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Investors on Wall Street will focus on data in a crucial non-farm payrolls ?report for December. (AP PHOTO)

MarketsPremiumWall Streets slips as shares in tech firms weigh

US stocks have opened mostly lower as investors digested economic data reports.

Purvi Agarwal and Nikhil Sharma

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MARKETS WRAPTech, healthcare stocks lift Aussie sharemarket

The Australian sharemarket has bucked the global trend as surging healthcare and tech stocks lifted the market, while tensions between Japan and China sparked broader Asian sell-offs.

Cameron Micallef

Copper cathode sheets at the KGHM Polska Miedz SA copper smelter in Glogow, Poland.

CopperPremiumWorld’s copper squeeze is set to intensify

The race for artificial intelligence and surging defence spending are set to intensify a projected shortage of copper as producers struggle to expand, according to a new study by S&P Global.

James Attwood

Optus announced a new chief technology officer. NewsWire / Nikki Short

BusinessOptus’ major overhaul after triple-0 disaster

Optus has poached Telstra veteran Sri Amirthalingam as its new chief technology officer as the telco continues rebuilding trust after its devastating triple-0 outage.

Cameron Micallef

US President Donald Trump added tariffs on Australian beef competitors. Carlos Barria / NewsWire POOL

TRADEPremiumMeat export ‘perfect storm’ hits roadblocks

A perfect storm has helped lift meat exports from Australia to the US, but there are fears the surging trade could soon come to an end.

Cameron Micallef

Japan's Nikkei lost 1.6 per cent amid rising tensions with China. (AP PHOTO)

MarketsPremiumEuropean defence stocks hit record as geopolitics bites

Rumbling geopolitical tensions from Venezuela to Greenland have been a boon for European defence shares and pushed along oil prices and the dollar.

Marc Jones and Rae Wee

The ASX has overcome a dip in some mining stocks to finish the trading day with healthy gains. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

MarketsPremiumAustralian shares edge higher as miners take a breather

Strength in Australia's IT, retail and health care sectors has pushed the local bourse higher, helping it claw back some of the week's losses.

Adrian Black

Commonwealth, Westpac, NAB, ANZ have updated their interest rate predictions. NewsWire

EconomyMajor banks make huge RBA rate call

Australia’s big four banks have updated their interest rate predictions after Wednesday’s shock inflation read.

Cameron Micallef

The S&P 500 has been dragged down by financials stocks while Nvidia and Alphabet lifted the Nasdaq. (AP PHOTO)

MarketsPremiumFinancials droop as Wall Street investors return to AI

Financial stocks have weighed on the S&P 500 while two of the biggest tech names boosted the Nasdaq as investors shifted back to artificial intelligence.

Noel Randewich

Gold prices continued to climb on Wednesday. NewsWire / Josie Hayden

financeMiners surge, banks falter as inflation cools

Australia’s share market finished in the green on Wednesday, with record breaking commodity prices and a cooler than expected inflation reading helping to lift most sectors.

Cameron Micallef

A major analyst reckons customers of Medibank and Nib are facing fresh cost hikes above inflation in coming months.

HealthCommentsHealth premiums to rise over 5pc in new cost-of-living hit

Some of Australia’s private health insurance customers are facing a premium hike of more than 5 per cent in the coming months, according to a major analyst, adding another whack to crunched household budgets.

Cheyanne Enciso

Willy Packer is seen arriving at Cox Architecture in Perth for a private dinner with Prime Minister Scott Morrison on March 16, 2022.

MarketsPremiumGold’s run generates boon for $2 billion WA investment fund

The $2.1 billion Investigator Trust, managed by fund manager Willy Packer’s Packer & Co, generated 21.5 per cent in 2025 for its best year since before COVID-19.

Sean Smith

Tokyo's Nikkei average fell one per cent after hitting a record peak on Tuesday. (AP PHOTO)

MarketsPremiumTrump's Venezuela missives knock high-flying stocks

World stocks have fallen for a second day, while President Donald Trump's plan for Venezuelan crude has brought a slide in oil prices.

Naomi Rovnick and Rocky Swift

Gold is flirting with record high prices but ultimately lost ground in trading on Wednesday. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

MarketsPremiumAussie shares edge higher as banks, energy stocks fade

The local bourse has lifted on the back of strong commodity prices, but weakness in the heavyweight financials sector and energy stocks has capped the upside.

Adrian Black

Nickel West was shuttered in October 2024.

NickelPremiumNickel spikes as Chinese buying fuels metals surge

Nickel spiked by more than 10 per cent in London, notching the biggest gain in more than three years as surging investor interest in China helps to turbocharge a broad rally in metals markets.

Mark Burton

The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached a new high as investors brushed off fears over Venezuela. (AP PHOTO)

MarketsPremiumChip stocks jump on AI optimism, Dow marks record high

Renewed AI optimism has buoyed chip stocks while the Dow notched a record high as Wall Street investors brushed aside fears of fallout over Venezuela.

Noel Randewich

Nine of the 11 sectors finished in red. Picture Newswire/ Gaye Gerard.

financeBanks sink ASX despite $13bn steel bid

A massive $13bn steel takeover and record copper prices have failed to prevent the ASX from sliding, as inflation fears grip traders.

Cameron Micallef

Andy Beckwith with Hemi samples in 2020

The West Australian exclusive
The West Australian exclusive
GoldCommentsPremium
The West Australian exclusive
How three geologists discovered $5 billion gold mine in WA

The three geologists who unearthed one of the greatest finds in WA gold history share a compelling story that could become even rarer if Australia loses its lead in earth science studies.

Simone Grogan

Chief among investor concern is the weak profit growth among some of Australia’s largest companies. 

Foreign investmentPremiumInvestors pull money from Australia on rate risks

A pullback from Australian assets is accelerating as investors shift capital toward hot markets globally that promise returns far outpacing muted prospects at home.

Matthew Burgess and Carmeli Argana

The MSCI World Equity Index was up 0.2 per cent on Tuesday as the risk-on mood continued. (AP PHOTO)

MarketsPremiumStocks rise as markets look past Venezuela turmoil

European shares have touched a record high and the dollar is steady as the US capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro fails to dim investors' upbeat mood.

Elizabeth Howcroft

The financials sector is weighing down the ASX, with all big four banks losing ground. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

MarketsPremiumBanks lead Australian shares lower but miners lift

A rally in raw materials stocks hasn't been enough to buoy the bourse, with five of 11 local sectors recording significant losses.

Adrian Black

SGH chief executive Ryan Stokes.

Mergers and AcquisitionsSGH wants BlueScope split with North American bidder

SGH says BlueScope’s Australian and North American businesses ‘are not strategically compatible and would benefit as stand-alone businesses under new ownership’.

Sean Smith

Energy stocks gained on expectations the US move on Venezuela will open access to its oil reserves. (AP PHOTO)

MarketsPremiumDow record, energy stocks up after Venezuela strike

Financial shares have surged while energy stocks jumped after US forces struck in Venezuela to capture the oil-rich South American nation's leader.

Noel Randewich

SGH and a US company want to buy BlueScope Steel.

Mergers and AcquisitionsCommentsPremiumSGH and US partner eye $14b BlueScope Steel buyout

Bluescope confirmed that SGH and US-based Steel Dynamics submitted a buyout proposal to the BlueScope board in the week before Christmas.

Sean Smith