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TKO/WWE
Lifts In And Out Of The Ring; Up and Down Cycle; TKO's
Nick Khan Offers Positive Vibes To US Admin Re Ali
Act Amendment; TKO's LinkedIn Enjoys Strong News Media
Buzz
April
27, 2026
(Sydney,
Australia)
ASX
futures down 3 points/0.03%: 8798
AUD +0.1% at US71.60¢
Bitcoin $79,222.72 +2.34%
Dow -0.2%
S&P +0.8%
Nasdaq +1.6%
Gold +0.3% to $US4709.50 an ounce
Silver 76.540 +0.858
Brent oil +0.3% at $US105.33 a barrel
Iron ore +0.3% at $US107.05 a ton
Coffee 294.90 -5.45
Numbers
Double Check
Australian
Dollar: $0.7130 USD (up $0.0006 USD)
Iron Ore: $107.05 USD (up $0.40 USD)
Oil Price (West Texas): $94.40 USD (down 2.99 USD)
Gold Price : $4,708.69 USD (up $15.67 USD)
Copper Price): $6.0285 USD (up $0.0060 USD)
Dow Jones: 49,230.71 (down 79.61 points
Shares
Before
The Bell
TKO
Group Holdings Inc
$186.50 +0.24 +0.13%
Alphabet
Inc Class A
$344.40
+5.51 +1.63%
News
WWE/Pop
Culture
Paul
Heyman Praises Lil Yachty Amid WWE Celebrity Backlash
On
SmackDown, Yachty celebrated new U.S. Champion Trick
Williams' WrestleMania 42 victory over Sami Zayn,
but Zayn ambushed them unmasked as a Gingerbread Man
with a Helluva Kick. Paul Heyman endorsed Yachty as
a respectful crossover star who honors WWE's history
and fans, countering backlash from viewers upset over
recent talent cuts like Aleister Black and Karrion
Kross. While some fans call it unwanted filler, others
praise the fun energy as WWE balances celebrities
with homegrown stories ahead of Backlash. (Media Man
Peg-On): We're going with Heyman on this. Yachty is
great and over with the audience for the most part.
News
UFC/MMA
(Australia)
UFC
Fight Night in Perth Features Main Event Between Jack
Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates
UFC
Fight Night is set for Perth, Western Australia, headlined
by a welterweight bout between top-ranked fighters
Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates. The event,
promoted as UFC Perth, airs live on Paramount Plus.
(Media Man Peg-On): On paper this Fight Night down
under should be stronger/better than some of their
previous fight nights are far as match quality.
News
Pop
Culture/WWE
Adam
Pearce Hypes Stacked WWE Raw in Laredo Tomorrow
WWE
Raw hits Sames Auto Arena in Laredo, Texas, tomorrow
at 8 p.m. ET exclusively on Netflix, building hype
for Backlash with Seth Rollins opening in promo, Becky
Lynch returning as three-time Women's Intercontinental
Champion, Joe Hendry's first Raw concert, Penta El
Zero Miedo vs. Rusev grudge match, Bayley and Lyra
Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez, and
Roman Reigns responding to Jacob Fatu's title challenge.
Pearce teased the action in a fun video, but fans
voice frustrations over Kairi Sane's absence and repeated
women's tag bouts. Local buzz mentions possible CM
Punk spots, though unconfirmed. (Media Man Peg-On):
Always pumped for WWE RAW. Fresh meat, men and women,
comig in from NXT. Let's F'N Go! Red turns to green
baby!
News
Pop
Culture/Lucha Libre
AAA
Announces New General Manager Reveal on May 23
On
the April 25 episode of AAA on Fox, President Marisela
Peña announced that Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide
will get a new General Manager, with the live reveal
set for May 23 in Mexico City. This follows her son
Dorian Roldán's recent plea for the role, which
she decided to open to other candidates after careful
thought. Fans are speculating on names like Zelina
Vega, Rey Mysterio, or even The Undertaker, amid AAA's
growth since WWE's majority stake acquisition last
April and its new Fox broadcasts blending lucha action
with WWE polish. (Media Man Peg-On): Ariba. Triple
A has massive influence from The Undertaker, and it's
paying off as far as entertainment value for fans
and in other creative and business ways from what
we see and hear. Can see see Danhausen in Triple H
also? Lucha Hausen!
News
Gunman
Tries to Breach Security at White House Correspondents'
Dinner, Trump Escapes Unharmed
A
31-year-old man from California, Cole Tomas Allen,
rushed a security checkpoint at the annual black-tie
event, armed with a handgun, shotgun, and knives;
he left a manifesto targeting Trump. One Secret Service
agent was hit in his bulletproof vest but not seriously
injured, and no other casualties occurred. Trump praised
the agents as heroes and renewed calls for a secure
White House ballroom, while bipartisan leaders condemned
the violence amid criticism of event security lapses.
(Media Man Peg-On): Talk about a high risk occupation,
and we thought Army and journalism was a tough gig!
April
23
(Wall
St, New York) : April 24 (Sydney, Australia)
UFC
- MMA Building Stars Again
New
York Kind Of Feeling
US
Stocks - Black Friday - Black-ish Thursday into Friday
Post
WrestleMania; Road To WWE Backlash 2026
WWE
Management And Wrestlers Bullish; Wrestling and Boxing
Sports
Biz Event Tickets And Merch Drive
Danhausen
Lifts WWE Merch Hausen
Traditional
Big Tech Sector Takes Big Hit April 23
Media
Man Group Weekly Series
News
Lead Up
ASX
200 futures down 4 points: 0.1% to 8828
AUD -0.4% to US71.30¢
Bitcoin $78,168.22 +0.52%
Dogecoin $0.09776 +2.24%
Ripple aka XRP $1.4374 +1.48%
Wall
St:
Dow -0.4%
S&P -0.4%
Nasdaq -0.9%
VIX
+0.39 to 19.31
Gold -1% to $US4694.14 an ounce
Brent oil +4.5% to $US106.44 a barrel
Iron ore -0.6% to $US106.65 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.32% Australia 5.00%
News
Lead Up
April
24 (Sydney, Australia)
Numbers
Double Check
Australian
Dollar: $0.7124 USD (down $0.0036 USD) Iron Ore: $106.65
USD (down $0.45 USD)
Oil Price (West Texas): $97.39 USD (up 4.52 USD)
Gold Price : $4,693.02 USD (down $46.76 USD)
Copper Price: $6.0225 USD (down $0.1145 USD)
Dow Jones: 49,310.32 (down 179.71 points)
News
Bulls
control Crude Oil
The
conflict in the Middle East has altered the dynamics
of the oil market.
The
longer the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, the higher
the risks of a Brent rally. Don’t expect things
to return to normal. Before the conflict in the Middle
East, the oil market was in the hands of the bears.
Demand was falling due to the shift towards alternative
energy sources, whilst supply was rising. OPEC+ was
gradually increasing production to avoid losing market
share and investors were talking about a record surplus.
Today, the IEA estimates the loss of supply at 12
million barrels per day, which is more than during
the Arab oil embargo of 1973–1974 and the Iranian
Revolution of 1978–1979 combined. However, it
would be rather naive to think that the end of the
war will cause prices to plummet. Even after the Strait
of Hormuz reopens, it will take months to restore
production in the damaged energy infrastructure of
the Persian Gulf. At the same time, countries are
seriously concerned about energy security and will
work hard to boost oil demand. Interestingly, the
current decline in demand is preventing Brent from
soaring too high. Vitol, a crude oil trader, estimates
a demand loss of around 4 million barrels per day
due to excessively high prices. If we add Saudi Arabia’s
workarounds, the increase in US crude exports, and
active purchases by China and India of Russian barrels
stranded at sea, then the stabilisation of Brent near
$100 starts to look logical. The math suggests that
the actual deficit is closer to 5% than 10%. The problem
is that the crude on Russian tankers at sea is running
out, the US’s ability to ramp up supply is limited
by existing infrastructure, and a resumption of fire
in the Middle East could lead to the Houthis blocking
Saudi Arabia’s alternative routes. With this
background, Citi’s forecast of Brent rising to
$110 a barrel should the Strait of Hormuz be blocked
for another month will seem far too modest. The longer
the US and Iran delay reaching a peace agreement,
the more devastating the oil crisis risks being for
the global economy. However, optimism has not yet
faded. Investors are operating on the assumption that
‘it could be worse’. A fragile peace in
the form of an indefinite ceasefire is better than
war. The transit fee paid to Iran is seen as compensation
for the bombing of its territory. (FxPro)
News
Flashback
March
2026
plus
Past,
Present and Future
News
Flashback
Shares
TKO
Group Holdings Inc
$195.41 +6.21 +3.28%
News
Flashback
TKO's
WWE Gets John Cena For WrestleMania Vegas 2026
John
Cena to host WrestleMania 42
John
Cena is stepping back onto The Grandest Stage of Them
All as the host of WrestleMania 42. The Greatest of
All Time broke the news on social media that he is
headed to Las Vegas. The 17-time World Champion retired
from in-ring competition last December after his loss
to Gunther at Saturday Night's Main Event but is now
making his first return to WWE. Don't miss all the
action when WrestleMania 42 STREAMS LIVE on Saturday,
April 18, and Sunday, April 19, at 6 ET/3 PT on the
ESPN App from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
News
Flashback
WWE
Raw Hits Madison Square Garden with Title Defenses
and Big Returns
Penta
El Zero Miedo defends the Intercontinental Championship
against hometown hero Kofi Kingston, fresh off Kingston's
social media challenge. The Usos put the World Tag
Team Titles on the line in a Street Fight against
Austin Theory and Logan Paul, while Nia Jax and Lash
Legend face Bayley and Lyra Valkyria for the Women's
Tag Championships. CM Punk confronts Roman Reigns
amid their heated feud, Brock Lesnar returns for revenge
on Oba Femi, and Finn Bálor addresses a Judgment
Day betrayal—all building hype for WrestleMania
42. The show streams live on Netflix at 8 ET from
the iconic arena.
News
News
Flashback
November
2025
Polymarket
Partnership Could Be a Game Changer for TKO Group
Holdings (TKO)
Nov
17
(In
Case You Missed It)
Polymarket/UFC/TKO
Polymarket
recently announced a multi-year partnership making
it the Official and Exclusive Prediction Market Partner
for UFC and Zuffa Boxing, introducing real-time fan
prediction metrics directly into UFC broadcasts and
social media experiences.
This
collaboration marks the first time major sports organizations
have integrated prediction market technology into
the live fan experience, creating new ways for audiences
to interact and for TKO's sports brands to differentiate
themselves.
We'll
explore how this innovative fan engagement initiative
could strengthen TKO Group Holdings' investment narrative
by deepening audience connection and content value.
What
Is TKO Group Holdings' Investment Narrative?
To
see the value in TKO Group Holdings as a shareholder,
you really have to believe in its ability to keep
building out top sports entertainment brands like
UFC and WWE into global, multi-platform franchises.
A lot of the story is about continuing to grow earnings
and revenue faster than the overall market, attract
loyal audiences, and evolve with changes in media
rights, streaming, and digital fan engagement. Recent
announcements, such as the multi-year partnership
with Polymarket, reflect TKO’s push to unlock
new monetization avenues and deepen fan involvement.
