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Business News

Markets, Cryptos and Culture

March 12, 2026

Sydney, Australia to Wall Street, NYC

ASX 200 futures down 47 points/0.5%: 8683
AUD +0.5% to US71.53¢
BTC $70,513.14 +0.40%
Dow -0.6%
S&P -0.08%
NAS +0.08%
VIX -0.65 to 24.28
Gold -0.3% to $US5177.43 an oz
Silver 85.721 -2.531
Oil +5.6% to $US92.74 a barrel
Iron ore +0.5% to $US104.25 a ton

News

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7150 USD (up $0.0030 USD)
Iron Ore: $104.25 USD (up $0.35 USD)
Oil Price: $88.21 USD (up $1.85 USD)
Gold Price: $5,178.92 USD (down $15.70 USD)
Copper: $5.9155 USD (down $0.0010 USD)
Dow: 47,417.27 (down 289.24 points)

News

Miners, banks lift ASX as rate rise looms

The Australian sharemarket posted a solid gain on Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 rising 0.6 per cent to close at 8,743.5 points. Bank stocks rallied amid growing expectations that the Reserve Bank will increase official interest rates next week, with the ANZ Bank rising 1.8 per cent to $37.98. The resources sector also rose, with Fortscue advancing 3.7 per cent to $19.98 and Ora Banda Mining up 21.5 per cent at $1.41. However, WiseTech Global was down 3.6 per cent at $49.24 and GQG partners fell 5.5 per cent to end the session at $1.80. (RMS)

News

A.I News (Australia)

CBA chairman warns AI risks 'hollowing out' Australia's economy

The Commonwealth Bank is among the leading Australian companies that have embraced artificial intelligence technology. Chairman Paul O'Malley has told the Australian Governance Summit that AI has the potential to lift productivity across the economy; however, he has warned that unless the nation captures the value potential of AI it risks merely becoming a passive consumer of value that is created overseas. O'Malley also contended that the dominance of US-based AI companies is creating a 'geo-economic risk' for Australia. (RMS)

News

Miners (Australia)

Lynas sets landmark rare earths floor price

Shares in Lynas Rare Earths rose 14 per cent to $20.17 yesterday, after it secured a 12-year extension of an offtake deal to supply neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) to Japan Australia Rare Earths. The latter will pay a minimum of $US110 ($154) per kilogram for NdPR, the same floor price that MP Materials and the Trump administration agreed to in 2025. The spot price of NdPr is currently $US109 per kilogram, and Lynas received an average of $US74 a kilogram in 2025. Analysts say the floor price is significant for both Lynas and rivals such as Iluka Resources and Arafura Rare Earths. (RMS)

News

Haoma Mining Shareholder Update - Trading Halt update

Haoma Mining NL Announcements

(Roy Morgan Summary)

Haoma's shares were placed in a trading halt with Primary Markets on 24 February. Shareholders were advised that the trading halt will be lifted when recent test-work on Bamboo Creek Tailings at Haoma's Bamboo Creek Laboratory and Pilot Plant is completed. Test-work to date has produced Concentrates reading by XRF, in total, 7%-10% precious metals (gold, silver and PGM). Plant equipment is now being installed at Bamboo Creek so refining of these Concentrate samples using the Elazac Process will soon be conducted. The current trading halt will be lifted when refining test-work is completed and Haoma shareholders have been advised of all results. (RMS)

News

Crypto: Bears still control the range

Market Overview

The crypto market cap has changed slightly over the past 24 hours, amounting to $2.38T. Growth at the start of the US session was met with increased selling, once again highlighting the importance of the current area's resistance, which includes the 50-day moving average and last week's peak. Among the top coins, the top five — BTC, ETH, BNB, XRP, SOL — are trading down compared to 24 hours ago, but smaller coins — ICP, XMR, ATOM, AVAX, BCH — have risen by 2% to 5%.

Bitcoin did not make a promising breakthrough on Tuesday, with a local peak near $71.7K, below last week's highs around $74K. In the short term, the 50-day moving average proved a formidable resistance level, preventing the bulls from swiftly turning the tide in their favour. This indicator often signals the medium-term trend, and a confident break above it would be an important turning point in the coming days.

Ethereum is losing momentum on its way to $2100, having declined last night. The second-largest coin is trading above its multi-year support but lacks the momentum to rebound from this level. ETHUSD has been stuck in a range for the past five weeks, and only a breakout beyond $1800-$2150 could signal a victory for one side, potentially leading to further strong movement in the direction of the breakout.

News Background

The crypto market has entered a period of stabilisation, but Glassnode believes that a full return to a Bitcoin bull market requires an influx of new capital. At the same time, there are early signs of improvement in the BTC network amid a gradual stabilisation of market conditions.

Bitfinex notes that Bitcoin's further movement will depend on oil prices, US government bond yields, and Fed policy, while news from the crypto industry itself has taken a back seat.

Daily oil trading volume on the decentralised Hyperliquid platform exceeded $1.5 billion, displacing Ethereum from second place in terms of popularity.

Against the backdrop of the crypto market's recovery, institutional investors and state holders have begun to move cryptocurrency more actively, Arkham Intelligence notes. (FxPro)

News

Oil News/Middle East/World News

Brent chooses its path

Investors are assessing whether the 2022 or 2025 oil scenario will play out.

Releasing reserves will not necessarily lower oil prices.

The oil market is focused on two main issues: how quickly the conflict in the Middle East will end, and how it will conclude. Donald Trump insists on regime change and further cooperation between Tehran and Washington. The so-called Venezuelan scenario could enable Iran to boost oil production from the current 3.5 million bpd. Before the 1979 revolution, production exceeded 6 million bpd. An increase in supplies will likely cause prices to fall sharply. If the ruling regime remains in power and relations with the West stay strained, production may decline. Earlier this week, Donald Trump assured investors that the conflict would soon conclude, setting the stage for a 12-day war in 2025 and causing a surge in Brent and WTI prices at the start of the week. Market rumours suggest that the US president, under domestic political pressure, might declare victory and back down. Investors are awaiting the right moment to deploy the TACO strategy, or Trump Always Chickens Out. However, in past instances, the White House's opponents agreed to the conditions imposed upon them. Iran is now outright refusing to engage in negotiations, citing that two previous dialogues with the US, in summer 2025 and winter 2026, ended in bombings. Trump has promised to escalate actions if Tehran begins mining the Strait of Hormuz. Rumours of a tanker explosion near Abu Dhabi imply that he is already taking such steps. Meanwhile, according to Goldman Sachs, oil flows through the world's main artery have increased from zero to 1.6 million bpd. While this is far below the pre-war level of 20 million bpd, its growth could support the bearish outlook on Brent and WTI. In fact, the actual volume of crude passing through the Strait of Hormuz may be even higher, as tankers try to conceal their movements. The intention behind the IEA member countries releasing barrels from strategic reserves appears to be twofold. The US and its allies experienced a similar situation in 2022, when the release of 182 million barrels caused fears and a 20% spike in Brent prices within a week. Investors interpreted this as a sign of a fragile market. Conversely, the United States' sale of reserves on the first day of the 1991 Iraq invasion, during Operation Desert Storm, led to a 20% decline in North Sea crude prices. (FxPro)

News

U.S News/Politics/World

The dollar acts in tandem with oil

The impact of oil on currency rates has risen sharply.

The ECB promises to prevent a repeat of the 2022 inflation shock.

Donald Trump has a formidable competitor. A tweet by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright about the US military escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz caused a real stir in the markets, as did its subsequent deletion. Previously, only the White House could claim such influence over investors. However, when nerves are stretched tight, even a minor piece of information can shake the markets.

Investors continue to ponder when all this will end. Donald Trump's comments about the imminent conclusion of the conflict in the Middle East suggest a 12-day war scenario, similar to the summer of 2025. Nonetheless, the IEA's plan to sell oil from strategic reserves, by contrast, echoes the events of 2022. According to Christine Lagarde, the eurozone is better prepared for an energy crisis than it was back then. The ECB will prevent the war between the US, Israel, and Iran from causing the same inflationary pain to the currency bloc. In 2022, the European Central Bank raised rates by 450 basis points in response to soaring energy prices, which pushed inflation from 5.9% to 10.6%. Deposit rates are now higher, but inflation remains lower.

Markets are starting to price in two ECB rate hikes in 2026. The anticipated scale of the Fed's monetary policy easing has decreased from 65 to 36 basis points due to the conflict in the Middle East. In theory, the narrowing of the rate differential should cause a rally in EUR/USD. However, investors doubt the eurozone economy can withstand the rising borrowing costs and energy prices.

