|
Western
Australia: News
Perth:
News
Perth,
Australia
Markets,
Cryptos and Culture
April
3, 2026
Thank
God It's Friday Edition
Sydney,
Australia to Wall Street, New York, and beyond the
Blackstump and Internet Matrix Of Things!
Pop
Culture themes
"Mercy,
Mercy, Mercy" (Cannonball Adderley)
"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)
"The Wall Street Hustle" (10cc)
"Bulls on Parade" (Rage Against the Machine)
"White Rabbit" (Jefferson Airplane)
"I've Got Friday On My Mind" (The Easybeats)
Markets
AUD
-0.03% to US69.08¢
BTC $66,899.15 -1.79%
Dow -0.1%
S&P +0.1%
NAS +0.2%
VIX -0.67 to 23.87
Gold -1.7%: $US4676.76 an oz
Silver 73.002 -2.081
Brent oil +7.8% to $US109.13 a b
Iron ore -0.1% to $US106.25 a ton
10-year yield: US 4.30% Aust 5.03%
News
The
Lead Up (Approx 12 Hours Ago)
ASX
futures down 65 points/0.8%: 8487
USD flat: US68.84¢
BTC $66,233.27 -0.73%
Dow -1.7%
S&P -1.7%
NAS -2.2%
Gold +2.7% to $US4494.09 an oz
Silver 68.646 -0.869
Brent oil +4.2% at $US112.57 a barrel
Iron ore -0.1% at $US107.25 a ton
News
Numbers
Double Check
April
2
The
Lead Up
Australian
Dollar: $0.6930 USD (up $0.0030 USD) Iron Ore: $106.30
USD (up $0.82 USD) Oil Price (WTI): $99.32 USD (down
$2.54 USD) Gold Price: $4,756.87 USD (up $83.53 USD)
Copper Price: $5.6225 USD (down $0.0175 USD) Dow Jones:
46,565.74 (up 224.23 points on yesterday's close)
News
April
2
Shares
And Markets News
Iron
ore giants BHP (down 2.5 per cent), Fortescue (down
4 per cent) and Rio Tinto (down 2.3 per cent) all
declined, while gold miners Northern Star Resources
(down 0.9 per cent) and Evolution Mining (down 4.6
per cent) also fell.
Tech
stocks slumped after their surge on Wednesday, with
software makers WiseTech, Xero and Technology One
down 4.3 per cent, 3.8 per cent and 3.6 per cent,
respectively, and data centre operator NextDC losing
3.8 per cent.
Oil
prices rose back over the $US100-mark per barrel following
Trump’s speech, with Brent Crude, the international
benchmark, climbing 4.4 per cent to $US105.64 amid
waning hopes for a swift resolution to the conflict.
Energy stocks were mixed, with Woodside falling 0.6
and while Santos gained 1.4 per cent.
Surf
and outdoor apparel retailer KMD’s shares tanked
54.8 per cent as it emerged from its trading halt
after the owner of the struggling Rip Curl brand said
it completed a $58.5 million emergency capital raising
from institutional investors to shore up its balance
sheet.
It
was a mixed day of trading for the big four banks,
with Commonwealth Bank rising 0.6 per cent and ANZ
Bank adding 0.7 per cent, while Westpac lost 0.5 per
cent and National Australia Bank shed 0.3 per cent.
News
Oil
News
Oil
is in no hurry to reverse course
March
was a record-breaking month for Brent
Rumours of peace are easing tensions but have not
yet reversed the trend. The oil market was swept up
in euphoria following Donald Trump's comments that
the conflict in the Middle East would end within 2–3
weeks. After a record 63% rally in March, Brent took
a step back. Investors are ready to use TACO and sell
what they bought earlier. However, complacency is
the main risk for black gold. Firstly, the US continues
to deploy troops to the region, and the past year
has taught investors to watch the actions, rather
than the rhetoric, of top American politicians following
the dashed hopes surrounding the Iran–US negotiations.
But even if this is true, the Americans' withdrawal
from the Middle East does not mean the end of the
conflict. The US President is calling on countries
in the region to learn to defend themselves and on
importers to come and take the oil they need by force.
As a result, the UAE is prepared to get drawn into
the conflict. According to estimates by FGE NexantECA,
a closure of the Strait of Hormuz would result in
losses of 100 million barrels per week and 400 million
barrels per month. If it lasts another 6–8 weeks,
Brent could reach the $150–200 range. This forecast
is in line with Sociénéété
Generale's estimate of $150 per barrel and Macquarie
Group's estimate of $200. The Iranians are also warning
the world of a rise to the upper end of this range,
while the US presidential administration calls $100
the 'base' price and does not rule out $200. Even
if the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, it will take
considerable time to restore pre-war infrastructure.
The flow of tankers will not return immediately; supply
issues will ease but will not disappear. It is unlikely
that Brent will return to levels near $60 by the end
of the year, as seen at the end of last year. Unlike
in 2022, US drillers are in no hurry to come to consumers'
aid, producing an average of 13.2 million bpd in January,
down from 13.9 million bpd in October. The decline
in production over the last three months is one of
the largest in the last ten years. The US oil industry
prefers paying dividends to shareholders rather than
developing new fields and increasing production, despite
Donald Trump's "drill, baby, drill" call.
Consequently, without an end to the conflict in the
Middle East and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz,
it is premature to expect prices to return to February
levels. (FxPro)
News
(Aust)
The
Lead Up (48 Hours Ago)
Shares
Alphabet
Inc Class A
$295.77 -0.54%
(-1.62) Today
Lead Up
$274.34 -6.63 -2.36%
TKO
Group Holdings Inc
$203.76 +2.69 Today 1.34%
Lead Up
$189.20 -3.44 -1.79%
Netflix
Inc
$98.66 +3.11 +3.25%
Lead Up
$93.43 +0.11 _0.12%
Wynn
Resorts Ltd
$102.03 -0.57 0.56%
Lead Up
$96.59 -2.88 -2.90%
Caterpillar
Inc
$717.22 -13.10 1.79%
Lead Up
$695.40 -7.79 -1.11%
News
24
Hours Ago
The
crypto market has lost 3% but has not broken through
support
Market
Overview
The crypto market has lost approximately 3% of its
market capitalisation, falling back to $2.29T and
returning to the lower boundary of the trading range
seen over the last seven days. Trump’s latest
comments on the war with Iran triggered a sharp sell-off
amid a lack of de-escalation signs. TRON (-0.2%),
Toncoin (-0.9%) and Neo (-1.3%) appear relatively
stable. Dash (-8.6%), Uniswap (-8.0%) and Solana (-5.9%)
have been hit hardest.
The Fear and Greed Index rose by 4 points today to
12, partially recovering from yesterday’s drop
to 8 — the lowest level in recent weeks. Nevertheless,
the index remains deep in the extreme fear zone, where
it has been virtually uninterrupted for the past month.
Bitcoin
lost 2.8% over the day, returning to levels near $66.2K.
Once again, the 50-day moving average acted as resistance,
preventing the price from consolidating above it.
The leading cryptocurrency quickly swung to the other
extreme and is now testing the support of the uptrend.
Key support ($66K) and resistance ($69K) levels are
converging, bringing the moment of a definitive trend
decision closer.