However,
it’s unlikely this news will materially change
the core short-term catalysts, which are still dominated
by performance in key international deals, broadcast
partnerships, and the rollout of new events. The biggest
risks remain legal challenges, compression of media
rights value, and questions about board experience.
The new fan engagement efforts add differentiation,
but don’t directly reduce these core risks for
now. On the flip side, investors should pay close
attention to ongoing legal proceedings against TKO
and UFC.
TKO
Group Holdings' shares have been on the rise but are
still potentially undervalued by 15%.
Ten
retail investors in the Simply Wall St Community produced
fair value estimates for TKO ranging from US$63.92
to a very large US$37,618.47. While community views
can be widely split, ongoing legal challenges remain
a topic several market participants keep circling
back to as a concern for TKO’s future performance.
Explore these diverse perspectives and see how the
risks and opportunities stack up.
Bonus:
TKO
Group $200.29 -4.20 -2.05%
News
Flashback
Magnificent
7, Markets, Stocks
New
York/Wall Street
September
15, 2025
TKO
Bullish Mad Monday Off WrestleMania 43 Saudi News:
Media Man Edition!
Netflix
Inc $1,202.26 +13.82 +1.16%
Alphabet
Inc Class A $251.61 +10.81 +4.49%
NVIDIA
Corp $177.75 -0.071 -0.040%
Amazon
Dotcom Inc $231.43 +3.28 +1.44%
Apple
Inc $236.70 +2.63 +1.12%
Meta
Platforms $764.70 +9.11 +1.21%
Tesla
$410.26 +14.32 +3.62%
Microsoft
Corp $515.36 +5.46 1.07%
News
Lead
Up
New
York/Wall Street
September
12, 2025
TKO
Bullish Friday Leading Into Weekend; TKO Bullish Heading
To Mad Monday Off WrestleMania 43 Saudi News: Media
Man Edition!
Netflix
Inc $1,188.44 -15.06 -1.25%
Alphabet Inc Class A $240.80 +0.43 +0.18%
NVIDIA Corp $177.82 +0.65 +0.37%
Amazon Dotcom Inc $228.15 -1.80 -0.78%
Apple Inc $234.07 +4.04 +1.76%
Meta
Platforms $755.59 +4.69 +0.62%
Tesla
$395.94 +27.13 +7.36%
Bonus:
TKO
Group $202.44 +0.060 0.030%
News
Flashback
Historical
Data and Intel
TKO
Group: News
September
13, 2025
Jones
Financial Companies Lllp Acquires 77,883 Shares of
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. $TKO
Jones
Financial Companies Lllp significantly increased its
stake in TKO Group Holdings by 149,775%, now owning
77,935 shares valued at approximately $11.9 million.
Several
institutional investors, including Vanguard and Invesco,
have also raised their stakes in TKO Group, indicating
a strong interest in the company, which is now 89.79%
owned by institutional investors.
TKO
Group recently declared an increased quarterly dividend
of $0.76, up from $0.38, reflecting a strong return
for investors despite a high dividend payout ratio
of 125.62%.
Jones
Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in
shares of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. by 149,775.0% during
the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most
recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. The institutional investor owned 77,935
shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional
77,883 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies
Lllp's holdings in TKO Group were worth $11,909,000
at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several
other hedge funds and other institutional investors
have also made changes to their positions in the business.
Hemington Wealth Management grew its stake in TKO
Group by 425.0% during the 1st quarter. Hemington
Wealth Management now owns 168 shares of the company's
stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 136
shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services
LLC acquired a new position in TKO Group during the
first quarter worth $26,000. Sentry Investment Management
LLC acquired a new position in TKO Group during the
first quarter worth $25,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth
Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of
TKO Group in the first quarter worth $27,000. Finally,
Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in
shares of TKO Group by 129.8% in the first quarter.
Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of
the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring
an additional 122 shares during the last quarter.
Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.79%
of the company's stock.
News
Flashback
Insider
Buying and Selling at TKO Group
In
related news, Director Nick Khan sold 45,168 shares
of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday,
July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price
of $170.82, for a total value of $7,715,597.76. Following
the completion of the sale, the director owned 156,494
shares in the company, valued at $26,732,305.08. This
represents a 22.40% decrease in their position. The
transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities
& Exchange Commission. Over the last 90 days,
insiders sold 73,725 shares of company stock valued
at $12,767,807. Corporate insiders own 61.30% of the
company's stock.
Wall
Street Analyst Weigh In
TKO
has been the subject of a number of recent analyst
reports. Baird R W raised TKO Group to a "strong-buy"
rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th.
Zacks Research upgraded TKO Group from a "strong
sell" rating to a "hold" rating in
a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Bank of
America upped their target price on TKO Group from
$200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "buy"
rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Robert
W. Baird began coverage on TKO Group in a report on
Friday, September 5th. They set an "outperform"
rating and a $225.00 target price for the company.
Finally, Roth Capital raised their target price on
TKO Group from $208.00 to $210.00 and gave the company
a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday,
August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with
a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating
and four have given a Hold rating to the company's
stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock
has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy"
and a consensus price target of $192.21.
TKO
Group Stock Up 0.0%
Shares
of NYSE:TKO traded up $0.09 during midday trading
on Friday, hitting $202.33. 897,072 shares of the
stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume
of 683,611. TKO Group Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week
low of $114.01 and a 52-week high of $204.10. The
business's fifty day simple moving average is $178.94
and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $165.22.
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a
quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.30. The
company has a market capitalization of $40.12 billion,
a PE ratio of 83.61 and a beta of 0.79.
TKO
Group (NYSE:TKO) last issued its quarterly earnings
results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported
$1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing
the consensus estimate of $1.23 by ($0.06). TKO Group
had a net margin of 5.40% and a return on equity of
2.82%. The business had revenue of $1.31 billion during
the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23
billion. During the same period in the prior year,
the business posted $0.72 earnings per share. The
company's revenue for the quarter was up 53.7% compared
to the same quarter last year. As a group, research
analysts predict that TKO Group Holdings, Inc. will
post 3.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal
year.
TKO
Group Increases Dividend
The
business also recently declared a quarterly dividend,
which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders
of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a
$0.76 dividend. This is an increase from TKO Group's
previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend
date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This
represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis
and a dividend yield of 1.5%. TKO Group's dividend
payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.81%.
TKO
Group Profile
TKO
Group Holdings, Inc operates as a sports and entertainment
company. The company produces and licenses live events,
television programs, and long-form and short-form
content, reality series, and other filmed entertainment
on digital and linear channels and via pay-per-view.
It is involved in the merchandising of video games,
apparel, equipment, trading cards, memorabilia, digital
goods, and toys, as well as sale of travel packages
and tickets.
News
Flashback
Mag
7 Markets Lead Up
Historical
Data and Intel
Trades
New
York/Wall Street
September
9, 2025
TKO
Bullish Friday And Weekend Media Man Edition!
Netflix
Inc $1,263.25 +18.49 +1.49%
Alphabet
Inc Class A $239.63 +5.59 +2.39%
NVIDIA
Corp $170.76 +2.45 +1.46%
Amazon
Dotcom Inc $238.24 +2.40 +1.02%
Apple
Inc $234.35 -3.53 -1.48%
Meta
$765.70 +13.40 +1.78%
Tesla
$346.97 +0.57 +0.16%
Microsoft
Corp $498.41 +0.21 0.042%
Bonus:
TKO
Group $196.43 -4.07 -2.03%
News
Flashback
TKO
Group Holdings, Inc. is an American sports and sports
entertainment company. Established on September 12,
2023, the public company was formed by a merger between
Endeavor subsidiary Zuffa—the parent company
of mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting
Championship —and the professional wrestling
promotion World Wrestling Entertainment. TKO is led
by CEO Ari Emanuel and president Mark Shapiro, both
of Endeavor; Dana White and Nick Khan retained their
roles as CEOs of UFC and WWE respectively upon the
merger, while WWE co-founder Vince McMahon served
as executive chairman until resigning from the company
in January 2024 amid a sex trafficking scandal. The
merger marked the first time that WWE has not been
solely and primarily majority-controlled by the McMahon
family, which founded the company and owned it for
over 70 years. As of 2024, the UFC and WWE were the
two most valuable combat sports organizations in the
world according to Forbes. UFC was listed as the most
valued mixed martial arts company with a revenue of
$1.406 billion and WWE being the most valued professional
wrestling promotion with a revenue of $1.398 billion
in 2023. (Wikipedia)
TKO
owns iconic properties including UFC, the world’s
premier mixed martial arts organization; WWE, the
global leader in sports entertainment; and PBR, the
world’s premier bull riding organization. Together,
these properties reach 210 countries and territories
and organize more than 500 live events year-round,
attracting more than three million fans.
TKO
also services and partners with major sports rights
holders through IMG, an industry-leading global sports
marketing agency; and On Location, a global leader
in premium experiential hospitality. (Credit: TKO
Group)
News
Best
Quotes Of The Day
"An
investment in ones self is always the best bet"
Greg Tingle, Media Man Group
Markets,
Shares, Cryptos, Miners, Social Media and Culture
March
23, 2026
Mad
Monday
Sydney,
Australia to Wall Street. New York, and beyond the
Blackstump and Internet Matrix Of Things!
Pop
Culture themes
"Mercy,
Mercy, Mercy" (Cannonball Adderley)
"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)
"The Wall Street Hustle" (10cc)
"Video Killed the Radio Star" (The Buggles)
"I Don't Like Mondays" (The Boomtown Rats)
"Monday, Monday" (The Mamas & the Papas)
Markets
ASX
200 futures down 156 points/1.8%: 8343
AUD
-0.9% to US70.23¢
Bitcoin $67,584.42 -1.97%
Dow -1%
S&P -1.5%
Nasdaq -2%
VIX +2.72 to 26.78
Gold -3.4% to $US4492.43 an ounce
Silver 65.686 -2.065
Brent oil +3.9% to $US112.86 a barrel
Iron ore +1% to $US108.25 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.38% Australia 5.02%
News
Numbers
Double Check
Australian
Dollar: $0.6999 USD (down $0.0084 USD) Iron Ore: $108.25
USD (up $0.80 USD)
Oil Price: $98.23 USD (up $3.45 USD)
Gold Price: $4,494.10 USD (down $159.14 USD)
Copper Price: $5.3020 USD (down $0.218 USD)
Dow Jones: 45,577.47 (down 443.96 points)
News
Streaming
News Watercooler
Netflix
CEO allegedly won’t speak to Meghan Markle on
phone without lawyer
Meghan
Markle is caught in a fresh Netflix storm with rumors
claiming CEO Ted Sarandos is refusing to take her
calls without a lawyer. Netflix denies everything
but whispers of canceled deals and rising tension
have fans questioning the truth!
News
MMA/UFC
Watercooler
Dana
White responds to Jon Jones' claims about $15 million
offer
Dana
White has doubled down on his stance about Jon Jonesnever
being a part of the White House plan.
