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Sky News Australia wins Media Man 'News Outlet Of The Month' award again

Markets And Cryptos

Jan 19, 2026
Sydney to New York

Mining For Intel Edition

Summary

ASX futures down 3 points/0.1%: 8901
AUD flat: US66.84¢
Bitcoin $95,469.59 +0.34%
Dow -0.2% S&P -0.1%
NAS -0.1%
Gold -0.4% to $US4596.09 an ounce
Oil +0.2% at $US62.61 a barrel
Iron ore -1.0% at $US106 a ton

News

Markets and Commodities

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.6671 USD (down $0.0030 USD)
Iron Ore: $106.00 USD (down $1.20 USD)
Oil Price: $59.44 USD (up $0.39 USD)
Gold Price: $4,596.34 USD (down $18.09 USD)
Copper Price): $5.8485 USD (down $0.1405 USD)
Dow Jones: 49,359.33 (down 83.11 points)

News/Snapshot

Commodities

Commodities are basic, standardized raw materials or primary products like oil, gold, wheat, or coffee, valued for their interchangeability and used as inputs for production or as investment assets, traded globally on exchanges for their inherent value rather than brand, with main categories being energy, metals, and agriculture.

Key Characteristics

Fungible: One unit is essentially identical to another (e.g., a barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude oil).
Raw/Primary: Usually found in nature or minimally processed (e.g., iron ore, raw cotton).

Standardized: Grades and qualities are uniform, allowing for broad trading.

Main Categories

Energy: Crude oil, natural gas, gasoline.
Metals: Precious (gold, silver) and base (copper, aluminum, iron ore).

Agriculture (Softs): Grains (wheat, corn), coffee, cocoa, sugar, livestock.

How They're Traded

Commodity Exchanges: Centralized markets where futures (contracts for future delivery) and options are traded.

Spot Markets: Buying/selling the physical commodity for immediate delivery.

Participants: Producers (hedging), speculators (profit/diversification), and consumers.

Why They Matter

Inflation Hedge: Can protect against rising prices.
Economic Indicator: Prices reflect global supply/demand, economic growth, and policy.

Foundation of Finance: The oldest form of financial trading.

News

Streaming Business

Netflix Fourth Quarter Earnings

Netflix is currently embroiled in one of the most gripping media dramas in recent memory as it tries to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery and ward off competing bids for the famed studio from Paramount Skydance.

Netflix's bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming and studio assets still remains the company's preferred deal. Though Bloomberg last week reported that the streaming giant was preparing to sweeten its takeout bid to make it an all-cash offer, matching some of the terms of Paramount Skydance's proposal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Netflix's proposal does not include the company taking on Warner Bros. Discovery's cable and news businesses, which Paramount's bid does.

Media Shares (Before The Bell)

Jan 16

Netflix Price:
88.44 +0.44 (+0.50%)

Paramount Skydance Corporation (PSKY)
11.92 +0.12 (+1.02%)

Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD)
28.52 -0.06 (-0.21%)

News/Snapshot

Streaming Wars

In 2026, the term "Streaming Wars" describes the intense competition among digital platforms to dominate audience attention and market share. While once a battle for subscriber numbers, the conflict has evolved into a race for profitability, engagement time, and effective bundling.

Netflix's Dominance: Many analysts consider the "original" streaming wars over, with Netflix emerging as the clear winner in terms of global reach (over 282 million subscribers) and consistent profitability.

Major Consolidation: Recent major shifts include Netflix's late 2025 acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and content assets (including Max/HBO) for $83 billion.

The "New" Rivalry: The primary battleground has shifted from Netflix vs. Disney+ to Netflix vs. YouTube, as platforms now compete for total "share of the screen" and time spent.

News

TKO

(After Hours/Before The Bell)

TKO Group Holdings Inc $203.27 -5.45 -2.61%

News/Snapshot

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL) is a privately owned Australian mineral exploration and agriculture company headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. As of 2026, it is recognized as one of the most successful private companies in Australian history.

Leadership and Ownership

Executive Chairwoman: Gina Rinehart AO, who has led the company since 1992.

CEO: Garry Korte.

Ownership: The company is owned by Gina Rinehart (76.6%) and the Hope Margaret Hancock Trust (23.4%).

Major Mining Operations

The company has transitioned from a prospecting firm into a major global miner, with primary interests in the Pilbara region:

Roy Hill: A flagship mega-project and Australia’s largest single iron ore mine, producing 60–70 million tonnes annually.

Hope Downs: A 50/50 joint venture with Rio Tinto, comprising four open-pit mines with a capacity of approximately 47Mtpa.

Atlas Iron: Acquired in 2018, it operates the Mount Webber, Sanjiv Ridge, and Miralga Creek mines.

Hancock Iron Ore: A new entity formed in July 2025 to consolidate Roy Hill and Atlas Iron operations.

Diversification and Strategic Investments

Under Rinehart’s leadership, the company has expanded significantly into other sectors:

Agriculture: Hancock is Australia's second-largest beef producer, owning over 25 properties including the iconic S. Kidman & Co. It also owns 50% of Bannister Downs Dairy.

Critical Minerals: Major stakes in lithium (Liontown Resources, Azure Minerals, Vulcan Energy) and rare earths (Arafura Rare Earths, MP Materials, Lynas Rare Earths).

Energy: Significant interests in oil and gas through Warrego Energy and Senex Energy.

