8 per cent headline inflation rate in the year to October. Economists have urged the government to end the rebates, contending that they have a distortionary impact on inflation and have cost the federal budget about $6.8bn to date. Challenger's chief economist Jonathan Kearns notes that rebates also risk lifting expectations of higher inflation; indeed, ANZ-Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations have risen to a two-year high. (RMS)

News

ASX up as tech stocks rally, WiseTech gains

The Australian sharemarket posted a modest gain on Thursday, with lower trading volumes ahead of Wall Street's closure for Thanksgiving Day; the S&P/ASX 200 added 0.1 per cent to close at 8,617.3 points. WiseTech Global was up 6.9 per cent at $69.72, Bellevue Gold rose 3.2 per cent to $1.29 and Reece advanced four per cent to $12.73. However, DroneShield was down 7.8 per cent at $2 and Santos fell 1.8 per cent to end the session at $6.44. (RMS)

News

What bubble? AI investors double down

Australian technology investors have used a slump on the US Nasdaq earlier in the month to boost their exposure to the artificial intelligence sector. Those investors included Munro Partners, which has topped up its exposure to Nvidia, Alphabet and Taiwan Semiconductor, while Loftus Peak's holdings of US tech stocks include Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia and Taiwan Semiconductor. For his part, Joseph Ziller from Ziller Funds Management says he avoids AI stocks that are not creating value today from their huge capital expenditure. (RMS)

News

Snowy Hydro signs renewable power deals

Snowy Hydro will announce today that it has signed a 15-year deal to purchase power from a wind farm in South Australia that is being developed by Aula Energy, and which Rystad Energy says could cost between $810 million and $945 million. In addition to the deal with Aula Energy, Snowy Hydro will also announce that it has entered into a 15-year contract with French-backed TagEnergy to access 105 megawatts of capacity at the Golden Plains storage battery, which will be located alongside a large wind farm site near Geelong in Victoria. (RMS)

News

Tech giants target roadblocks to AI spending

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures shows that investment in machinery and equipment by IT firms in the September quarter came in at $2.8 billion, which was double the previous record of $1.4 billion set in the previous quarter. The figure includes investment in routers, cooling towers and servers used to construct data centres, and technology companies such as Microsoft and TikTok, along with data centre operators such as NextDC and AirTrunk, have got together to form Data Centres Australia. It will lobby for reforms to energy, water and planning approval and copyright laws, so as to encourage investment in AI-linked investment. (RMS)

News

Atlassians resist Allan's crusade

Atlassian is expanding its operations in Victoria, where Premier Jacinta Allan wants to legislate the right to work from home two days a week for private and public sector employees. Although he is an advocate of hybrid work arrangements and once stated that his employees can work from anywhere, Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes is against the idea of work-from-home mandates, believing that flexible work arrangements should be up to business to decide. As to the future of the Australian tech sector, Cannon-Brooke is very optimistic, even though the federal government seems set to fail in its target for the nation to employ 1.2 million tech workers by the end of the decade. (RMS)

News

Online out to pasture as Tabcorp bets big on pub and club punters

Tabcorp CEO Gillon McLachlan announced a major shakeup of its retail wagering operations earlier in the yea with McLachlan ditching a strategy by his predecessor that was heavily focused on internet betting growth. McLachlan instead plans to focus on punters in clubs and pubs, where it has an advantage over rivals such as Sportsbet and Ladbrokes. Its new strategy will see it pay pubs and clubs hundreds of thousands of dollars to help entice punters to gamble in their venues, while it will allocate $50 million to pay for bonus bets and other inducements for gamblers in pubs and clubs. (RMS)

News

High Court challengers of teen social media ban want Musk, Google to fund case

A group called the Digital Freedom Project is challenging the federal government's under-16 social media ban in the High Court, with the plaintiffs in the challenge being teenage children of members of the group. The group's president is NSW Libertarian Party MP John Ruddick, who is encouraging the big tech companies to fund its challenge, while he says it should be the responsibility of parents to be aware of what their children are doing online and to educate them about the harms of social media. Minister for Communications Anika Wells told parliament on Wednesday the government was committed to the ban, and that it will not be intimidated by legal challenges. (RMS)

News

Cricket's shot at $1.2bn Big Bash prize

Cricket Australia is aiming to partially privatise the Big Bash League, although it will need the consent of the various state cricket bodies. There are currently eight teams in the BBL, with Cricket Australia hoping to expand it to 10 teams; it has placed a value of $1.2 billion on a 10-team BBL, meaning that it stands to make a $600 million windfall if its plans go ahead. Most potential bidders are likely to come from India, with Cricket Australia not optimistic that local buyers would be able to meet its asking price. (RMS)

News

Critical minerals rise from waste ashes

Latrobe Magnesium recently received a letter of interest from the US Export-Import Bank, which offered to provide up to $US122m ($187m) to help build a magnesium plant in Victoria. Latrobe CEO David Paterson says China accounts for about 90 per cent of the global supply of magnesium, which is vital to the manufacture of electric vehicles and military aircraft. Latrobe's technology can convert the fly ash produced by coal-fired power stations into magnesium oxide. It has built a demonstration plant near the site of the defunct Hazelwood power station, and the funding from the US export credit agency will be used to build a commercial plant. (RMS)

News

Mineral explorers bounce on 81pc funding surge

Data from advisory firm BDO shows that the 739 pre-revenue minerals exploration companies on the ASX raised more than $3.49bn in total during the September quarter. This is 81 per cent higher than the June quarter, and Sherif Andrawes from BDO expects this growth to continue. Meanwhile, total exploration expenditure by pre-revenue companies rose by 16 per cent to a two-year high of $843.6m in the September quarter, while the average cash balance of mineral explorers increased by 20 per cent to $11m. Andrawes anticipates strong IPO activity among pre-revenue explorers in the December quarter. (RMS)

News

Palmer's Covid drug donation behind tax dispute

Clive Palmer is in a dispute with the Australian Taxation Office over a purchase he made of a shipment of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is seeking a tax deduction of almost $13m for his purchase, which was made at a time when US President Don­ald Trump was promoting hydroxychloroquine as a way of combatting COVID-19, with Palmer claiming his deduction as a donation for defending Australia, although the drug was never distributed. (RMS)

News

'How far is it going to escalate?' Fear Santos gas plan in Beetaloo basin could be start of NT fracking rush

Gas and oil company Santos has announced plans to drill 12 fracking wells at Tanumbirini Station, which is a large cattle station in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo basin. Environment Centre NT executive director Dr Kirsty Howey is worried that if Santos's plans lead to to full-scale production, that over 6,000 wells could be drilled through "our precious aquifers, polluting our groundwater with toxic chemicals", with ninety percent of the NT's water supply coming from groundwater. Howey says Santos should be a "good corporate citizen" and refer its proposal to be assessed under federal environment laws.

News

LNG levy proposal scared producers

The federal government is reviewing Australia's east coast gas market, with it being understood that it was considering a levy on east coast LNG exporters at one stage. However, while that idea appears to have been shelved and the government looks set to have settled on a gas reservation-style scheme, the fact that the government was even considering a levy has sparked concern among the gas industry about the extent to which the government is prepared to intervene in the sector. (RMS)

News

Smelters become a test case for bailouts

Glencore and Nyrstar are among the companies that have received financial assistance from federal and state governments to keep their ageing Australian smelters operating. China's dominance of the critical minerals sector has underlined the importance of continuing to produce metals such as copper and zinc in Australia. Nyrstar's lead smelter at Port Pirie and its zinc smelter in Hobart can potentially be upgraded to produce critical minerals such as antimony, bismuth, tellurium, germanium and indium; these metals are crucial to Australia's economic and security equation, particularly in the wake of the recent critical minerals agreement with the US. (RMS)

News

Crisafulli denies favouritism amid mine deals

Harmony Gold's Eva Copper Mine has received an undislosed financial incentive from the Queensland government's Northwest ­Energy Fund. However, two coal projects in the state have received no financial assistance from the government. Premier David Crisafulli has rejected suggestions that the government is favouring critical minerals over coal, arguing that it is providing the coal industry with certainty with regard to regulation and taxation; the government has previously been criticised for retaining its Labor predecessor's controversial coal royalty regime. Crisafulli adds that the Eva Copper Mine will help ensure that Glencore's Mount Isa smelter remains viable. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

ASX rally tempers on CPI shock; miners rise

The Australian sharemarket posted a sold gain on Wednesday, despite a pullback in response to data showing that inflation rose to a higher-than-expected 3.8 per cent in the year to October. The S&P/ASX 200 added 0.8 per cent to close at 8,606.5 points, having risen by about 1.2 per cent before the monthly CPI data was released. BHP was up two per cent at $41.80, Pilbara Minerals rose 7.2 per cent to $4.04 and Ramsay Health Care advanced 3.8 per cent to $37.32. However, Temple & Webster shed 32.3 per cent to end the session at $13.83. (RMS)

News

Fortescue, former execs settle with each side to pay costs

The terms of a settlement between Fortescue and three former executives will remain confidential, after all parties to the legal dispute agreed to take no further action. Michael Masterman, Bart Kolodziejczyk and Bjorn Winther-Jensen had been accused of using Fortescue's proprietary information when they left to establish a rival 'green' iron company called Element Zero in 2022. Fortescue commenced legal action in April 2024, and attracted criticism for hiring private detectives to undertake surveillance on the three former employees and their families. Element Zero's green iron plant in Perth will be formally opened by Premier Roger Cook today. (RMS)

News

The rare earths race is on

China has spent unlimited money to develop the world's best technology to produce heavy rare earths, while the French have developed rival technology that is not as good and is far more expensive. Meanwhile, Sinosteel's $100m pilot plant in Western Australia to process ore from Northern Minerals' Browns Range rare earth project is likely to remain idle, as Northern Minerals intends to build a new plant at Browns Range with financial support from the US Export-Import Bank. Haoma Mining's Bamboo Creek heavy rare earths deposit is also a threat to China's dominance of the sector; its Elazac process is now being used to extract gold and platinum from the Bamboo Creek material, and it could become a rival to the Chinese and French technology for extracting heavy rare earths such as terbium. (RMS)

Nov 26

News

Haoma Mining: Chairman's Presentation to shareholders

Haoma Mining NL Announcements

Haoma Mining held its Annual General Meeting at Tonic House in Melbourne on 26 November. Chairman Gary Morgan updated shareholders on Haoma's major activities in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, including the use of the Elazac process to produce gold bullion at the Bamboo Creek Pilot Plant, as well as its Pilbara Heavy Rare Earth discovery. Shareholders were also updated on progress at the Pirra Lithium exploration joint venture between Haoma and SQM Australia, as well as activities at Haoma's Top Camp Roadhouse and Caravan Park at Ravenswood in Queensland. (Roy Morgan Summary)

Lead Up

Nov 25

Big super's $110m stake in 'blood oil'

Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations chair Kateryna Argyrou says Australia's superannuation funds should divest their stakes in companies such as India's Reliance Industries. Argyrou's comments follow the revelation that Reliance has profited from refining sanctioned Russian crude oil and exporting the resulting fuels into markets such as Australia. The nation's four largest super funds have invested nearly $110 million in Reliance; they include AustralianSuper and the Australian Retirement Trust. (RMS)

Nov 25

Markets

Australian Dollar: $0.6462 USD (up 0.0009 USD)
Iron Ore: $105.00 USD (up $0.75 USD)
Oil: $58.84 USD (up $0.78 USD)
Gold: $4,123.68 USD (up $58.41 USD)
Copper: $4.9890 USD (down $0.0070 USD)
Dow Jones: 46,478.79 (up 233.38 points)
Bitcoin: $88,103.67 +1.47%

News

Force miners to sell local: smelter owner

Nyrstar Australia's CEO Matt Howell says the federal government should consider implementing a domestic minerals reservation scheme. It would work in much the same way as the proposed domestic gas reservation scheme, and require mining companies to sell a portion of their mineral ore to Australian refinery operators. The future of facilities such as Nyrstar's Port Pirie lead smelter and its Hobart zinc smelter have been under scrutiny, prompting federal and state government assistance. However, Howell's proposal has been dismissed by Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable, who has cautioned against government intervention in the minerals market. (RMS)

News

'Our gas, our prices': Ed Husic breaks ranks with Labor to demand an end to 'profiteering' by exporters

Former Labor industry minister Ed Husic has backed a motion by independent MP Nicolette Boele regarding east coast gas prices. The motion calls on the federal government to "only allow uncontracted gas to be exported after it has been offered to the domestic market at a reasonable price", with Boele saying Australia does not have a gas supply problem, but rather a gas export problem. Calling for stronger action against what he labels 'profiteering' gas exporters, Husic contends that "our gas, our prices: that should be the bedrock of our thinking. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

ASX to rally in 2026 on mining bounce: UBS

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 has retreated from the record high of 9,904 points in recent weeks, having closed at 8,525.1 yesterday. However, Richard Schellbach from UBS is upbeat about the outlook for the local bourse, forecasting that the ASX 200 will top 8,900 points again by the end of 2026. Schellbach says there are expectations that earning growth will exceed 10 per cent in 2026; he adds that although this will be driven by the resources sector, there will be earnings growth across the broader sharemarket. (RMS/AFR)