Ethereum
looks slightly more confident, remaining above the
$2K round figure, above the 50-day MA and the support
line of the multi-year trend. Should pressure on the
crypto market intensify, it will be worth monitoring
whether the second-largest cryptocurrency can hold
above $1.8K. A break below this level would be a significant
bearish signal, potentially triggering sell-offs across
a wider range of coins and bringing an end to the
crypto market’s recent resilience to external
threats.
News
Pop
Culture
Danhausen
Launches Official WWE Mask for WrestleMania Fans
The
eccentric wrestler, who joined WWE from AEW in late
February, released a $14.99 plastic mask on April
1 that lets fans channel his 'very nice, very evil'
cursed persona. Timed for WrestleMania 42 on April
18-19 in Las Vegas, the merch follows hot-selling
T-shirts and sold-out meet-and-greets since his surprise
debut from a mystery crate at Elimination Chamber.
Fans shared memes comparing it to 3 Ninjas while dreaming
of masked takeovers, though some noted the plastic
feels basic compared to custom versions. Media Man
Peg On: WWE Unmasked vs KISS Unmasked!
News
WrestleMania
X-Seven Marks 25 Years as Attitude Era Peak
The
April 1, 2001, event grossed $3.5 million and featured
classics like TLC II where the Dudley Boyz won the
Tag Team Titles, The Undertaker's 9-0 streak over
Triple H, and Kurt Angle submitting Chris Benoit.
The main event saw Stone Cold Steve Austin shock everyone
by aligning with Vince McMahon to beat The Rock for
the WWF Championship in a bloody No DQ brawl. Attendees
still recall the massive crowd pops and glass-shattering
entrances, with fans today sharing iconic hype videos
that capture the raw intensity of wrestling's golden
peak. Media Man Peg-On: Is WWE currently approaching
another "Golden Era"?!
News
Lead Up/Flashback
March
27
Crypto
has pulled back, but appears stronger than stocks
Market
Overview
The
crypto market’s capitalisation fell by 3.4% over
the past 24 hours to $2.36 trillion, remaining close
to the uptrend line. The downward momentum was once
again driven by stock indices, which returned to their
lows at the start of the week. However, whilst the
Nasdaq 100 has shown a steady downward trend on weekly
charts since late January, cryptocurrencies have been
forming a sequence of higher local lows since early
February, when the market touched the 200-week moving
average – a key long-term trend line.
Bitcoin
has fallen below $69K, testing the strength of the
50-day MA and the support of the upward trend of the
last two months. The nervous mood in the financial
markets makes cryptocurrencies, and Bitcoin in particular,
vulnerable in the event of a large-scale sell-off.
For BTC, the 200-week MA has historically been the
most important long-term support level. It currently
sits near $60K. However, it is worth remembering that
in 2022–2023, the price fell more than 30% below
this line before finding structural support for many
weeks.
News
Background
Bitcoin
miner MARA has sold 15,133 BTC for $1.1 billion since
the start of the month. The company intends to use
the proceeds to buy back its own bonds. The miner’s
remaining reserves are estimated at 38,689 BTC.
The
cost of Bitcoin mining for public companies has reached
$80K and, for some miners, exceeded $100K, according
to CoinShares. The fourth quarter of 2025 has been
the most challenging for Bitcoin miners since the
last halving. The US (38%), Russia (17%), and China
(12%) continue to dominate global Bitcoin mining,
collectively accounting for around 68% of the world’s
hash rate.
Adam
Livingston, an analyst and author of the book ‘The
Great Harvest: AI, Labor, and the Bitcoin Lifeline’,
believes the risk of a Bitcoin crash, as seen in 2022,
is minimal due to the market’s more mature structure.
According to his calculations, BTC volatility has
been steadily declining over the past 11 years.
US
investment firm Franklin Templeton, in partnership
with Ondo Finance, will launch tokenised versions
of its ETFs, accessible directly via crypto wallets.
(FxPro)
News
Media
(Aust)
Top
media bosses unite to fight AI giants over copyright
law changes
Australian
media industry executives have urged the federal government
against watering down the nation's copright laws to
accommodate AI platforms. News Corp Australasia's
executive chairman Michael Miller contends that the
existing copright system is not broken, and says it
is instead a 'blueprint' for negotiations with AI
platforms. Nine Entertainment CEO Matt Stanton says
AI is a transformative technology that local companies
are embracing, but he warns that relaxing copright
laws would "rip off" Australian creatives.
Guardian Australia MD Rebecca Costello in turn says
the government's priority should be to ensure that
the existing righs-based system functions effectively
for AI use. (RMS)
News
Oil
faces falling volatility, but unlikely prices
The
US is offering Iran negotiations.
Without
dialogue, we must be prepared for an escalation. The
oil market is nearing a mutually agreed conclusion,
but the lack of mutual trust between the parties is
significantly complicating the situation. The US has
provided Iran with a list of 15 points, the completion
of which would resolve the conflict in the Middle
East. Previously, there were reports that Iran had
presented its own conditions.
These
have not been officially confirmed, but we have heard
on numerous occasions of demands for non-aggression
guarantees and reparations for damage already inflicted.
At stake is the reopening of traffic through the Strait
of Hormuz, through which around 15 million barrels
of crude oil and 5 million barrels of refined fuel
previously passed.
According
to JP Morgan estimates, the current shortfall is approximately
16 million barrels per day. This figure will decrease
as barrels from the strategic reserves of IEA member
countries are released into the market and as Gulf
states explore alternative routes, such as the Red
Sea. Nonetheless, the global economy faces the threat
of a long-term deficit of 10 million barrels per day,
which increases the risk of stagflation and recession.
According to estimates by Oxford Economics, without
a deal between Washington and Tehran, the Strait of
Hormuz will only regain 50% of its pre-war capacity
by May. Iran is gradually softening its stance, permitting
tankers from countries not involved in the conflict
to pass through while charging them a $2 million fee.
According
to Israeli television reports, the US is seeking a
one-month ceasefire to discuss a plan that includes
dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme, ending
support for terrorist groups, and reopening the Strait
of Hormuz. Even in the most optimistic scenario, it
will take months for Gulf countries to restore pre-war
production levels. Coupled with difficulties in replenishing
onshore stocks, this casts doubt on a quick fall in
Brent prices.
Most
likely, North Sea crude will remain above $65–70
per barrel by the end of 2026. The absence of constructive
dialogue between the US and Iran could lead to further
escalation, including other regional countries joining
the US-Israeli coalition and possibly a ground operation
by Washington. In such a scenario, Brent may rise
to $160 a barrel. This is the price that some countries
are already paying for oil from the Middle East that
bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. (FxPro)
News
AI
News (Aust)
Copyright
holders ready to do AI deals under existing laws
Attorney-General
Michelle Rowland has told an event hosted by the media
and creative sectors at Parliament House that Australia's
existing copyright regime has served it well for many
years. She said the federal government had said for
some time that it has no plans to weaken copyright
protections when it comes to artificial intelligence,
while Australia's creative and media sector have made
it clear that they are prepared to do licence deals
with AI firms, and that existing copyright laws enable
them to do just that. (RMS)
News
The
miners to own in diesel crisis
Bell
Potter's survey of Australian-listed mining companies
concluded that diesel fuel accounted for up to 15
per cent of their operating costs prior to the start
of the Iran war. Stuart Howe from Bell Potter says
the war and the surge in crude oil prices will result
in higher costs for much of the mining sector, while
production could be impacted by the availability of
diesel. Bell Potter recommends that investors rotate
into mining stocks that are less exposed to diesel
prices. Analysts note that miners with large-scale
open-cut operations are most at risk of a supply crisis
due to their heavy reliance on diesel-powered truck
fleets. (RMS)
News
Batteries,
coal push out east coast LNG shortage to 2029
The
Australian Energy Market Operator now expects any
gas supply shortage in the south-eastern states to
occur in 2029, compared with its previous forecast
of 2028. AEMO says gas shortfalls in 2029 are now
regarded as a risk only during "extreme peak
day demand conditions". It has cited a number
of factors for its revised forecast, including expectations
of lower demand for gas for power generation, an extension
of the Eraring coal-fired power station's operating
life and the estimated 30 gigawatts of battery storage
projects that are currently being developed. Energy
Minister Chris Bowen says the improved outlook shows
that the federal government's "balanced"
energy plan is working. (RMS)
News
News
Lead Up
Streaming
News Watercooler
Netflix
CEO allegedly won’t speak to Meghan Markle on
phone without lawyer
Meghan
Markle is caught in a fresh Netflix storm with rumors
claiming CEO Ted Sarandos is refusing to take her
calls without a lawyer. Netflix denies everything
but whispers of canceled deals and rising tension
have fans questioning the truth!