Jones
is not fighting at the UFC White Housecard in June
despite having tried for a spot ever since the event
was first mentioned. Jones recently claimed that he
was willing to fight Alex Pereirafor much less than
he had demanded to fight Tom Aspinalllast year. However,
the UFC was allegedly not willing to offer more than
$15 million to Jones, who didn't think it was enough.
"Was
ready, willing and physically able to step in,"
Jones wrote on X. "I was willing to take substantially
less than the Aspinall ask but they wouldn't budge
one dollar over $15m. I felt like our fight was worth
more."
No
Way in Hell
White
responded to Jones' claims at the UFC Londonpost-fight
press conference on Saturday. White maintains that
Jones was never a part of the plan for the White House
card.
"How
many f--ing times I gotta say this?" White said.
"He was never fighting on the White House card…
There was no way in hell I was putting him on that
card, no matter what the money was. Jon Joneswas never
gonna fight in the White House card."
Jones
(28-1) kept the heavyweight division hanging for over
a year, while White kept promising fans that "Bones"
would fight interim champion Aspinall. However, Jones
retired in June 2025 without fighting Aspinall. Jones
would return to the drug testing pool just weeks later,
after plans for the White House card were mentioned.
Jones kept rallying for a spot on the card, even pleading
with White.
When
Jones missed out, White claimed that he was never
a part of the plan. However, the former UFC double
champ lashed out on social media, hinting at lengthy
negotiations with the promotion about fighting at
the White House. Jones has since called for his release
from the UFC.
News
Social
Media
The
Metaverse Is Dead
In
a move that signals the end of a highly publicized
digital era, Meta announced this week that its flagship
social virtual reality platform, Horizon Worlds, is
being completely removed from Quest headsets by June
15. The app will survive solely as a mobile experience,
repositioning itself to compete with established gaming
platforms like Roblox and Fortnite rather than fulfilling
its original vision of an all-encompassing virtual
universe.Virtual Worlds
The
shutdown of the VR component of Horizon Worlds is
the clearest signal yet that the much-hyped pivot
to the metaverse has been quietly unwound by the tech
giant.
When
Mark Zuckerberg famously renamed Facebook to Meta
in 2021, he described the metaverse as “the next
frontier” for human interaction. Yet, despite
being the center of that massive corporate bet, the
platform never drew more than a few hundred thousand
monthly active users—a staggering underperformance
for a project that consumed billions.
To
put the financial toll into perspective, Reality Labs,
the division at Meta responsible for VR and metaverse
development, has accumulated an astonishing $80 billion
in losses since 2020. In the fourth quarter of last
year alone, it posted an operating loss of over $6
billion.
The
Heyman Hustle is taking the position that this strategic
retreat is entirely driven by the explosive rise of
Artificial Intelligence.
When
ChatGPT arrived in late 2022 and fundamentally shifted
the tech landscape, Meta quickly pivoted its public
messaging. Leveraging its highly respected AI research
division led by Yann LeCun, the company found a new,
credible foundation. As a result of prioritizing AI
over empty digital rooms, ad revenue improved, the
stock aggressively recovered, and by 2024, Meta had
nearly tripled in value from its 2022 lows.
While
Meta executives claim they have not abandoned VR entirely—pointing
to upcoming hardware and the massive success of their
AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses—the closure
of the flagship Horizon Worlds VR experience marks
the end of a multi-billion dollar dream. (THH)
Full
article and coverage via The Heyman Hustle
News
A.I
News
Australia
Watchdog
warns against 'dangerously' positive AI advice amid
crypto trading spike
The
Australian Securities and Investments Commission has
expressed concern about the growing tendency for young
Australians to use artificial intelligence platforms
like ChatGPT for financial advice. Its figures show
young people are following 'dangerously' positive
AI recommendations about investing in risky investments
such as crypto, with their faith in what has been
referred to as 'unverified, risk-averse digital advice'
occurring as many Australians are struggling with
major cost of living pressures; ASIC's figures also
show that 23 per cent of Gen Z now hold crypto assets
– up from just 9 per cent in 2023. (RMS)
News
Resources
Drill,
baby, drill: Boom for mineral, petroleum explorers
Advisory
firm BDO has calculated that ASX-listed mineral and
petroleum explorers raised a record $5.63 billion
in the final quarter of last year. It broke the previous
record for fund raising of $3.75 billion that was
set in the same period in 2021, with the $5.63 billion
in fund raising leaving mineral and petroleum explorers
with record cash reserves of $12 billion. It comes
as the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that
spending on mineral exploration hit a two-year high
in the final quarter of 2025, while spending on petroleum
exploration was at a decade high. (RMS)
News
A.I
News
Global
giants join Australia in fight to make AI companies
pay for content
Both
the US and the UK appear to be backing the stance
of the federal government of wanting AI companies
pay for their use of content that has been produced
by artists, musicians and journalists. In a document
released on Friday that was titled 'Respecting Intellectual
Property Rights and Supporting Creators', the White
House stated that US copyright laws - under which
content theft for the training of AI models, or any
other use, is illegal - will remain. For its part,
the UK government stated last week that it no longer
had a "preferred option" on copyright reform,
which comes after it last year endorsed a proposal
that would have allowed tech companies to use copyrighted
work without permission unless rights holders 'opted
out' of the process. Its change of stance follows
a longrunning campaign – led by artists
including Elton John and Thom Yorke from Radiohead
– which warned that the unlicensed use of
copyrighted material for training AI models was threatening
the livelihoods of people working in the creative
industries. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Bitcoin
News Byte
Despite
a 47% Price Drop, Bitcoin Traders Aren’t Selling:
A
survey of U.S. Bitcoin holders and crypto subreddit
posts found that despite anxiety and market turbulence,
most investors (69%) held onto their Bitcoin, with
only 8% panic selling.
Bitcoin
faced a dramatic market correction in early 2026,
plunging 46% from its $126,000 all-time high and briefly
dipping below $61,000 on February 6.
The
drop erased over $1 trillion in market value and prompted
headlines warning of a defining crypto moment. Social
media feeds filled with reactions, yet most holders
remained on the sidelines.
A
survey by Oobit of 1,006 American Bitcoin holders
and sentiment analysis of 117,630 posts across 10
major crypto subreddits reveals that fear did not
translate into widespread selling.
News
Media
(Australia)
Kyle
and Jackie 'O' win some, lose some
The
first official radio ratings survey for 2026 shows
that KIIS FM's Kyle & Jackie O show had an audience
share of 12.7 in the Sydney breakfast slot, unchanged
from the last survey for 2025. However, 2GB's talkback
program hosted by Ben Fordham won the Sydney breakfast
slot, with its audience share rising from 14.9 per
cent to 16.6 per cent. Meawhile, 3AW won the Melbourne
breakfast timeslot, although the audience share of
Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft dipped to 18.9
per cent; the Kyle and Jackie O Show was ranked eighth
in the Melbourne breakfast, with its audience share
edging up to 5.1 per cent. The long-running show hosted
by Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson has been axed
by KIIS FM owner ARN Media. (RMS)
News
Social
Media (Australia)
Firms
face fines as kids beat the ban
The
eSafety commission has declined to release updated
figures on how many social media accounts of children
under the age of 16 have been closed since the federal
government implemented its world-leading ban. It had
claimed in January that 4.7 million accounts had been
closed since early December, but those figures were
called into question, with it being claimed that they
had been heavily inflated. The commission says it
will provide updated figures on the ban at the end
of March and that tech companies found guilty of non-compliance
with it will soon face fines, while many children
are claiming that beating the ban is easy. (Roy Morgan
Summary)
News
Mining/Energy/Resources:
Australia and World)
McEwan
braces for exits as Craig takes BHP helm
Nearly
43 per cent of BHP's staff are female, and there were
some who expected that Mike Henry would be replaced
as CEO by an internal female candidate. Minerals Australia
president Geraldine Slattery and chief development
officer Catherine Raw were viewed as two such candidates,
but BHP gave the job to mining engineer Brandon Craig.
Asked if his appointment could mean the loss of skilled
female executives who were overlooked for the job
of CEO, BHP chairman Ross McEwan said he would not
be surprised if unsuccessful candidates chose to leave
the company. (RMS)
News
New
coal mines at greenfield sites to be banned in NSW
NSW
Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee has described
a decision by the state government to ban new coal
mines on greenfield sites as "disappointing".
The government announced the ban on Thursday as part
of a new strategy aimed at managing the NSW coal sector
until 2050, while it also announced new rules requiring
major coal mines in NSW to reduce methane emissions
caused by their operations; NSW coal mines produce
around 30 per cent of the state's methane emissions
and contribute around 11 per cent of total greenhouse
gas emissions. (RMS)
News
Qatar
strike deepens LNG supply crisis
It
had been forecast as recently as January that the
global liquefied natural gas market could be facing
a glut, which would have seen prices tumble and new
products delayed. However, the Iranian conflict has
changed those predictions, with LNG prices having
almost doubled since the initial strikes on Iran on
28 February. Iran's attack on Qatar LNG's Ras Laffan
facilities could see a further rise in prices and
impact significantly on supply, with Ras Laffan being
the world's largest LNG export plant; MST Marquee
energy analyst Saul Kavonic says the attack "could
cause a lasting global gas shortage". (RMS)
News
Cryptos
Crypto:
the bulls may have their horns broken
Market
Overview
The
crypto market cap has fallen to $2.42 trillion, under
pressure from sellers alongside risk assets, as the
Fed pushes the next rate cut further into the future,
boosting the dollar’s appeal. The decline also
coincided with the upper boundary of the corrective
rebound being touched. It is possible that cryptocurrencies
were simply unable to ignore the significant deterioration
in external sentiment, but they may soon return to
outperforming other assets. Overall, however, we maintain
a more pessimistic view, anticipating the bear market
will continue, with bulls likely to be beaten soon,
not least due to macro factors.
Bitcoin
has fallen by 8.4% from its latest peak on Tuesday
morning and briefly dipped below 70 at the start of
the day on Thursday. At these levels, BTC is testing
the 50-day moving average from above. As we have repeatedly
warned previously, the upward momentum will face significant
resistance at the boundary of a typical correction
from the latest downward impulse. The leading cryptocurrency
has more room to move within the $65K–$75K range.
Breaking
out of this range may require more momentum to determine
the market’s direction for the coming days or
weeks.
News
Background
Investment
bank Citigroup has lowered its 12-month price targets
for Bitcoin and Ethereum amid delays in the adoption
of US cryptocurrency legislation. The forecast for
Bitcoin has been lowered from $143,000 to $112,000,
and for Ethereum from $4,304 to $3,175. In a negative
scenario, BTC risks falling to $58,000 and ETH to
$1,198.
Bitcoin
still has two-thirds of its bear cycle ahead, said
Willy Wu, co-founder of the Bitcoin Vector project,
urging investors to remain cautious. In his view,
it is premature to expect sustained growth without
an improvement in market liquidity.
Ethereum
developers are testing the Fast Confirmation Rule
(FCR), which will speed up transfers between the mainnet
and the second layer from 13 minutes to 13 seconds.
(FxPro).