News

BHP drops second tilt at rival Anglo

BHP has advised that it has held preliminary discussions with Anglo American's board regarding a potential merger, but says it is no longer considering a bid for its London-based rival. BHP abandoned a previous takeover bid for Anglo American in 2024, and the company says it is still of the view that a merger would have "strong strategic merits" and create significant value for all stakeholders. BHP has indicated that it will instead focus on its organic growth strategy. Meanwhile, the latest aborted bid for Anglo has prompted speculation that Rio Tinto could pursue growth via acquisitions. (RMS)

News

Rinehart puts blowtorch on Rio Tinto, BHP over net zero spending

Hancock Prospecting's executive chair Gina Rinehart has criticised major resources groups for spending billions of dollars on reducing carbon emissions. Rinehart singled out BHP and Rio Tinto in her speech to mark National Mining Day; BHP is expected to spend up to $500m on reducing emissions over the next five years, while Rio Tinto has committed to halving its emissions by 2030 at a cost of $US5bn over 10 years. Rinehart contended that the dividends of BHP and Rio Tinto shareholders are being "sacrificed on the green altar". The speech was written by Rinehart but delivered by Hancock Iron Ore's CEO Gerhard Veldsman via a video message. (RMS)

News

Lithium prices slide on Chinese mine restart

The price of lithium fell sharply on Friday, in response to media reports that China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology could potentially resume production at its Jianxiawo mine in early December. Data from S&P Global Platts shows that the price of spodumene - the type of lithium that is mined in Australia - fell by 8.3 per cent to $US1,135 a tonne; the price of lithium carbonate in turn fell by nine per cent to 91,020 yuan on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange. The downturn prompted a fall in the share prices of Australian lithium producers on Monday. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Santos hit by delay on Narrabri gas ruling

Santos has received another setback in its long-running bid to proceed with the Narrabri gas project in NSW. A two-day hearing on the Gomeroi people's appeal against a Native Title Tribunal ruling on the project had been scheduled to begin in the Federal Court this week; however, Justice Natalie Charlesworth recused herself from the case because an associate had worked for Santos on secondment on two separate occasions. Another judge is not available to hear the case, so the traditional owners' appeal has been pushed back to March 2026. (RMS)

News

Nov 24

UK launches critical minerals strategy to reduce dependency on China

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a critical minerals and rare earths strategy, with the strategy aimed at reducing the UK's dependency on China. It includes a Stg50 million fund to boost production at tungsten and lithium mines in Cornwall. Europe's largest deposits of lithium are in Cornwall, while the EU has previously singled out the county's tungsten mine for potential financial support. The strategy follows a six-week standoff between China and the EU over the supply of chips used in the car sector, while it seeks to ensure no more than 60% of any one critical mineral comes from a single partner country by 2035; the British government also wants to produce at least 50,000 tonnes of lithium in the UK by the same year. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Pop Culture

Gold Movie

Gold is a 2016 American epic crime drama film directed by Stephen Gaghan and written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Édgar Ramírez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Corey Stoll, Toby Kebbell, Craig T. Nelson, Stacy Keach and Bruce Greenwood. The film is loosely based on the true story of the 1997 Bre-X mining scandal, when a massive gold deposit was supposedly discovered in the jungles of Indonesia; however, for legal reasons and to enhance the appeal of the film, character names and story details were changed.

Trailer

Gold (YouTube Movies and TV)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=yc0S96OZhi0

Gold is the epic tale of one man's pursuit of the American dream, to discover gold. Starring Oscar® winner Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar, Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf Of Wall Street) as Kenny Wells, a modern day prospector desperate for a lucky break, he teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on an amazing journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Getting the gold was hard, but keeping it would be even harder, sparking an adventure through the most powerful boardrooms of Wall Street. The film is inspired by a true story.

News

Citizen Kane (1941)

Directed by Orson Welles | Written by Orson Welles & Herman J. Mankiewicz | Cinematography by Gregg TolandWhy it’s considered one of the greatest films ever made:

Revolutionary storytelling: Non-linear structure jumping through multiple perspectives and timelines — decades before it became common.

Iconic moments/lines:

“Rosebud…”

The campaign speech with the giant Kane poster

The slow push-in on young Charlie playing in the snow as his future is decided

“Old age… it’s the only disease, Mr. Thompson, that you don’t look forward to being cured of.” (Bernstein)

News

Salt of the Earth (1954

Mexican workers at a zinc mine call a general strike. It is only through the solidarity of the workers, and importantly the indomitable resolve of their wives, mothers, and daughters, that they eventually triumph.

Best Quotes

The best and biggest gold mine is in between your ears."

"You are a gold mine of potential power. You have to dig to find it and make it real."

"Your mind is like a gold mine, if you dig deep you will find something golden."

"Don't die without mining the gold in your mind."

"We're like goldfields. Until we dig deep to find what's inside us, our true potentials may be hidden forever."

"If you want to find gold, you've got to love the process of digging."

"Even if you're sitting on a gold mine, you still have to dig."

"Develop men the same way gold is mined"

"Don't go into the mine looking for dirt; instead, go in looking for the gold."

"A prospector's job is to remove dirt as quickly as possible"

"A prospector who analyses every speck of dirt won't find much gold"

"The world is sitting on a gold mine but knows it not." "Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."

"All that is gold does not glitter."

"Gold is forever. It is beautiful, useful, and never wears out"

"Gold is the money of kings"

"Mining is the art of exploiting mineral deposits at a profit. An unprofitable mine is fit only for the sepulcher of a dead mule."

"Anyone can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds the gold."

"True gold fears no fire."

"The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit."

"Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."

"When taken for granted, gold in one's hand is sometimes considered like cheap copper – so are people."

Media Man

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Provider Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: X, Google News, Yahoo! Finance

Mad Monday Edition

News

November 2025

Markets

Nov 17

Australian Dollar: $0.6529 USD (up 0.0001 USD)
Iron Ore: $102.50 USD (down 0.35 USD)
Oil: $60.09 USD (up $1.34 USD)
Gold: $4,080.78 USD (down $82.66 USD)
Copper: $5.0500 USD (up $0.0015 USD)
Bitcoin: $94,324.41USD (down 1.62%)
Dow: 47,147.48 (down 309.74 points)

Bitcoin: (Near Live) $95,096.48 -0.79%

News

Heavy Industry Awards

Mack Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Caterpillar wins Media Man 'Heavy Equipment Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Bingo Industries wins Media Man 'Construction Brand Of The Month' award

Elders wins Media Man 'Agribusiness Of The Month' award

Landman wins Media Man 'Streaming Series Of The Month' award (Oil/mining industry based story via Paramount Plus)

News

Wyloo bets on nickel future as part of critical minerals boom

Wyloo's financial accounts show that it booked a $377.6m profit in 2024-25, after a massive impairment charge on its nickel assets resulted in a $352.8m loss for the previous financial year. The private company of Andrew and Nicola Forrest is continuing to explore for nickel near its mothballed mines in Western Australia, while it is also considering the construction of a nickel concentrator near Kambalda. Wyloo's CEO Luca Giacovazzi stated in its latest annual report that its future growth is likely to be on mining and selling nickel, while this focus is expected to be expanded to include rare earths. (RMS)

Nov 15

Make coal great again or China gets your data: Hanson

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson will release details of the party's energy policy during the last parliamentary sitting week for 2025. However, Hanson contends that amongst other things Australia must withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and extend the operating lives of the nation's existing fleet of coal-fired power stations. Hansen has emphasised the importance of coal-fired power generation to data centres in Australia, warning that they will not be able to compete with China. Hanson adds that it "frightens the hell out of me" that China will dominate global data storage due to its lower electricity prices, which will be at least partly due to coal imported from Australia. (RMS)

News

Former Rio boss called to Mongolian probe

A Mongolian parliamentary inquiry into cost blowouts at the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine was announced in September, with public hearings due to be held between December 8 and 12. Slated to be one of the world's top-five producers of copper by the end of the decade, the Oyu Tolgoi mine cost almost $US1.7 billion more than planned and took almost two years longer than expected to build. Former Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques is one of close to 300 witnesses called to appear before the inquiry, with Jacques having been CEO of Rio from 2016 to 2020. (Roy Morgan Summary)

Nov 14

BHP to learn class action fate for $72b Brazil dam disaster

The UK's High Court will shortly issue a ruling on whether BHP is legally for an iron ore tailings dam disaster in Brazil which killed 19 people and caused massive environmental damage in November 2015. The tailing dam was owned by the Samarco joint venture between BHP and iron ore rival Vale. Should BHP be found to be legally liable, individual claimants' eligibility for compensation and the size of any payouts will be determined in the next stage of the long-running case. BHP and Vale have already paid billions in compensation to people who were affected by the disaster. (RMS)

News

Fresh probe launched into MinRes, Ellison

It has been revealed that the Australian Taxation Office has launched a new investigation into Mineral Resources and its billionaire founder Chris Ellison. News of the investigation was revealed in a request sent by the ATO to the Federal Court in October for access to previously sealed documents that had been filed in the unfair dismissal case brought by MinRes' former procurement manager Steve Pigozzo in 2022. The new investigation will focus on how MinRes and Ellison calculated income and fringe benefit taxes, with the revelation regarding the new probe coming as MinRes prepares to hold its AGM next week, at which shareholders will be asked to approve a lucrative share options package for new chairman Malcolm Bundey. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Rio ends two-decade Serbia lithium mining dream as cost cuts bite

Rio Tinto has advised that its Jadar lithium project in Serbia has put in 'care and maintenance' mode. The company will cease undertaking environmental, heritage and geological surveys at the site in the Jadar Valley, four years after revealing plans to invest $US2.4bn ($3.7bn) on developing what it claimed would be the biggest lithium mine in Europe. There is growing competition for capital within Rio Tinto's lithium division, and its $10bn deal to acquire Arcadium Lithium earlier in 2025 added several mines that are already in production to its lithium portfolio. (RMS)

News

American activist claims IperionX more dud than minerals gem

Trading in the shares of Australian-listed IperionX were halted on Thursday, following the release of a report into the company by New York hedge fund Spruce Point Capital Management, which specialises in short-selling. With the US-based IperionX seeking to develop titanium extraction technology and having been backed by the Trump administration as part of its bid to secure domestic production of critical minerals, Spruce Point's report sought to raise doubt about IperionX's prospects. (RMS)

News

Biotech gets $20m in critical minerals push

US-based biotechnology firm Endolith has raised $US13.5m ($20.6m) via its initial round of venture funding, while it aims to raise an additional $3m in a second tranche. The start-up is developing technology that can be used to extract critical minerals such as copper from low-grade ore and waste rock that would be unprofitable to process using traditional methods. Endolith's technology uses microbes and artifical intelligence, and the company aims to commence real-world trials at a mine site within 6-12 months. (RMS)

News

Oversupply of oil could create glut of 4m barrels a day, says energy watchdog

The International Energy Agency has stated in its latest monthly report that the world is producing more oil than it needs, and that there could be a glut of 4m excess barrels a day entering the market by 2026. The IEA's warning has come in the same week that it issued its latest energy outlook report, which included a controversial scenario in which global oil demand would continue to grow until 2050. It had dropped the scenario in 2020 after it was accused of repeatedly criticised for underestimating the growth of renewable energy in its annual report, but returned the scenario to its outlook this year after calls from the White House to present a more optimistic view for the future of oil. (RMS)

News

Markets

Australian Dollar: $0.6528 USD (down $0.0012 USD) Iron Ore: $102.85 USD (up $0.20 USD) Oil: $58.75 USD (up $0.33 USD) Gold: $4,163.44 USD (down $33.38 USD) Copper: $5.0485 USD (down $0.0345 USD) Bitcoin: $98,332.56 USD (down 3.01%) Dow Jones: 47,460.49m (down 794.33 points)

Bitcoin: (Near Live) $97,618.71 =5.38%

News

The cryptocurrency market is stagnating, lagging its competitors

Market Overview
The cryptocurrency market capitalisation has changed little over the past day, fluctuating around $3.5 trillion. The cryptocurrency fear index has fallen to 15, its lowest level since 4 March. Notably, the cryptocurrency market has been left out of the recent rally in precious metals and stock indices. If this is not an attempt by whales to lock in profits from the rally since April or even from the growth of the last two years, then it is an alarming signal of deep-seated risk aversion that is about to manifest itself in larger markets.

Bitcoin continues to struggle to remain within the bull market on weekly timeframes, trying to stay above the 50-week moving average. Last week's close was on the edge and attempts to develop an offensive this week are running into sell-offs, despite the favourable external backdrop. The previous such transition occurred at the end of 2021, and so far, everything aligns with the 4-year halving cycles that many were quick to dismiss.

News Background

Over the past three months, a clear break has occurred in the correlation between Bitcoin and the stock market. The S&P 500 stock index has risen 7% during this time, while BTC has lost 15%. Judging by four years of close correlation, it can be argued that Bitcoin is currently undervalued, according to Santiment.

Jan3 founder Samson Mow attributes Bitcoin's decline to a massive sell-off by investors who bought it over the past 12 to 18 months. They are rushing to lock in profits amid rumours of an imminent bearish trend in the crypto market.

The crypto market's growth phase is nearing its end, so it is time for investors to consider locking in profits and reducing the share of crypto assets in their portfolios, according to Morgan Stanley, which cites a four-year cycle that the cryptocurrency market has consistently followed since 2009.