News
A.I
News
Watchdog
warns against 'dangerously' positive AI advice amid
crypto trading spike
The
Australian Securities and Investments Commission has
expressed concern about the growing tendency for young
Australians to use artificial intelligence platforms
like ChatGPT for financial advice. Its figures show
young people are following 'dangerously' positive
AI recommendations about investing in risky investments
such as crypto, with their faith in what has been
referred to as 'unverified, risk-averse digital advice'
occurring as many Australians are struggling with
major cost of living pressures; ASIC's figures also
show that 23 per cent of Gen Z now hold crypto assets;
up from just 9 per cent in 2023. (RMS)
News
Resources
Drill,
baby, drill: Boom for mineral, petroleum explorers
Advisory
firm BDO has calculated that ASX-listed mineral and
petroleum explorers raised a record $5.63 billion
in the final quarter of last year. It broke the previous
record for fund raising of $3.75 billion that was
set in the same period in 2021, with the $5.63 billion
in fund raising leaving mineral and petroleum explorers
with record cash reserves of $12 billion. It comes
as the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that
spending on mineral exploration hit a two-year high
in the final quarter of 2025, while spending on petroleum
exploration was at a decade high. (RMS)
News
A.I
News
Global
giants join Australia in fight to make AI companies
pay for content
Both
the US and the UK appear to be backing the stance
of the federal government of wanting AI companies
pay for their use of content that has been produced
by artists, musicians and journalists. In a document
released on Friday that was titled 'Respecting Intellectual
Property Rights and Supporting Creators', the White
House stated that US copyright laws - under which
content theft for the training of AI models, or any
other use, is illegal - will remain. For its part,
the UK government stated last week that it no longer
had a "preferred option" on copyright reform,
which comes after it last year endorsed a proposal
that would have allowed tech companies to use copyrighted
work without permission unless rights holders 'opted
out' of the process. Its change of stance follows
a longrunning campaign – led by artists
including Elton John and Thom Yorke from Radiohead
– which warned that the unlicensed use of
copyrighted material for training AI models was threatening
the livelihoods of people working in the creative
industries. (RMS)
News
Betting
on Americas and keeping BHP whole
BHP
has ended long-running speculation about succession
planning after announcing that Brandon Craig will
succeed CEO Mike Henry. The BHP veteran has ruled
out demerging assets such as the resources group's
copper mines during his tenure, which will start on
1 July. Craig says he believes that a diversified
model is still superior, especially in the mining
sector. He argues that BHP's ability to use its flagship
iron ore division to fund projects such as copper
and potash mines differentiates it from rivals. Craig
says BHP may be open to mergers and acquisitions,
although he says any such opportunities would need
to be compelling to compete with its internal growth
options. He has also indicated that BHP's focus will
shift to the Americas, where many of its growth projects
are located. (RMS)
News
X
Newsfeed
WWE
Cody
Rhodes and Matt Cardona Dish on Indie-to-WWE Return
WWE
Champion Cody Rhodes hosted Matt Cardona on 'What
Do You Wanna Talk About?', where Cardona detailed
his path back to WWE after six years as the 'Indy
God.' It started with his wife Chelsea Green nudging
President Nick Khan during a TNA spot on NXT, leading
to Cardona's direct text and a January 2026 SmackDown
deal. They fantasy-booked a fun ladder match in WWE
2K26, and Cardona shouted out indie standouts Big
Trouble Ben Bishop and Richard Holliday as future
WWE stars, sparking excitement online about their
friendship and the indie-WWE bridge. Media Man Peg-On:
Cardona'a indi matches and feud with Killer Kross
was excellent. Our Cardona indy highlight. Vs Holliday
was great too, as was Kross vs Holliday.
News
Gold
News
Gold
is back in focus as markets react to geopolitics
The
market is fixated on the threat of accelerating inflation
driven by high energy prices. As a result, central
banks are expected to adopt a tighter monetary policy,
keeping rates at high levels or even raising them.
This has a positive impact on fiat currencies and
strips gold of its key feature as a store of value
amid currency debasement. It is no surprise that the
precious metal, which had got off to a strong start,
has been losing out to Bitcoin and the US dollar since
the start of the armed conflict in the Middle East.
Although gold is generally regarded as a safe-haven
asset, in the early stages of financial market turmoil,
investors often choose to flee to liquidity. They
favour fiat currencies and are far more willing to
buy US dollar-nominated short-term treasuries.
Gold
prices usually recover only if market shocks worsen,
fears of recession or stagflation rise, and central
banks start adding liquidity. Bank of America believes
that the markets are still underestimating the scale
of the potential consequences of geopolitical tension.
They are fixated on the threat of accelerating inflation
and are not considering a global economic downturn.
Therefore, the longer the conflict between the US,
Israel and Iran lasts, the better it is for the precious
metal.
UBS
Global Wealth Management notes that gold serves as
a hedge against currency devaluation, rising budget
deficits and recession. All of these could result
from a geopolitical shock. The firm therefore maintains
its bullish outlook on gold. In its view, the precious
metal could rise to the $5,900-$6,200 range before
the end of this year. However, gold must first weather
the storm of numerous central bank meetings. The RBA
has already raised its cash rate to 4.15%. Investors
now expect ‘hawkish’ rhetoric from the rest.
The ECB and the Bank of Japan are ready to tackle
inflation, and the futures market expects them to
tighten monetary policy. The Fed and the Bank of England
are most likely to talk about prolonged pauses in
their cycles.
Thus,
gold appears to be a win-win option. It will gain
if the conflict in the Middle East drags on, and will
not lose if it ends. Investors just need to be patient
for a little while. (FxPro)
News
Roy
Morgan wins Media Man 'Media Series Company Of The
Month' award
The
Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper
Of The Month' award; Runner-up: The Australian
Google
wins Media Man 'Search Engine Of The Month' award
Netflix
wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award
WWE
wins Media Man 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month'
award
UFC
wins 'Combat Sports Brand Of The Month' award; Runner-ups:
Most Valuable Promotions, Everlast, BKFC
Mack
Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Brand Of The Month' award
CAT
wins Media Man 'Heavy Industry Brand Of The Month'
award
Dynasty:
The Murdochs wins 'Streaming Show Of The Month' award
(Netflix)
Mining/Energy/Resources/Biz/Politics/Culture/Media
Australia,
Oceania, U.S and World
Past,
Present And Future
March
2026
"All
That Glitters"
Mining
Culture And Biz
Media
Man Group Watercooler
March
3
Lynas
shares rally after refinery licence deal signed with
Malaysia
Matthew
Hope from Ord Minnett says the extension of Lynas
Rare Earths' licence to operate its Malaysian refinery
will provide investment certainty. Lynas's current
three-year licence was due to expire on Monday, but
Lynas advised that the Malaysian government has agreed
to extend it for another 10 years. Lynas's share price
rose five per cent to $19.98 in reponse to the announcement.