At the initial stage of the confrontation, the US dollar gained favour due to financial market fears, its status as a safe-haven asset, and the United States' position as a net energy exporter. However, as the conflict in the Middle East drags on, the US economy will suffer from rising oil and petrol prices. Consequently, investor interest might shift towards the Canadian dollar and the Norwegian krone. (FxPro)

News

The Lead Up

ASX jumps 1.1pc as oil eases; BHP rebounds

11 March 2026

The Australian sharemarket has clawed back some of Monday's big loss, with the S&P/ASX 200 rising 1.1 per cent on Tuesday to close at 8,692.6 points. Investor sentiment was boosted by a fall in the crude oil price and claims by US President Donald Trump that the military action against Iran is ahead of schedule. BHP rose 2.3 per cent to $51.23, Telix Pharmaceuticals was up 7.8 per cent at $11 and Life360 advanced 10.3 per cent to $22.51. However, Woodside Energy was down 3.8 per cent at $30.18 and Orica fell 3.4 per cent to $20.92. (RMS)

News

The Lead Up

24 Hours Ago

ASX caught in $90b wipe-out as oil soars 27pc

The Australian sharemarket retreated on Monday, after a surge in the price of crude oil in response to the escalating war in the Middle East; the S&P/ASX 200 fell 2.9 per cent to close at 8,599 points, having reached an intra-day low of 8,457.2. BHP shed 5.1 per cent to end the session at $50.10, NextDC was down 6.4 per cent at $12.81 and the ANZ Bank fell 2.3 per cent to $36.78. However, Karoon Energy rose 10.2 per cent to $2.00 and Yancoal Australia advanced 13.3 per cent to $7.17. (RMS)

News

Biz/Brands (Australia)

Bunnings is Australia's most trusted brand; Telecommunications, led by Optus, is the most distrusted industry

Bunnings is the most trusted brand in the 12 months to December 2025, a ninth consecutive quarterly victory for the leading hardware retailer. Discount supermarket Aldi is in second place, and discount department store Kmart is third; the top three places have remained unchanged for an eighth straight quarter. Meanwhile, Woolworths remains Australia's most distrusted brand, while Optus deteriorated two places to be the second most distrusted brand in the 12 months to December; in fact, Optus was the single most distrusted brand in Australia during the month of December, following its fatal triple-zero outage in September. Roy Morgan's latest data on trust and distrust reveals a remarkable relationship between highly regulated industries and trust. The financial services sector provides clear evidence that greater regulation and stricter rules have helped shape public perception for the better. On the flipside, sectors like Telecommunications and Supermarkets have relatively low regulation and suffer deep distrust; they currently face severe regulatory headwinds as the public demands better accountability and a fair go. (Roy Morgan)

News

Mining (Australia)

Feb 27

Haoma Mining Shareholder Update: Ravenswood Gold Joint Venture - drilling confirms shallow high-grade gold at Podoskys

Haoma Mining NL Announcements

(Roy Morgan Summary)

Haoma's Directors are pleased to advise shareholders of additional shallow high-grade gold results from a further 16 holes (holes PYRC 12 to PYRC27) drilled at Haoma's Podoskys deposit on ML10315 located at Ravenswood in North Queensland. Significant intercepts include 18m @ 11.33g/t Au from 12m in hole PYRC0014, and 25m @ 5.33g/t Au from 5m in hole PYRC0027. The results from the first 11 holes (PYRC 1 to PYRC 11) were previously reported in Haoma's Shareholder Update of 26 February. The drilling program is being undertaken by Native Mineral Resources under the Ravenswood Gold Project Joint Venture with Haoma (Profit share: Haoma 50%, NMR 50%). The latest results continue to indicate broad zones of shallow gold mineralisation with localised very high grades and are further confirmation of Haoma's previous (2004) Podoskys drilling results. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Crypto News

Green shoots in the crypto market

Market Overview

The crypto market cap increased by 3% over 24 hours to $2.38 trillion, supported by the impressive stock market rebound. Officially, the market is moving within a relatively narrow range after the collapse in the second half of January. Often in such situations, a new downward trend is expected around the corner, which remains the baseline scenario for now. However, it would be unwise to overlook the early signs of the crypto market's growing interest in good news from outside, which was not the case a few months ago.

Bitcoin is testing the $70K level, gaining over 7% from the lows at the start of Monday. Buyers are becoming more confident, creating a series of higher local lows since the end of last month. The first cryptocurrency reached an important local resistance level in February. Still, bulls will need to sustain the price above the last peak at $73K, where the 50-day moving average also resides, to confirm the development of a medium-term uptrend.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global investment in crypto funds increased by $619 million last week, marking the second consecutive week of growth after five weeks of outflows. Investments in Bitcoin rose by $521 million, in Ethereum by $89 million, in Solana by $15 million, and in Chainlink by $1 million. Investments in XRP decreased by $30 million.

Strategy purchased 17,994 BTC ($1.28 billion) last week at an average price of $70,946 per coin. Strategy now holds 738,731 BTC, acquired for $56.04 billion at an average price of $75,862 per Bitcoin.

BitMine acquired an additional 60,000 ETH over the past week. The company's reserves now total 4.53 million ETH, representing 3.76% of Ethereum's total supply. BitMine aims to accumulate 5% of all Ether supply.

Overall data on inflows into global crypto ETFs indicate generally positive sentiment towards this asset class amid a period of geopolitical tension stemming from events surrounding Iran, CoinShares notes. The surge in oil prices is an unfavourable factor for Bitcoin, according to CryptoQuant.

An energy shock could push inflation higher and complicate the Fed's task of lowering interest rates. Additionally, it increases miners' costs, reducing the business's attractiveness and potentially creating an overhang of sales for already-mined coins. (FxPro)

News

Pop Culture/Sports

Tyson Fury Returns Against Undefeated Makhmudov on April 11

The Gypsy King steps back into the ring on April 11 following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, taking on the 34-year-old Canadian-based Russian with a perfect 17-0 record and 16 knockouts. Tickets start at £44, with a strong undercard including Conor Benn vs. Regis Prograis, Jeamie TKV vs. Richard Riakporhe, and Frazer Clarke vs. Justis Huni. Spencer Brown of Gold Star Promotions leads as promoter, while Frank Warren's Queensberry stays allied; Fury's already firing trash talk, calling old foe Deontay Wilder 'completely shot to bits.' A win could line up a summer clash with Joshua or a Usyk rematch.

News

Pop Culture/Wrestling/Streaming

NXT Stand & Deliver Streams Free on YouTube as Peacock Era Ends

Shawn Michaels announced Thursday that NXT Stand & Deliver takes place April 4 at The Factory in St. Louis, with doors at 4 p.m. CT and main card at 7 p.m. ET. Vengeance Day on March 7 was the last NXT premium live event on Peacock, as its deal expires; international fans previously used Netflix but now join on YouTube. The standalone show in the intimate 2,300-3,000 capacity venue spotlights NXT weeks before WrestleMania 42, with tag team title tournaments already building buzz. Robert Stone offered to help Michaels with YouTube, and fans expressed excitement over the free global access.

News

Media/Streaming/Sports

Netflix rules out bid for NRL rights

A spokesman for Netflix says the streaming company is not interested in bidding for the upcoming NRL broadcast rights, as Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys seeks a $4 billion deal over five years. The spokesman's remarks back up previous comments by Netflix executive Brandon Riegg that it is interested in marquee sporting events rather than entire seasons, while a $4 billion deal over five years would be larger than the AFL's six-year $4.5 billion deal. V'landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo believe they can secure a deal of that size because of the introduction of two new teams; the PNG Chiefs and the Perth Bears and the popularity of its annual Las Vegas season launch. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Digital Business (Australia)

Subscriptions in firing line to ease living costs

The federal government has proposed legislation that would make it easier for households to cancel subscriptions that they no longer require. The former Coalition government introduced similar reforms in 2018 aimed at making it easier to cancel credit cards via the internet. Research undertaken by the Consumer Policy Research Centre shows that about 75 per cent of Australians have had a negative experience when trying to cancel a subscription. It is estimated that households collectively have around $46m worth of subscriptions that they no longer use. (RMS)

News

36 Hours Ago

Mining/Energy/Resources (Australia)

Glencore mulls ASX listing in wake of value gap that foiled Rio merger

Glencore CEO Gary Nagle says the commodities company is considering a secondary listing on the ASX, to help boost its valuation in the wake of its failed merger with Rio Tinto. The two companies had been considering a merger that would have created the world's biggest mining company, with a valuation of more than $300 billion, but Rio announced last month that it was abandoning talks with Glencore because the parties could not agree on a price for a "scrip deal". Nagle says the logic of a merger with Rio still exists, but he signalled that the two companies were "far apart on valuation." (RMS)

News

Cryptos

The crypto market has temporarily found balance

Market Overview

The crypto market cap on Monday morning is $2.31 trillion, just over 1% higher than a week ago. Volatility in cryptocurrencies decreased significantly in the second half of the week, unlike in traditional financial markets. Cryptocurrencies did not emerge as a safe haven; instead, they found only a temporary balance between opposing forces.

Last week, crypto failed to maintain its mid-week momentum. They are also avoiding a collapse following traditional markets, which began trading on Monday. This is too fragile a balance, and we see a greater risk of increased cryptocurrency sell-offs as institutional players are forced to reduce leverage amid the decline of key assets.

The sentiment index stood at 8 on Monday, returning to single digits after twelve days of attempts to stabilise and form a rebound. This behaviour proves once again that not all extremely low sentiment values constitute a good entry point.

Bitcoin is trading at $67K, around which it has been for more than 4 weeks. On intraday intervals, purchases are still noticeable on dips below $66K. Still, it is difficult to rely on this support given the powerful movements in financial markets.

News Background

Bitcoin is in the deepest phase of a bear market, and the situation could worsen, according to ZX Squared Capital, which expects BTC to fall further by 30% in 2026 due to the war with Iran.

Culper Research has opened short positions on Ethereum and BitMine shares. Analysts believe that the altcoin's economy has deteriorated following the recent Fusaka update.

For the first time in US history, the Trump administration has included cryptocurrencies and blockchain in the National Cybersecurity Strategy, which explicitly states the need to protect these technologies at the state level.

Florida has passed the first state-level stablecoin bill in the US. Governor Ron DeSantis will sign the document within the next 30 days.

The US SEC has dropped charges against Justin Sun. The founder of Tron agreed to pay a $10 million fine but did not admit guilt. In 2023, the SEC accused Sun of unregistered sales of securities in the form of Tron and BitTorrent cryptocurrencies, as well as fraudulent price manipulation.