The bitcoin mining industry is facing a difficult period due to growing competition and declining profitability, said MARA CEO Fred Thiel. According to him, only those miners who have access to cheap energy or new business models will survive.

According to SoSoValue, spot Solana ETFs in the US have attracted more than $350 million in 11 trading sessions. The steady inflow of funds into new SOL ETFs came as a surprise to the market. The results significantly exceeded initial conservative forecasts, according to LVRG Research.

Visa has unveiled a pilot project called Visa Direct, which allows US customers to make direct cross-border payments in USDC stablecoin to recipients' wallets. The initiative is aimed at content creators and freelancers.

The crypto industry is entering a new phase of capital raising. The launch of Coinbase's ICO platform is expected to be a key event in this trend, according to Bitwise. The exchange will select and launch one verified project per month. (FxPro)

News

The dollar emerging from the data fog

• The US government shutdown is over. • Central bank policy convergence helps EURUSD. • Political scandal causes the pound to fall. • Japan's currency interventions are ineffective The House of Representatives voted 222 to 209 to resume government operations. The president immediately signed the document. The record-long shutdown is over. This fact promises that the Fed and investors will soon begin to exit their positions. The president immediately signed the document. The record-breaking shutdown is over. This fact suggests that the Fed and investors will quickly start to emerge from the fog once statistics are published again, allowing them to make data-driven decisions. But will they like what they see when the picture becomes clearer?
Alternative sources show a slowdown in the US GDP. The IMF forecasts a decline in its growth rate from 2.8% to 2% in 2025. The eurozone, on the other hand, is expected to accelerate from 0.9% to 1.2%. At the same time, the Bank of France plans to raise its estimates for the country, despite the ongoing political turmoil. The narrowing divergence in economic growth argues in favour of maintaining the upward trend for EURUSD. The same can be said about monetary policy. The ECB has most likely ended its easing cycle, barring any major shocks. The federal funds rate is likely to continue falling amid a cooling US labour market and economy. The euro has advantages over the dollar. However, in the short term, mixed data could lead to mixed movements in EURUSD.
The conflict on Downing Street has allowed GBPUSD bears to launch a new attack. When Labour came to power in Britain in 2024, the pound gained preference thanks to hopes for political stability after constant ministerial changes under the Conservatives. However, since then, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's ratings have been falling. Rumours of a plot to replace the leader have made investors nervous and prompted them to sell sterling. Doubts about the effectiveness of potential currency interventions continue to push the USDJPY pair higher. The current conditions differ from those of last year. Back then, Tokyo intervened in the FOREX market before raising the overnight rate. Now, Sanae Takaichi is sticking to a policy of fiscal and monetary stimulus. Any purchase of the yen will only have short-term success. In addition, it will require the expenditure of foreign exchange reserves. These are needed to make the investments in the US economy promised to Donald Trump. (FxPro)

News

Heavy Industry Awards

Mack Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Caterpillar wins Media Man 'Heavy Equipment Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Bingo Industries wins Media Man 'Construction Brand Of The Month' award

Elders wins Media Man 'Agribusiness Of The Month' award

Landman wins Media Man 'Streaming Series Of The Month' award (Oil/mining industry based story via Paramount Plus)

News

Media

Google Finance wins Media Man 'Business News Website Of The Month' award; Runner-up: Yahoo! Finance

Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award; YouTube and Paramount Plus are runner-ups! Strong mention: Tubi

News

News

Pop Culture News

Landman (Paramount Plus)

Plot

Set against the backdrop of the booming West Texas oilfields, Landman follows Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton), a crisis manager and landman for an independent oil company. Tommy navigates cutthroat deals, family tensions, and moral dilemmas while trying to keep his business afloat. The story kicks off with an investigation into a fatal accident involving an out-of-town lawyer, weaving in elements of drug cartels.

Landman is an American drama television series created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, inspired by Wallace's podcast Boomtown. It explores the high-stakes world of the oil industry in West Texas, blending themes of fortune-seeking, corporate intrigue, and personal drama amid roughnecks, billionaires, and geopolitical shifts.

The series premiered on Paramount+ on November 17, 2024, and has been renewed for a second season.

Landman: Season 2. Trailer (Paramount Plus)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=mhzQawESdqg

"You think you understand how this business works, but you don't." Things are heating up in the final Landman trailer. Season 2 premieres November 16, 2025, only on Paramount+.

"Death and a Sunset"
November 16, 2025

"Sins of the Father"
November 23, 2025

"Almost a Home"
November 30, 2025

"Dancing Rainbows"
December 7, 2025

"The Pirate Dinner"
December 14, 2025

"Dark Night of the Soul"
December 21, 2025

"Forever Is an Instant"
December 28, 2025

"Handsome Touched Me"
January 4, 2026

"Plans, Tears and Sirens"
January 11, 2026

"Tragedy and Flies"
January 18, 2026

News

Gold Movie

Gold is a 2016 American epic crime drama film directed by Stephen Gaghan and written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Édgar Ramírez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Corey Stoll, Toby Kebbell, Craig T. Nelson, Stacy Keach and Bruce Greenwood. The film is loosely based on the true story of the 1997 Bre-X mining scandal, when a massive gold deposit was supposedly discovered in the jungles of Indonesia; however, for legal reasons and to enhance the appeal of the film, character names and story details were changed.

Trailer

Gold (YouTube Movies and TV)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=yc0S96OZhi0

Gold is the epic tale of one man's pursuit of the American dream, to discover gold. Starring Oscar® winner Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar, Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf Of Wall Street) as Kenny Wells, a modern day prospector desperate for a lucky break, he teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on an amazing journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Getting the gold was hard, but keeping it would be even harder, sparking an adventure through the most powerful boardrooms of Wall Street. The film is inspired by a true story.

News

Best Quotes

The best and biggest gold mine is in between your ears."

"You are a gold mine of potential power. You have to dig to find it and make it real."

"Your mind is like a gold mine, if you dig deep you will find something golden."

"Don't die without mining the gold in your mind."

"We're like goldfields. Until we dig deep to find what's inside us, our true potentials may be hidden forever."

"If you want to find gold, you've got to love the process of digging."

"Even if you're sitting on a gold mine, you still have to dig."

"Develop men the same way gold is mined"

"Don't go into the mine looking for dirt; instead, go in looking for the gold."

"A prospector's job is to remove dirt as quickly as possible"

"A prospector who analyses every speck of dirt won't find much gold"

"The world is sitting on a gold mine but knows it not." "Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."

"All that is gold does not glitter."

"Gold is forever. It is beautiful, useful, and never wears out"

"Gold is the money of kings"

"Mining is the art of exploiting mineral deposits at a profit. An unprofitable mine is fit only for the sepulcher of a dead mule."

"Anyone can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds the gold."

"True gold fears no fire."

"The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit."

"Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."

"When taken for granted, gold in one's hand is sometimes considered like cheap copper – so are people."

Media Man

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Provider Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: X, Google News, Yahoo! Finance

Mining/Energy/Resources/Markets/Politics/Culture: Australia, US and World

October 2025

Thirsty Thursday Media Watercooler: All That Glitters? Drill, Baby Drill!
Search For Industry Culture and Beyond The Harsh Earth Surface; Wealth Found In Dirty Jobs

Oct 30

Pop Culture News

Plot

Set against the backdrop of the booming West Texas oilfields, Landman follows Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton), a crisis manager and landman for an independent oil company. Tommy navigates cutthroat deals, family tensions, and moral dilemmas while trying to keep his business afloat. The story kicks off with an investigation into a fatal accident involving an out-of-town lawyer, weaving in elements of drug cartels.

Landman is an American drama television series created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, inspired by Wallace's podcast Boomtown. It explores the high-stakes world of the oil industry in West Texas, blending themes of fortune-seeking, corporate intrigue, and personal drama amid roughnecks, billionaires, and geopolitical shifts.

The series premiered on Paramount+ on November 17, 2024, and has been renewed for a second season.

Landman: Season 2. Trailer (Paramount Plus)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=mhzQawESdqg

"You think you understand how this business works, but you don't." Things are heating up in the final Landman trailer. Season 2 premieres November 16, 2025, only on Paramount+.

"Death and a Sunset"
November 16, 2025

"Sins of the Father"
November 23, 2025

"Almost a Home"
November 30, 2025

"Dancing Rainbows"
December 7, 2025

"The Pirate Dinner"
December 14, 2025

"Dark Night of the Soul"
December 21, 2025

"Forever Is an Instant"
December 28, 2025

"Handsome Touched Me"
January 4, 2026

"Plans, Tears and Sirens"
January 11, 2026

"Tragedy and Flies"
January 18, 2026

News

Gold Movie

Gold is a 2016 American epic crime drama film directed by Stephen Gaghan and written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Édgar Ramírez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Corey Stoll, Toby Kebbell, Craig T. Nelson, Stacy Keach and Bruce Greenwood. The film is loosely based on the true story of the 1997 Bre-X mining scandal, when a massive gold deposit was supposedly discovered in the jungles of Indonesia; however, for legal reasons and to enhance the appeal of the film, character names and story details were changed.

Trailer

Gold (YouTube Movies and TV)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=yc0S96OZhi0

Gold is the epic tale of one man's pursuit of the American dream, to discover gold. Starring Oscar® winner Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar, Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf Of Wall Street) as Kenny Wells, a modern day prospector desperate for a lucky break, he teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on an amazing journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Getting the gold was hard, but keeping it would be even harder, sparking an adventure through the most powerful boardrooms of Wall Street. The film is inspired by a true story.

News

Oct 30

Markets

Australian Dollar: $0.6570 USD (down $0.0010 USD)
Iron Ore: $107.75 USD (up $1.35 USD)
Oil: $60.40 USD (up $0.48 USD)
Gold: $3,933.57 USD (down $20.40 USD)
Copper: $5.2030 USD (up $0.0320 USD)
Bitcoin: $111,274.01 USD (down 1.22%)
Dow: 47,632.00 (down 74.37 points)

News

Fading Roy Hill seeks new riches

Iron ore miner Roy Hill has posted a net profit of $1.8bn for 2024-25, compared with $3.2bn in the previous financial year; it is the Gina Rinehart-backed company's lowest profit since 2019-20. Roy Hill's iron ore shipments totalled 61.6 million tonnes in 2024-25, compared with 64 million tonnes previously. The company's latest results were marred by factors such as lower iron ore prices and production disruptions caused by Cyclone Zelia in early 2025. Roy Hill's flagship mine is estimated to have a remaining production life of about seven years, but Rinehart says the new McPhee mine will extend the operating life of the Roy Hill mine. (RMS)

News

Northern Minerals faces battle for board

A spokesman for Northern Minerals says its four directors take their role of acting in the best interests of all shareholders very seriously. They add that the board supports the re-election of executive chairman Adam Handley at the upcoming AGM in order to maintain a "stable, united and effective board", while it opposes the election of non-endorsed nominees for the same reasons. Chinese businessman Enping Fu and Sydney-based businesswoman Joanna Yanis are seeking to be elected to the board of the heavy rare earths miner; the former narrowly failed to do so in 2024. The federal government ordered companies with Chinese links to divest shares in Northern Minerals last year, due to the strategic importance of its Browns Range project. (RMS)

News

Trunp's $121b nuclear deal fresh blow to uranium short-sellers

The share prices of Australian-listed uranium producers rallied on Wednesday after the Trump administration revealed plans to spend US80bn ($121.4bn) on new nuclear reactors across the US. The deal with Westinghouse Electric is aimed at ensuring a reliable electricity supply for the power-hungry data centres that will drive the artificial intelligence revolution. Westinghouse is owned by private equity firm Brookfield and uranium miner Cameco; the latter's shares rose by 23 per cent in response to the deal. Meanwhile, the proportion of Australian uranium stocks that are held by short-sellers has fallen sharply in recent weeks. (RMS)

Oct 29

BHP-backed firm adds value to US-Australia deal

Innovative technology that can extract critical minerals from mining waste is being trialled at Rio Tinto's Kennecott copper mine in the US. SiTration is seeking to commercialise its silicon membrane filter, and BHP's ventures arm participated in its second round of fundraising from seed investors in 2024. SiTration's co-founder and CEO Brendan Smith says its filter is being used to process acid mine drainage at Kennecott to extract "market-ready" copper. Recent academic research from the Colorado School of Mines suggested that waste by-products stored at 54 hard-rock metal mines may contain at least $US10bn worth of copper and more than $US1bon of rare earths. SiTration was spun off by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2020. (RMS)

News

Gold below $US4000, 'deeper' losses ahead

The gold price has fallen 9.1 per cent since reaching a record high of $US4,381 an ounce last week. Tony Sycamore from IG Markets says the gold price's fall below $US4,000/ounce indicates that a deeper pullback to around the $US3,500 level is likely. Ole Hansen from Saxo Bank says the price of bullion could take some time to rebound if there is a deep pullback, and suggests that any recovery may not occur until next year. The prospect of a US-China trade deal may also weigh on the gold price, given that economic concerns and geopolitical tensions have been a key driver of demand for the traditional 'safe haven' asset. (RMS)

News

Rinehart weathers the storm as Atlas profits plunge from weaker prices

Hancock Propecting-owned Atlas Iron has posted a $260m profit for 2024-25, which is nearly 41 per cent lower than previously. The result was marred by lower iron ore prices and the impact of Cyclone Zelia on production at its Mount Webber, Sanjiv Ridge and Miralga iron oire mines in the Pilbara; Atlas achieved annual sales totalled $10m for the financial year. Mining magnate Gina Rinehart amalgamated Atlas and Roy Hill in mid-2025 to form Hancock Iron Ore. The group's new McPhee iron ore mine is slated to commence production in the current financial year. (RMS)