Lynas has benefited from the rally in the price of
neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr) since the Trump
administration agreed to a floor price of $US110 per
kilogram in a deal with MP Materials in 2025. JP Morgan
expects the price of NdPr to average $US123/kilogram
in 2026. (RMS)
News
Mystery
donor bails out EDO
Australian
Energy Producers CEO Samantha McCulloch says the Environmental
Defenders Office should be required to disclose the
identity of all donors. The EDO's audited financial
statements show that an unnamed donor has agreed to
waive a $6.5m loan to the activist organisation. The
EDO has posted a loss of $8.5m following the Federal
Court's ruling in 2024 that it must pay more than
$9m in legal costs arising from its failed challenge
to Santos's Barossa LNG project. McCulloch says the
debt waiver raises serious questions about who is
funding activist lawfare in Australia. She adds that
it is hypocritical for the EDO to demand transparency
from Australian companies while citing 'commercial-in-confidence'
to shield anonymous donors. (RMS)
News
Fortescue
recalibrates, cuts back wind farm
The
environmental approval application for Fortescue's
proposed Bonney Downs wind farm in the Pilbara shows
that it is now slated to have 100 turbines, compared
with initial plans for 200. Fortescue contends that
scaling back the size of the wind farm will significantly
reduce its environmental impact; amongst other things,
Fortscue estimates that it will now have to clear
just 944 hectares of vegetation for the project, instead
of more than 2,000 hectares. Fortescue has also indicated
that it considered several alternatives to the Bonney
Downs project, including a solar farm and converting
the Solomon gas-powered power station to run on 'green'
ammonia and hydrogen; the latter was deemed to be
unviable due to the high cost of the green fuel. (RMS)
Shares
March
3
BHP
Group Ltd
$57.70 -1.55 -2.62% (ASX)
Mineral
Resources Ltd
$56.04 -3.66 6.13% (ASX)
Lynas
Rare Earths Ltd
$19.04 -0.9 - 64.80% (ASX)
Media
Watercooler
News
Flashbacks (For historical, reference, data and educational
purposes)
February
2026
Feb
14
BHP
exports crash in China stand-off
Shipping
data provider Kpler estimates that BHP exported just
1.18 million tonnes of Jimblebar Fines iron ore from
the Pilbara during January, compared with 5.82 million
tonnes for the same period in 2025. Kpler analyst
Alexis Ellender says the firm believes that iron ore
stockpiles at Chinese ports are now close to capacity,
while Goldman Sachs estimates that Jimblebar Fines
accounts for up to 10 per cent of this stockpile.
The downturn in Jimblebar Fines shipments has coincided
with China's growing pressure on BHP to switch to
using iron ore price reporting agency Fastmarkets
rather than S&P Global Platts. Fortescue and Rio
Tinto have switched a portion of their iron ore sales
to Fastmarkets. (RMS)
News
Feb
16
Lawyers
hit gold from BHP disaster
Britain's
High Court is scheduled to begin hearing a compensation
claim against BHP in April, over the collapse of the
Fundao iron ore tailings dam in Brazil in November
2015. The High Court had ruled in late 2025 that BHP
is liable for the disaster at the Samarco iron ore
mine, which it jointly owns with Vale. The class action
launched by law firm Pogust Goodhead has already generated
more than $600m in legal costs; Pogust Goodhead estimates
that it has spent nearly Stg190m on the long-running
case, while BHP says it has spent more than Stg125m
on legal fees to date. Pogust Goodhead is seeking
up to Stg36bn ($70bn) in compensation for victims
of the disaster. (RMS)
News
Glencore
legend hedged against deal
Glencore
'founding founder' Tor Peterson advised the London
Stock Exchange on 14 January that he still controlled
about 2.4 per cent of the Swiss mining company. It
was his first such disclosure in almost eight years,
but he went to update the LSE on his holdings 11 times
over the next 22 days, at a time when Glencore and
Rio Tinto were discussing a merger. His disclosures
indicate Peterson would maximise his profits if Glencore's
share price fell below the Stg5.31 the stock was fetching
when speculation of a merger deal speculation peaked
in early February; Rio abandoned the merger talks
on 6 February when the two firms could not agree on
a price.. It has been suggested that by betting on
Glencore's shares falling that Peterson was seeking
a compensation prize should bets he had made on on
higher coal prices fail. (RMS)
News
WA
outgunned on lithium costs
US-based
Albemarle has invested about $4bn in its lithium hydroxide
refinery at Kemerton in Western Australia since 2018.
CEO Kent Masters says the cost of processing spodumene
concentrate in WA is about $US5 per kg higher than
in China, where Albemarle operates similar lithium
refineries. Masters notes that labour, energy and
waste disposal costs are much higher in Australia,
which contributed to Albemarle's decision to shut
down the Kemerton plant. The company is now expected
to ship its share of spodumene from the Greenbushes
mine to China for processing; it has not ruled out
resuming production at Kemerton if market conditions
become more favourable. (RMS)
News
Gold
rush pulls in dirt pirates and backpackers
The
price of gold has risen by 70 per cent in the last
year, prompting a new wave of prospectors at historic
goldfields such as Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
The state accounts for more than 70 per cent of Australia's
gold production, primarily from the Kalgoorlie Goldfields.
The gold boom has attracted a range pf people to the
region, including amateur prospectors and families
that travel there on caravan holidays. It has also
resulted in extra work for Australia's gold stealing
detection unit, with a sharp rise in the theft of
ore from gold mine sites by criminals who process
it in backyards by using a cement mixer and chemicals
to extract the gold. (RMS)
News
Mining
election message to Minns
The
NSW Minerals Council contends that the mining industry
injected $22 billion into the state's economy last
financial year, while the council estimated its members
supported 35,100 full time equivalent jobs. With a
state election due in March next year, NSW Minerals
Council CEO Stephen Galilee contends that the thousands
of workers in the mining sector will be looking to
see which politicians are willing to grant approvals
for new projects; there are currently 37 operating
coalmines across NSW, with 17 approval or extension
proposals awaiting a decision, but the Net Zero Commission
has informed the Minns government that any additional
extensions, expansions or approvals for coal projects
would push NSW off track from its emissions targets
and the Paris Agreement. (Roy Morgan Summary)
Media
Man Int
News
Flashbacks
Victims'
misery a goldmine for chequebook TV - 7th May 2006
https://mediamanint.com/articles/victims.html
Human
Statue Bodyart does bodypaint, bodyart and makeup
for Diamond VIP event at The Star, Sydney
https://mediamanint.com/articles/human_statue17.html
Biofuel
flight 'another Branson stunt' - 26th February 2008
https://mediaman.com.au/articles/biofuel_flight.html
GenerationOne
ideas forum - 12th August 2010
https://mediamanint.com/articles/generationone_ideas.html
Markets,
Cryptos (in progress)
https://mediamanint.com/articles/markets_cryptos.html
All
The Glitters (in progress)
https://mediamanint.com/articles/all_that.html
Australian
Mining (in progress)
https://mediamanint.com/articles/australian_mining.html
FiberSense
Technology
https://mediamanint.com/articles/fibersense_technology.html
Media
Man Group
News
Heavy
Industry 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
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/Profile
Hancock
Prospecting Pty Ltd
Hancock
Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL) is a privately owned Australian
mineral exploration and agriculture company headquartered
in Perth, Western Australia. As of 2026, it is recognized
as one of the most successful private companies in
Australian history.