About 38% of altcoins have approached historic lows. The situation in the sector is worse than after the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange, notes analyst Darkfost. (FxPro)

EURO News

No one will help the euro

Europe is an unintended victim of the Middle East conflict.

The growing likelihood of two ECB rate hikes is not enough to boost EURUSD. The US dollar posted its strongest weekly performance in a year and may extend its rally amid intensifying geopolitical risks in the Middle East. Political developments in Iran have increased uncertainty about the conflict's trajectory, boosting safe-haven demand for the dollar. As a result, EURUSD opened the week with a gap lower. The rapid rise in oil prices contributed to recessions in the US economy in 1973, 1980, 1990 and 2008. And the current cooling of the American labour market, driven by the White House's tariff and anti-immigration policies, suggests a downturn. Indeed, in February, non-farm employment fell by 92K, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.4%. However, the United States is currently a net energy exporter. Its economy will suffer less from a rally in Brent and WTI above $100 per barrel than Europe or Asia. This is why the shock of rising oil and gas prices is reversing the ‘sell America’ flows. US stock indices have fallen less than their competitors, and the greenback has risen. Speculators have reduced their net shorts on the USD by two-thirds over the past few days. Even the increased chances of two ECB rate hikes this year to above 30% are not enough to halt the euro’s fall. Before the armed conflict in the Middle East, investors believed that the deposit rate would remain unchanged in 2026. Now they are confident it will rise from 2% to 2.25% and estimate the possibility of growth to 2.5% amid potential inflation acceleration. However, when geopolitics reigns supreme, central banks fade into the background. The ECB is unlikely to start a cycle of monetary tightening amid serious economic pain from energy disruptions and a surge in oil and gas prices. European reserves are depleted, and the region is a net importer of energy, with the lion's share coming from the Middle East. EURUSD rightly looks like one of the main currency pairs affected by the escalation of the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran on Forex. (FxPro)

News

Best Quotes

"Bullish is a mindset", Greg Tingle, Media Man Group

"We can buy more Bitcoin than they can sell" Michael Saylor (via X)

“Like a PLE in Australia. If we were to wrestle in Australia, that is the ultimate goal.” Zaria

Media Man Int

Markets

March 5, 2026

ASX 200 futures up 80 points or 0.9 per cent to 8938

AUD +0.6% to US70.79¢
Bitcoin +7.4% to $US73,642
Wall St:
Dow +0.6%
S&P +1%
Nasdaq +1.6%
VIX -3.05 to 20.52
Gold +0.8% to $US5127.88 an ounce
Brent oil -0.1% to $US81.31 a barrel
Iron ore -0.4% to $US98.65 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.07% Australia 4.74%

News

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7080 USD (up $0.0030 USD)
Iron Ore: $98.65 USD (up $0.45 USD)
Oil Price): $74.93 USD (up $1.62 USD)
Gold Price: $5,138.19 USD (up $21.40 USD)
Copper Price: $5.9000 USD (up $0.0380 USD)
Dow Jones: 48,788.39 at 3.34pm NY time (up 287.12 points on yesterday's close)

News

ASX dives in $63b wipeout; gold miners fall

The Australian sharemarket retreated on Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 shedding 1.9 per cent to close at 8,901.2 points. Sharemarkets across Asia were also sold down, and Paco Chow from Moomoo Australia says financial markets are becoming increasingly concerned that the conflict in Iran could be drawn out and more disruptive to the global economy than was initially expected. BHP was down 3.5 per cent at $55.68, the ANZ Bank fell 3.7 per cent to $37.94 and Treasury Wine Estates finished six per cent lower at $4.24. However, ARN Media was up 4.4 per cent at $0.36 and Woodside Energy rose 0.9 per cent to $30.75.(RMS)

News

24 Hours Ago/The Lead Up

ASX off 1.3pc on Iran tensions; Magellan leaps

The Australian sharemarket retreated on Tuesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 shedding 1.3 per cent to close at 9,077.3 points. The growing military conflict in the Middle East weighed on travel-related stocks, with Qantas falling 1.8 per cent to $9.24; the property sector was also sold down amid growing expectations of further interest rate rises, with Goodman Group down 2.4 per cent at $28.17. However, New Hope Corporation added 7.4 per cent to end the session at $5.10 and Magellan Financial Group was up 21.9 per cent at $10.31. (RMS)

News

Biz/Politics/Trade/Transport

'Profit gouging': anger at container surcharge

Australian exporters have accused France-based shipping company CMA CGM of price gouging after it responded to the Iran conflict by imposing an 'emergency conflict surcharge' on shipping containers. The levy will range from $US2,000 for 20-foot dry containers to $US4,000 for refrigerated or special equipment containers, and will apply to all containers that are shipped to or from the Middle East. CMA CGM has advised that it will apply to all bookings that have been made since 2 March, as well as cargoes that have either yet to be shipped or are already in transit. CMA CGM owns Australia's ANL shipping line. (RMS)

News

Cryptos

The crypto market failed to break out of its range

Market Overview

The crypto market cap grew by 2.6% to $2.33 trillion. The market remains stuck in a narrow range, moving from the lower boundary on Saturday to the upper boundary at the start of the day on Tuesday. At times like this, attention turns to whether there will be an upward breakout and a reversal of the February pattern. On the sellers' side, the pull towards the dollar is a strong headwind for USD-denominated quotes. On the other hand, this is a chance for Bitcoin and major cryptocurrencies to play their role as a safe haven, providing shelter from the storm.

Bitcoin rose to $70K, but Tuesday morning's decline brought its price back to $67K, indicating significant resistance from sellers on the upside. The first cryptocurrency failed to break out of horizontal consolidation, which again forces us to consider a decline to $63K as a working scenario.

News Background

The positive market sentiment on Monday was a combination of a low base after the previous price decline, a breakout of key technical levels and a resumption of accumulation by large investors, CoinShares notes. At the same time, both Ethereum and Bitcoin have seen net outflows since the beginning of the year.

Bitcoin is undervalued compared to ‘overheated’ gold and global money supply, which could contribute to a possible upward reversal for BTC, according to JAN3 CEO Samson Mow.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin presented a plan for two key changes to the network's execution level: the transition to a binary state tree and the long-term replacement of EVM.

Strategy bought 3,015 BTC ($204.1 million) last week at an average price of $67,700 per coin. Strategy now owns 720,737 BTC, purchased for $54.8 billion at an average price of $75,985 per bitcoin.

BitMine acquired 50,928 ETH over the past week. The company's reserves have reached 4.47 million ETH, which is 3.71% of Ethereum's market supply. BitMine plans to accumulate 5% of all ether. (FxPro)

News

World News

The Middle East is changing the game in Forex

The US dollar may receive support from rising oil prices.

Geopolitics is driving up inflation in Japan. The US dollar gained about 0.8% at the start of the week, which may seem like a relatively restrained reaction to events in the Middle East. Investors are wondering how long the confrontation will last. Will Donald Trump end military action soon, or will he prolong it, risking pushing Brent above $100 per barrel and accelerating US inflation? The second option would be a blow to the oil-import-oriented eurozone and the euro. Investors are waiting for signals from the Fed, whose meeting will take place in just over two weeks, about its priorities in terms of risks: whether to focus on inflation risks, financial market disruptions, or labour market stabilisation and actual inflation. The market narrative before the weekend was that stabilisation of the labour market amid slowing inflation allowed the Fed to resume rate cuts around June. This made the medium-term outlook for the US dollar bearish. The reduction in the average tariff rate following the Supreme Court's ruling on duties will further slow down prices. To reduce fees, companies are underpricing goods, overpricing transportation and insurance services, or shipping products through Mexico. These actions explain why US inflation is not rising as fast as expected. Right now, the narrative driving the markets is that rising oil prices could lead to a prolonged pause in the Fed's rate cuts. This works in favour of dollar bulls. It also works against the EURUSD and some other European currencies, as they are closer to the conflict and are forced to buy energy resources that have skyrocketed in price.

According to Monex Group, a rise in Brent to $100-120 per barrel would be equivalent to a supply shock in Japan and would derail Sanae Takaichi's efforts to stimulate the economy. In this scenario, inflation will accelerate by 0.5 percentage points. Its slowdown in January-February seemed to have given the prime minister a free hand. However, events in the Middle East risk changing everything, which will affect the USDJPY exchange rate.

Gold appears to be a major beneficiary of the US and Israeli military strikes on Iran. Its price exceeded $5,400 per ounce, where it had briefly peaked in January. The precious metal recorded its seventh consecutive monthly gain in February, its longest winning streak since 1973. The kidnapping of the Venezuelan president, tariff threats against Europe over Greenland and, finally, the conflict in the Middle East create the perfect geopolitical backdrop for a flight to gold as a safe haven. Investors are responding more to risk premium dynamics than to fundamental factors.

In such conditions, gold feels right at home. (FxPro)

News

Crypto News

36 Hours Ago

The crypto is stuck in a narrow consolidation range

Market Overview

Crypto market capitalisation has fallen back to $2.3 trillion, remaining at Thursday's low. The upward momentum gained at the beginning of the week has not developed further, with traders preferring to sell as prices rise.

Over the past three weeks, the market has mainly traded within the $2.20–2.40 trillion range. Local resistance roughly coincides with a 23.6% recovery from the decline between the mid-January highs and the early February lows. Such narrow consolidation is often seen in strong bear markets.

Bitcoin has fallen back below $67,000, failing to build on its gains as it comes under pressure alongside tech giants on Wall Street. While the first cryptocurrency remains well above the lows it rebounded from on Tuesday, it is slowly sliding down and has given up almost half of that rebound.