News

Gina Rinehart backs Arafura's $475m raise in rare earths stampede

Hancock Prospecting will increase its stake in Arafura Rare Earths from 9.4 per cent to 15.7 per cent after agreeing to buy $125m worth of shares in the rare earths group's proposed $475m placement. Arafura intends to issue new shares at $0.28 apiece, which is a 28 per cent discount to its most recent trading price. The share placement will provide nearly all of the remaining capital Arafura needs for its Nolans rare earths project in the Northern Territory. Arafura aims to make a final investment decision on Nolans in early 2026. (RMS)

News

Taxpayer-backed Liontown burns through cash after $363m raise

Liontown Resources has advised that it produced 87,172 tonnes of lithium concentrate in the September quarter, which is one per cent higher than the previous quarter. However, sales volumes were 20 per cent lower at 77,474 tonnes and revenue fell 29 per cent to $68m. Meanwhile, its cost of production was $US715 per tonne, while it received an average of $US700 per tonne from buyers. Liontown raised $363m from investors in August, while it spent $44m during the September quarter. The federal government's National Reconstruction Fund recently invested $50m in Liontown. (RMS)

News

Glencore walks away from taxpayer-funded clean energy pivot

Anglo-Swiss miner Glencore has advised that it will not proceed with a proposed renewable energy and battery hub at its Murrin Murrin nickel mine and refinery in Western Australia. Glencore had received a $35m grant from the federal government's Powering the Regions Fund to help finance the development of an 849-hectare renewables hub at Murrin Murrin, which currently operates its own gas-fired power station. A spokesman for Glencore says it decided to cancel the onsite hybrid renewable energy project due to a range of macroeconomic and cost factors. Glencore and the government have agreed to mutually terminate the grant. (RMS)

News

Markets

Australian Dollar: $0.6580 USD (up $0.0020 USD) Iron Ore: $106.40 USD (up $0.70 USD) Oil Price: $59.92 USD (down $1.64 USD) Gold: $3,953.97 USD (down $45.33 USD) Copper (CME): $5.1710 USD (up $0.0125 USD) Bitcoin: $112,972.09 USD (down 1.57%) Dow: 47,706.37 (up 161.78 points)

News

Oct 28

US expects China to shelve restrictions on rare earths

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says that staving off China's rare earth restrictions was one of the major objectives of the talks between the US and China during the ASEAN summit in Malaysia. A Chinese official has indicated that the two sides reached a preliminary consensus on a number of issues, including export controls on rare earths, shipping levies and fentanyl. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in turn believes that China will delay its rare earth restrictions for 12 months, while it re-examines the policy. (RMS)

News

PM reassures Beijing over US minerals deal

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur. Xi urged Australia to deepen its co-operation with China amid growing global instability and uncertainty, while Albanese said he is committed to maintaining a stable relationship with China. Albanese also contended that the $13bn critical minerals and rare earths deal with the US should not affect Australia's bilateral relationship with China. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in South Korea on Thursday, with hopes that they will be able to secure a trade deal. (RMS)

News

Trump's critical minerals advisor jets to Perth for talks with leaders after Albanese's deal

Anita Logiudice from the Chamber of Minerals & Energy of Western Australia says the state is "ground zero" for America's interest in critical minerals. She notes that WA accounts for half of Australia's critical minerals reserves, and it is the world's fourth biggest producer of rare earths. The importance of WA has been underlined by the Trump administration's decision to send its deputy assistant secretary for critical minerals and metals to Perth in the wake of the landmark critical minerals deal between Australia and the US. A state government spokesperson says Assistant Secretary Joshua Kroon will hold talks with mining industry executives on growing links and investment in WA's resources sector. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Australia's plan to challenge China's dominance in critical minerals and rare earths

About 90 per cent of all rare earths are refined in China, but the nation has a complete monopoly when it comes to heavy rare earths. Companies or countries that produce rare earths ship their raw material to China for processing, giving it almost complete control over marketing and pricing. The ABC's chief business correspondent Ian Verrender explains to The Business host, Kirsten Aiken, that to maintain its monopoly, China has never been afraid of using its market power. Verrender says it has alternatively flooded markets with material to make it uneconomic for others to establish rival industries, or denied access to refined product to others as punishment. Such overwhelming supply domination, and the pricing power that comes with it, has raised questions over whether governments should continue to allow market forces to determine the supply of materials vital for national security and development in an increasingly divided world. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Bowen told: electricity bills will jump

The unredacted version of the incoming government brief to Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen shows that his department had warned that there is likely to be a "further significant increase" in retail electricity prices during 2025-26. The Department of ­Climate Change, Energy, ­Environment & Water also advised that emissions reductions will need to ­accelerate rapidly for the federal government to achieve its 2030 climate targets, and that "full and timely" implementation of Bowen's first-term reforms will be essential. The brief was prepared by Bowen's department following the election in May, but it initially resisted requests to release the document in full. (RMS)

News

Mining billionaire's economic warning

Fortescue's founder and executive chairman Andrew Forrest says Australia has a "fantastic" future in manufacturing. Forrest adds that Australia can compete against the best of the world, but he contends that the nation must target areas where it is the best rather than simply trying to prop up "old industries". He also says Australia must avoid trying to compete with industrial powerhouses like China and the US in these industries. Meanwhile, Forrest says governments are underestimating Australians by propping up struggling or failing businesses such as the Mount Isa copper smelter in Queensland and the Port Pirie lead smelter in South Australia. (RMS)

News

ASX rises in broad rally; rare earths tumble

The Australian sharemarket posted a solid gain on Monday, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.4 per cent to close at 9,055.6 points. Investor sentiment was boosted by growing expectations of further monetary policy easing in the US and hopes that the US and China will negotiate a trade deal. Life360 was up 4.7 per cent at $50.14, Woodside Energy rose 1.2 per cent to $24.69 and Qantas ended the session 3.4 per cent higher at $10.87. However, Arafura Rare Earths fell 9.6 per cent to $0.37 and Ramelius Resources was down 5.7 per cent at $3.30. (RMS)

News

Commodities boom boosts ASX profits by $4b

Analysts are upbeat about the earnings outlook for companies in the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index. The rise in commodity prices over the last two months have prompted analysts to forecast earnings growth of 7.1 per cent for top-200 stocks in 2025-26; this compares with forecasts of just 3.1 per cent at the end of the August reporting season. The resources sector is now forecast to post earnings growth of 11 per cent in the current financial year, compared with expectations in August that earnings would fall by one per cent. Analysts are also upbeat regarding some non-resources stocks, including the ANZ Bank, CSL and James Hardie Industries. (RMS)

News

Major Tomago investor writes off smelter in gloomy update

Norsk Hydro has written down the value of its 12.4 per cent stake in the Tomago aluminium smelter in NSW to zero. The Oslo-based company has progressively written down its stake over recent years, and it has warned that the smelter faces an uncertain future when AGL Energy's electricity supply contract ends in 2028; Norsk Hydro adds that it has been difficult to find an affordable renewable supply for Tomago. The smelter's biggest shareholder, Rio Tinto, has previously indicated that it will not continue to operate smelters in Australia beyond 2030 unless they can be converted to use clean energy. (RMS)

News

Going where the profit is

For most of the first 130 years of BHP's existence, the focus of successive CEOs was increasing and developing the company's resources base, rather than profits. With BHP recently celebrating its 140th anniversary, profits and returns on capital now take precedence. Likewise, during BHP's first 130 years Australia knew that its prosperity would depend on exports of agriculture and mining products, which would in turn require cheap energy and strong agricultural support. However, the nation now makes mining and agricultural development harder, and it has abandoned low-cost energy. Meanwhile, BHP's South Australian copper project has been pushed back to the 2030s, and the company will use its iron ore cash flows to develop copper mines in countries where returns and energy costs are competitive. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Antimony miner shoots down US takeover bid

Critical minerals producer Larvotto Resources has formally rejected a takeover offer from the United States Antimony Corporation. Larvotto's directors have concluded that the $723m all-scrip bid materially undervalues the company, which is set to resume production at the mothballed Hillgrove gold and antimony mine in NSW in 2026; Larvotto bought the mine from administrators in late 2023. Meanwhile, Northern Minerals has completed a $60.5m share placement to new investors; its Browns Range project in Western Australia includes heavy rare earths such as terbium and dysprosium. (RMS)

News

Long haul, but it's a win for MinRes

Mineral Resources has advised that 8.75 million tonnes of iron ore were transported via its 150km private haulage road between 1 August and 27 October. This lifted the Onslow Iron venture's annualised haulage rate to 35 million tonnes; this in turn triggered a $200m contingency payment from Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners, which acquired a 49 per cent stake in the private road in 2024. Mineral Resources' MD Chris Ellison says that achieving the haul-road's performance target so early in Onslow Iron's ramp-up phase demonstrates the quality of the company's people, partners and infrastructure. The private road has been the subject of safety concerns amid a number of truck rollovers and costly resurfacing work. (RMS)

News

Haoma Mining Shareholder Update

Haoma Mining NL Announcements

28 October 2025

(Roy Morgan Summary)

The 2025 Annual General Meeting of Haoma Mining NL will be held at 9.30am on 26 November at Tonic House, 386 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. A formal Notice of Meeting will be sent to all shareholders. Meanwhile, the Haoma Rare Earths Overview has brought together an overview of the company's Pilbara assets and their geological status; test-work undertaken over several years on those assets by BHP, Anglo America, SQM and Haoma; and their potential for Heavy Rare Earths as well as gold. Haoma's shareholder update also includes progress on Bamboo Creek Test-work from July to October 2025, including physical gold recovered from recent Elazac Process test-work conducted in Haoma's Bamboo Creek Laboratory. Haoma's Board in turn resolved on 22 October to allocate performance rights to a number of employees, consultants and contractors who are associated with Haoma. (RMS)

News

$US50m deal for development of Ravensthorpe gold project

Medallion Metals has advised that it has secured a deal for Trafigura to arrange and provide a $US50m ($77m) senior secured prepayment facility. Medallion says the debt financing facility will underpin the funding required for the development of its Ravensthorpe Gold Project in Western Australia, as well as the processing operations at the Forrestania nickel assets that it has agreed to buy from IGO. The deal with Trafigura also includes an offtake agreement for gold dore, copper and precious metal concentrate. (RMS)

News

Best Quotes

The best and biggest gold mine is in between your ears."

"You are a gold mine of potential power. You have to dig to find it and make it real."

"Your mind is like a gold mine, if you dig deep you will find something golden."

"Don't die without mining the gold in your mind."

"We're like goldfields. Until we dig deep to find what's inside us, our true potentials may be hidden forever."

"If you want to find gold, you've got to love the process of digging."

"Even if you're sitting on a gold mine, you still have to dig."

"Develop men the same way gold is mined"

"Don't go into the mine looking for dirt; instead, go in looking for the gold."

"A prospector's job is to remove dirt as quickly as possible"

"A prospector who analyses every speck of dirt won't find much gold"

"The world is sitting on a gold mine but knows it not." "Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."

"All that is gold does not glitter."

"Gold is forever. It is beautiful, useful, and never wears out"

"Gold is the money of kings"

"Mining is the art of exploiting mineral deposits at a profit. An unprofitable mine is fit only for the sepulcher of a dead mule."

"Anyone can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds the gold."

"True gold fears no fire."

"The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit."

"Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."

"When taken for granted, gold in one's hand is sometimes considered like cheap copper – so are people."