Leadership
and Ownership
Executive
Chairwoman: Gina Rinehart AO, who has led the company
since 1992.
CEO:
Garry Korte.
Ownership:
The company is owned by Gina Rinehart (76.6%) and
the Hope Margaret Hancock Trust (23.4%).
Major
Mining Operations
The
company has transitioned from a prospecting firm into
a major global miner, with primary interests in the
Pilbara region:
Roy
Hill: A flagship mega-project and Australia’s
largest single iron ore mine, producing 60–70
million tonnes annually.
Hope
Downs: A 50/50 joint venture with Rio Tinto, comprising
four open-pit mines with a capacity of approximately
47Mtpa.
Atlas
Iron: Acquired in 2018, it operates the Mount Webber,
Sanjiv Ridge, and Miralga Creek mines.
Hancock
Iron Ore: A new entity formed in July 2025 to consolidate
Roy Hill and Atlas Iron operations.
Diversification
and Strategic Investments
Under
Rinehart’s leadership, the company has expanded
significantly into other sectors:
Agriculture:
Hancock is Australia's second-largest beef producer,
owning over 25 properties including the iconic S.
Kidman & Co. It also owns 50% of Bannister Downs
Dairy.
Critical
Minerals: Major stakes in lithium (Liontown Resources,
Azure Minerals, Vulcan Energy) and rare earths (Arafura
Rare Earths, MP Materials, Lynas Rare Earths).
Energy:
Significant interests in oil and gas through Warrego
Energy and Senex Energy.
International
Ventures: In January 2026, the company signed a gold
exploration license agreement with Saudi Arabia's
state-owned miner, Ma’aden.
Current
Events (January 2026)
Australia
Day Sponsorship: The company is the principal partner
for the 2026 Hancock Prospecting Australia Day celebrations
in Perth.
Helipad
Proposal: In December 2025, the City of Perth refused
the company's proposal to build a helipad at its West
Perth headquarters.
Financial
Performance: For the 2025 fiscal year, the company
reported a profit of AU$3.08 billion.
History
The
company was founded on November 25, 1955, by Lang
Hancock, who is credited with discovering the world's
largest iron ore deposit in 1952. When Gina Rinehart
took over following his death in 1992, the company
was in a precarious financial state with significant
debt.
News
Gold
(1974)
Gold
is a 1974 British action-thriller directed by Peter
R. Hunt, starring Roger Moore and Susannah York. Based
on the 1970 novel Gold Mine by Wilbur Smith, the film
is set in the South African goldfields and follows
a conspiracy by a global syndicate to manipulate the
price of gold by sabotaging a rich mine.
Plot:
Rod Slater (Moore), a newly appointed general manager,
is manipulated by his boss, Manfred Steyner (Bradford
Dillman), into drilling through a protective barrier
into a subterranean lake. This is intended to flood
the mine, causing a global gold shortage and driving
up prices for a greedy cabal.
Production
Controversy: The film was controversially shot on
location in South Africa during the apartheid era.
This led to a "black ban" by British film
unions, though some crew members defied it to work
on the production.
James
Bond Connection: Many crew members were veterans of
the James Bond franchise, including director Peter
Hunt (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), editor John
Glen, and title designer Maurice Binder.
Accolades:
The film received an Academy Award nomination for
Best Original Song for "Wherever Love Takes Me,"
composed by Elmer Bernstein and sung by Maureen McGovern.
Cast
& Crew
Rod
Slater: Roger Moore
Terry Steyner: Susannah York
Hurry Hirschfeld: Ray Milland
Manfred Steyner: Bradford Dillman
Farrell: John Gielgud
Director:
Peter R. Hunt
Music:
Elmer Bernstein
Availability
in 2026
As
of 2026, the film is available through several formats
and platforms:
Streaming:
Accessible on Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku devices.
Physical
Media: High-definition restorations are available
on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber and 88 Films
News
Pop
Culture
"Gold"
(Spandau Ballet)
"Gold"
is a signature 1983 hit by the British New Romantic
band Spandau Ballet, written by Gary Kemp.
Lyrics
Thank
you for coming home
I'm sorry that the chairs are all worn
I left them here, I could have sworn
These are my salad days
Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today
Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you
Nothing
left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing
so tall
Thank
you for coming home I'm sorry that the chairs are
all worn I left them here I could have sworn
These
are my salad days
Slowly being eaten away Just another play for today
Oh but I'm proud of you but I'm proud of you
Nothing
left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing
so tall
Gold
(gold)
Always
believe in your soul You've got the power to know
You're indestructible Always believe in
'Cause you are
Gold
(gold)
Glad
that you're bound to return There's something I could
have learned You're indestructible Always believin'
Oh
after the rush has gone I hope you find a little more
time Remember we were partners in crime It's only
two years ago
The
man with the suit and the face You knew that he was
there on the case Now he's in love with you he's in
love with you
My
love is like a high prison wall But you could leave
me standing so tall
Gold
(gold)
Always
believe in your soul You've got the power to know
You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause you
are
Gold
(gold)
Glad
that you're bound to return There's something I could
have learned You're indestructible Always believin'
My
love is like a high prison wall And you could leave
me standing so tall
Gold
(gold)
Oh
always believe in your soul You've got the power to
know You're indestructible Always believe in 'Cause
you are
Gold (gold)
Glad
that you're bound to return Something I could have
learned You're indestructible Always believin'
Songwriter: Gary James Kemp
Spandau
Ballet - Gold (HD Remastered)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ntG50eXbBtc
Official
video of Spandau Ballet performing 'Gold' from their
1983 third album 'True'.
Gary
Kemp wrote both the music and lyrics; the song was
produced by the partnership of Steve Jolley and Tony
Swain. The music video was filmed on location in Carmona,
Spain and directed by Brian Duffy. The video featured
Sadie Frost as a gold-painted nymph, in one of her
earlier roles. Some parts of the music video were
also filmed in Leighton House, which was also used
in the video for "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers.
Spandau
Ballet are one of Britain’s great iconic bands
having sold over 25 million records, scored numerous
multi-platinum albums and amassed 23 hit singles across
the globe since their humble beginnings as a group
of friends with dreams of stardom in the late 1970s.
It wasn’t long before they became fully-fledged
members of the iconic Blitz Club scene and established
themselves as one of the super-groups of the 80s.
The
band's classic line-up features brothers Gary and
Martin Kemp on guitars, vocalist Tony Hadley, saxophonist
Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble.
Spandau
Ballet’s hits include Gold, True, To Cut A Long
Story Short, Through The Barricades and many more.
News
The
Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper
Of The Month' award
Roy
Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Business Of The
Month' award
Sky
News Australia wins Media Man 'Australian Media Outlet
Of The Month' award
News
Best
Quotes
Gold
Quotes
“Gold
is the money of kings.”