News Background

The value of USDT stablecoin reserves held by exchanges has fallen from $60 billion to $51.1 billion over the past two months. CryptoQuant warns that a drop below $50 billion will trigger a massive sell-off in the crypto market.

Meanwhile, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales has suggested that the price of the first cryptocurrency will collapse to $10,000 by the middle of the century. In his opinion, Bitcoin has completely failed as a store of value.

Strategy shares topped the list of large US companies by short position volume. The market doubts the reliability of the company's Bitcoin strategy, under which the firm issued shares and attracted debt financing to purchase cryptocurrency.

Ethereum developers have presented a plan for seven hard forks between now and 2029. Updates are expected every six months. So far, only two of these have been named: 'Glamsterdam' and 'Hegota'. These will be implemented this year.

Large Ethereum holders have started selling the cryptocurrency at a loss. The DAT company ETHZilla has officially abandoned its ETH accumulation strategy and changed its name. The firm has decided to focus on tokenised assets (RWA).

The DAT company GD Culture Group (GDC) is set to sell some of its Bitcoin reserves to fund a share buyback programme. Last September, the firm acquired 7,500 BTC, placing it 15th among public companies in terms of Bitcoin reserves.

The total volume of loans on the DeFi platform Aave has exceeded $1 trillion. This makes it the first project in the decentralised finance industry to reach this significant milestone.

News Lead Up

A.I News

Firmus in $600m tech giant deal, with eyes on Facebook owner Meta

Firmus Technologies has entered into a deal with US technology firm Nvidia and Australian data centre operator CDC Data Centres to deploy 18,400 Nvidia chips on behalf of an unnamed tech company at a facility in Melbourne. The facility is part of Project Southgate, which was announced last year and which will see the three companies construct 'AI factories' across Australia over a number of years at a forecast cost of more than $70 billion. The new deal is valued at around $660 million and comes as Firmus Technologies gets ready for an IPO this year. (RMS)

News

A.I News (Australia)

Canva to draw line through AI unit

Tech company Canva has announced a major restructure of its artificial-intelligence video unit, Leonardo AI, with a large number of staff there expected to loose their jobs. The restructure comes only 18 months after Canva purchased Leonardo in a deal thought to be worth $370 million, and is in contrast to Canva's 'upbeat' announcement last week of its purchase of two new AI ventures, marketing algorithm start-up MangoAI and animation software business Cavalry. (RMS)

News

Most workers unaware of AI surveillance by employers

A report from the UTS Human Technology Institute has found that 91 per cent of employers surveyed state that they use software to monitor the location of remote workers. However, only nine per cent of workers believe such technology is deployed in their own roles, and Professor Edward Santow from UTS says "that gap is alarming". Meanwhile, researchers claim that tools used explicitly for surveillance are not the only risk to employee privacy, with wellness and mental health services and products potentially another privacy risk.

News

News Media (Australia)

News Corp leader's call to arms: 'it's make or break'

News Corp Australasia's executive chairman Michael Miller is optimistic about the future of public interest journalism. However, he contends that factors such as AI and the regulation of large technology companies means that 2026 is set to be a "make or break" year for Australia's media sector. Miller has called for the federal government to prioritise investment in the "infrastructure of public discourse", arguing that a commitment to Australian journalism is a commitment to a "stronger Australia". He adds that while media companies should strike deals with AI companies, Australia's copyright laws should not be watered down. He has also urged the government to legislate the much-delayed news bargaining incentive, noting that many local media groups are struggling at present. (RMS)

News

The Lead Up

Feb 27

Branding stoush: Why Sky's new name is already under fire

Sky News Australia revealed on Friday that it will be rebranded as News24. Sources at the ABC have indicated that the announcement "raised eyebrows" among senior executives of the public broadcaster, given that its 24-hour news channel was originally called ABC News 24 and it owns the trademark rights to this branding. Intellectual property lawyer Jane Rawlings says it would be difficult for Sky News Australia to trademark its new name because it uses generic terms and is similar to the ABC's trademark. A South Africa-based news website also uses the News24 branding, and its logo also has the same colours as Sky News Australia's proposed new logo. (RMS)

News

Search/News Media

Google, Meta take aim at Australian plan for tech giants to pay for journalism

The US National Foreign Trade Council has labelled the federal government's News Bargaining Incentive a tax, and something that possibly breaches Australia's free trade agreement with the US. The News Bargaining Incentive aims to force big tech companies like Google and Meta to financially support Australian media by what the government refers to as a "charge and offset scheme", with the Council's complaints about the proposal contained in a submission was made to Treasury in December. News of the submission comes as the federal government tries to secure exemptions from US President Donald Trump's tariffs on imports, which are set to rise for Australia from 10 to 15 per cent. (RMS)

News

Sports Business

V'landys forecasts $1b revenue soon for NRL

The National Rugby League has reported that it had total revenue of $845.6 million for the year ending 30 September, an increase of $100.7 million over the previous year. The NRL's net profit rose from $62.3 million to $64.9 million, while net assets were up 20 per cent to $387.3 million. The release of its latest results comes as NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys prepare for talks with television networks and streaming services about a new broadcast deal, while V'landys says he expects the NRL to surpass $1 billion in revenue in the next few years. (RMS)

News

Biz/Markets

Reporting season delivers strongest profit results since 2021, lifting sharemarket

The Australian sharemarket has enjoyed its best reporting season since 2021, which has helped to lift what is still viewed as an expensive bourse. With 80 per cent of scheduled companies by market capitalisation having reported as of last week, aggregate earnings per share for the 2026 financial year is forecast to rise around 12 per cent after low single-digit falls in the past three years. Companies that have performed well on the release of their results have included BHP and JB Hi-Fi, while those that have been punished include Wesfarmers and Reliance Worldwide. (RMS)

News

MinRes turnaround in full swing as flagship iron ore project performs

West Australian mining company Mineral Resources released its results for the first half of the financial year on Friday, with MinRes reporting an after-tax profit of $573 million. It represented a big turnaround on the $807 million loss posted a year ago, which was announced at a time when MinRes MD and founder Chris Ellison was under scrutiny over the disclosure of a decade-long tax evasion scheme and his misuse of company resources. Ellison says its latest result was the "the strongest in the company's history", while it reaffirmed its full-year volume and cost guidance. (RMS)

News

Simon Trott awarded Rio Tinto bonus as execs lose out to Magnificent Seven on TSR award

The base pay of Rio Tinto CEO Simon Trott will rise from from Stg1.34m ($2.55m) to Stg1.41m from 1 March after the mining company's board awarded him a five per cent pay rise. Trott also received Stg600,000 in relocation expenses to cover the cost from moving from his home in Perth to London, along with receiving short term incentive payments in cash and shares of $1.34m for his four months as CEO and $1.25m for the eight months he spent as head of Rio's WA iron ore operations. (RMS)

News

Rio Tinto boss lobbied Chalmers to save $11b fuel tax rebate

The federal government is under pressure to scrap the $11 billion fuel tax rebate scheme that is used by mining companies such as Rio Tinto and BHP. Unions and environment groups argue that removing the rebate scheme would force the resources sector to decarbonise at a faster rate, along with saving taxpayer's money. However, a letter released under freedom of information rules has revealed that Rio's then-chief executive of Australia, Kellie Parker, lobbied Treasurer Jim Chalmers to maintain the rebate scheme in the May budget, with Parker claiming Rio would not be in a position to deploy an electric haul truck fleet until the early 2030s. (RMS)

News

Landmark deal commits South Australian gas to home market

Oil and gas producer Santos has done a deal with the South Australian government that will see all the gas it currently exports from that state instead retained in SA in what Premier Peter Malinauskas has labelled a "state strategic reserve". Announcing the deal ahead of his government going into caretaker mode in the lead-up to the SA state election on 21 March, Malinauskas said the gas that would normally go to Japan or South Korea to advance their economies, will now be used to advance the SA economy. The deal between Santos and the SA government comes amid growing pressure on Santos's GLNG export venture in Queensland to end purchases of gas from the domestic market to meet its export contracts. (RMS)

News

Social Media/Media

X Launches Disclosure Tools to Fight Hidden Paid Promotions

Next week, X rolls out new features to make it easier to label paid promotions, with account suspensions for those who skip disclosure. Bier announced this while warning posters promoting Kalshi to add labels or face bans, targeting spam in crypto, prediction markets, and clipping agencies. Reactions range from crypto users celebrating a spammer purge with memes to concerns about clear rules, all while creators like Cynthia joke they're safe since they skip the paychecks.

Pop Culture/Gaming/Wrestling

WWE 2K26 Reveals Retro Entrances of CM Punk and Randy Savage

WWE Games shared first looks at WWE 2K26, recreating classic entrances like CM Punk's 2003 indie debut and Macho Man Randy Savage's 1998 WCW Nitro gear with Queen Sherri by his side. Iyo Sky's feathered entrance drew a thrilled 'Oh yeah! So cool!' from the champion herself. The game launches March 13 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, with Punk on the cover, over 400 stars, and new modes like thumbtack Hell in a Cell. Fans praised the nostalgic details while hoping for era-specific animations.

News

Pop Culture/Sports/Boxing

Conor Benn Signs $15 Million Deal with Dana White's Zuffa Boxing

Rising boxer Conor Benn, 29, inked a one-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing, the January 2026 venture from UFC president Dana White and Saudi backer Turki Alalshikh, backed by Riyadh Season and streaming on Paramount+. Fresh off avenging his loss to Chris Eubank Jr., Benn thanked Eddie Hearn for a decade of support—including loans and defense during his 2022 drug test suspension—but called Zuffa's offer impossible to refuse. Hearn expressed devastation, saying he misjudged Benn's loyalty after providing title shots and financial help, while Eubank Jr. mocked both and White insulted Hearn directly.