Media Man

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Provider Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: X, Google News, Yahoo! Finance

Biz News: Australia and World

July 14, 2025

Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Brand Of The Month'

News

Tariff-stricken copper left off Albanese's critical minerals list

Resources Minister Madeleine King says the federal government has no immediate plans to add copper to its critical minerals list. King adds that Labor has a "very active watching brief" regarding copper. The nation's copper sector is under scrutiny in the wake of warnings from Glencore that its smelter and refinery in Queensland may not be viable, while the Trump administration recently announced a 50 per cent tariff on copper imports. Meanwhile, some lithium producers have cautioned the government against including the battery metal in its proposed critical minerals strategic reserve, amid a global oversupply and depressed prices. (RMS)

News

Listing 'proves industry, rock art can co-exist'

West Australian Premier Roger Cook has welcomed the decision by UNESCO to add the Murujuga cultural landscape to the World Heritage List. Located on the Burrup Peninsula, the landscape is home to the world's biggest collection of rock art engravings, and its listing will provide it with additional protection. Cook says UNESCO's decision shows that industry and protected sites can co-exist, with Cook noting that UNESCO was obviously convinced by evidence presented to it that emissions from Woodside's North West Shelf gas plant on the Burrup Peninsula had no material impact on the rock art. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Trump announces 30 per cent tariffs against EU, Mexico to begin August 1

US President Donald Trump has announced 30 per cent tariffs on Mexico and the European Union in letters posted to his social media account, with the tariffs to take effect from 1 August. In his letter to the EU, Trump claimed that the US trade deficit with the EU was a national security threat, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the EU is willing to take the necessary steps to safeguard its interests if the US proceeds with its 30 per cent tariff. In his letter to Mexico, Trump acknowledged that it had been helpful in stemming the flow of undocumented migrants and fentanyl into the US, but it had not done enough to stop North America from turning into a "Narco-Trafficking Playground". (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Miners shield ASX as iron ore challenges $US100

Futures pricing suggests that the S&P/ASX 200 will shed about 13 points when the market opens on Monday. The US earnings season will be a key focus for investors in the coming week, while the release of US inflation data and Australian jobs data for June will also be closely scrutinised. The S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.11 per cent to 8,580.1 points on Friday. Meanwhile, iron ore futures in Singapore have now risen in each of the last three weeks, prompting a rally in the share prices of Australia's major producers over the same period. (RMS)

News

Banks driving gold rush

The world's central banks have collectively purchased over 1,000 tonnes of gold annually for the past three years, which is around $US80bn ($123bn) at current prices. The latest World Gold Council survey found 95 per cent of central banks expect their peers to keep buying gold over the next year, while 43 per cent of them plan to boost their own gold reserves within that period. With the price of gold having more than doubled since late 2023, RBC Capital Markets states that some of the factors behind the 'gold rush' by central banks include gold's liquidity and its performance during times of crisis. (RMS)

News

Banks and big retail extend Armaguard's lifeline

Cash transportation business Armaguard has been given a $25 million cash injection by the banks and major retailers to enable it to keep operating until the end of the year. It comes after the banks and retailers paid Armaguard some $50 million in 2024 to keep operating after its parent company Linfox stated it was not profitable and could be closed down, while it was announced in May that the Australian Banking Association and Armaguard had agreed to appoint Deloitte Access Economics to come up with a pricing structure for its operations. (RMS)

News

Italy's Ferrero agrees to buy cereal giant Kellogg in $4.7b deal

Italian confectionery business Ferrero International is to acquire US cereal maker WK Kellogg in a $US3.1 billion ($4.7 billion) deal. Ferrero is the maker of the chocolate nut spread Nutella while WK Kellogg is the maker of cereals such as Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops, and the purchase of WK Kellogg marks the latest in a number of US acquisitions by Ferrero, including ice-cream maker Bomb Pops in 2022 and Keebler and Famous Amos cookies in 2019. (RMS)

News

Polestar lashes lobby for 'unfounded' EV attack

Scott Maynard has accused the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries of 'unnecessary and unfounded' attacks on proposed fuel efficiency standards, with Maynard being the Australian MD of electric vehicle car maker Polestar. Car makers have claimed the standards will lead to higher prices, while Maynard claims the attack on the standards by traditional car makers and the FCAI have hindered the uptake of EVs. EV sales accounted for just 7.7 per cent of the total new car market to June this year, although Polestar's sales are up 23 per cent on the first six months of 2024.

News

Victoria's gas giants fight over access to Melbourne pipeline

Viva Energy is seeking to establish an LNG import terminal at Geelong in Victoria, and is seeking full access to a gas pipeline that currently delivers gas to Melbourne. Viva's bid to get access to the congested pipeline is causing friction with other gas producers and users of the pipeline, and there are claims that the value of the Iona gas storage plant, which is located in western Victoria, will be cut if its access to the pipeline is reduced. Viva has told the Australian Energy Market Operator that it may not proceed with the import terminal if it cannot secure full access to the pipeline. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Global freight prices tumble, but not for goods shipped to Australia

The Drewry World Container Index has halved over the last 12 months, with the index tracking freight rates for 40-foot containers on the world's most popular shipping routes. Its decline has been attributed to reduced demand for Chinese exports to the US as a result of Donald Trump's tariffs, but rates for goods to Australia are defying the downward trend, with freight rates for consumer goods shipped from Asia to Australia increasing at the start of July, and shipping companies are predicting further increases. (RMS)

News

ABC board shake-up favours 'outsider'

Sources have indicated that the federal government wants to replace the ABC's deputy chair Georgie Somerset with an external candidate. Somerset was appointed to the public broadcaster's board by the former Coalition government in February 2017, and she was elevated to the role of interim deputy chair for six months following the resignation of predecessor Peter Tonagh. With that temporary role set to expire, the government is believed to be keen make its own appointment to the ABC's board; Somerset herself is said to be keen to continue in the role. (RMS)

News

Win for regions as Ten, Sky ink new deal

More than three million unique regional viewers watched Sky News Regional on free-to-air television in 2024. The Ten Network has struck a new multi-year deal with Sky News Australia to continue broadcasting the latter's content in regional areas of NSW, Victoria and Queensland. Sky News Regional was previously broadcast by Southern Cross Austereo, which sold its TV licences in these markets to Ten in late 2024. Sky News Australia is owned by News Corporation. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Nova links with Diary of a CEO podcast

Radio stations group Nova Entertainment has secured a deal to add the popular The Diary of a CEO to its podcast network. The deal includes new episodes of The Diary of a CEO, plus a back catalogue of more than 650 existing episodes. The podcast is hosted by British entrepreneur and author Steven Bartlett; it has 25 million followers and more than 11 million YouTube subscribers, making it the world's second-most popular podcast after The Joe Rogan Experience. Nova Entertainment also distributes podcasts produced by News Corp. (RMS)

News

Magazine empire facing likely 'split' in sale

The founding editor of Marie Claire magazine, Jackie Frank, says finding a single buyer for Are Media may be difficult, and its stable of 22 titles could potentially be sold to several buyers. Private equity firm Mercury Capital recently revealed plans to sell Are Media, and there is speculation that it could be seeking about $50m for the business. However, some media industry insiders have suggested that such a price may be unrealistic given the decline in sales of print magazines. Are Media CEO Jane Huxley notes that the company's titles now reach more than 10 million women each month via print, digital and social media. (RMS)

News

New gig's just the ticket for Banducci

Brad Banducci says he is looking at how he can use technology to boost Ticketek's market share of the event sector, with Banducci having joined Ticketek's parent company TEG as CEO in March. Formerly the CEO of supermarket chain Woolworths, Banducci says there is scope to implement technology that would allow someone to share an empty seat next to theirs with a friend, or to upgrade seats at venues if they can see ones that are better and empty. Banducci says he was determined to do something different after he left Woolworths, and that he spent six months contemplating executive and board roles at public companies before joining TEG. (RMS)

News

Trump rare earth call adds to Rinehart fortune

The Pentagon is to acquire a 15 per cent stake in American rare earths producer MP Materials, which operates the only rare earths mine in the US. Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart owns an 8.2 per cent stake in MP Materials, and the announcement of the Pentagon's investment has seen the value of her stake rise to $US628 million ($955 million), with news of the Pentagon deal pushing MP Materials' shares up 50 per cent. It also boosted the share price of Australian rare earth producers on Friday, with Iluka Resources up 20 per cent to $4.80 and Lynas Rare Earths increasing 18 per cent to $9.80. (RMS)

News

The Pentagon's bold move to secure U.S rare earth mineral needs

The price of MP Materials' common stock surged by 54 per cent on 10 July, following the announcement that the US Department of Defense had acquired a 15 per cent stake in the company. MP Materials owns the only operational rare earths mine in the US, and the Pentagon's investment is aimed at reducing the US's dependence on imports of rare earth minerals. As well as owning the only operational rare earths mine in the US, MP Materials refines and manufactures magnets at its California operation, with rare earth metals being critical elements in the high-grade magnets that go into every modern military weapons system, jets and ships.

News

Coal sector: Qld's LNP making 'right noises' over royalties

Coal Australia CEO Stuart Bocking says the peak body will continue to work constructively with the Queensland government regarding its Labor predecessor's controversial coal royalty scheme. Bocking says there have been some "some very positive noises" from Premier David Crisafulli regarding the importance of coal mining to the state's economy. Bocking has warned that the royalty scheme and rising production costs could see some coal producers collapse, given that they must pay the royalty even if they are not making a profit. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Media Man

TKO Group wins Media Man 'Entertainment Promoter Of The Month' award

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Brand Of The Month' award

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award

News

Markets

July 14, 2025

ASX futures down 13 points/ -0.2% to 8548

Australian dollar -0.2% to 65.63 US cents

Wall Street:
S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow Jones -0.6%, Nasdaq -0.2%

Europe: Stoxx 50 -1%, FTSE -0.4%, DAX -0.8%, CAC -0.9%

Bitcoin +1.6% to $US119,150

Gold +1% to $US3355.59 per ounce
US oil +2.8% to $US68.45 a barrel
Brent crude oil +2.5% to $US70.36 a barrel
Iron ore +0.5% to $US99.50 per ton

10-year yield: US 4.41% Australia 4.32% Germany 2.72%

Pro Wrestling

August 2024

WWE Raw - Bronson Reed Destroys Seth Rollins with numerous Tsunami's on RAW

All Elite Wrestling - Kyle Fletcher gets a strong promotional push

WWE - Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest are now the Terror Twins; Target Judgment Day

WWE - Grayson Waller and Austin Theory continue to have miscommunications

WWE - Dakota Kai (New Zealand) continues to improve and impress

AEW - "Switchblade" Jay White remains one of the top workers in the promotion and world

Markets and Commodities

October 4, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6840 USD (down $.0040 USD)

Iron Ore Nov Spot Price (SGX): $108.75 USD (down $0.20 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $73.71 USD (up $2.70 USD)

Gold Price: $2,656.04 USD (down $2.97 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $4.5435 USD (down 0.1195 USD)

Bitcoin: $60,801.67 USD (up 0.09% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 42,011.59 (down 184.93 points on yesterday's close)

Market, Commodities and Financial News

Snapshot via Media Man

October 4, 2024

ASX futures down 33 points or 0.4% to 8209 near 6am AEST

AUD -0.6% to $US68.44¢

Bitcoin +1.3% to $US60,954

Dow -0.6%

S&P -0.4%

Nasdaq -0.3%

FTSE -0.1%

DAX -0.8%

CAC -1.3%

Gold -0.1% to $US2657.32 an ounce

Brent oil +5.2% to $US77.77 a barrel

Iron ore +0.6% to $US108.75 a tonne

Markets And Commodities

August 19, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6665 USD (up $0.0055 USD)

Iron Ore Sep Spot Price (SGX): $92.30 USD (down $1.25 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $76.65 USD (down $1.46 USD)

Gold Price: $2,508.18 USD (up $51.88 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $4.1505 USD (up $0.0100 USD)

Bitcoin: $59,792.97 USD (up 0.64% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 440,659.76 (up 96.70 points on Thursday's close)

Media/Entertainment: Australia

TV Week Logie Awards 2024

Winners

Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television - Larry Emdur

Best Drama Program - RFDS, Seven Network

Best News or Public Affairs Presenter - Ally Langon, A Current Affair, Nine Network

Best Comedy Entertainment Program - Have You Been Paying Attention?, Network Ten

Best Lead Actor in a Drama - Felix Cameron, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix

Beat Scripted Comedy Program - Utopia, ABC

Best Current Affairs Program - Australian Story, ABC

Best Lead Actress in a Drama - Deborah Mailman, Total Control, ABC

Best Sports Coverage - FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, Seven Network

Best Competition Reality Program - MasterChef Australia, Network 10

Best Factual or Documentary Program - John Farnham: Finding The Voice, Seven Network

Best Miniseries or Telemovie - Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix

Best News Coverage or Public Affairs Report - Ben Roberts-Smith: The Truth, 60 Minutes, Nine Network

Best Structured Program - Gogglebox Australia, Foxtel and Network 10

Best Lifestyle Program - Travel Guides, Nine Network

Bert Newtown Award for Most Popular Presenter - Larry Emdur, The Chase Australia and The Morning Show, Seven Network

Best Supporting Actor - Bryan Brown, Boy Swallows Universe

Best Lead Actor in a Comedy - Rob Sitch, Utopia, ABC

Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent - Felix Cameron, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix

Best Supporting Actress - Sophie Wilde, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix

Best Children's Program - Bluey, ABC

Best Entertainment Program - The Voice Australia, Seven Network

Best Lead Actress in a Comedy - Kitty Flanagan, Utopia, ABC

Mining, Energy and Resources: Australia and Oceania

August 9, 2024

News

Legal fees for BHP class action top $680m

Law firm Pogust Goodhead is representing about 600,000 participants in a class action over Brazil's Samarco iron ore tailings dam collapse in 2015. The firm estimates that its legal fees could be around Stg250m, while total legal fees arising from the case could exceed Stg350m. Documents filed with the UK's High Court show that BHP's share of the legal costs have been forecast at around Stg108m; however, this is just for the first stage of the trial, and BHP will face a further legal bill if the resources group is found liable for the disaster in Brazil. Samarco is a joint venture between BHP and Vale.

(Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Win for Fortescue in private eye battle

Federal Court judge Brigitte Markovic has dismissed an application by Element Zero's founders to access the instructions that Fortescue gave to private investigators who had been hired to put them under surveillance. Fortescue alleges that its former employees Bart Kolodziejczyk, Bjorn Winther-Jensen and Michael Masterman used its intellectual property to develop Element Zero's rival green steel technology. Justice Markovic ruled that the instructions given to the private investigators are likely to be subject to legal professional privilege.