“He
who has the gold makes the rules.”
“Gold
is a living god and rules in scorn, all earthly things
but virtue.” – Percy Bysshe Shelley
“Gold
is a deep and liquid subject.”
“Gold
is forever.”
Best
Quotes Of The Day
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."
WWE
WWE
Events/Tickets
WWE
Takeover Perth (Ticketek)
Australian
News
Pro
Wrestling
News
TKO
AND WESTERN AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT EXPAND PARTNERSHIP
TO BRING UFC AND WWE EVENTS TO PERTH
WWE to Take Over RAC Arena with a Premium Live Event,
Friday
Night SmackDown, and Monday Night Raw
UFC
to Return to Perth with Two Events, Including Blockbuster
Pay-Per-View
PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA AND NEW YORK, NY –
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), together with
the Western Australian Government (WA Government),
today announced an expansion of their partnership
for Perth to host four additional UFC and WWE events
through 2026.
In
addition, under a previous agreement with the WA Government,
RAC Arena will host one UFC FIGHT NIGHT later this
year. In total, Perth will host five UFC and WWE events
over the next two years.
Said
the Hon. Roger Cook MLA, Premier of Western Australia,
"The return of UFC and WWE in 2025 is a major
coup for Western Australia, following the roaring
success of UFC 284 and WWE Elimination Chamber that
collectively injected nearly $50 million into our
economy last year. Both UFC and WWE have proven to
be huge drawcards with a dedicated fan base, and we
expect to see thousands of out-of-state visitors travel
to Perth to attend these blockbusters.
Added
Peter Dropick, Executive Vice President, Event Development
and Operations for TKO, “Perth is a world-class
city, home to many passionate UFC and WWE fans, and
we’re thrilled to expand this partnership with
the WA Government. Perth’s tourism hospitality
is second to none, and UFC and WWE will proudly showcase
the city and its wonderful people to the world through
our global broadcasts reaching more than one billion
homes across 170 countries. We thank Premier Cook
and the WA Government for making this possible.”
WWE’s
return to Perth will feature a massive weekend takeover
later this year across three nights at RAC Arena,
featuring SmackDown®, a Premium Live Event, and
Raw®. These events follow the incredible success
of WWE Elimination Chamber: Perth in February 2024,
which attracted more than 52,000 fans to Optus Stadium
and marked WWE’s long-awaited return to Australia—a
milestone the WA Government played a key role in bringing
about.
In
2024, UFC and the WA Government announced an agreement
to bring two events to Perth over two years. The first
event, UFC® 305: DU PLESSIS vs. ADESANYA, was
a record-breaking achievement, attracting a sold-out
crowd of more than 14,000 fans and setting the mark
for the highest-grossing event in RAC Arena history,
breaking UFC’s own record set in 2023 with UFC®
284: MAKHACHEV vs. VOLKANOVSKI. The second event under
this original agreement with the WA Government, UFC
FIGHT NIGHT, will be held at RAC Arena later this
year.
Details
for all five upcoming UFC and WWE events at RAC Arena,
including ticket on-sale dates, bout cards, and participating
WWE Superstars, will be announced in the months ahead.
Fans
interested in an exclusive WWE presale opportunity
can register now at: wwe.com/WWEAustralia2025.
Likewise,
UFC fans can visit ufc.com/perth
to register for exclusive UFC presale opportunities.
VIP
Experience packages for all these events will also
be available via On Location, TKO’s Official
VIP Experience Provider. These exclusive packages
offer premium seating, VIP access to events, all-inclusive
hospitality, meet-and-greets with athletes and WWE
Superstars, and more. Additional information will
be made available at onlocationexp.com/perth
###
About
UFC®
UFC®
is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization
(MMA), with more than 700 million fans and approximately
300 million social media followers. The organization
produces more than 40 live events annually in some
of the most prestigious arenas around the world while
broadcasting to over 950 million households across
more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster
features the world’s best MMA athletes representing
more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital
offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the
world’s leading streaming services for combat
sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO)
and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more
information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC
and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.
About
WWE
WWE®
is an integrated media organization and the recognized
global leader in sports entertainment. The company
consists of a portfolio of businesses that create
and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a
global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly
entertainment on its television programming, premium
live events, digital media, and publishing platforms.
WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than
1 billion households worldwide in more than 20 languages
through world-class distribution partners including
NBCUniversal, The CW, Sony India and Netflix. In the
United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service,
Peacock, is the exclusive home to all premium live
events, a variety of original programming and a massive
video-on-demand library. Netflix is the exclusive
home for WWE programming around the world, other than
select international markets. WWE is part of TKO Group
Holdings (NYSE: TKO). Additional information on WWE
can be found at wwe.com
and corporate.wwe.com.
About
TKO
TKO
Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports
and entertainment company. TKO owns iconic properties
including UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial
arts organization; WWE, the global leader in sports
entertainment; and PBR, the world’s premier bull
riding organization. Together, these properties reach
210 countries and territories and organize more than
500 live events year-round, attracting more than three
million fans. TKO also services and partners with
major sports rights holders through IMG, an industry-leading
global sports marketing agency; and On Location, a
global leader in premium experiential hospitality.
TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings,
Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment
company.
UFC
305
RAC
Arena
Perth, Western Australia
Dricus
du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya - Middleweight Title
Kai
Kara-France vs Steve Erceg
Tai
Tuivasa vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Mateusz
Gamrot vs Dan Hooker
Li
Jingliang vs Carlos Prates
Junior
Tafa vs Valter Walker
Josh
Culibao vs Ricardo Ramos
Casey
O'Neill vs Tereza Bleda
Jack
Jenkins vs Gavin Tucker
Tom
Nolan vs Alex Reyes
Song
Kenan vs Ricky Glenn
Stewart
Nicoll vs Jesus Aguilar
*correct
at time of publication
Videos
UFC
305 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 1
https://youtube.com/watch?v=bdtnIiKbMoA
Champ
Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya train for their
title bout; Steve Erceg walks his dog; Jairzinho Rozenstruik
eats after training; Tai Tuivasa arrives in Perth;
Carlos Prates hangs out with his mom; Kai Kara-France
gets a haircut. (Credit: UFC)
UFC
305 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 2
https://youtube.com/watch?v=SExOmPWMKVU
Champ
Dricus Du Plessis shows off his belt; The City Kickboxing
team trains together; Mateusz Gamrot explores nature;
Carlos Prates gets one last cardio session in at home;
Steve Erceg hangs out with his parents; Tai Tuivasa
has a hard workout session. (Credit: UFC)
UFC
305 Countdown - Du Plessis vs Adesanya
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wLfQ6aHxELY
The
UFC 305 Countdown previews the intense rivalry between
UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and former
champ Israel Adesanya ahead of their historic main
event, which marks the first time two African-born
fighters battle for a UFC title. Don't miss the main
card action that kicks off at 10pm ET / 7pm PT on
Saturday August 17. (Credit: UFC)
"Cultural
roots run deep for the people of Africa. The pride
of the nation is echoed through its sporting culture.
In recent years the rise of African fighters in the
UFC has been clear and present" ... Narrator
Websites
UFC
395
http://ufc.com/event/ufc-305
UFC
Official Website
http://ufc.com
UFC
YouTube
http://youtube.com/UFC
Media
Man: Very solid card. History will be made. Pumped!