News Flashback

Pop Culture/Wrestling

Jey Uso, Bronson Reed, and Original El Grande Americano Set for Triple Threat Elimination Chamber Qualifier on WWE Raw

WWE announced a triple threat match on the next episode of Raw featuring Jey Uso, Bronson Reed, and Original El Grande Americano to qualify for the Elimination Chamber. The card also includes Brock Lesnar's return, a tribute to AJ Styles, World Champion CM Punk's appearance, and a women's qualifier with Raquel Rodriguez, Kairi Sane, and IYO SKY.

News

WWE Stars Clap Back at Tom Brady's 'Cute' Wrestling Jab

On Logan Paul's podcast earlier this month, seven-time NFL champ Tom Brady dismissed pro wrestling as 'cute' amid Paul's boasts about his WWE feats. Women's World Champion Liv Morgan, fresh off her 2026 Royal Rumble win, countered that WWE athletes could handle football but questioned if football stars could match wrestling's demands—no offseasons, global travel, and high-flying action. Randy Orton upped the ante, saying he'd love to hit Brady with an RKO, while CM Punk embraced the 'cute' label; the banter builds excitement ahead of Elimination Chamber this weekend and WrestleMania 42 in April.

News

Boxing

Ryan Garcia Dominates Barrios to Win WBC Welterweight Title

At T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night, the 27-year-old southpaw outlanded Barrios in every round, sweeping all 12 on media cards for a unanimous decision victory with scores of 119-108, 120-107, and 118-109. It was Garcia's first major world title, coming after ups and downs like his 2024 win over Devin Haney that turned into a no-contest due to a positive ostarine test. Post-fight, he posed backstage mimicking Kobe Bryant's iconic trophy photo, called out Shakur Stevenson, and drew shade from Haney over past PED issues despite passing pre-fight tests.

News

Wrestling/Gaming

Mr. Iguana's Custom Wrestler Becomes Official in WWE 2K26 with AAA Stars

WWE Games revealed AAA Lucha Libre stars like Mr. Iguana, La Yesca, Psycho Clown, and Lady Flammer for Ringside Pass Season 1 DLC, available with early access on March 6, 2026. Mr. Iguana, created as a custom persona back in 2007, joins partners in dynamic poses with glowing effects and props. The additions blend Mexico's wrestling heritage with WWE action, alongside staples like Charlotte Flair and DX-era Shawn Michaels, as the full game launches March 13 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

News

Best Quotes Of The Day

Media Man

Cryptocurrency, Finance and World

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

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

News

Pop Culture

Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking

Bulls vs Bears
Crypto King vs Mr World Bank
Citizens vs NWO
Neo vs Agent Smith
John McAfee vs You Know Who!
TKO vs Naysayers
Jake Paul, Polymarket and BETR vs Naysayers
Pro Boxing vs Newspaper Reports
VKM vs The World
Paul Bros vs Mainstream Wokes
Mr X vs Mr Bluesky
Chris Jericho vs Dirtsheets
NFL vs everyone
Zuffa vs MVP
Netflix vs World
Meta vs Australia
White Light vs Dark Matter
Lexis King vs NIL's (WWE NXT)
Volk vs Naysayers (UFC: Sydney, Australia)
Brock Lesnar vs Everyone! (WWE Royal Rumble)
Zuffa Boxing vs Golden Boy
Zuffa vs Matchroom
Netflix Sports vs The World
Beast vs Flakes
The Vision vs Mr Injury and The Masked Man aka Seth Rollins
Roman Reigns vs CM Punk - verbal confrontation on WWE RAW! - Road To WrestleMania!

Markets, Cryptos and Culture

March 2, 2026

Australia and World

A.I Newsfeed

The fast-moving conflict across the Middle East is heightening investor anxiety and strengthening the case for safe-haven trades such as Treasuries, gold and the Swiss franc, while oil prices are set to soar.

Macro traders said all eyes will be on energy markets when trading fully re-opens on Monday, with early indications of volatility also expected when the US dollar and other currencies start to trade in Australia. The possibility of prolonged turmoil in the Middle East and the ripple effects of higher oil prices are giving money managers fresh reasons to sell equities and shift into safety.

Futures are pointing to a fall of 0.2 per cent at the open for the Australian sharemarket, but this was set before the US attack on Iran on Saturday (Australian time). The Australian dollar was trading at US70.65¢ at 5.26am AEDT.

Traders will be adopting the strategy of “haven first, ask questions later,” according to John Briggs, head of US rates strategy at Natixis. “The scale of the attacks and Iranian retaliation is larger than what the market expected,” he said.

Briggs said Treasuries are likely to extend moves from Friday, when short-term yields sank to levels last seen in 2022. Others are watching energy chokepoints. Roundhill Financial’s Dave Mazza said he’s closely tracking what happens to traffic at the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway handling about a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade.

“This is about Hormuz risk, not retaliation. If shipping stays open, stocks can work through it,” he said. “If it doesn’t, all bets are off.”

Brent crude jumped 10 per cent to about $US80 a barrel over the counter on Sunday, oil traders said, while analysts predicted that prices could climb as high as $US100 after US and Israeli strikes on Iran plunged the Middle East into a new war.

The global oil benchmark has rallied this year and reached $US73 a barrel on Friday for its highest since July, buoyed by growing concern over the potential attacks that arrived a day later. Futures trading is closed over the weekend.

“While the military attacks are themselves supportive for oil prices, the key factor here is the closing of the Strait of Hormuz,” said Ajay Parmar, director of energy and refining at ICIS.

More than 20 per cent of global oil is moved through the Strait of Hormuz.

“We expect prices to open (after the weekend) much closer to $US100 a barrel and perhaps exceed that level if we see a prolonged outage of the Strait,” Parmar said.

US stocks sank Friday as Wall Street kept punishing companies that could become losers in the artificial-intelligence revolution. A surprisingly discouraging update on inflation also hurt the market, while oil prices climbed with worries about tensions between the United States and Iran.

The S&P 500 fell 0.4 per cent and staggered to the finish of just its second losing month in the last 10. The Dow Jones dropped 521 points, or 1.1 per cent, the Nasdaq composite sank 0.9 per cent.

The losses came as investors returned to knocking down software companies and other businesses they suspect could get supplanted by AI-powered competitors.

Block, the company behind Cash App, Square and other businesses, gave a potential signal of what AI could do after Chair Jack Dorsey said it’s cutting its workforce by nearly half. That’s even though he said 2025 was a strong year for the company, which is sending more cash to shareholders through stock buybacks.

“Intelligence tools have changed what it means to build and run a company,” Dorsey said in a letter to investors while announcing Block’s latest profit results. “We’re already seeing it internally. A significantly smaller team, using the tools we’re building, can do more and do it better.”

The co-founder of Twitter also said, “I don’t think we’re early to this realisation. I think most companies are late. Within the next year, I believe the majority of companies will reach the same conclusion and make similar structural changes.”

Block is cutting more than 4000 jobs from its workforce of over 10,000. Its stock jumped 16.8 per cent after making the announcement, while announcing its latest quarterly results.

Capable AI tools that can replace humans could perhaps replace entire companies, or at least eat away at their profit margins. Fears about AI disruption have caused sudden and swift sell-offs for stocks seen as potentially under threat, and they’ve rolled through industries as different as trucking logistics and legal services.

Salesforce, whose platform helps customers manage their relationships with clients, fell 2.3 per cent. It gave back much of its 4 per cent gain from the day before after reporting a better profit than analysts expected.

The pain has also hit private-equity companies that have bought or lent money to software companies, which need to withstand the AI threat to keep repaying those loans. Apollo Global Management dropped 8.6 per cent for the one of the sharpest losses in the S&P 500. Blue Owl Capital, which has been a target for investors because of the loans to it’s made to the software industry, fell 6 per cent.

Even the companies currently seeing their revenue and profit soar because of AI-related demand are under pressure. Nvidia fell 4.2 per cent and was the heaviest weight on the US stock market. A day earlier, it dropped to its worst loss since last spring even though it reported a better profit than analysts expected and forecast more in revenue for the current quarter.

On the winning side of Wall Street was Netflix, which climbed 13.8 per cent after walking away from its bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business. That put Skydance-owned Paramount in a position to take over its Hollywood rival.

Paramount Skydance shares jumped 20.8 per cent, while Warner Bros. Discovery fell 2.2 per cent.