News

Creasy in talks for Macquarie's $148m debt at miner Calidus

Macquarie Bank has a four per cent stake in Calidus Resources, while it holds $148m of the failed gold producer's debt. Sources have indicated that Macquarie has finalised the terms of a deal to sell its Calidus loan at a price that is at or near its carrying value. The buyer of the debt is believed to be Yandal Investments, the private investment vehicle of Western Australian billionaire Mark Creasy. His deal to acquire Macquarie's debt could give Creasy an edge over other potential bidders for Calidus or its assets, which include the Warrawoona gold project and a 40 per cent stake in the Pirra lithium joint venture.

News

Win for Whitehaven, MACH as court rejects climate bid

The High Court has dismissed the Environment Council of Central Queensland's application for special leave to appeal the Federal Court's decision to allow two NSW coal mine extension projects to proceed. The court had ruled in May that federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek had acted lawfully in handling the environmental approvals process for the Whitehaven Coal and MACH Energy projects. The ECCQ had initiated legal action against the proposed mine expansions in 2022.

(Roy Morgan Summary)

Mining, Energy and Resources: Australia and Oceania

August 7, 2024

News

Liontown wants lithium breaks as prices teeter

Association of Mining & Exploration Companies CEO Warren Pearce says it is holding talks with the Western Australian government with regard to royalty relief for lithium producers. The price of spodumene has fallen to $US870 ($1,337) per tonne, and Liontown Resources CEO Tony Ottaviano contends that the government should intervene in order to avert a similar crisis to the rout that hit the nation's industry. He has also suggested that the federal government should expand its production tax credit scheme to include the upstream processing of spodumene.

(Roy Morgan Summary)

News

MinRes job cuts add to thousands lost in WA's mining sector route

A spokesman for Mineral Resources has confirmed that the iron ore and lithium producer will reduce its head count, although the bulk of the job cuts will be at its Perth head office. Mineral Resources has not disclosed the extent of the job losses, although it is believed to be about 100. The move follows the company's recent decision to mothball its high-cost iron ore mines in Western Australia's Yilgarn region and a delay in the expansion of the Wodgina lithium mine. WA's mining sector has already been hit by massive job losses in the nickel industry in 2024.

(Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Iron ore 'must learn from nickel pain'

Dino Otranto, the CEO of Fortescue's mining arm, has warned that Australia risks missing out amid the global shift to 'green' steel'. He has called for increased collaboration between industry and government to ensure that the nation capitalises on the decarbonisation of the steel industry. He adds that the demise of Australia's nickel industry provides a timely warning for iron ore producers.

News

Jilted ERA heads to court over Jabiluka mine axing

Energy Resources of Australia wants the Federal Court to undertake a judicial review of the Northern Territory government's decision to not renew its mining lease for the Jabiluka uranium deposit. ERA contends that it was denied "procedural fairness and natural justice" in the decision to permanently ban mining at Jabiluka. Amongst other things, ERA has questioned the haste with which federal Resources Minister Madeleine King advised the NT government to reject an extension of the mining lease, which is slated to expire on 11 August.

News

Newmont fights $130m 'restructuring' tax bill

The Australian Taxation Office contends that Newmont Corporation owes it some $132.6m in capital gains tax liabilities arising from a restructuring in 2011. The tax dispute is believed to centre on Newmont's decision to consolidate ownership of its local mines under its Newmont Australia subsidiary; this included a transaction in which two of the mining giant's North American subsidiaries sold their holdings in Newmont Australia back to it. Newmont contends that the transfer was an internal restructure rather than a share sale, and it should therefore not attract capital gain taxes

News

Watchdog threatens 'critical' Browse

Woodside Energy's CEO Meg O'Neill has emphasised the importance of the company's Browse LNG project. She contends that Browse is the only gas field of sufficient size to meet the forecast demand for energy over the near-term. The Browse project's future is under scrutiny following a preliminary ruling from Western Australia's Environmental Protection Authority that it presents a "unacceptable risk" to marine ecology. The EPA is expected to make a final recommendation on the project in 2025, although it can be overruled by the federal government. O'Neill has also defended Woodside's deal to acquire a low-carbon ammonia project in the US.

(Roy Morgan Summary)

Media Man Int

Media Man Int X

Elon Musk’s X Files Antitrust Suit Against Global Advertising Alliance

August 6, 2024

Elon Musk’s social media platform X has launched a significant antitrust lawsuit against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) and several of its member companies, alleging an illegal ad boycott that targeted the platform. The lawsuit, filed in Texas, is aimed at GARM, its parent firm World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), and members including CVS Health, Mars, Orsted and Unilever.

In an open letter to advertisers, X CEO Linda Yaccarino highlighted the reasons behind the lawsuit, stating that it was a direct response to GARM’s actions which allegedly cost the company billions of dollars. “This is not a decision we took lightly, but it is a direct consequence of their actions,” Yaccarino wrote. “The illegal behavior of these organizations and their executives cost X billions of dollars” per The New York Post.

The lawsuit is seeking trebled compensatory damages and injunctive relief, according to a complaint viewed by The New York Post. GARM, led by Robert Rakowitz, is an initiative of the WFA, which represents many of the world’s largest companies and ad organizations, including Disney and Coca-Cola. Its members control 90% of global marketing spending, nearly $1 trillion per year.

Yaccarino emphasized that the issue extends beyond financial damages. “This case is about more than damages — we have to fix a broken ecosystem that allows this illegal activity to occur,” she added.

According to The New York Post, the suit argues that the boycott undermined the marketplace of ideas by financially harming certain viewpoints over others. (Credit: PYMNTS)

Full article and coverage via PYMNTS

https://pymnts.com/cpi-posts/elon-musks-x-files-antitrust-suit-against-global-advertising-alliance/

PYMNTS is a former Media Man 'Business News Outlet Of The Month' award winner and finalist

News

Elon Musk takes GARM, several companies to court over alleged advertising boycott of X outlined in bombshell report

August 7, 2024

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has taken several companies and an advertising alliance to court over allegations of a "boycott" of X.

Elon Musk has waged “war” against advertisers as his social media platform X filed an antitrust lawsuit against a global ad alliance and several major companies, accusing them of illegally boycotting the site.

X filed a suit in a federal court in Texas against the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) and its members CVS Health, Mars, Orsted and Unilever.

The suit comes after a report from the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee found GARM and its members “directly organised boycotts” and employed other indirect tactics to target disfavoured “platforms, content creators” and news organisations to demonetise them.

It alleges that GARM’s boycott led advertisers to pull money from X under the guise of “brand safety” concerns.

X’s CEO Linda Yaccarino argued this tactic hindered users on the social media platform from accessing a wide breadth of ideas by funding alternative viewpoints.

“The consequence - perhaps the intent - of this boycott was to seek to deprive X’s users, be they sports fans, gamers, journalists, activists, parents or political and corporate leaders, of the Global Town Square,” she wrote.

“To put it simply, people are hurt when the marketplace of ideas is undermined and some viewpoints are not funded over others as part of an illegal boycott.”

Mr Musk shared his colleague’s statement to the platform and boldly declared: “We tried peace for 2 years, now it is war.”

He later encouraged “any company who has been systematically boycotted” to file a suit.

Following his post, video sharing platform Rumble joined Mr Musk’s lawsuit, claiming it has also been impacted towards GARM’s alleged skew away from right wing voices and ideologies.

The platform announced its move on X where it accused GARM of being “a conspiracy to perpetrate an advertiser boycott of Rumble and others, and that's illegal”.

Since Musk took over the social media platform in October 2022, X has suffered a serious dive in ad dollars with the platform taking in US$2.5 billion in 2023, according to Bloomberg.

This was down from the US$1bn it was bringing in every quarter of 2022.

Musk triggered controversy again in November 2023 when he endorsed an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Jewish communities push “hatred against whites”.

The X owner responded: “You have said the actual truth,” sparking an advertiser exodus that was reported to have lost the company as much as $75m, per The New York Times.

He made headlines again in the same month after blasting advertisers boycotting the social media platform, boldly declaring: “Go f**k yourself”.

“If somebody is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go f**k yourself. Go f**k yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is,” he said. (Sky News Australia)

Full article and coverage via Sky News Australia

https://www.skynews.com.au/business/media/elon-musk-takes-garm-several-companies-to-court-over-alleged-advertising-boycott-of-x-outlined-in-bombshell-report/news-story/7bac6243aada770042d14ca84afc23e7

Technology News (Media Man Int) https://mediamanint.com/news3.html

Advertising News (Media Man Int) https://mediamanint.com/advertising_news.html

Media News (Media Man Int) https://mediamanint.com/news2.html

Yahoo Finance wins Media Man 'Business News Outlet Of The Month' award

PYMNTS wins Media Man 'Businees News Outlet Of The Month' award

Market, Commodities and Financial News Snapshot via Media Man

August 7, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6520 USD (up $0.0024 USD)

Iron Ore Sep Spot Price (SGX): $102.85 USD (down $0.70 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $72.96 USD (down $1.02 USD)

Gold Price: $2,389.45 USD (down $19.96 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $4.0095 USD (up $0.0085 USD)

Bitcoin: $56,485.71 USD (up 3.10% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 38,997.66 at 5.02pm NY time (up 294.39 points on yesterday's close)

(Roy Morgan Summary)

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July 29, 2024

ASX futures up 60 points or 0.8% to 7938 near 3am AEST

AUD +0.2% to 65.48 US cents

Bitcoin -0.6% to $US67,636

Dow +1.6%

S&P +1.1%

Nasdaq +1%

FTSE +1.2%

DAX +0.7%

CAC +1.2%

Gold +1.0% to $US2387.19 an ounce

Brent oil -1.5% to $US81.13 a barrel

Iron ore +2.5% to $US102.40 a tonne

Business News: Australia

(Roy Morgan Summary)

ASX to fall as investors await big tech earnings

July 22, 2024

Futures pricing suggests that Australian equities will shed about 0.8 per cent when the market opens on Monday, following a negative lead from Wall Street. A dearth of local economic data means that investors will be focused on offshore markets over the coming week; the quarterly reporting season in the US is likely to attract scrutiny, with two of the seven major technology companies set to release their latest financial results in coming days. The S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.8 per cent to 7,961.6 points on Friday.

(Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Lithium stocks targeted by short sellers

Australian Securities & Investments Commission data has revealed that seven companies on the ASX had more than 10 per cent of their shares reported as shorted as at 12 July, compared to just one in the previous year. Companies involved in the mining of lithium and other materials used in the manufacture of electric vehicles account for seven of the 10 most shorted stocks on the ASX, with 21.06 per cent of Pilbara Minerals shares reported as shorted. Oscar Oberg from Wilson Asset Management says Pilbara Minerals' reported short position is unheard of; he adds that Pilbara Minerals is being shorted because demand for electric vehicles is not as strong as had been forecast.

News

Mortgage cliff turns into a subsiding wave

PEXA Group's chief economist Julie Toth believes that the rush for Australians to refinance their mortgage loans has peaked. She adds that rather than a 'mortgage cliff', the nation has experienced only a 'wave' as borrowers have shifted their loans to variable interest rates after their fixed-loan period expired. Toth adds that there has been a slight increase in mortgage arrears and distressed sales in response to the Reserve Bank's aggressive monetary policy tightening cycle; she expects arrears to remain stable if there are no more interest rate increases.

News

CSR's insulation price rise 'could be gouging'

Insulation distributor Consolidated Energy alleges that building materials group CSR misused its market power to 'gouge' suppliers with huge increases in the price of insulation; it is seeking internal documents and board papers in order to prove its claim. Consolidated Energy is asking the Federal Court to grant its request that CSR be required to hand over information relating to price increases between June 2021 and June 2022; Consolidated Energy alleges that CSR was limiting supply to distributors and imposing big price increases in order to benefit its own business.

News

Coal boss: use gas to ease the transition

Data from the Australian Energy Market Operator has revealed that no renewable energy project that was in the commissioning stage reached full output in June. This was despite an increase in renewable energy projects being ready to come online, prompting calls from Delta Electricity CEO Richard Wrightson for gas to be included in the federal government's Capacity Investment Scheme. With Delta being the owner of the Vales Point coal plant in NSW, Wrightson says gas is the only technology available now that can solve the firming problem, but it is the only technology that is being supported by the government's scheme.

News

Fortescue now marching 'to the one beat'

July 20, 2024

(Roy Morgan Summary)

Andrew Forrest surprised investors at its 2020 AGM when he outlined a vision for the iron ore mining company that would see it become a green energy behemoth. He said Fortescue would be targeting production of as much as 235 gigawatts or renewable energy, more than five times the capacity of Australia's National Electricity Market at the time. However, Forrest has now conceded it cannot achieve its target of producing 15 million tonnes of green hydrogen a year by 2030 because of soaring energy costs, although he contends Fortescue's green energy dream is still alive. Fortescue will now bring its iron ore and green energy units back together, with Forrest saying that all of the company are "all marching in the same direction, to the same drum beat".

(Roy Morgan Summary)

Commodities News: Gold via Media Man and FxPro

July 7, 2024

Weakness in gold's growth

Gold has lost 0.9% since the start of Monday, almost back to the point where it was trading before the release of jobs data on Friday. Perhaps the very first market reaction to the data release highlighted the mindset of key market participants: they are ready to sell.

Gold has been on an upward trend since the last few days of June, leading the price up 4% to $2390 at its peak on Friday. This can largely be attributed to the dollar's 1% decline, as gold often moves with a higher amplitude.

Weak employment figures also pushed up the gold price on Friday, leading to a weaker dollar and bringing the start of rate cuts closer. However, we note the momentum of the 0.8% decline in gold in the first moments after publication.