Mining,
Energy, Resources and Culture: Australia and World
August
2025
Profile
Mining:
Western Australia
Western
Australia is a global mining powerhouse, renowned
for its vast mineral wealth and significant contribution
to the world's raw material supply. The state boasts
a diverse range of mining operations, including iron
ore, gold, lithium, nickel, and more. WA's mining
industry is a major economic driver, employing a large
workforce and generating substantial revenue through
royalties and exports.
Key
Aspects of Mining in Western Australia:
Dominant
Player: WA is a major global supplier of iron ore,
particularly from the Pilbara region, and a leading
producer of gold, lithium, and other minerals.
Economic
Significance: The mining sector is a critical component
of the state's economy, contributing significantly
to employment, exports, and government revenue.
Major
Commodities: Iron ore, gold, lithium, nickel, copper,
lead, zinc, alumina, coal, diamonds, salt, and mineral
sands are among the key commodities mined in WA.
Extensive
Operations: The state hosts a large number of mining
and exploration projects, including major iron ore
mines in the Pilbara, and numerous gold mines.
Investment
Hub: WA is a favored destination for mining investment,
attracting significant capital for exploration and
development.
Technological
Advancement: The state is at the forefront of mining
innovation, with increasing automation and remote
operations.
Environmental
Responsibility: Mining companies in WA are increasingly
focused on sustainable mining practices and reducing
their environmental impact.
Government
Support: The WA government actively supports the mining
industry through funding, infrastructure development,
and regulatory frameworks.
Community
Engagement: Mining companies are working to strengthen
their relationships with Aboriginal communities and
ensure that mining operations benefit all stakeholders.
News
August
14, 2025
Supply
chain worry as China blocks ship
Alkane
Resources sent a 55-tonne shipment of antimony concentrate
to a US buyer via a port in China. However, Chinese
authorities held the shipment at Ningbo port in Zhejiang
Province for three months; the shipment was only released
after Alkane agreed to return it to Australia rather
than forward it to the customer, US Antimony Corporation.
Alkane's CEO Nick Earner says antimony from the Costerfield
mine in Victoria had been sent to the US via Chinese
ports in the past without incident, but his company
will no longer take that risk. Antimony is a critical
mineral that is used by defence manufacturers; it
is also used in the production of fire retardant products,
electronics and solar panels. (RMS)
News
Investors
take on lithium shorts fuelling rebound
Data
from S&P Global Platts shows that the price of
spodumene has rebounded by about 70 per cent since
reaching a low of $US575 per tonne in June. The price
of spodumene - the type of lithium that is mined in
Australia - has risen strongly in recent days after
China-based CATL suspended production at its Jianxiawo
lithium mine. David Franklyn from Argonaut Securities
is among the fund managers who are upbeat regarding
the outlook for lithium; Argonaut participated in
the recent capital raising of Liontown Resources,
which is one of Australia's most heavily shorted stocks.
(Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Global
Lithium signs native title agreement for Manna
Global
Lithium Resources will be able to proceed to the next
phase of its proposed Manna lithium project in Western
Australia's Eastern Goldfields region after signing
a native title agreement with the traditional owners.
Global Lithium's MD Dianmin Chen says that negotiating
a deal that will benefit the native title holders
as well as shareholders was a top priority for himself
and his team when he became MD in February. Manna
has an estimated mineral resource of 51.6 million
tonnes at one per cent lithium oxide. (RMS)
News
Evolution
doubles profit on unprecedented gold surge
Evolution
Mining has posted a 2024-25 net profit of $926m, which
is 119 per cent higher than previously. The company
produced 750,512 ounces of gold during the financial
year, and its achieved gold price rose by 35 per cent
to $4,300 an ounce. Meanwhile, Evolution expects its
gold production in 2025-26 to be within the range
of 710,000 to 780,000 ounces. The company's shares
rose 3.9 per cent to $7.99 on Wednesday. (RMS)
News
Santos
suitor fires back at Stokes over national interest
claim
A
spokesman for the consortium that is seeking to buy
Santos has criticised recent comments made by Ryan
Stokes, the CEO of SGH Limited. Stokes contended that
the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company-led consortium's
proposed buyout of Santos is not in the national interest.
However, the consortium's spokesman says Stokes' comments
are "clearly opportunistic" and reflect
a commercial interest in the outcome of the bid. SGH
is the largest shareholder in Beach Energy, which
is Santos's partner in the Cooper Basin joint venture;
Beach is keen to acquire additional domestic gas assets,
and would be in a strong position to do so if ADNOC
is cleared to buy Santos but directed to sell its
Australian assets. (RMS)
News
Tamboran
clinches Beetaloo land deal
Tamboran
Resources has secured a deal with native titleholders
and the Northern Land Council regarding the sale of
appraisal gas from its exploration wells in the Beetaloo
Basin. Appraisal gas sales will provide an early revenue
stream for Tamboran's operations in the Beetaloo Basin.
The Northern Territory's regulations allow Tamboran
to sell up to 60 petajoules of gas from the exploration
wells each day; the appraisal gas would have been
burned off if Tamboran had not secured the deal with
the traditional owners. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Welcome
To The Blockchain (Song Lyrics)
We're
now standing on the precipice of a global revolution
Of economics, of politics, and government
Welcome to the blockchain
verse
Power
corrupts, money is power
The power to control the money is one that is now
In the hands of those who pretend we can't function
without them
So how can we do something about it? (Huh?)
Working hard to get a raise, lifting that wage up
Inflation takes it like a hidden taxation
Manipulated interest rates to give the banks
A way to create money with the loans that they're
giving out daily (yup)
That means our money is debt
That we gotta pay back more than a hundred percent
No wonder then why the middle class is going under
When the one's above them gotta cover and come to
collect
And many have no access to banking
Making payments, or saving, so more fees are taken
And every day the gatekeepers are trying to stop change
We can not wait, welcome to the blockchain
chorus
Welcome
to the blockchain
Things are about to change
Open up the gates
Systems get replaced
Bitcoin
Decentralize the trust
Security, transparency
The network's run by us
Bitcoin
verse
Bitcoin
is a decentralized ledger
And the currency is its first enterprise ever
Secured by the worldwide incentivized network
Can't be stolen or controlled by any sized effort
You can send it anywhere and instantly
No one can intervene, no third party in between
There's no counterfeiting
Algorithms control the outer limits of how many coins
can get released
Programmable money, no government can seize it
Payments can be customized by sender and receiver
Contracts can be written cementing your agreements
With terms that can't be bent once you consent then
it completes it
Autonomous businesses are possible
Where profit is distributed amongst those adopting
it
Paradigm shift we must adjust to the ending
With the blockchain, bitcoin is just the beginning
chorus
Welcome
to the blockchain
Things are about to change
Open up the gates
Systems get replaced
Bitcoin
Decentralize the trust
Security, transparency
The network's run by us
Bitcoin
bridge
Now
that we got control
We're not gonna let it go
My people all around the globe
We gotta keep building, building, building
Now that we got control
We're not gonna let it go
My people all around the globe
We gotta keep building, building, building
chorus
Welcome
to the blockchain
Things are about to change
Open up the gates
Systems get replaced
Bitcoin
Decentralize the trust
Security, transparency
The network's run by us
Bitcoin
By
di DECAP, Toby / Toby Ganger
News
Working
Man: Sony Lyrics
It's
a working man l am And I've been down under ground
And I swear to God if l ever see the sun Or for any
length of time I can hold it in my mind I never again
will go down under ground
At the age of sixteen years Oh, he quarrels with his
peers Who vowed they'd never see another one In the
dark recess of the mines Where you age before your
time And the coal dust lies heavy on your lungs
It's a working man l am And I've been down under ground
And I swear to God if l ever see the sun Or for any
length of time I can hold it in my mind I never again
will go down under ground
At the age of sixty four Oh, he'll greet you at the
door And he'll gently lead you by the arm Through
the dark recess of the mines Oh, he'll take you back
in time And he'll tell you of the hardships that were
had
It's a working man l am And I've been down under ground
And I swear to God if l ever see the sun Or for any
length of time I can hold it in my mind I never again
will go down under ground
It's a working man l am And I've been down under ground
And I swear to God if l ever see the sun Or for any
length of time I can hold it in my mind I never again
will go down under ground
It's a working man l am And I've been down under ground
And I swear to God if l ever see the sun Or for any
length of time I can hold it in my mind I never again
will go down under ground
God, I never again will go down under ground
By
Rita Macneil
News
Best
Quotes Of The Day
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."