Also hurting the broad market was a report showing that inflation at the US wholesale level was at 2.9 per cent last month, much higher than the 1.6 per cent that economists expected. (A.I Newsfeed)

News

Numbers Double Check

Aust $: $0.7041 USD (down $0.0068 USD)
Iron Ore: $98.65 USD (down $0.50 USD)
Oil: $67.02 USD (up $1.64 USD)
Gold: $5,278.10 USD (up $86.25 USD)
Silver 93.817 +5.55
Copper: $6.0610 USD (up $0.0300 USD)
BTC: $65,629.97 -1.71%
Dow Jones: 48,977.92 (down 521.28 points)

News

A.I News

Firmus in $600m tech giant deal, with eyes on Facebook owner Meta

News

A.I News (Australia)

Canva to draw line through AI unit

News

Most workers unaware of AI surveillance by employers

News

News Media (Australia)

News Corp leader's call to arms: 'it's make or break'

News

The Lead Up

Feb 27

Branding stoush: Why Sky's new name is already under fire

News

Search/News Media

Google, Meta take aim at Australian plan for tech giants to pay for journalism

News

Sports Business

V'landys forecasts $1b revenue soon for NRL

News

Biz/Markets

Reporting season delivers strongest profit results since 2021, lifting sharemarket

News

MinRes turnaround in full swing as flagship iron ore project performs

News

Simon Trott awarded Rio Tinto bonus as execs lose out to Magnificent Seven on TSR award

News

Rio Tinto boss lobbied Chalmers to save $11b fuel tax rebate

News

Landmark deal commits South Australian gas to home market

News

Social Media/Media

X Launches Disclosure Tools to Fight Hidden Paid Promotions

Pop Culture/Gaming/Wrestling

WWE 2K26 Reveals Retro Entrances of CM Punk and Randy Savage

News

Pop Culture/Sports/Boxing

Conor Benn Signs $15 Million Deal with Dana White's Zuffa Boxing

News Flashback

Pop Culture/Wrestling

Jey Uso, Bronson Reed, and Original El Grande Americano Set for Triple Threat Elimination Chamber Qualifier on WWE Raw

News

WWE Stars Clap Back at Tom Brady's 'Cute' Wrestling Jab

News

Boxing

Ryan Garcia Dominates Barrios to Win WBC Welterweight Title

News

Wrestling/Gaming

Mr. Iguana's Custom Wrestler Becomes Official in WWE 2K26 with AAA Stars

News

Best Quotes Of The Day

Media Man

Cryptocurrency, Finance and World

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News

Pop Culture

Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking

Media Man

Markets, Cryptos and Culture

February 23, 2026

Sydney, Australia to Wall Street, New York

"All That Glitters"

Mining For Intel

Fight Biz Week

Aust $: $0.7065 USD (up $0.0017 USD)
Iron Ore: $95.30 USD (down $0.05 USD)
Oil: $66.48 USD (down $0.12 USD)
Gold: $5,106.68 USD (up $116.40 USD)
Silver 87.500 +5.517
Copper: $5.8700 USD (up $0.1170 USD)
BTC: $65,364.18 4.08%
Dow Jones: 49,625.97 (up 230.81 points)

News

Reporting season delivers strongest profit results since 2021, lifting sharemarket

News

Miners

MinRes turnaround in full swing as flagship iron ore project performs

News

Simon Trott awarded Rio Tinto bonus as execs lose out to Magnificent Seven on TSR award

News

Rio Tinto boss lobbied Chalmers to save $11b fuel tax rebate

News

Landmark deal commits South Australian gas to home market

News

Shares (Before The Bell)

New York Stock Exchange

TKO Group Holdings Inc
$211.12 +2.44 +1.17%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$314.98 +12.13 +4.01%

Netflix Inc
$78.67 +1.67 +2.17%

News

Social Media/Media

X Launches Disclosure Tools to Fight Hidden Paid Promotions

Pop Culture/Gaming/Wrestling

WWE 2K26 Reveals Retro Entrances of CM Punk and Randy Savage

Pop Culture/Sports/Boxing

Conor Benn Signs $15 Million Deal with Dana White's Zuffa Boxing

News

Pop Culture/Wrestling

Jey Uso, Bronson Reed, and Original El Grande Americano Set for Triple Threat Elimination Chamber Qualifier on WWE Raw

News

WWE 2K26 Reveals Kabuki Warriors, Nikkita Lyons Entrance, and DX Shawn Michaels Ahead of Launch

WWE Games shared first-look images of the Kabuki Warriors in dramatic purple lighting, Nikkita Lyons' dynamic 63-second entrance with pyros and gold gear, and a DX-era Shawn Michaels raising his arms under moody lights with a simple 'Suck it' caption. The game launches March 13 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, after early access on March 6 for pre-orders, featuring over 400 superstars like The Rock, Triple H, and CM Punk in his showcase story. A massive full roster reveal comes this week, alongside new modes like I Quit matches and Inferno, with fans counting down excitedly.

Pop Culture

MMA/UFC

Bruce Buffer Celebrates 30 Years as UFC's Iconic Announcer

At UFC Houston on Saturday night, the Toyota Center honored Bruce Buffer for 30 years calling fights, starting from UFC 8 in 1996 and becoming the full-time voice by UFC 13. His signature 'It's time! Ladies and gentlemen...' has introduced 255 pay-per-views and countless events, defining MMA's energy from early days to today. Buffer shared his gratitude online, calling it a cherished lifetime moment, while fans shared paintings, photos, and praise for the GOAT announcer amid the night's knockouts.

Pop Culture

WWE/Gaming/Wrestling

WWE 2K26 Kicks Off Roster Reveal with Stunning Entrances

WWE 2K26 reveal week launched with cinematic videos of superstar entrances, spotlighting Giulia, Nikkita Lyons in her lion-logo fur coat, The Kabuki Warriors' synchronized chaos, Shawn Michaels' DX nod, and Charlotte Flair's royal poise. The game boasts over 400 superstars like CM Punk and Stone Cold Steve Austin, launching March 13, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, with early access from March 6. Nikkita Lyons roared her thanks, Roxanne Perez posed with her title, and more reveals continue this week amid flying pre-orders.

News

Pop Culture

Combat Sports/Boxing

Ryan Garcia Dominates Barrios to Win First World Title

Garcia cruised to a unanimous decision victory over the long-reigning welterweight champion at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, earning scores of 119-108, 120-107, and 118-109 to claim the WBC title and boost his record to 25-2. He outlanded Barrios 185-106 overall and 103-43 in power punches, showcasing speed and precision throughout the 12 rounds. Post-fight, Garcia called out Shakur Stevenson while rivals like Devin Haney and Conor Benn weighed in online, fueling talk of superfights in the division.

News

Pop Culture/A.I/Hollywood

AI Video of Robots vs Jets Over Eiffel Tower Rattles Hollywood

ByteDance's new Seedance 2.0 tool created the video in minutes from a text prompt, delivering smooth action with realistic physics and multi-shot scenes. Hollywood studios like Disney and Netflix hit back with cease-and-desist letters, claiming it trains on copyrighted films without permission, while SAG-AFTRA worries about actors' jobs. At a February 21 town hall, Matthew McConaughey warned performers to adapt to AI, and Timothée Chalamet called for safeguards to protect human creativity, as reactions split between AI's cost-cutting promise and its current glitches in storytelling.

News

Pop Culture Flashback

Gold by Spandau Ballet

Producers: Steve Jolley & Tony Swain

Music Video: Gold
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VQ4qrcHyYj4

Spandau Ballet Official YouTube Channel
https://youtube.com/@spandauballet/

[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/Bio

Spandau Ballet

Spandau Ballet are an English new wave band formed in London in 1979, best known as one of the leading acts of the Second British Invasion of the early 1980s and icons of the “New Romantic” movement.

Key facts

Original line-up (1979–1990, 2009–2019):

Tony Hadley (lead vocals) Gary Kemp (guitar, chief songwriter) Martin Kemp (bass) Steve Norman (saxophone, guitar, percussion) John Keeble (drums)

Plus early member Richard Miller (later replaced) and long-time live/touring keyboardist Toby Chapman.
Biggest hits

“To Cut a Long Story Short” (1980) – their debut single, UK #5

“Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)” (1981)
“True” (1983) – worldwide #1 in many countries, UK #1 for 4 weeks, US #4; one of the most iconic ballads of the 1980s
“Gold” (1983) – UK #2, became an anthem
“Only When You Leave” (1984)
“I’ll Fly for You” (1984)
“Through the Barricades” (1986) – title track of their most mature album
Career highlights

Five studio albums in the 1980s:

Journeys to Glory (1981), Diamond (1982), True (1983), Parade (1984), Through the Barricades (1986)

Sold over 25 million albums worldwide
Massive success especially in Europe, Australia, and later in the U.S. with the True album
Split in 1990 after the Heart Like a Sky album underperformed
Highly public legal battle in 1999–2000: Gary Kemp won a court case against Hadley, Norman, and Keeble over unpaid royalties (the three had claimed co-writing credits)
Reunion

Reformed in 2009 with original line-up for a world tour and the album Once More (2009, new recordings + acoustic versions)

Toured extensively until 2019

Documentary film Soul Boys of the Western World (2014)

In 2017–2018 Tony Hadley left the band citing irreconcilable differences

Post-2019

Since 2019 the remaining members have continued as Spandau Ballet with new singer Ross William Wild (2018–2019), then briefly with theatre actor/singer Sam Clarkson

Tony Hadley now tours as a solo artist performing Spandau hits plus swing and soul material Gary and Martin Kemp remain active (acting, DJing, podcast “The Rest Is Entertainment” etc.)

They’re remembered for their sharp suits, romantic image, soul-influenced pop, and especially the timeless ballad “True.” One of the defining bands of the 1980s.