The subsequent market reaction was a "worse is better" style: the weakness in the labour market increased expectations of a rate cut soon, which boosted risk appetite. But this is a very unsustainable play, as not all the negativity in the macro economy is disinflationary. Just the opposite, we saw confirmation of wage growth (4.1% y/y) above inflation (3.3% y/y). At the same time, the previous months' hiring figures were revised downward, and the unemployment rate reached a 31-month high.

Thus, the economic situation is deteriorating faster than inflation is slowing. A key rate cut, in this case, would be an attempt to support economic growth rather than remove excessive tightness in monetary policy. That is, the chances of a cut for "bad" reasons rather than good ones are growing, which is negative for risk appetite in the medium term.

On the charts, gold has so far hit resistance at $2390, which also caused a local reversal in April. Further improvement in risk appetite in global financial markets cannot be ruled out and may be helped by the reporting season. Gold's ability to gain strength above $2390 could serve as an important price signal, heralding a fresh assault on historical highs near $2450.

However, we see more chance of further pressure on the gold price. We see the 50-day moving average at $2340 as the first signalling point. If this line is stormed without bullish resistance, the price could quickly retreat to the $2300 area, which is crucial for determining the dynamics for the coming months. A fall below it would be seen as a break of the bullish trend since October when the Fed first signalled its willingness to cut rates.

Markets and Commodities

July 9, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6735 USD (down $0.0003 USD)

Iron Ore Aug Spot Price (SGX): $108.75 USD (down $1.50 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $82.30 USD (down $0.86 USD)

Gold Price: $2,358.93 USD (down $32.66 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $4.6035 USD (down $0.0645 USD)

Bitcoin: $56,215.84 USD (down 1.75% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 39,344.79 (down 31.08 points on Friday's close)

(Roy Morgan Summary)

Economic conditions (including inflation and prices) are the biggest challenge facing Australian farmers

A special Roy Morgan survey of Australian farmers shows a majority of farmers (57%) say the biggest challenge they are facing is economic conditions (including inflation/prices), up 8% points from a year ago and up a large 22% points from 2022.

In a clear second place is Government policy mentioned by 23% of farmers, almost doubling from a year ago (up 11% points from 2023) and up by 17% points from 2022. Over the last two years Government policy has increased from equal fifth to a clear second place in the list of challenges.

Staffing issues, including finding sufficient labour for their farms, are the third most prominent issue and mentioned by 18% of farmers as the biggest challenge they face, up 5% points from a year ago.

Filling out the top five issues were weather, mentioned by 16% of farmers, business viability, also at 16% and somewhat surprisingly, climate change, mentioned by only 7% of farmers and down from a year ago.

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Finance / World Business News

Euro, Gold, Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro

A strong current account surplus may not help euro

The eurozone's current account surplus climbed to a six-month high of 31.9bn in December. Analysts, on average, had expected a decline to 20.3 bn from 22.5 bn the previous month. The current level was seen in the eurozone during the relatively benign pre-Covid period and sometime before Natural Gas prices spiked in the second half of 2021.

The normalisation of the surplus is good news for the single currency, as it means more net capital inflows into the region. But this growth has been fuelled by falling imports, which can be the result of lower commodity and energy prices (which is a very good thing), but also partly indicative of a slowdown in domestic demand. This threatens to translate into economic contraction in the coming months.

The euro area experienced periods of severe import contraction in late 2008 and early 2010, and in both cases, the economy experienced a severe downturn. Back in 2008, all this was accompanied by the collapse of the euro.

Gold

Gold rises but within a downward channel

Gold rallied for the fourth consecutive session to reach $2023, recovering almost all the losses suffered the week before on the back of the inflation report. Gold's ability to rally suggests continued domestic demand, as some investors are clearly rushing to buy back any losses.

At the same time, however, we note that since the beginning of the year, gold has been characterised by solid selloffs on the news, forming a smooth downtrend. In the context of this downtrend, a rise to $2040-2045, which is the upper boundary of the bearish range, looks quite acceptable.

The area around $2035 - the highs of two weeks ago - also appears to be a crucial intermediate level. Confident buying from this level would be the first important signal that the recent correction is over and that gold is ready to make a fresh assault on the highs.

Much more important, however, will be the behaviour of gold as it approaches the $2050 level, where the reversal of the decline in late January took place.

Consolidation at this level would confirm the breakdown of the downtrend and set the stage for a move towards $2100 and the subsequent renewal of historic highs.

However, as long as gold is trading within the downtrend, there is a greater chance of a breakdown or even an acceleration of the downtrend.

Among the fundamental factors, the potential for growth could be provided by the fall in the dollar if Fed officials show a softening of their position, bringing the start of interest rate cuts closer.

On the bearish side, equities could come under pressure following the optimistic rally in the tech giants and the news of a sharp slowdown in economic activity. We also do not rule out the possibility that the recent support measures for the Chinese stock market and property sector will cool demand for gold as a safe-haven for investors from that part of the world.

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Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from Latin: aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal in a pure form. Chemically, gold is a transition metal and a group 11 element. It is one of the least reactive chemical elements and is solid under standard conditions. Gold often occurs in free elemental (native state), as nuggets or grains, in rocks, veins, and alluvial deposits. It occurs in a solid solution series with the native element silver (as electrum), naturally alloyed with other metals like copper and palladium, and mineral inclusions such as within pyrite. Less commonly, it occurs in minerals as gold compounds, often with tellurium (gold tellurides).

Gold is resistant to most acids, though it does dissolve in aqua regia (a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid), forming a soluble tetrachloroaurate anion. Gold is insoluble in nitric acid alone, which dissolves silver and base metals, a property long used to refine gold and confirm the presence of gold in metallic substances, giving rise to the term 'acid test'. Gold dissolves in alkaline solutions of cyanide, which are used in mining and electroplating. Gold also dissolves in mercury, forming amalgam alloys, and as the gold acts simply as a solute, this is not a chemical reaction.

A relatively rare element,[6][7] gold is a precious metal that has been used for coinage, jewelry, and other arts throughout recorded history. In the past, a gold standard was often implemented as a monetary policy. Gold coins ceased to be minted as a circulating currency in the 1930s, and the world gold standard was abandoned for a fiat currency system after the Nixon shock measures of 1971.

In 2020, the world's largest gold producer was China, followed by Russia and Australia.[8] A total of around 201,296 tonnes of gold exists above ground, as of 2020.[9] This is equal to a cube with each side measuring roughly 21.7 meters (71 ft). The world consumption of new gold produced is about 50% in jewelry, 40% in investments and 10% in industry.[10] Gold's high malleability, ductility, resistance to corrosion and most other chemical reactions, and conductivity of electricity have led to its continued use in corrosion-resistant electrical connectors in all types of computerized devices (its chief industrial use). Gold is also used in infrared shielding, production of colored glass, gold leafing, and tooth restoration. Certain gold salts are still used as anti-inflammatories in medicine. (Wikipedia)

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In economics, a commodity is an economic good or service that has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to who produced them.

The price of a commodity good is typically determined as a function of its market as a whole: well-established physical commodities have actively traded spot and derivative markets. The wide availability of commodities typically leads to smaller profit margins and diminishes the importance of factors (such as brand name) other than price.

Most commodities are raw materials, basic resources, agricultural, or mining products, such as iron ore, sugar, or grains like rice and wheat. Commodities can also be mass-produced unspecialized products such as chemicals and computer memory.

Hard and soft commodities

Soft commodities are goods that are grown, such as wheat, or rice.

Hard commodities are mined. Examples include gold ,silver, helium, and oil.

Energy commodities include electricity, gas, coal and oil. Electricity has the particular characteristic that it is usually uneconomical to store, and must therefore be consumed as soon as it is produced.

(Wikipedia)

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Euro, Gold, Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro

A strong current account surplus may not help euro

The eurozone's current account surplus climbed to a six-month high of 31.9bn in December. Analysts, on average, had expected a decline to 20.3 bn from 22.5 bn the previous month. The current level was seen in the eurozone during the relatively benign pre-Covid period and sometime before Natural Gas prices spiked in the second half of 2021.

The normalisation of the surplus is good news for the single currency, as it means more net capital inflows into the region. But this growth has been fuelled by falling imports, which can be the result of lower commodity and energy prices (which is a very good thing), but also partly indicative of a slowdown in domestic demand. This threatens to translate into economic contraction in the coming months.

The euro area experienced periods of severe import contraction in late 2008 and early 2010, and in both cases, the economy experienced a severe downturn. Back in 2008, all this was accompanied by the collapse of the euro.

Gold

Gold rises but within a downward channel

Gold rallied for the fourth consecutive session to reach $2023, recovering almost all the losses suffered the week before on the back of the inflation report. Gold's ability to rally suggests continued domestic demand, as some investors are clearly rushing to buy back any losses.

At the same time, however, we note that since the beginning of the year, gold has been characterised by solid selloffs on the news, forming a smooth downtrend. In the context of this downtrend, a rise to $2040-2045, which is the upper boundary of the bearish range, looks quite acceptable.

The area around $2035 - the highs of two weeks ago - also appears to be a crucial intermediate level. Confident buying from this level would be the first important signal that the recent correction is over and that gold is ready to make a fresh assault on the highs.

Much more important, however, will be the behaviour of gold as it approaches the $2050 level, where the reversal of the decline in late January took place.

Consolidation at this level would confirm the breakdown of the downtrend and set the stage for a move towards $2100 and the subsequent renewal of historic highs.

However, as long as gold is trading within the downtrend, there is a greater chance of a breakdown or even an acceleration of the downtrend.

Among the fundamental factors, the potential for growth could be provided by the fall in the dollar if Fed officials show a softening of their position, bringing the start of interest rate cuts closer.

On the bearish side, equities could come under pressure following the optimistic rally in the tech giants and the news of a sharp slowdown in economic activity. We also do not rule out the possibility that the recent support measures for the Chinese stock market and property sector will cool demand for gold as a safe-haven for investors from that part of the world.

Cryptocurrency

Crypto market growth halted amid capital inflows

Market picture

The crypto market has corrected 0.46% in the last 24 hours, fluctuating within a narrow range without a clear direction. Bitcoin is down 1% but up 3.7% over seven days, Ethereum is flat for the day but up 10.6% over the week. The top coins are mixed with BNB +2% and Solana -2.5%.

Bitcoin is currently drawing its fourth daily candle with opening and closing levels close to each other. Such sideways consolidations are characteristic of strong bull markets, as opposed to corrective pullbacks on smoother rallies.

Ethereum hit local highs on rumours of a positive regulatory decision before the end of March. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffarth bet 4 ETH that the SEC will not approve a spot Ethereum ETF next month.

According to data from CoinShares, investment in crypto funds rose by a record $2.452 billion last week, following inflows of $1.116 billion the previous week.
Bitcoin investments increased by $2.424 billion, Ethereum by $21 million, Cardano lost $6 million, and Solana lost $1.6 million.

Since the beginning of the year, crypto funds have seen inflows of an impressive $5.2 billion, with total AUM rising to $67 billion, the highest since December 2021.

News background

Bitcoin will see institutional support in the next three to six months, according to Coinbase. Bitcoin ETFs could eventually become a major competitor to gold funds.
According to IntoTheBlock, there is an 85% chance that Bitcoin will reach a new all-time high within the next six months. Five factors could contribute to this: the halving of the price, ETFs, monetary easing, the US election, and companies accumulating BTC as part of their treasuries.

Former CIA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been living in Russia since 2013, called bitcoin the most significant achievement of the financial system in the entire existence of money and means of exchange.

Amberdata admitted that Ethereum will outpace Bitcoin in terms of growth due to more constructive deflationary policies. The supply of ETH has been decreasing since September 2022, thanks to the update of The Merge, as well as the implementation of a mechanism to burn part of the commissions. During this time, around 0.36 million ETH, or 0.3% of the total supply of 120 million coins, have been removed from circulation.

Via Roy Morgan Research and Media Man social media

Copper, gold, and Bitcoin rise; Iron ore and oil fall; ASX to fall in response to selling on Wall Street; US vetoes Arab-backed UN resolution demanding ceasefire in Gaza; Assange's lawyers warn that he risks 'flagrant denial of justice' if he is tried in US

Latest updates on Key Economic Indicators

21 February 2024

Roy Morgan Summary

Australian Dollar: $0.6550 USD (up 0.0011 USD)
Iron Ore Mar Spot Price (SGX): $120.85 USD (down $6.40 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $78.27 USD (down $1.02 USD)

Gold Price: $2,024.37 USD (up $6.43 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $3.8595 (up $0.0465 USD)

Bitcoin: $52,059.35 (up 0.35% in last 24 hours)

New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas

Market Research Update

20 February 2024

Roy Morgan Summary

Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family".