Media
Peg-On (as seen burning up the LinkedIn and X newsfeeds
with web traffic spikes)
Media
Man Peg-On: Having your horns broken is one step better
than having your you know what broken. Ball breaking
headlines that hit you right between the Eye Ball!
BTC for the true believers, for better or worse. A
labor of love and for those who keep the dream alive.
Remember our saying, "Bullish is a mindset",
right Mr Michael Saylor of Strategy. MC is always
good fodder for the crypto and tech media fodder and
website traffic generation. MC, the media darling
you love to hate! So, when's the running of the bulls
then? Red flag to a bull!
News
Betting
on Americas and keeping BHP whole
BHP
has ended long-running speculation about succession
planning after announcing that Brandon Craig will
succeed CEO Mike Henry. The BHP veteran has ruled
out demerging assets such as the resources group's
copper mines during his tenure, which will start on
1 July. Craig says he believes that a diversified
model is still superior, especially in the mining
sector. He argues that BHP's ability to use its flagship
iron ore division to fund projects such as copper
and potash mines differentiates it from rivals. Craig
says BHP may be open to mergers and acquisitions,
although he says any such opportunities would need
to be compelling to compete with its internal growth
options. He has also indicated that BHP's focus will
shift to the Americas, where many of its growth projects
are located. (RMS)
News
A
most powerful, anonymous miner
South
African-born Brandon Craig has quietly risen through
BHP's ranks since joining the resources group in 1999;
he also has a much lower profile than top industry
leaders and the other internal candidates who had
been tipped to replace outgoing CEO Mike Henry. Meanwhile,
Craig has used his first press conference as BHP's
incoming CEO to confirm that BHP will shift its focus
to the Americas under his leadership; he was previously
BHP's president of the Americas, a role that included
copper mines in South America and potash mining in
Canada. (RMS)
News
Woodside
taps insider amid energy turmoil
Woodside
Energy's chairman Richard Goyder has praised new CEO
Liz Westcott, stating that she was the "outstanding
candidate" to succeed Meg O'Neill. Westcott has
been the acting CEO since O'Neill resigned in late
2025 to take the helm at BP. Westcott joined Woodside
in 2023, and has previously worked at ExxonMobil and
EnergyAustralia. Westcott says she will hold meetings
with Woodside's partners, investors, shareholders,
employees and government officials across its global
operations over the next several months. (RMS)
News
Shares
Alphabet
Inc Class A
$301.00 -6.13 -2.00%
Lead
Up Price
$307.13 -0.56 -0.18%
TKO
Group Holdings Inc
$188.38 -8.94.53%
Lead
Up Price
$197.31 -3.72 -1.85%
Netflix
Inc
$91.82 +0.080 +0.087%
Lead
Up Price
$91.74 -2.96 -3.13%
Caterpillar
Inc
$680.88 -7.77 -1.13%
Lead
Up Price
$688.65 -4.97 -0.72%
Tesla
Inc
$367.96 -12.34 -3.24%
Lead
Up Price
$380.30 -12.48 -3.18%
Wynn
Resorts Ltd
$99.98 -3.18 -3.08%
News
X
Newsfeed
Trump
Declares Victory Over Iran, Targets Democrats as New
Enemy
The
conflict, now in its third week, began with U.S. and
Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites like Natanz
and targets in Tehran, including residential areas.
Iran hit back with ballistic missiles breaching Israel's
Iron Dome, injuring at least 175 in Arad and Dimona
near a nuclear facility, while Israel bombed east
Tehran blocks. Netanyahu urged world leaders to join
the fight after Iran's missile toward Diego Garcia,
though U.K. and NATO officials questioned the claims;
Trump demands Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz in
48 hours or face more strikes, as oil prices soar
over 50%. Skeptics like former official Joe Kent note
U.S. intelligence saw no imminent Iranian nuclear
bomb, and Pope Leo XIV decried the civilian toll.
Media
Man Peg-On: The Art Of War Continues! All's fair in
love and war, and politics?!
News
Trump
Endorses Donalds at Mar-a-Lago Amid Iran Tensions
and GOP Rift
President
Trump arrived at his Palm Beach estate on Friday with
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, hosting supporters
at what appeared to be a fundraiser where he backed
Donalds, the frontrunner to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The event unfolded against U.S. and Israeli airstrikes
on Iran's Kharg Island oil hub and Iran's Strait of
Hormuz restrictions, which Trump sidestepped with
a quip about his plans. GOP tensions flared when candidate
James Fishback claimed he was barred for criticizing
Israel and the Iran conflict, prompting Candace Owens
to joke about better vibes at Taco Bell, while highlighting
divides between hawkish and isolationist Republicans.
News
WWE
Rhea
Ripley Shuts Down Physique Trolls Ahead of WrestleMania
Title Match
The
WWE star fired back at online critics mocking her
body, daring them to post their own photos while reminding
them they know nothing about her life or mental health.
Her post drew massive support from fans and wrestlers
like Bully Ray, who called her 'OVAH,' though some
questioned why she engages trolls at all. This comes
as Ripley, fresh off winning the 2026 Women's Elimination
Chamber, gears up to challenge champion Jade Cargill
at WrestleMania 42 amid a heated feud with body jabs
and a recent three-on-one ambush by Cargill's allies.
Marking five years since her main roster debut, Ripley
stays focused on the gold.
Wrestling/WWE/Pop
Culture
Jade
Cargill Calls Out Rhea Ripley in Heated SmackDown
Face-Off
On
Friday's SmackDown, WWE Women's Champion Jade Cargill
challenged Rhea Ripley directly, boasting she doesn't
need the title or fans to be 'that b*tch.' Ripley,
fresh from her Elimination Chamber win for a title
shot, stood ready to strike back amid a roaring crowd.
The intense promo ramps up their WrestleMania 42 rivalry,
with fans praising Cargill's star power while craving
the first brawl. Both bring unmatched athleticism
and attitude to the collision course. Media Man Peg-On:
Ripley our Uncrowned Women's Champion, belt or not!
She's Got IT! NXT's Zaria shares some of the same
attributes, as does Z's rival, Sol Ruca.
News
Lead Up
March
19
Dread
for Australian investors as $51 billion wipe out ravages
the ASX after tit-for-tat strikes on energy assets
send oil prices soaring
Australians
are despairingly watching the stock market tumble
once again after massive strikes on energy infrastructure
in the Middle East sent oil prices surging. (Sky News
Australia)
News
Gold
News
Gold
is back in focus as markets react to geopolitics
The
market is fixated on the threat of accelerating inflation
driven by high energy prices. As a result, central
banks are expected to adopt a tighter monetary policy,
keeping rates at high levels or even raising them.
This has a positive impact on fiat currencies and
strips gold of its key feature as a store of value
amid currency debasement. It is no surprise that the
precious metal, which had got off to a strong start,
has been losing out to Bitcoin and the US dollar since
the start of the armed conflict in the Middle East.
Although gold is generally regarded as a safe-haven
asset, in the early stages of financial market turmoil,
investors often choose to flee to liquidity. They
favour fiat currencies and are far more willing to
buy US dollar-nominated short-term treasuries.
Gold
prices usually recover only if market shocks worsen,
fears of recession or stagflation rise, and central
banks start adding liquidity. Bank of America believes
that the markets are still underestimating the scale
of the potential consequences of geopolitical tension.
They are fixated on the threat of accelerating inflation
and are not considering a global economic downturn.
Therefore, the longer the conflict between the US,
Israel and Iran lasts, the better it is for the precious
metal.
UBS
Global Wealth Management notes that gold serves as
a hedge against currency devaluation, rising budget
deficits and recession. All of these could result
from a geopolitical shock. The firm therefore maintains
its bullish outlook on gold. In its view, the precious
metal could rise to the $5,900-$6,200 range before
the end of this year. However, gold must first weather
the storm of numerous central bank meetings. The RBA
has already raised its cash rate to 4.15%. Investors
now expect ‘hawkish’ rhetoric from the rest.
The ECB and the Bank of Japan are ready to tackle
inflation, and the futures market expects them to
tighten monetary policy. The Fed and the Bank of England
are most likely to talk about prolonged pauses in
their cycles.
Thus,
gold appears to be a win-win option. It will gain
if the conflict in the Middle East drags on, and will
not lose if it ends. Investors just need to be patient
for a little while. (FxPro)
News
Roy
Morgan wins Media Man 'Media Series Company Of The
Month' award
The
Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper
Of The Month' award; Runner-up: The Australian
Google
wins Media Man 'Search Engine Of The Month' award
Netflix
wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award
WWE
wins Media Man 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month'
award
UFC
wins 'Combat Sports Brand Of The Month' award; Runner-ups:
Most Valuable Promotions, Everlast, BKFC
Mack
Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Brand Of The Month' award
CAT
wins Media Man 'Heavy Industry Brand Of The Month'
award
Dynasty:
The Murdochs wins 'Streaming Show Of The Month' award
(Netflix)
Media
Man Int
Markets,
Cryptos And Culture
March
17, 2026
Sydney,
Australia to Wall Street, New York
Pop
Culture Themes:
"Mercy,
Mercy, Mercy" - Cannonball Adderley
"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)
"Ruby Tuesday" (The Rolling Stones)
"I Don't Like Mondays" (The Boomtown Rats)
"Monday, Monday" (The Mamas & the Papas)
"The Wall Street Hustle" (10cc)
Markets
ASX
200 futures up 66 points or 0.8%: 8646
AUD +1.3% to US70.71¢
BTC $74,325.72 +3.10%
Dow +0.8%
S&P +1%
NAS +1.2%
VIX -3.62 to 23.57
Gold -0.1% to $US5016.30 an oz
Silver 80.047 -0.488
Oil -3.1% to $US99.96 a barrel
Iron ore -0.01% to $US107.70 a ton
News
Numbers
Double Check
Australian
Dollar: $0.7072 USD (up $0.0084 USD)
Iron Ore: $107.70 USD (down $0.25 USD)
Oil: $93.13 USD (down $5.58 USD)
Gold: $5,009.61 USD (down $10.39 USD)
Copper: $5.8390 USD (up $0.1640 USD)
Dow: 46,946.41 (up 387.94 points)
News
ASX
hits three-month low; gold stocks drop
The
Australian sharemarket lost ground on Monday, with
the S&P/ASX 200 shedding 0.4 per cent to close
at 8,583.4 points. Emanuel Datt from Datt Capital
expects the outlook for equities to remain subdued
until there is more certainty regarding the Iran war.
Fortescue was down 3.9 per cent at $19.69, Regis Resources
fell 8.3 per cent to $7.04 and IperionX ended the
session 22.2 per cent lower at $4.09. However, Lynas
Rare Earths was up 1.4 per cent at 20.99 and Reliance
Worldwide rose 6.9 per cent to $3.12. (RMS)
News
Bitcoin:
See No Evil
Market
Overview
The
crypto market cap is on an upward trend, having surpassed
the $2.5 trillion mark, the region of previous local
highs and the 50-day moving average.
Consequently,
the technical picture is becoming more favourable
for the bulls, who are steadily reclaiming one high
after another. This gradual growth appears to be a
further sign of the recovery’s robustness. At
current levels, the crypto market cap is approaching
the 61.8% retracement of the latest downtrend, and
all eyes are on whether the recovery momentum will
fade. The consolidation may simply become broader
but lack the strength to turn into an uptrend.