News

Best Quotes Of The Day

Media Man

Cryptocurrency, Finance and World

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pop Culture

Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking

Santa vs Grinch

Markets, Cryptos and Culture

February 17, 2026

Mining For Intel

Sydney, Australia to Wall Street, New York

ASX 200 futures up 15 points/0.2 per cent: 8895

AUD +0.04% to US70.76¢

Bitcoin $68,543.35 -0.48%

Wall St closed: holiday

Gold -1% to $US4992.08 an ounce
Silver 76.391 -1.57
Brent oil +1.2% to $US68.59 a barrel
Iron ore +0.1% to $US96.80 a ton

10-year yield:
US 4.05%
Australia 4.71%

News

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7075 USD (up $0.0009 USD)
Iron Ore: $96.80 USD (down $0.05 USD)
Oil Price: $63.73 USD (up $0.84 USD)
Gold Price: $4,993.72 USD (down $48.08 USD)
Copper Price): $5.7625 USD (down $0.0255 USD)
Dow Jones: 49,500.93 (unchanged - closed: public holiday)

Markets, Cryptos and Culture

Sydney, Australia to Wall Street, New York

February 13, 2026

Black Cat Edition
Black-ish Friday

"Paint It Black" (The Rolling Stones)
"Black & Gold" (Sam Sparro)
"Black Night" (Deep Purple)

ASX 200 futures down 56 points/0.6%: 8917
AUD -0.5% to US70.93¢
BTC $66,024.85 -2.20%
Dow -0.9%
S&P -1%
NAS -1.5%
VIX +2.12 to 19.77
Gold -2.7% to $US4949.68 an oz
Silver 76.593 -7.615
Oil -3% to $US67.35 a b
Iron ore -0.6% to $US99.40 a ton
10-yr yield: US 4.10% AUST 4.80%

News

Feb 13

Number Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7096 USD (down $0.0034 USD)
Iron Ore: $99.40 USD (down $0.75 USD)
Oil Price: $62.93 USD (down $2.01 USD)
Gold Price: $4,941.98 USD (down $138.24 USD)
Copper Price: $5.7905 USD (down $0.1775 USD)
Dow Jones: 49,727.01 (down 394.39 points)

News

ANZ soars 8pc, tech stocks extend losses

The Australian sharemarket posted a solid gain on Thursday, after reaching a new record intra-day high; the S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3 per cent to close at 9,043.5 points. The ANZ was up 8.5 per cent at a new peak of $40.35, Northern Star Resources advanced four per cent to $29.39 and Origin Energy finished 3.9 per cent higher at $11.50. However, AMP shed 26.7 per cent to end the session at $1.28, Temple & Webster fell 32.6 per cent to $7.64 and Pro Medicus was down 23.9 per cent at $129. (RMS)

News

Miners

Northern Star pushes back gold mine build

Northern Star Resources' CEO Stuart Tonkin has advised that a final investment decision on the Hemi gold project in the Pilbara is now slated to be made by June 2027. He indicated that the mine is likely to take about 2.5 years to build, which will push back initial production to at least 2030. Hemi is among the assets that Northern Star acquired in 2025 via the takeover of De Grey Mining, which had flagged initial production as early as 2027. Meanwhile, Northern Star has posted a 2025-26 interim net profit of $760m, which is 41 per cent higher than previously and was boosted by the record gold price. (RMS)

Markets

Feb 9, 2026

ASX 200 futures are pointing up 102 points or 1.2 per cent to 8749.
All US prices near 4.45pm New York time (8.45am Saturday AEDT):

AUD +1.4% to US70.21¢
Bitcoin +10.5% to $US70,228
On Wall St: Dow +2.5% S&P +2% Nasdaq +2.2%
VIX -4.01 to 17.76
Gold +3.9% to $US4963.65 an ounce
Brent oil +0.6% to $US67.93 a barrel
Iron ore -1.6% to $US99.00 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.20% Australia 4.82%

Markets, Cryptos and Culture

Sydney, Australia to Wall Street, New York

February 7, 2026

Black Friday In The USA Sees Some Light Arrive; Crypto True Believers Rejoince And Regain Some Lost Ground

Australians See Yanks Regain Some Smiles

"All That Glitters"

Sorting Pure Gold From Fools Gold?!

Who Is Putting The Crypto And Market Strings?

Roller Coaster Ride Continues Into The Weekend ...

"All That Glitters" Edition: Part 6

"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)

"You Got the Silver" (The Rolling Stones)

"Goldfinger" (Shirley Bassey)

"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (The Wolf Of Wall Street theme) Cannonball Adderley

"Stretch Your Face" (TOBACCO). Silicon Valley theme

"Diamonds" (Rihanna)

"Falling Down" (1993). (James Newton Howard)

"Every 1's a Winner" (Hot Chocolate)

"Still Humble" (def rebel)

"Clubbed to Death". (The Matrix theme). Kurayamino Mix. (Rob D)

"Bulls on Parade" (Rage Against the Machine)

Markets

ASX 200 futures up 102 points/1.2% to 8749
AUD +1.4% to US70.21¢
BTC $71,212.23 +11.54%
Wall St:
Dow +2.5%
S&P +2%
NAS +2.2%
VIX -4.01 to 17.76
Gold +3.9% to $US4963.65 an ounce
Silver 77.978 +7.14 +10.08%
Oil +0.6% to $US67.93 a barrel
Iron ore -1.6% to $US99.00 a ton

News

Crypto: too early to be greedy

Market Overview

The crypto market cap has lost more than 8% in the last 24 hours to $2.22T, dropping to $2.09T at its lowest point. The Crypto fell below last April's lows and rolled back to levels last seen in September 2024. The market did not hold on to the strong line that had served as support and resistance for more than two years. Either this is a switch to panic mode, or we saw a short-term overreaction during a period of reduced liquidity, and cryptocurrencies will partially rebound in the coming days.

The sentiment index fell to 9, where it was last seen in June 2022. In general, reaching single-digit levels is a very rare occurrence. At the same time, we warn again that such oversold conditions may be followed by months of consolidation or bottoming out. Thus, in 2022, the market only bottomed out in November, falling by about a quarter, and the momentum for growth only appeared in January.

Bitcoin, at its lowest point at the start of trading on Friday, fell to $60K, ending up just one step away from its 200-week moving average, which is just below $58K. Bitcoin only fell below this line in 2022 and the following year, 2023. Before that, in 2015, 2019, and 2020, touching this line effectively stopped the sell-off, attracting buyers.

News Background

The collapse of the crypto market reflects a decline in interest in digital assets at the institutional and regulatory levels, according to Deutsche Bank. Three factors are putting pressure on Bitcoin: a steady outflow of institutional investor funds, changes in traditional Bitcoin market relationships, and the loss of regulatory momentum that previously supported liquidity and reduced volatility.

The collapse of Bitcoin was caused by the actions of large market participants, not panic among private investors, said technical analyst Peter Brandt. In his opinion, the nature of the movement, when BTC updated its lows for eight days in a row, has all the signs of a “planned sell-off.”

Tension was heightened by unconfirmed rumours of a $9 billion sale of bitcoins by a Galaxy Digital client.

Stifel admits that bitcoin could collapse to $38K due to the high correlation of cryptocurrencies with the falling US tech sector.

According to DeFiLlama, the net inflow of funds to Binance over the past 24 hours amounted to almost $700 million. The data refuted rumours circulating on social media about mass withdrawals and account closures after Binance reported technical problems with withdrawals on February 3rd.

According to Bloomberg, there is still disagreement in the US over the Clarity Act. The current version of the document prohibits the accrual of interest for staking. Crypto companies are making new concessions to US banks, but the parties have not yet reached an agreement. (FxPro)

News

Gold News

Gold tries to prove that the bull trend is not yet broken After the most significant sell-off since 1980, gold is attempting to stabilise. Bears argue that the bubble has burst and events will unfold as they did in 2011. Back then, after falling from record highs, the precious metal entered a multi-year downtrend. Bank of America notes that volatility remains elevated. This allows us to talk about gold as a speculative asset and reduces central banks' demand for bullion. This is especially true given some recovery of confidence in the US dollar.

Bulls argue that the fundamentals of the gold market remain intact. US government debt is growing rapidly, which devalues Treasuries and the greenback. Political and geopolitical risks remain high. The Fed will resume its cycle of policy easing. Also, precious metals do not seem expensive at these levels. The Dow Jones index exceeded its value by 1.3 times in 1980, and during the dot-com crisis, its ratio soared above 40. Currently, it is just over 10.

Events at the end of last week unfolded too quickly. By the close of last week, the collapse had reached historic proportions, leaving scars on the market at the start of February. Formally, we see the week closing in positive territory and an impressive rebound of $550 from Monday's lows. It is also worth mentioning that the price reached these levels for the first time just two weeks ago. Nevertheless, we remain in the bear camp, assuming that the three-year bull market has already been broken. We may see attempts to grow and even break through $5000, but we expect that too many will sell gold at these levels/ (FxPro)

News

UK/Europe News

The Bank of England sank the pound

Markets now pricing the BoE will cut its rate in March.

Neither slowing inflation nor the strength of the euro scared the ECB.

While the ECB decided to support its currency, the Bank of England deliberately sank the pound. Both regulators left rates unchanged, but this is a dovish pause. Four out of nine MPC members voted to cut the repo rate from 3.75% to 3.5%, while markets had expected only two.

Andrew Bailey noted that there is an even chance of the next rate cut next month, as inflation is sure to fall significantly. As a result, the futures market raised the probability of such an outcome from 20% to 60%, pressuring GBPUSD.

The ECB showed much more mercy to the euro. On the eve of the Governing Council meeting, investors were concerned that the slowdown in inflation in the eurozone to 1.7% in January and the 13% strengthening of the euro against the USD over the past year would provoke ‘dovish’ rhetoric from Christine Lagarde.

But eventually, she noted that the ECB would not make decisions based on a single data point and that the strengthening of the euro was already factored into its forecasts. EURUSD bulls breathed a sigh of relief. They were helped by disappointing data on the US economy. In 2025, it created 1 million fewer jobs than in 2024.

According to Challenger, layoffs are occurring at the fastest pace since the global economic crisis of 2008-2009. ADP is signalling a slowdown in employment, and unemployment claims are exceeding forecasts. The Fed has already cut rates three times pre-emptively in response to signs of a cooling jobs market. If the negative trends continue, the monetary easing will resume earlier than expected. After a series of disappointing reports, derivatives have raised the odds of an April rate cut to 40%. If the BLS employment statistics bring an unpleasant surprise, they could rise to 50%, which is bearish for the US dollar.