News
News
Bonus
Gold
by Spandau Ballet Producers: Steve Jolley & Tony
Swain
Music
Video: Gold
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VQ4qrcHyYj4
[Verse
1]
Thank
you for coming home Sorry that the chairs are all
worn I left them here I could have sworn
These
are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another
play for today
Oh,
but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you
Nothing
left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing
so tall
[Chorus]
Gold (gold)
Always
believe in your soul You've got the power to know
You're indestructible, always believing
You
are gold (gold) Glad that you're bound to return
There's
something I could have learned
You're
indestructible, always believing
[Verse
2]
After
the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time
Remember we were partners in crime
It's
only two years ago
The man with the suit and the face
You knew that he was there on the case
Now he's in love with you, he's in love with you
And
love is like a high prison wall And you could leave
me standing so tall
[Chorus]
Gold
(gold) Always believe in your soul You've got the
power to know You're indestructible, always believing
You are gold (gold) Glad that you're bound to return
Something I could have learned You're indestructible,
always believing
[Bridge]
Love
is like a high prison wall
You could leave me standing so tall
[Chorus]
Gold
(gold) Always believe in your soul
You got the power to know
You're indestructible, always believing
You are gold (gold)
Glad that you're bound to return
Something
I could have learned
You're
indestructible, always believing (You are, gold) Always
believe in your soul
You've got the power to know
You're indestructible, always believing
'Cause you are gold (gold)
I'm glad that you're bound to return
Something I could have learned
You're indestructible, always believing (gold)
[Verse
1]
Thank
you for coming home Sorry that the chairs are all
worn I left them here I could have sworn
These
are my salad days Slowly being eaten away Just another
play for today Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud
of you
Nothing
left to make me feel small Luck has left me standing
so tall
[Chorus]
Gold
(gold) Always believe in your soul
You've
got the power to know You're indestructible, always
believing
You
are gold (gold) Glad that you're bound to return
There's
something I could have learned You're indestructible,
always believing
[Verse
2]
After
the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time
Remember we were partners in crime
It's
only two years ago The man with the suit and the face
You knew that he was there on the case
Now
he's in love with you, he's in love with you And love
is like a high prison wall
And
you could leave me standing so tall
News
Markets
August
14, 2025
Australian
Dollar: $0.6540 USD (up $0.0010 USD)
Iron
Ore: $103.70 USD (down $0.70 USD)
Oil
Price: $62.74 USD (down $0.34 USD)
Gold:
$3,355.91 USD (up $8.03 USD)
Copper:
$4.4975 USD (down $0.0195 USD)
Bitcoin:
$122,815.70 USD (up 2.48%)
Dow
Jones: 44,922.27 (up 463.66 points)
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)
The
Australian Financial Review - Media and Marketing
News
Corp puts Foxtel up for sale after asset review
By
Sam Buckingham-Jones
August
9, 2024
News
Corp, the publishing and broadcast giant controlled
by the Murdoch family, has put its majority-owned
Australian pay television platform Foxtel up for sale
after a nine-month strategic review of its assets.
Outlining
its financial results on Friday, News Corp said there
was “third-party interest” in Foxtel, which
owns a pay TV business, streaming services Binge and
Kayo Sports, and aggregation platform Hubbl.
“We
are confident in the company’s long-term prospects
and are continuing to review our portfolio with a
focus on maximising returns for shareholders,”
News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson said.
“That
review has coincided recently with third-party interest
in a potential transaction involving the Foxtel ...
We are evaluating options for the business with our
advisors in light of that external interest.”
News
Corp owns 65 per cent of Foxtel, and Telstra owns
the rest.
Foxtel
has spent the past decade pivoting to the streaming
era, building Kayo and Binge – which have much
leaner profit margins – while preserving its
legacy base of around 1 million subscribers who pay,
on average, $90 a month. It has grown its total paying
subscription base to 4.7 million people.
Any
sale of Foxtel would have a flow-on effect on long-term
content deals, multi-billion dollar sports rights
packages, and more.
Mr
Thomson told analysts that News Corp had a “significant
overture that we are naturally assessing”, but
declined to provide further details.
“We
have full faith in the potential of Foxtel and the
talented team at Foxtel,” he said. “On behalf
of shareholders, we have to evaluate any interest
… You’ll have to stay tuned. Not indefinitely,
not perpetually, not ad infinitum.” (Credit:
The Australian Financial Review) @FinancialReview
Full
article via subscription to The Australian Financial
Review
https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/news-corp-puts-foxtel-up-for-sale-20240809-p5k0yv
Media
Man Int
Subscription
News (Media Man Int)
https://www.mediamanint.com/subscription_news.html
#NewsCorp
#Foxtel #FoxtelNews #FoxtelGroup #AFR #FinancialReview
#Kayo #KayoSports #Binge #Hubbl #SubscriberTV #PayTV
#subscription #subscriptionnews #TV #mediabusiness
#medianews #businessnews #biz #newswire #newsfeed
#trend #trends #Australia #media
Gold
News
Blogs
Media
Man Business Blog
Media
Man News Blog
Websites
The
Sydney Morning Herald - Gold
The
Sydney Morning Herald - Currencies
The
Sydney Morning Herald - Mining
The
Australian Financial Review - Commodities
Market
Index - Gold
MarketWatch
- Futures
Fatured
Websites
FX
Pro
NASDAQ
Mining.com.au
The
Australian Mining Review
FOX
Business FOX
News - US Economy
Daily
Updates via Media
Man Int X
FxPro
- Gold
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.
News
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.
Websites
The
Sydney Morning Herald - Gold
The
Sydney Morning Herald - Currencies
The
Sydney Morning Herald - Mining
The
Australian Financial Review - Commodities
Market
Index - Gold
MarketWatch
- Futures
Profiles
Markets
Business
Gold
Mining
Currency
Jewelry
Luxury
World
Australasian
Gaming Expo
Advertising
Promotions
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)
News
Trends Bitcoin
News Cryptocurrency
News
Sky
News Australia - Business News
The
Sydney Morning Herald - Business
News.com.au
- Finance - Business
The
Australian Financial Review - Companies
AFR
- Companies Index
The
Australian Financial Review - Media and Marketing
Valuetainment
- Business
Financial
Times
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)
Features
Sports
Business Daily
Sports
Business Coverage Here
Media
Business
Big
Tech
Gold
News
SEO
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AI
News
News
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.
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)
Media
Man
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.
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