The
sentiment index stands at 23, on the verge of exiting
the extreme fear zone and at its highest level since
29 January. This could be a new trap, just as it was
in the second half of January, when the index’s
recovery was followed by a fresh wave of selling and
new lows.
Bitcoin
is looking on the bright side, approaching the $74K
level and already hitting seven-week highs. The leading
cryptocurrency closed Sunday above the 50-day moving
average and began Monday with a further upward move.
This could well prove to be a prelude to a rise towards
$85K – the region of recent significant lows.
However, it is quite possible that near the $75K mark,
the bears will take control, leaving BTC within a
corrective rebound pattern following a decline. From
a cross-market analysis perspective, the bears have
more arguments on their side, but Bitcoin has often
moved ahead of the market, reflecting its underlying
shifts in sentiment.
News
Background
Bitcoin
has passed the ‘stress test’ of geopolitical
tensions in the Middle East. However, on-chain metrics
indicate a lack of strength among the bulls for a
medium-term breakout, according to Glassnode.
Ethereum risks continuing its decline due to the ‘adoption
paradox’ — the widening gap between network
activity and the asset’s price dynamics, CryptoQuant
notes. An exit from the bearish phase should be facilitated
by capital inflows into the ecosystem and a reduction
in cryptocurrency inflows to exchanges.
BlackRock
has launched an Ethereum ETF with staking. At launch,
assets under management reached $100 million. Around
82% of the staking rewards received will be paid out
to investors on a monthly basis — like dividend-paying
ETFs.
According
to Mizuho Bank, Circle’s USDC stablecoin has
overtaken Tether’s USDT in terms of adjusted
transaction volume since the start of 2026. The total
stablecoin market has recovered to $311 billion amid
an influx of retail capital.
Stablecoins
could form the basis of a global payment system within
the next 10–15 years, billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller
has stated. According to him, such assets offer clear
advantages over traditional banking infrastructure.
(FxPro)
News
Lead Up
24
Hours Ago
Bitcoin
Tops $73,000 Amid U.S.-Iran Conflict Rally
The
cryptocurrency reached an intraday high near $73,100
on March 15 before easing to around $71,800 by early
March 16 UTC, marking an 8% weekly gain that lifted
its market cap above $1.4 trillion. Since conflict
began on February 28, Bitcoin rose about 7.75% while
the S&P 500 dropped 3.85%, Nasdaq fell 3%, gold
declined around 5.5%, and silver plunged over 13%.
Bulls celebrate the breakout above $70,000 resistance
and seven green daily candles as signs of strength
heading toward $74,000-$78,000, but bears warn of
downside risks below $70,000 and potential drops to
$40,000-$60,000 levels seen in past bear markets.
(Grok): Media Man Peg-On: X and Grok right on the
money as per usual!
News
Gold
Gold
is finding it increasingly difficult to stick to uptrend
Over the past week, gold traded within a range of
just over 3%, which could be described as a lull given
the current geopolitical climate. Perhaps even more
puzzling is the increase in sales as prices rose,
which, at first glance, does not fit the narrative
of gold serving as a safe haven for capital during
periods of instability.
Gold’s
muted reaction to the armed conflict in the Middle
East is due to the rise in the dollar and Treasury
bond yields. Pressure on the precious metal comes
alongside diminishing prospects of a Fed rate cut
and growing expectations of policy tightening by other
major central banks in response to the oil shock.
(FxPro). Media Man: Summary only. More to come.
News
US
wants investors, just don't mention tariffs
US
Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has told a gathering
of Australian superannuation fund executives in Washington
that the Trump administration welcomes foreign investment,
but that it does not want to hear criticism of US
President Donald Trumps' tariff regime. Australian
super funds already invest about $US500 billion in
the US, a figure that lobby group Super Members Council
estimates will increase to $US1.5 trillion by 2035,
and around 16 per cent of all Australian retirement
savings are invested in the US. (RMS)
News
Elon
Musk Unveils Digital Optimus AI to Control Computers
in Real Time
Digital
Optimus pairs xAI's Grok for smart reasoning with
Tesla's vision AI, processing the last five seconds
of screen video to execute actions instantly on affordable
$650 AI4 hardware. Musk plans to run it in all AI4-equipped
Teslas, turning parked cars into 'mobile compute nodes'
for owners' office tasks, and deploy millions of units
at Supercharger stations with 7 gigawatts of grid
power. This Tesla-xAI collaboration, backed by a $2
billion investment, could reshape compute economics
by blending vision tech from self-driving and robots
with advanced language models.
News
Gaming/Wrestling/Pop
Culture
WWE
2K26 Launches with Strong Reviews and Battle Pass
Backlash
WWE
2K26 hit stores worldwide today on PS5, Xbox Series
X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, building on WWE 2K25
with refined gameplay like a winded stamina system,
better collision physics, and new match types such
as I Quit and Inferno. Reviews praise the fun in-ring
action and detailed character models, earning Metacritic
scores around 80, while CM Punk's Showcase mode lets
players relive his career with dream match tech. Controversy
centers on the Ringside Pass battle pass, which replaces
DLC with free and premium tracks requiring RXP grinds
for wrestlers and attires—fans call it predatory,
especially with launch server issues in MyFaction.
News
Wrestling
SmackDown
Preview: Rhodes-Orton Contract Signing Lights Up Phoenix
Tonight's
WWE SmackDown at Phoenix's Footprint Center features
the official contract signing between Undisputed Champion
Cody Rhodes and challenger Randy Orton, the 14-time
champ who earned his shot at Elimination Chamber.
The card packs in Miz TV with country star Jelly Roll,
Danhausen crashing the party, Jade Cargill vs. Michin,
a Women's Tag Team title defense by Nia Jax and Lash
Legend against Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, plus
Bloodline's Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga facing Uncle
Howdy and Erick Rowan. It's the final big push before
WrestleMania 42 kicks off April 18 in Las Vegas.
News
A.I
News
Losses
growing, staff cut: Atlassian's billionaire boss faces
his AI test
Atlassian's
CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes has used a video message to
inform its employees about the decision to retrench
10 per cent of its global workforce. He said that
artificial intelligence technology has changed the
skills and number of people that Atlassian needs in
some areas, and the company will prioritise retaining
employees who have AI-relevant skills. Atlassian will
shed some 1,600 jobs globally, including about 480
in Australia; the restructuring will cost up to $US236m
($331m). Employees who will be affected by the downsizing
were informed via email shortly after watching the
video message. Atlassian posted a net loss of $US42.6m
in its most recent quarterly financial results. (RMS)
News
Media/Advertising
(Australia)
Advertising
expectations and experience: Australians have their
say
New
national research conducted by Roy Morgan for Australia's
advertising regulator Ad Standards reveals a gap between
what Australians expect from advertising and what
they currently experience - particularly online. The
community sentiment tracking study found that 88%
of Australians believe that advertising should reflect
community standards and values, yet only 37% say the
advertising they encounter meets those expectations.
The research highlights the high expectations Australians
have of advertising and the importance of aligning
with community standards to maintain trust. When it
comes to platforms, social media attracts the highest
levels of concern (62%). The expectations gap presents
a clear commercial risk for brands, with 67% of Australians
saying they avoid brands that use inappropriate or
offensive advertising; this increases to 83% among
Australians aged 65+. (RMS)
News
Feature
Pop
Culture/Netflix
Dynasty:
The Murdochs (2026)
Follows
the Murdoch family's behind-the-scenes succession
battle as Rupert's adult children compete for control
of his media empire, based on thousands of documents,
emails and text messages.
A
high-profile Netflix docuseries scheduled to premiere
on 13 March 2026. Directed by Liz Garbus, the four-part
series explores the real-life "Succession"
drama within the Murdoch family as Rupert Murdoch’s
children battle for control of his global media empire.
Key
Real-World Developments (as of March 2026)
The
documentary arrives following a definitive shift in
the Murdoch family power structure:
Lachlan
Murdoch's Succession: In September 2025, a long-running
legal battle over the Murdoch Family Trust concluded
with Lachlan Murdoch cementing total control.
The
Settlement: His siblings—Prudence, Elisabeth,
and James—agreed to a $3.3 billion settlement
(approx. $1.1 billion each) to cash out of the trust.
Under a long-term "standstill agreement,"
they now have no further share or involvement in the
family's core companies, Fox Corporation and News
Corp.
Rupert
Murdoch's Status: Now 94, Rupert remains Chairman
Emeritus of both News Corp and Fox Corp, while Lachlan
serves as the sole Chair of News Corp and Executive
Chair/CEO of Fox Corp.
Netflix
Docuseries Overview
The
series is a deep dive into how the empire was built
and the subsequent internal fracturing:
Focus:
It uses thousands of pages of leaked documents, emails,
and text messages to expose the private machinations
between the siblings.
Themes:
It explores the intersection of family and business,
questioning whether a dynasty can remain a family
when power and politics are involved.
Featured
Experts: Includes interviews with prominent media
figures like David Folkenflik, Kara Swisher, and Paddy
Manning (Lachlan Murdoch's biographer).
Media
Oher
documentaries or series about the family, the following
are available:
The
Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty (2020): A three-part BBC/72
Films documentary charting Rupert's influence on British
society and the closure of News of the World.
Succession
(HBO): While fictional, this acclaimed drama series
was widely inspired by the Murdoch family's real-world
dynamics.
News
Lead Up
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
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
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. (RMS)
News
Mining
(Aust)
Feb
27
Haoma
Mining Shareholder Update: Ravenswood Gold Joint Venture
- drilling confirms shallow high-grade gold at Podoskys
Haoma
Mining NL Announcements
(Roy
Morgan)
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.
News
Combat
Sports
Rezar
Delivers Brutal BKFC Debut Knockout After WWE Days
The
Albanian powerhouse, known from WWE's Authors of Pain
and NXT Tag Team titles, debuted in BKFC's heavyweight
division Saturday at Utilita Arena, stopping Daniel
Curtin after surviving a first-round scare that drew
blood. Selmani dropped his opponent four times in
Round 2 for the finish, then grabbed the mic for a
profanity-filled rant calling himself the 'Albanian
Psycho' and vowing to knock out foes worldwide. Fans
loved his raw edge, joking WWE had kept it hidden,
while his performance stole the show from the main
event UK Heavyweight title fight.
News
WWE
Roman
Reigns Returns on 3:16 Day Raw in San Antonio
Monday
Night Raw hits San Antonio's Frost Bank Center tomorrow
at 8 p.m. ET on Netflix, packed with AJ Lee defending
her new Women's Intercontinental Championship against
Bayley, who eyes Grand Slam glory after a gauntlet
win. Brock Lesnar continues his open challenge, Roman
Reigns returns with eyes possibly on CM Punk, and
matches like Natalya vs. Maxxine Dupri add grudge
heat. Adam Pearce promises four bouts plus appearances
by Punk and The Judgment Day, all fueling the Road
to WrestleMania 42.