It is hard to say how the greenback will react to the armed conflict in the Middle East. The erosion of confidence in it due to Donald Trump's policies has led to the loss of its status as the main safe-haven asset. Gold has taken its place. However, the January-February sell-off of the precious metal and rumours of a burst bubble could change everything. Will the US dollar regain its former glory? (FxPro)

News

The Lead Up

24 Hours Ago

ASX snaps two-day winning run as silver tumbles

The Australian sharemarket snapped a two-day winning streak on Thursday, with the S&P/ASX 200 closing down 38.60 points to 8889.20, while the price of silver tumbled by 15 per cent. Silver miner South32 declined 4 per cent to $4.60, while BHP fell 3.9 per cent to $50.36. Gold miner Genesis Materials declined by six per cent to $6.87 and uranium miner Paladin Energy slumped nine per cent to $12.36, while stocks to rise included the Commonwealth Bank, which rose 1.4 per cent to $159.28, and Regal Partners, up 5.1 per cent to $3.07. (RMS)

News Lead Up

ASX rises as miners rally; Yancoal soars 9pc

The Australian sharemarket posted a strong gain on Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.8 per cent to close at 8,927.8 points. BHP rose 4.5 per cent to $52.40, Northern Star Resources was up 6.2 per cent at $28.55 and Woodside Energy advanced 3.1 per cent to $25.84. However, Origin Energy was down 3.6 per cent at $11.12 and Synlait Milk shed 13.5 per cent to end the session at $0.45.

News Lead Up

24 Hours + Ago

Miners

Glencore soothes Rio concerns with US deal

Glencore has secured a preliminary, non-binding agreement to sell a 40 per cent stake in its Mutanda and Kamoto copper mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The deal was struck just days before the expiry of a deadline for Rio Tinto and Glencore to finalise their proposed merger or extend the negotiations. The consortium that will buy a minority stake in the two copper mines is headed by Orion Resource Partners, in which the US government has a stake. Rio Tinto has concerns about the two mines' links to Israeli businessman Dan Gertler, who was sanctioned by the US government in late 2017.

News

NYSE

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) saw mixed performance during the latest trading session on February 4, 2026. While the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.52% to close at 49,501.30, the broader NYSE Composite Index edged up just 0.41% to finish at 22,975.59. In contrast, tech-heavy indices like the Nasdaq and S&P 500 faced pressure, sliding 1.5% and 0.5% respectively as investors rotated out of major software and semiconductor names.

Recent Market Trends (February 2026)

Rotation out of Tech: Investors are increasingly moving capital from high-valuation AI and software companies into "real economy" Dow components.

Active IPO Market: Veradermics Inc (MANE) made a massive debut on the NYSE on February 5, 2026, with shares soaring 118% from their $17.00 IPO price.

Semiconductor Consolidation: Texas Instruments announced the acquisition of Silicon Laboratories for $7.5 billion, causing SLAB shares to surge nearly 50%.

Healthcare Volatility: Eli Lilly shares jumped 10% after strong Q4 results, helping the company reclaim a $1 trillion market cap, even as other healthcare firms like Novo Nordisk slumped on cautious outlooks.

Market Outlook and Valuations

As of early February 2026, major Wall Street analysts remain generally optimistic for the year, projecting total returns for the S&P 500 of approximately 6% to 11% by year-end.

Current valuations suggest that the U.S. equity market is trading at roughly a 5% discount to fair value estimates, with small-cap and late-cycle technology stocks identified as especially attractive. However, experts warn that elevated volatility is likely to persist due to shifting government policies and potential risks in the AI sector.

News Lead Up

24 Hours Ago +

Crypto market updates local lows

Market Overview

The crypto market cap fell 2.2% to $2.59 trillion, briefly touching $2.49 trillion, and is continuing its descent to last April's lows. Solana was hit particularly hard by the sell-off among the top coins, losing 6.8% compared to 2.9% for Bitcoin and 1.6% for Ethereum. Tron outperformed the market, gaining 1% on the day and losing only 2.3% over 7 days and 2.8% over 30 days, compared to a 14.5% and 18.1% decline in total cap, respectively.

Bitcoin broke through its 2025 lows on Tuesday and briefly fell below $73,000, back to its early November 2024 lows. Although there has been some rebound since the start of Wednesday, the sequence of lower local highs and lows indicates that selling on the rise prevails in the markets. Bulls, for their part, may point to oversold conditions on the RSI and divergence, where a lower local price low corresponds to a higher local low on the relative strength index. There were two such instances in 2024 and 2025, followed by gains of more than 20% and 60%, respectively. However, during the 2020 bear market, such signals did not work. News Background

Demand in the BTC spot market is drying up, with additional pressure from stablecoin outflows from trading platforms. Uncertainty surrounding the Fed's policy and the possible appointment of Kevin Warsh threaten to strengthen the dollar. This has a negative impact on risky assets, according to Arctic Digital.

There are no catalysts for growth in the crypto market, and selling pressure remains. In such conditions, Bitcoin risks falling to $56,000-58,000, according to Galaxy Digital.

The current crypto winter is closer to its end than its beginning, according to Bitwise. The crypto market is nearing the end of its decline phase, according to Compass Point. The base scenario assumes that BTC will bottom out in the $60,000-68,000 range.

According to a JPMorgan survey, asset managers from 30 countries around the world are betting on artificial intelligence, leaving cryptocurrencies out of the picture. Only 17% of respondents consider digital assets to be a key topic.

The German division of ING Bank has opened access to exchange-traded notes (ETNs) focused on cryptocurrencies to retail clients. The instruments allow investors to invest in Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana through the familiar banking interface. (FxPro)

News

Gold

Gold inflates a new bubble

The US dollar may suffer because of Kevin Warsh

Gold volatility remains elevated

The drop of US stock indices amid new developments in artificial intelligence has caused the US dollar to retreat. Software stocks have been hit hardest by Anthropic's innovations. The US market no longer looks as exceptional as it once did, with investors tending to diversify their portfolios and sell off American stocks. Coupled with a reassessment of Kevin Warsh's views as Fed chairman, this brings back interest in buying EURUSD. The futures market gives a 59% probability of a federal funds rate cut in June and expects two acts of monetary expansion before the end of the year. MUFG Bank notes that Kevin Warsh is respected by the markets. Donald Trump's choice in his favour has eased concerns about the Fed losing its independence and boosted confidence in the US dollar. However, the former FOMC official intends to cut rates. Rumours are growing on Forex that they will fall by 100-125 basis points. The Fed is not a one-man show. It will require a change in the economic outlook of the majority of the Open Market Committee, and this process is already underway. According to Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin, companies are not raising prices due to customer resistance. They are absorbing the tariffs. This is good news for inflation. The US economy is growing thanks to the artificial intelligence ecosystem and serving wealthy customers. The retreat of the US dollar has strengthened investors' desire to buy gold after the slump. Political and geopolitical tensions remain high, fuelling interest in gold as a safe-haven asset. In percentage terms, the precious metal recorded its largest daily gain since March 2009. At that time, investors were actively buying it due to the global economic crisis. However, Bank of America warns that there was no decline in volatility after gold collapsed on Black Friday, 30 January. The indicator continues to remain at high levels, increasing the risks of a new bubble forming. As the parliamentary elections approach, hedge funds are increasing their sales of the yen. If the Liberal Democratic Party strengthens its position in the lower house, interest in ‘Takaichi trade’ will return, inspiring USDJPY bulls. (FxPro)

News

The Lead Up

24 + Hours Ago ...

Cryptos

Very limited rebound in crypto

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation grew by 1.7% in 24 hours to $2.65 trillion. Once again, the positive sentiment in global financial markets came to the rescue of crypto. BNB is leading the rebound, benefiting from the support of the founder of Binance and Doge, which was mentioned again by Musk. At the same time, local resistance has formed in the market at $2.65-2.68 trillion, where the rebound has been losing momentum since the beginning of the month.

Bitcoin is trading above $78K, about 5% higher than Monday's lows, but hitting resistance from 1 February. This limited rebound is causing bearish sentiment about the immediate prospects for Bitcoin and the whole crypto market. News Background

According to CoinShares, global investment in crypto funds fell by $1.696 billion last week, following an outflow of $1.732 billion the week before. Investments in Bitcoin fell by $1.321 billion, in Ethereum by $308 million, in XRP by $44 million, in Solana by $32 million, and in multi-asset funds by $14 million.

The options market indicates that investors are beginning to form positions in anticipation of a local bottom. Long-term Bitcoin investors have moved into unrealised losses, which allows the market to transition into an ‘extremely bearish’ phase, according to CryptoQuant. The market has also been negatively affected by a persistent lack of liquidity for several months.

Bernstein expects the crypto market decline to end when Bitcoin reaches the highs of the previous cycle in the $60,000 range. The subsequent reversal will lay the foundation for the ‘most significant cycle’ for BTC.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg Intelligence strategist Mike McGlone reiterated his forecast for the current year, according to which Bitcoin could fall to $10,000. In his opinion, the current year may resemble the crisis years of 2008 and 2000-2001.

Corporate Ethereum holders suffered a major loss after the asset's value fell. According to BitMineTracker, the ‘paper’ losses of BitMine, the largest holder of the second-largest cryptocurrency, amounted to $6.95 billion. Investor Ross Gerber called this ETH purchase potentially ‘the worst deal in history.’

Hong Kong-based Trend Research has already begun to reduce its positions, selling 33,589 ETH ($79 million) at a loss. Japanese financial holding company Nomura is also reducing its investments in cryptocurrencies. However, Strategy continues to buy, acquiring another 855 BTC ($75.3 million) over the past week at an average price of $87,974. (FxPro)