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.: 38,582.12 at 3.22pm NY time (down 45.87 points on Friday's close)

Roy Morgan wins three-year contract to deliver domestic tourism statistics for Austrade

21 February 2024

Roy Morgan Summary

From 2025, Roy Morgan will provide Austrade with the world's best practice survey methodology, big data integration and modelling techniques to deliver accurate domestic tourism statistics. Roy Morgan has reimagined the future of domestic tourism statistics to move Austrade and its stakeholders to the forefront of tourism intelligence with a new platform that will drive the future of Australia's tourism industry, which is estimated to be worth in excess of $160 billion. Portia Morgan, the Head of Client Services at Roy Morgan, says that using face-to-face interviewing, which is the gold-standard for surveying the population, enhanced with big data and cutting-edge data science techniques, Roy Morgan will be delivering a future-proofed system that will be cost effective, reliable, and accurate. She adds that Roy Morgan has been delivering survey-based tourism insights via its Holiday Tracking Survey for 20+ years and the company is thrilled to be working with Austrade and the broader industry to provide a deeper of understanding of how many people are travelling, where they go, what they do and how they spend their valuable tourism dollars.

Anti-mining PM pushes BHP's cash offshore

Roy Morgan Summary

It is somewhat hypocritical of the federal government to flag possible support for Australia's nickel industry, given that Labor's anti-mining legislation may jeopardise the expansion of BHP's copper operations in South Australia. BHP is still likely to proceed with an expansion, but the previously touted investment of between $10bn and $15bn is now only a 50 per cent chance. The new labour laws in the government's industrial relations reforms mean that BHP is now more likely to redirect much of this capital investment to its criticals minerals projects in other countries; rival miner Rio Tinto is already doing this.

More than 2.7 million New Zealanders now read newspapers and magazine audiences surge to over 1.7 million

21 February 2024

Roy Morgan has released its readership results for New Zealand's newspapers and magazines for the 12 months to December 2023. The data shows that 2.73 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (64.4%) now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app) platforms. In addition, 1.71 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (40.3%) read magazines, whether in print or online either via the web or an app. The New Zealand Herald is still the nation's most widely-read publication, with a total cross-platform audience of 1,720,000 in the 12 months to June 2023 - almost five times as many as the second placed Dominion Post with a readership of 341,000. Meanwhile, New Zealand's most widely read magazine is still the driving magazine AA Directions, which had an average issue readership of 379,000 during the year to December (an increase of 63,000 on a year ago).

These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source survey of 6,254 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to December 2023.

New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas

Market Research Update

20 February 2024

Roy Morgan Summary

Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.

(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)

Roy Morgan Summary

Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians.

One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.

(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)

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Warrner Bros

Profile

In 2010, the Warner Bros. Pictures Group broke the all-time industry worldwide box office record with receipts of $4.814 billion, which surpassed the prior record of $4.010 billion (set by the Studio in 2009). Warner Bros. also established a new industry benchmark for the international box office with a total of $2.93 billion (marking a record third time of crossing the $2 billion threshold) and retained its leading domestic box office ranking with receipts of $1.884 billion. 2010 also marked the 10th consecutive year Warner Bros. Pictures passed the billion dollar mark at both the domestic and international box offices. Warner Home Video was, once again, the industry’s leader, with an overall 20.6 percent marketshare in total DVD and Blu-ray sales. The companies comprising the Warner Bros. Television Group and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group remain category leaders, working across all platforms and outlets, and are trendsetters in the digital realm with video-on-demand (transaction and ad-supported), branded channels, original content, anti-piracy technology and broadband and wireless destinations.

The Warner Bros. Pictures Group brings together the Studio’s motion picture production, marketing and distribution operations into a single entity. The Group, which includes Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures International, was formed to streamline the Studio’s film production process and bring those businesses’ organizational structures in line with Warner Bros.’ television and home entertainment operations.

Warner Bros. Pictures produces and distributes a wide-ranging slate of some 18-22 films each year, employing a business paradigm that mitigates risk while maximizing productivity and capital. Warner Bros. Pictures either fully finances or co-finances the films it produces and maintains worldwide distribution rights. It also monetizes its distribution and marketing operations by distributing films that are totally financed and produced by third-parties. The Studio’s 2011 slate includes “Sucker Punch,” “The Hangover Part II,” “Green Lantern,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” “Happy Feet 2” and “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”

Warner Bros. Pictures International is a global leader in the marketing and distribution of feature films, operating offices in more than 30 countries and releasing films in over 120 international territories, either directly to theaters or in conjunction with partner companies and co-ventures.

New Line Cinema, part of Warner Bros. Entertainment since 2008, coordinates its development, production, marketing, distribution and business affairs activities with Warner Bros. Pictures to maximize film performance and operating efficiencies. Highlights of New Line’s 2011 release slate, distributed by Warner Bros., include “Horrible Bosses,” “Final Destination 5,” “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” and “New Year’s Eve.”

The Warner Bros. Television Group oversees and grows the entire portfolio of Warner Bros.’ television businesses, including worldwide production, traditional and digital distribution, and broadcasting. In the traditional television arena, WBTVG produces primetime and cable (Warner Bros. Television and Warner Horizon Television), first-run syndication (Telepictures Productions) and animated (Warner Bros. Animation) programming, which is distributed worldwide by two category-leading distribution arms/operations (Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution and Warner Bros. International Television Distribution).

Among the primetime series produced by divisions of the Warner Bros. Television Group are “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Mentalist,” “Mike & Molly,” “Fringe,” “Gossip Girl,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “Nikita,” “The Middle,” “Southland,” “The Closer,” “Rizzoli & Isles,” “Supernatural,” “The Bachelor,” “Pretty Little Liars,” “Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew” and many more. Also produced by the company are first-run syndicated programs such as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “TMZ” and “Extra,” among others, as well as animated shows “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” and “Young Justice.”

WBTVG is an innovative leader in developing new business models for the evolving television landscape, including ad-supported video-on-demand, broadband and wireless, and has digital distribution agreements in place with all of the broadcast networks. Internationally, the Studio is one of the world’s largest distributors of feature films, television programs and animation to the worldwide television marketplace, licensing some 50,000 hours of television programming, including more than 6,000 feature films and 50 current series, dubbed or subtitled in more than 40 languages, to telecasters and cablecasters in more than 175 countries.

WBTVG provides original shortform programming for the broadband and wireless marketplace through its Studio 2.0 digital venture, and its digital media sales unit is devoted specifically to multiplatform domestic advertiser sales for both broadband and wireless. WBTVG continues its strategic expansion into digital production and distribution with the launch of several advertiser-supported entertainment destinations, including TheWB.com, a premium, video-on-demand interactive and personalized network and KidsWB.com, a premium destination built around youth-oriented immersive entertainment.

The final component of WBTVG is broadcasting: The CW Television Network, launched (in partnership with CBS) in September 2006 with quality, diverse programming, is targeted to the 18–34 audience.

Warner Bros. Animation’s combined classic and contemporary library currently boasts 14,000 animated episodes and shorts which air on domestic broadcast networks, as well as cable networks and in direct-to-video releases around the world. The classic library includes such brands as Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears as well as such beloved characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety, Taz, Tom and Jerry, Popeye, Batman, Superman, the Flintstones, the Jetsons and Scooby-Doo.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment’s home video (Warner Home Video), digital distribution (Warner Bros. Digital Distribution), interactive entertainment/videogames (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment), direct-to-consumer production (Warner Premiere), technical operations (Warner Bros. Technical Operations) and anti-piracy (Warner Bros. Anti-Piracy Operations) businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. WBHEG is responsible for the global distribution of content through DVD, electronic sell-through and transactional VOD, and delivery of theatrical content to wireless and online channels. It is also a significant worldwide publisher for both internal and third party videogame titles.

In 2010, Warner Home Video dominated the U.S. market as the number one company in total sell-through video (DVD and Blu-ray combined) with 20.6% marketshare, theatrical catalog, TV on DVD, non-theatrical family and animation, Blu-ray and VOD. WHV has been the number one studio in overall DVD sales 14 consecutive years, and is also the leading studio in the international home video space.

With more than 3,700 active licensees worldwide, Warner Bros. Consumer Products licenses the rights to names, likenesses and logos for all of the intellectual properties in Warner Bros. Entertainment’s vast film and television library. With a global network of offices and agents in key regions throughout the world, including North America, Latin America, Asia and Europe, WBCP maintains an ongoing commitment to expand and build the power of its core brands’ recognition in the international marketplace through strong and creative merchandising, promotional marketing and retail programs.

DC Entertainment’s DC Comics has been in continuous publication for more than 60 years, and is the leading comic book publisher in the industry and the creator of some of the world’s most recognized icons. DC’s characters continue to headline blockbuster feature films, live-action and animated television series, direct-to-video releases, collectors’ books, online entertainment, digital publishing, countless licensing and marketing arrangements and, most recently, graphic novels. DC continues to attract new readers and fans all over the world with its signature characters Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Justice League leading the way.

Warner Bros. International Cinemas provides a true state-of-the-art movie experience to audiences in Japan with more than 60 multiplex cinemas and more than 600 screens internationally. One of the pioneers in multiplex development for the international marketplace, WBIC is continually exploring new markets for expansion. (Credit: Warner Bros. Entertainment)

Press Release

09 August 2010

MICROGAMING SET TO LAUNCH THE LORD OF THE RINGS™: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING ONLINE VIDEO SLOT GAME

First Title to Utilize Proprietary Cinematic Spins™ Technology Allowing Players to Experience the Film with Every Spin

ISLE OF MAN – Microgaming today announced the imminent launch of a new flagship game, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Online Video Slot Game. This slot game is the first to utilise Microgaming’s new Cinematic Spins™ technology, allowing gamers to see clips from the films with every spin.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a new online slot game that is part of a multi-year licensing agreement Microgaming signed with Warner Bros. Digital Distribution in 2009. The company is developing a series of cutting-edge, graphic rich video slots based on this popular movie trilogy and will use animation material, themes, and characters, from the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings™ motion pictures that include The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. These online slot games will be available to adults only in countries where online gaming is permitted.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is the first online video slot to use Microgaming’s Cinematic Spins™ state-of-the-art gaming technology. This allows movie clips to act as moving backgrounds behind the reels during spins providing players an unprecedented level of excitement and immersion.

Win sequences and expanding wilds also use cinematic clips, instead of traditional animated graphics. The slots feature famous scenes from the film including Ringwraiths during the attack at Weathertop, Balrog in the Mines of Moria, and Uruk-hai in the woods of Middle-earth. Players will also enjoy seeing characters from the films that include Frodo, Aragorn, Saruman and the deadly Black Riders.

Roger Raatgever, CEO Microgaming comments: “Microgaming has always been ahead of the curve with innovative offerings, but this game really does push the boundaries of what an online slot can do. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring looks and feels like an extension of the big screen film experience and we’re confident that our operators will see a great deal of demand from their players, when the game is released. This is an important deal for Microgaming and highlights our commitment to partner with the right brands, at the right time. The Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful and well loved brands on the planet and we are excited about combining this widespread appeal with Microgaming’s groundbreaking software.”

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy generated $3 billion in worldwide box office receipts and was nominated for a total of 30 Academy Awards®; of which they won 17, including Best Picture.

- Ends -
Notes to editors:
*Cinematic Spins is a trademark held by Microgaming

© 2010 New Line Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc.

For further information please contact:
Duncan Skehens / Laura Moss/ Lyndsay Haywood
Lansons Communications
020 7490 8828
DuncanS@lansons.com / LauraM@lansons.com / LyndsayH@lansons.com
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution

Peter Binazeski
818-977-5701
peter.binazeski@warnerbros.com
About Microgaming (www.microgaming.com)
Since the company developed the first true online Casino software over a decade ago, it has led the industry in providing innovative, reliable gaming solutions. Thanks to an unrivalled R&D programme, that averages 60 games per year and a unique ‘partnership’ approach to working with operators; Microgaming software powers over 160 market-leading online gaming sites.
The company’s front and back-end software supports multi-player, multi-language games - over 500 of them, all uniquely branded and provides platforms for land-based and wireless gaming. Microgaming powers the world’s largest Progressive Jackpot Network and has paid out over €265million. In May 2009 it created the biggest ever online jackpot winner with a single payment win of €6.37m.

As a founding member of eCOGRA, Microgaming is at the forefront of an initiative focused on setting the highest standards in the gaming industry, and leads in the areas of fair gaming, responsible operator conduct and player protection. Microgaming has been awarded eCOGRA’s Certified Software Seal following a rigorous onsite assessment to ensure that the development, implementation and maintenance of the software is representative of industry best practice standards Microgaming licensees are therefore eligible to apply for the eCOGRA Safe & Fair Seal.

About Warner Bros. Digital Distribution
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD) manages Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group's (WBHEG) electronic distribution over existing, new and emerging digital platforms, including pay-per-view, electronic sell-through, video-on-demand, wireless and more. WBDD also oversees the WBHEG's worldwide digital strategy, partnerships in digital services and emerging new clients and business activities in the digital space.

News

2009

With Time Warner sitting on $7 billion in cash, the Marvel deal has ignited rumours of a second wave of consolidation in the media industry. Dream Works Animation, home of Shrek, is seen as a potential takeover candidate, as is MGM with its huge library of classic films. The games firms Electronic Arts and Take Two Interactive, with its Grand Theft Auto franchise, are also being touted as potential buys.

Profile

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.) is one of the world's largest producers of film and television entertainment.

It is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank, California and New York City. Warner Bros. has several subsidiary companies, including Warner Bros. Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Home Video, TheWB.com and DC Comics. Warner owns half of The CW Television Network.

Founded in 1918 by Jewish immigrants from Poland, Warner Bros. is the third-oldest American movie studio in continuous operation, after Paramount Pictures, founded in 1912 as Famous Players, and Universal Studios, also founded in 1912.