News
WWE
Danhausen
Curses Miz and Draws Huge WWE SmackDown Pops
On
March 13's WWE SmackDown, indie favorite Danhausen
made waves by handing out tees ringside, cursing Miz
as 'Mizhausen,' and prompting Jey Uso's knockout superkick
that had crowds chanting 'curse!' He debuted at Elimination
Chamber on February 28 with a 3-0 curse streak and
added laughs with a 'TWINHAUSEN' backstage bit yelling
'BOO! CLONES!' at Nikki and Brie Bella. WWE filed
trademarks for 'Girlhausen,' 'Ghoulhausen,' 'Kidhausen,'
and 'Kid-Hausen' on merch and events, signaling family-themed
plans amid his rising popularity.
News
Wrestling
Dolph
Ziggler Reveals WWE Paid Him Big to Block AEW Move
On
the 'Off the Ropes' podcast, Nemeth explained how
WWE offered him top money after he tested the market
amid AEW's launch and a talent war. The four-year
deal followed a surprise SummerSlam match with Goldberg,
despite his concerns. Released in 2023, he joined
TNA, won their world title in 2024, and re-signed
this year. Fans noted how AEW's competition raised
WWE salaries by 33-50% on average.
Combat
Sports
WWE
Blocks Logan Paul's $1M NFL Boxing Challenge
Paul
hyped the fights on his podcast after mocking NFL
players' boxing skills, with terms like no headgear
and fight until quit. A WWE rep named Chris intervened
on March 8, barring the bouts to protect Paul as a
key talent now on Netflix's Raw. Bell accused Paul
of faking the call and being scared, flooding posts
with duck emojis, while Paul fired back calling them
'bums' and congratulating their brief fame. Critics
like ex-NFLer Emmanuel Acho labeled it cowardly, but
WWE confirmed the decision to safeguard their star.
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
The
Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper
Of The Month'; Runner-up: The Australian
Roy
Morgan wins Media Man 'Media Services Company Of The
Month' award
Netflix
wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award
FxPro
wins Media Man 'Financial News Services Provider Of
The Month' award
Mack
Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Of The Month' award
CAT
wins Media Man 'Heavy Industry Brand Of The Month'
award
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)
Media
Man Int
Markets,
Cryptos and Culture
February
20, 2026
Mining
For Intel
Crypto Fool's Gold Shines Up A Little
Sydney,
Australia to Wall Street, New York
Markets
ASX
200 futures down 44 points/0.5%: 9003
AUD +0.2% to US70.59¢
Bitcoin
$66,744.93 +0.48%
Wall
St:
Dow -0.5%
S&P -0.3%
Nasdaq -0.3%
VIX +0.61 to 20.23
Gold +0.5% to $US5000.44 an ounce
Silver 76.738 -0.86
Brent oil +2.2% to $US71.89 a barrel
Iron ore -0.4% to $US95.35 a tonne
10-year
yield:
US 4.07%
Australia 4.78%
News
Numbers
Double Check
Australian
Dollar: $0.7048 USD (up $0.0008 USD) Iron Ore: $95.35
USD (down $0.60 USD) Oil Price: $66.60 USD (up $1.35
USD) Gold Price: $4,990.28 USD (up $11.22 USD) Copper
Price: $5.7530 USD (down $0.0110 USD) Dow Jones: 49,319.56
(down 343.10 points)
News
ASX
rallies as banks, oil stocks gain; Zip sinks 34pc
The
Australian sharemarket performed strongly on Thursday,
with the S&P/ASX 200 Index closing up 79.20 points
at 9086.20. The big four banks all rose, while the
rising oil price on the back of fears of a US-Iran
conflict saw energy stocks in demand, with Santos
up 5.6 per cent to $7, and Woodside Energy increasing
4.5 per cent to $27.10. Payments company Zip slumped
after its results for the half year fell short of
expectations, while Lifestyle Communities fell 7.1
per cent to $5.33 after its profit dropped to $15.8
million for the first half. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Shares
Summary/Snapshot (near live)
*check Google Finance or Yahoo! Finance for totally
live (as close to) for the latest ticker prices)
TKO
Group Holdings Inc
$208.68 -4.60 -2.16%
Alphabet
Inc Class A
$302.85 -0.48 -0.16%
Netflix
Inc
$77.00 -0.99 -1.27%
News
Cryptos
Ethereum
is resting on a 6-year trend
Market
Overview
The crypto market cap fell by more than 1% in 24 hours
to $2.31 trillion, approaching last week's lows but
leaving the market 5% above its low point on 6 February.
The market's range continues to narrow, suggesting
that volatility is likely to soon break out of the
$2.3-2.4T range. Given the previous dynamics and the
increasingly cautious nature of growth in the US stock
markets, there is a greater chance of an early update
of local lows with a dip to the levels we saw in the
second half of 2024.
Bitcoin is trading just above $67K, losing slightly
under 1%, which is better than the market, as active
selling has moved to altcoins outside the top five.
BTC is trading at the bottom of the downward range
of the last week and a half.
Ethereum is resting on a support line that originated
in 2020 and was touched in early 2024 and at the February
lows. This global trend line now also coincides with
the area around $2,000, which further reinforces its
significance. However, for such a serious event as
the breakdown of the 6-year support, confirmation
in the form of a failure below the recent lows at
$1,500 is required. Until then, bulls may remain hopeful,
attracting long-term buyers on dips. News Background
The
indicator of Bitcoin inflows from large holders to
the Binance exchange has reached record levels, indicating
increased pressure on BTC from large players, according
to CryptoQuant.
The current state of the crypto market resembles the
final stage of the 2022 bear phase, which was followed
by a protracted period of consolidation, according
to K33.
Bitcoin has only entered the first phase of the bear
cycle, according to Willy Woo, co-founder of the CMCC
Crest investment fund. The second phase will be associated
with a fall in global stock markets, and the third
will mark a period of stabilisation.
Strategy bought 2,486 BTC ($168.4 million) over the
past week at an average price of $67,710 per coin.
Strategy now owns 717,131 BTC, purchased for $54.5
billion at an average price of $76,027 per bitcoin.
Japan's Metaplanet reported a net loss of $619 million
for 2025. The negative financial result is due to
the revaluation of the company's Bitcoin reserves.
Ethereum's share of staking exceeded 50% of the total
supply of the asset for the first time in history,
according to Santiment. The queue for Ethereum staking
is near historic highs — 3.8 million ETH (waiting
time — 67 days).
BlackRock
has taken the first step towards launching a staking
Ethereum ETF in the United States.
The Founders Fund, a venture capital fund owned by
billionaire investor Peter Thiel, has sold all of
its shares in the DAT company ETHZilla, one of the
largest corporate holders of Ethereum. Back in August,
Thiel's share was 7.5%.
Updated rules from the US Internal Revenue Service
(IRS) have scared American crypto investors. Starting
in 2026, all US-licensed crypto exchanges will be
required to disclose information about their clients,
from the volume of investments to the profits or losses
they have. (FxPro)
News
Bitcoin
News
Bitcoin’s
worrying slips down
Market
Overview
The
crypto market cap has been hovering around $2.34-2.35T
for the third day in a row. Volatility seems to have
been turned off in this market, while stock indices
are much livelier. There, investors are actively buying
up dips, relying on support in the form of important
moving averages: 50-day for the Dow Jones and Russell
2000 and 200-day for the Nasdaq100. The crypto market
is now below its 50- and 200-day curves by 17% and
31%, respectively. If cryptocurrencies still play
a role as an indicator of risk appetite, it points
to disaster.
By
and large, the cryptocurrency sentiment index says
the same thing, falling to 8 at the start of the day
on Wednesday. The indicator has been in single digits
for nine of the last fourteen days. This is worse
than the darkest moments of 2020 and 2022. It seems
that as the cryptocurrency market matures, it is becoming
less optimistic. On the other hand, it is also becoming
less volatile.
Bitcoin
continues its downward drift, periodically bouncing
along the way. At the end of US trading, the price
of the first cryptocurrency fell to $66.7K but added
about 1,000 at the time of writing. It is alarming
that Bitcoin's dynamics mirror the recent strengthening
of the dollar. When investors become convinced that
the rise of the dollar is a trend, there may be a
sharp increase in volatility.
News
Background
Bitcoin's
collapse to $60,000 has put psychological pressure
on long-term BTC holders, comparable to the collapse
of the Terra (LUNA) ecosystem in May 2022, Glassnode
notes. They began to sell off assets at significant
losses, which is typical of the later stages of a
bear market.
A
net outflow of stablecoins from the Binance exchange
has been observed for the third month in a row, signalling
a continuing liquidity squeeze across the crypto market,
notes analyst Darkfost. The last time a similar dynamic
was observed was during the 2023 bear market.
Standard
Chartered Bank has significantly lowered its forecasts
for major cryptocurrencies for 2026 amid market volatility.
The forecast for Bitcoin has been lowered from $150,000
to $100,000, for Ethereum from $7,000 to $4,000, for
Solana from $250 to $135, and for XRP from $8 to $2.8.
Bloomberg
Intelligence commodities strategist Mike McGlone has
reiterated his forecast for Bitcoin. According to
him, the leading cryptocurrency could plummet to $10,000
this year, heralding a recession in the US economy
and a stock market crash.
According
to Token Terminal, Polygon has surpassed Ethereum
in daily transaction fees for the first time. The
Polymarket prediction platform has made the main contribution
to the growth in activity.
Stablecoins
are increasingly being used for payments, salaries
and savings, according to a study by BVNK. The key
factor was savings on fees, which average 40% compared
to traditional payment services. (FxPfo)
News
Geopolitics
saves Crude Oil
Asian
demand is making the black gold market more bullish
than last year
The
fate of Brent depends on the outcome of negotiations
between the US and Iran on the one hand, and Russia
and Ukraine on the other.
Brent
bulls believe that sooner or later, Russia and Iran
will reduce production and exports of Crude. This
will lead to price increases. The bears are convinced
of the opposite: thanks to discounts, barrels of oil
will be absorbed by buyers, most likely China. At
the same time, the negotiation processes between Washington
and Tehran on the one hand, and Moscow and Kyiv on
the other, are of key importance.
According
to a Bloomberg insider, Russian oil production did
indeed decline for the second month in a row to 9.28
million bpd in January. This is approximately 300,000
bpd below OPEC+ quotas. Nevertheless, exports rose
to 3.39 million bpd in the week ending February 15th.
In the first half of the month, deliveries to China
jumped to more than 2 million bpd. According to Kpler,
they are being redirected from India.
Overall,
Asian demand for oil continues to grow rapidly. The
company expects record growth in imports to China,
India and other countries in the region to 28.51 bpd
in February. This growth could lead to a smaller market
surplus than previously expected. This is especially
true given the supply disruptions that have occurred,
including those caused by sanctions.
Thus,
even without geopolitics, the situation looks less
bearish than it did in 2025. Last year, according
to the IEA, onshore reserves of Oil grew by 477 million
barrels, or 1.3 million bpd. The main reason for this
was increased production in the US, Brazil and OPEC+.
At the same time, global demand remained healthy.
The
market's attention is focused on the negotiations
between Washington and Tehran, where each side has
its own version of the truth. The Iranian Foreign
Ministry claims that the basic terms of the agreement
have been reached. This will allow sanctions to be
lifted and war in the Middle East to be avoided. US
Vice President DJ Vance, on the other hand, believes
that Donald Trump's demands have not been met and
that Tehran has two more weeks to do so.
Iran
has an important trump card. It knows the peculiarities
of the US president's negotiating tactics, which involve
moving from threats to retreat. Moreover, a rise in
Brent to $150 per barrel is not part of Donald Trump's
plans, especially in the run-up to the midterm elections.
(FxPro)
News
Eric
Trump Predicts Bitcoin Will Reach $1 Million Despite
Slump
Speaking
at the World Liberty Forum in Mar-a-Lago, hosted by
Eric and Donald Trump Jr., Eric forecasted Bitcoin
hitting $1 million, citing its average 70% yearly
gains from $16,000 two years ago. The event ties to
their World Liberty Financial platform, launched after
banks closed Trump Organization accounts post-January
6, 2021, which the brothers call political debanking.
Donald Trump Jr. called traditional banking a 'Ponzi
scheme' favoring insiders, while WLFI announced a
partnership with Apex Group for their USD1 stablecoin.
News
Shares
(Yesterday - 24 Hour Ago)
The Lead Up
(For reference, historical and educational purposes)
Alphabet
Inc Class A
$303.33 +1.31 +0.43%
TKO
Group Holdings Inc
$213.40 +3.30 +1.57%
Netflix
Inc
$77.99 +0.99 +1.29%
Palantir
Technologies Inc
$135.38 +2.36 +1.77%
Tesla
Inc
$411.22 +0.59 +0.14%
Microsoft
Corp
$399.60 +2.74 +0.69%
Mercedes
Benz Group ADR
$17.41 +0.030 +0.17%
Porsche
Automobile Holding SE Unsponsored Germany ADR
$4.20 +0.011 +0.26%
Volvo
ADR (Parent to Mack Trucks)
$38.13 +0.13 +0.34%
Formula
One Group Series A
$81.70 +2.07 +2.60%
Wynn
Resorts Ltd
$116.31 +1.91 +1.67%
MGM
Resorts International
$37.19 +2.92 +8.52%
Light
& Wonder Inc
$98.12 +0.020 +0.020%
Mineral
Resources Ltd
$53.75 +1.73 +3.33%
St
George Mining Ltd
$0.079 -0.0262 -4.76%
Lynas
Rare Earths ADR
$11.00 +0.21 +1.95%
Arafura
Rare Earths Ltd
$0.17 +0.0006 +00.35%
Rio
Tinto plc ADR Common Stock
$98.93 +2.05 +2.12%
Rio
Tinto plc ADR Common Stock
$98.93 +2.05 +2.12%
Fortescue
Ltd
$20.20 (ASX)
+0.100 +0.50%
BHP
Group Ltd
$52.29 -0.45 -0.85% (ASX)
News
Culture/Streaming
24
Hours Ago approx
YouTube
Restores Service After Brief Global Outage
The
outage hit around 2 a.m. UTC on February 18, blocking
access to videos, apps, recommendations, YouTube TV,
Music, and Kids for under two hours. TeamYouTube confirmed
the issues and fixed them by 3:12 a.m. UTC, after
Downdetector logged over 320,000 U.S. complaints alone.
Users turned to X to share frustrations and jokes,
while some reports of wider disruptions to services
like Google and Netflix went unconfirmed by official
status pages.
News
Sports/Formula
One
Russell
Edges Piastri to Top Bahrain Pre-Season Test Day One
On
Wednesday at Bahrain International Circuit, Russell's
1:33.459 lap led Piastri by a whisker, with Ferrari's
Charles Leclerc third after 70 laps. Mercedes piled
on mileage at 145 laps combined, while Lewis Hamilton
tested Ferrari's SF-26, calling it 'exciting' with
his heavy sim input baked in. Drama came from Lance
Stroll's gravel spin and Aston Martin's power issues,
but off-track smiles shone in the 'Carlando' reunion
photoshoot of Norris and Sainz. (Grok)
News
Culture
'Welcome
To The Blockchain' aka
The
Bitcoin Song
Intro
We're
now standing on the precipice of a global revolution
Of economics, of politics, and government
Welcome to the blockchain
verse
Power
corrupts, money is power
The power to control the money is one that is now
In the hands of those who pretend we can't function
without them
So how can we do something about it? (Huh?)
Working hard to get a raise, lifting that wage up
Inflation takes it like a hidden taxation
Manipulated interest rates to give the banks
A way to create money with the loans that they're
giving out daily (yup)
That means our money is debt
That we gotta pay back more than a hundred percent
No wonder then why the middle class is going under
When the one's above them gotta cover and come to
collect
And many have no access to banking
Making payments, or saving, so more fees are taken
And every day the gatekeepers are trying to stop change
We can not wait, welcome to the blockchain
chorus
Welcome
to the blockchain
Things are about to change
Open up the gates
Systems get replaced
Bitcoin
Decentralize the trust
Security, transparency
The network's run by us
Bitcoin
verse
Bitcoin
is a decentralized ledger
And the currency is its first enterprise ever
Secured by the worldwide incentivized network
Can't be stolen or controlled by any sized effort
You can send it anywhere and instantly
No one can intervene, no third party in between
There's no counterfeiting
Algorithms control the outer limits of how many coins
can get released
Programmable money, no government can seize it
Payments can be customized by sender and receiver
Contracts can be written cementing your agreements
With terms that can't be bent once you consent then
it completes it
Autonomous businesses are possible
Where profit is distributed amongst those adopting
it
Paradigm shift we must adjust to the ending
With the blockchain, bitcoin is just the beginning
chorus
Welcome
to the blockchain
Things are about to change
Open up the gates
Systems get replaced
Bitcoin
Decentralize the trust
Security, transparency
The network's run by us
Bitcoin
bridge
Now
that we got control
We're not gonna let it go
My people all around the globe
We gotta keep building, building, building
Now that we got control
We're not gonna let it go
My people all around the globe
We gotta keep building, building, building
chorus
Welcome
to the blockchain
Things are about to change
Open up the gates
Systems get replaced
Bitcoin
Decentralize the trust
Security, transparency
The network's run by us
Bitcoin
Writer:
Toby Ganger
News
Mining/Energy/Resources/Biz
Rio
Tinto dodges merger bullet
Rio
Tinto has dodged two 'bullets' due to Glencore's rejection
of a merger proposal: a possible BHP takeover bid
and a dangerous acquisition. BHP looked closely at
whether to bid for Rio Tinto if the latter announced
a merger with Glencore. The two companies would make
excellent merger partners; amongst others things,
their staff and senior people have similar cultures,
they are co-operating on future Australian iron ore
projects and they are copper joint venture partners
in Chile and the US. Meanwhile, there are significance
cultural differences between Rio Tinto and Glencore;
there is little doubt that Rio Tinto's CEO Simon Trott
would have had doubts about a merger once he understood
these cultural differences. (RMS)
News/Snapshot
Australian
Mining
Global
Commodity Rankings
Australia
holds some of the world's largest reserves and is
a leading producer of several key minerals.
#1
Producer: Iron Ore, Bauxite, Lithium, Rutile, and
Zircon.
#1
Reserves: Iron Ore, Gold, Lead, Nickel, Rutile, Uranium,
and Zinc.
#2
Producer: Gold, Alumina, and Manganese.
Key
Mining Hubs & Major Projects
Western
Australia: The nation's "engine room," producing
98% of Australia's iron ore and 60% of its gold. Major
sites include the Pilbara (iron ore) and the Super
Pit in Kalgoorlie (gold).
Queensland:
A global leader in metallurgical coal (Bowen Basin)
and silver/lead production (Cannington mine).
South
Australia: Home to Olympic Dam, which contains the
world's largest single uranium deposit and significant
copper and gold reserves.
Major
Players
The
sector is dominated by several multinational giants
and significant domestic players:
BHP:
Often ranked as Australia's most valuable company;
major interests in iron ore, copper, and coal.
Rio Tinto: A world leader in iron ore (Pilbara) and
aluminum.
Fortescue
(FMG): Primarily focused on iron ore and rapidly expanding
into green energy.
Hancock
Prospecting: Australia's largest private mining company,
led by Gina Rinehart, the nation's wealthiest person.
South32:
Spun out of BHP; manages a diversified portfolio including
manganese, silver, and nickel.
2026
Trends & Developments
Critical
Minerals Push: The government has introduced a $23
billion package to support domestic processing and
manufacturing of critical minerals to reduce global
reliance on single-country supply chains.
Uranium
Rally: Prices exceeding US$100/lb have sparked renewed
interest in Australian prospects like the Kalkaroo
project.
M&A
Activity: Major merger talks continue between giants
like Rio Tinto and Glencore as they seek to consolidate
copper exposure for the EV market.
Workforce
Challenges: The Minerals Council of Australia is currently
calling for migration reforms to address a significant
"skills crunch" in the sector.
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
The
Million Dollar Man vs IRS
Money INC vs Right To Censor
Santa vs Grinch
Bulls vs Bears
Crypto King vs Mr World Bank
Citizens vs NWO
Neo vs Agent Smith
John McAfee vs You Know Who!
TKO vs Naysayers
Jake Paul, Polymarket and BETR vs Naysayers
Pro Boxing vs Newspaper Reports
VKM vs The World
Paul Bros vs Mainstream Wokes
Mr X vs Mr Bluesky
Chris Jericho vs Dirtsheets
NFL vs everyone
Zuffa vs MVP
Netflix vs World
Meta vs Australia
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)
Roman Reigns vs CM Punk (WWE WrestleMania)
Green vs The Coal Miners Daughter
AC/DC vs Swifties
Triangle v World Bank
Sarah's Oil vs Big Oil
Mr X vs Mr VOX
Mr X vs Mr Platformer
Mr FOX vs Mr Vice
Fox And The Hound vs The View
The Masked Superstar vs Mr Jones
The Undertaker vs Mankind
UFC Legends vs Father Time
Vinnie Vegas and Oz vs Los Americanos
NXT GM vs The Don
Mr Moneymaker vs Mr Regulator
Mr Blockchain vs Mr EU
WWE Unreal vs The Old Guard
Reality TV vs John Pilger Type Journalism and Docos
Mr Real Deal vs Mr Grifter
Mr Truth vs Mr Shock Jock
Mr X vs Mr Bluesky: Rematch
WWE Wrestlers vs NFL Super Bowl Players
Logan Paul and Bad Bunny vs Jake Paul and The Don
- Special ref: Damian Priest
Kelly Gang vs Snow White Clan
BKFC vs PFL vs ONE
Mr Sky vs Mr Vice
Marvel Universe vs DC Universe vs Monster Universe
Logan Paul vs Tom Brady
MMA vs Lucha Libre
Confirmed
Matches To Happen:
Rousey
vs Carano (Netflix) May 16
Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov (Netflix) April
11
News
Business
brands using affiliate programs open to and embracing
flat fee campaigns by online publishers under the
right terms and conditions says Media Man agency
Health,
Well-being, Lifestyle and Sports Exposure; Publicity
and Advertising Special Deals Available via Media
Man Int and Media Man Australia
American
and Australian b2b agency deal enjoying strong success
in global downturn period: European advertising and
creative agencies enjoying successful campaigns via
Media Man Int, Media Man Australia, Australian Sports
Entertainment and Greg Tingle Promotions
Casino
Affiliate Programs.com web forum needs major update
and overhaul
Markets,
Cryptos And Culture
January
17, 2026
Sydney,
Australia to Wall Street, New York
Friday
Lead In To The Weekend; Well And Hard Earned Gains
ASX
futures up 6 points/0.1% to 8883
AUD -0.2% at US66.83¢
Bitcoin $95,370.15 +0.17%
Dow +0.03%
S&P +0.1%
Nasdaq +0.1%
Gold -0.5% to $US4595.42 an ounce
Brent oil +1.1% at $US64.45 a barrel
Iron ore -1% at $US106.00 a ton
News
Gold
near its peak
The
White House dealt a blow to gold by postponing tariffs
on critical minerals. Although precious metals were
not on the list, other assets in the sector were.
Concerns about import duties played a key role in
the rally in silver, platinum and palladium. However,
the overflow of bullion in the US occurred at the
initial stage of the rally. Subsequently, other factors
came into play.
Gold's
position looks strong amid extremely unpredictable
geopolitics and ongoing tensions. The increasing polarisation
of the world is forcing central banks to continue
the processes of de-dollarisation and diversification
of reserves. Although central banks remain net buyers,
their purchase volumes are declining amid more than
130% price growth over the past two years, pushing
prices to historic highs.
Our
attention is also drawn to reports of a huge volume
of short exchange positions held by active funds.
At current prices and dynamics, especially in silver,
an explosion of volatility could occur at any moment.
This could be either the start of a sharp downward
movement or a final short squeeze with growth to non-market
levels, which could ultimately remove buyers from
the market. (FxPro)
News
Bitcoin
has not crossed the correction line
Market
Overview
The
crypto market has fallen 1.5% over the past 24 hours
to $3.23 trillion as the market regains strength after
the growth momentum at the beginning of the week.
The top five cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation
are down less than 1%, while smaller altcoins are
experiencing more significant declines. The exception
is Tron, which is up about 1% on the day and has been
steadily gaining weight since the end of December.
Bitcoin
is trading near $95.5K, retreating from levels near
$98K, where the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level
also passes. The first cryptocurrency has reached
the retracement line, waiting for further momentum
to determine its direction. No critical macroeconomic
publications are scheduled for the near future, so
BTC will have to follow the highly unpredictable geopolitics
and market reaction to quarterly reports.
News
Background
Over
the past three days, more than 47,000 retail investors
have left the market due to fear, doubt and uncertainty.
The price rebound was supported by a seven-month low
in the volume of bitcoins on exchanges, according
to Santiment.
The
dynamics of the Value Days Destroyed indicator suggest
that long-term holders are refraining from taking
profits despite the rise in prices. The current growth
is based on fundamental market strength rather than
speculation, according to CryptoQuant.
According
to CoinGlass, the total open interest in Bitcoin derivatives
on all exchanges is now 28% below its peak in early
October. A large-scale ‘cleansing’ of the
market from excessive leverage could signal a recovery
for BTC.
Despite
the optimism, the derivatives segment has not yet
entered a full-fledged growth phase, according to
Greeks Live.
The
recent growth was caused by a short squeeze in the
futures market amid low trading volumes, rather than
an influx of fresh capital, according to Glassnode.
Despite the local positive, the options market signals
that risks remain.
The
US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has closed
a case initiated in August 2023 against the non-profit
organisation Zcash Foundation, which is behind the
development of the private coin. (FxPro)
News
Strong
macro data and rate spreads are the USD’s main
weapon
The
greenback's primary weapon is the wide spread in interest
rates
The
yen is following the lead of the government and the
Bank of Japan
The
US dollar continues its strong run in the forex market
for almost a month. A combination of strong US macro
statistics and hawkish Fed officials' comments allows
the greenback to dominate. In the week ending January
10th, Initial Unemployment Claims fell to 198K. In
recent years, the figure has only occasionally fallen
below 200K. Its 4-week average fell to the lowest
in two years. This points to a stabilisation of the
labour market and deprives the FOMC doves of their
key trump card.
The
EURUSD has been falling for 11 of the last 15 sessions
and has reached its lowest since early December. According
to Credit Agricole, the idea of divergence in the
monetary policies of the Fed and the ECB will not
be realised. The Fed will leave rates unchanged in
2026, and the wide spread with the deposit rate will
become the primary weapon of the US dollar. Bank of
America warns that the ECB's dissatisfaction with
inflation dynamics may force it to resume its cycle
of monetary expansion. This will put pressure on the
euro.
It
seems the only hope for EURUSD bulls is Donald Trump,
who dreams of lowering the federal funds rate to 1%.
However, the US president has tied his own hands with
a lawsuit against Jerome Powell. Now, candidates close
to him for the position of Fed chairman may be rejected
by the Senate due to concerns about the independence
of the central bank.
The
only currency performing better than the dollar recently
is the yen. USDJPY gave way to fears of possible currency
interventions, as hinted at by Japanese Finance Minister
Satsuki Katayama. According to Bloomberg insiders,
the BoJ is focusing its attention on the pro-inflationary
impact of a weak yen. Although no rate hike is expected
in January, further policy tightening may remain on
the table. Experts do not expect an overnight rate
hike before July.
Reduced
geopolitical risk, supported by developments involving
Venezuela and Iran, has put pressure on gold prices.
The strong dollar and rising US Treasury yields are
also weighing on gold. However, the precious metal's
reluctance to correct in difficult conditions speaks
to its strength.
News
Best
Quotes Of The Day
Media
Man
Cryptocurrency,
Finance and World
"Volatility
is Satoshi’s gift to the faithful." - Michael
Saylor
"Bitcoin
is a tool for freeing humanity from oligarchs and
tyrants, dressed up as a get-rich-quick scheme."
— Naval Ravikant
"We
have elected to put our money and faith in a mathematical
framework that is free of politics and human error."
— Tyler Winklevoss
"You
can't stop things like Bitcoin. It will be everywhere,
and the world will have to readjust. World governments
will have to readjust." — John McAfee
"Bitcoin
is the most important invention in the history of
the world since the Internet." — Roger Ver
"Cryptocurrency
is such a powerful concept that it can almost overturn
governments." — Charles Lee
"In
the future, national currencies will become obsolete.
Bitcoin will become the single global currency."
— Jack Dorsey
"The
future of finance is crypto, whether it’s in
payments, contracts, or savings." — Changpeng
Zhao
"Crypto
offers freedom to the unbanked and hope to the underprivileged."
— Elizabeth Stark
"The
new frontier of innovation is in decentralization.
Blockchain leads the charge." — Don Tapscott
"Digital
currency is here to stay, and it’s only a matter
of how long before governments embrace it." —
Brad Garlinghouse
Pop
Culture
Dream
Matches: Fantasy Booking
Santa
vs Grinch
Bulls vs Bears
Crypto King vs Mr World Bank
Citizens vs NWO
Neo vs Agent Smith
John McAfee vs You Know Who!
TKO vs Naysayers
Jake Paul, Polymarket and BETR vs Naysayers
Pro Boxing vs Newspaper Reports
VKM vs The World
Paul Bros vs Mainstream Wokes
Mr X vs Mr Bluesky
Chris Jericho vs Dirtsheets
NFL vs everyone
Zuffa vs MVP
Netflix vs World
Meta vs Australia
Google Deepmind and Gemini vs X
Paul Bros vs Lucha Bros
TNA Wrestling vs AEW
Office Workers vs Field Workers
News
Gamesys
acquires Richard Branson owned Virgin Games to boost
gaming and igaming business - 7th January 2012
According
to gaming trade publication eGR Magazine, game development
company Gamesys has acquired Sir Richard Branson’s
Virgin Games for an undisclosed sum.
In
addition, eGR (exclusively) reports that Gamesys has
signed a ‘long-term deal’ to develop real
money and social gambling properties, globally, under
the Virgin brand.
Originally
started in late 2003, Virgin Games is wholly owned
by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and offers
casino (poker, slots, bingo and other) games for the
internet and mobile devices.
Its
new owner, UK-based online gambling holding Gamesys,
recently made headlines when it launched a new Facebook
app called ‘Bingo Friendzy’, the first to
hit the social network’s App Center that lets
UK users aged 18 and over to play an online game for
real cash prizes (rival 888 followed up with a similar
offering back in December 2012).
Gamesys
operates the UK’s leading bingo and slots website
Jackpotjoy and other brands, such as The Sun Bingo
and Caesars Casino, aside from developing its own
social gaming properties.
A
Gamesys spokesman advised eGR that it aims to migrate
the Virgin Games site onto its own platform and relaunch
it in the UK later this quarter. In a prepared statement,
Richard Branson said:
“We
are delighted the Gamesys Group has acquired Virgin
Games and formed a partnership to build a global games
business.
Simon
Burridge and his team built a strong platform and
now with the help of the Gamesys Group we can expand
further internationally. We believe the Gamesys Group
shares our vision and will be great partners in the
sector.”
Simon
Burridge is the former advertising executive who started
and became CEO of Virgin Games in late 2003.
According
to eGR, Virgin Games had been exploring outside investments
in recent months, in a bid to expand its business
across Europe.
Virgin
Games is likely to come up against strong competition
from the likes of bwin.party digital entertainment
and its PartyCasino.com,
PartyPoker
and World
Poker Tour, and word is that Austraila's gaming
king, James Packer, head of Crown Limited, is also
aiming to further expand into online gaming well beyond
Betfair.
Stay
turned to the Media
Man and Casino
News Media network as the story continues to unfold.
News...
Gamesys
agrees Virgin Games purchase
Online
casino and bingo operator Gamesys Limited has agreed
to acquire operator Virgin Games for an undisclosed
sum while additionally inking a long-term deal to
develop a range of Virgin-branded real-money and social
gaming propositions.
Gamesys,
the operator behind popular online bingo domain JackpotJoy,
revealed that the initial focus for the new partnership
will be the UK market with the Virgin Games proposition
set to be relaunched on the Gamesys platform in Q1
2013.
Established
in 2001 by Noel Hayden, Andy Dixon and Robin Tombs,
Gamesys became the first online gaming operator to
agree a real-money deal with social network Facebook
in August while it stated that it has been a ‘long
term admirer’ of the Virgin brand.
“We
are delighted to have the opportunity to leverage
our unique platform, games and services to power Virgin
gaming propositions around the world,” said Hayden.
For
its part, Virgin Games was founded in 2004 by Virgin
Group and hosted close to 300 games from leading suppliers
including Microgaming and Playtech. It additionally
operates online bingo as well as games of poker using
the International Poker Network from Spielo G2.
“With
many new opportunities opening up across the world,
it was important to attract a new partner to capitalise
the power of the Virgin brand,” said Simon Burridge,
Chief Executive Officer for Virgin Games.
“We
are delighted Virgin Games is being acquired by Gamesys,
whose track record of growth and innovation speaks
for itself.”
|