International Ventures: In January 2026, the company signed a gold exploration license agreement with Saudi Arabia's state-owned miner, Ma’aden.

Current Events (January 2026)

Australia Day Sponsorship: The company is the principal partner for the 2026 Hancock Prospecting Australia Day celebrations in Perth.

Helipad Proposal: In December 2025, the City of Perth refused the company's proposal to build a helipad at its West Perth headquarters.

Financial Performance: For the 2025 fiscal year, the company reported a profit of AU$3.08 billion.

History

The company was founded on November 25, 1955, by Lang Hancock, who is credited with discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952. When Gina Rinehart took over following his death in 1992, the company was in a precarious financial state with significant debt.

News

Jan 19

'Red hot' miners to drive gains: Liu

The share prices of BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue have risen by more than 20 per cent in the last year, and Ten Cap's co-founder Jun Bei Liu expects them to post further share price gains during the first half of 2026. However, Liu forecasts a strong performance across Australia's mining sector, and is particularly bullish about copper, aluminium and gold producers. However, Liu is cautious about the outlook for bank stocks and real estate investment trusts that have exposure to the commercial propperty sector. (RMS)

News

Glasenberg's wealth tops $21b on Rio-Glencore mega-merger talks

Ivan Glasenberg was CEO of Glencore from 2002 to 2021, with the South African-born Glasenberg being an Australian citizen and owning 10 per cent of Glencore. With shares in Glencore having surged since talk of a possible merger with Rio Tinto became public, Glasenberg's personal wealth has now topped $21 billion, making him currently the fourth-richest person in Australia, with only Gina Rinehart, real estate mogul Harry Triguboff and packaging businessman Anthony Pratt and family ahead of him. (RMS)

News

Rio, Glencore coal spin-off could offer 'cleaner' business

Glencore is proposing a $300 billion merger with Rio Tinto, with fund managers stating that Glencore spinning off its coal assets would result in a "cleaner" business post-merger that would be focused on copper and iron ore. Glencore has coal mines in NSW, Queensland, Central Africa and Latin America, and they could be worth tens of billions of dollars, while if they were spun off as an ASX company, they would be competing with Whitehaven Coal and New Hope Corporation for investor attention. (RMS)

News

AWS backs Rio's new copper tech

Amazon Web Services has signed a two-year deal with Rio Tinto to acquire copper from its Johnson Camp mine in Arizona. The mine was restarted in 2024 as a "proving ground" for Rio's Nuton bioleaching technology, which uses acid and bacteria to produce 99.99 per cent pure copper from ore that has been previously classified as low-grade; it is said to require less water and emit less carbon than traditional processing techniques. AWS will use the copper from the Johnson Camp mine for data centre construction, with the largest such centres requiring huge amounts of copper for all their wiring needs. (RMS)

News

Rinehart joins up for Saudi gold hunt

Midana Exploration, a private company that is owned by Gina Rinehart, has established a joint venture with the Saudi Arabian Mining Company. They have secured five gold exploration permits that cover more than 24,000 square kilometres of land in Saudi Arabia's Nabita Ad-Duwayhi gold belt. Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting also struck deals with two Saudi Arabian companies in 2025 to undertake gold and copper exploration in the nation's Jabal Sayid and AlHajjar regions. Rinehart is best-known for her companies' iron ore mines, although she also has exposure to resource commodities such as lithium, rare earths and coal. (RMS)

News

Lithium rebound fuels hope for dormant mines

The price of spodumene - the type of lithium that is mined in Australia - has risen above $US2,000 a tonne, compared with $US575/tonne in June. The downturn in the lithium price in recent years prompted a number of companies to suspend production at some mines, but PLS Group's CEO Dale Henderson says that many of these mines will be profitable at current prices. Analysts note that the global oversupply of lithium appears to be easing, while demand remains strong. Barrenjoey has forecast that the lithium price will top $US3,250 a tonne in 2026. (RMS)

News

Jan 17

Rare earths, blessings and a legal mess

Two ASX-listed companies are involved in a legal dispute over an alleged deal regarding rare earth tenements in the US, with Rabbi Mordechai Fixler caught up in the dispute. Gaining prominence in 2020 over lockdown-breaching prayer sessions, he is said to have acted as 'finder' in the deal, and to have blessed it. Gladiator Resources claims it had a deal with Dateline Resources to acquire the tenements, but that Dateline failed to follow on their deal to transfer them. For its part, Dateline claims that no such transaction had been agreed to. (RMS)

News

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

News

12 hours ago

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

24 hours ago

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

Mining

16 Jan

Rivals Rio and BHP ponder tie-up to help open new Pilbara deposits

BHP and Rio Tinto are considering a tie-up that would see them mine an previously inacessible iron ore deposit on the boundary of their adjoining Yandi and Yandicoogina operations in Western Australia's Pilbara region. The tie-up would see the two companies mine 200 million tonnes of ore, with mining expected to commence early next decade, with BHP and Rio having previously joined forces in 2023 to mine the Mungadoo Pillar, which also 'unlocked' ore on a shared boundary. (RMS)

News

Trump backs warfare-focused critical minerals reserve

The federal government's critical minerals strategic reserve is being tailored to help meet the needs of the US military in the wake of Chinese trade restrictions on minerals used in weapon-making. The reserve is likely to operate under a floor and ceiling price system, and President Donald Trump has issued a directive under the Trade Expansion Act that commits the US to working with its allies on adopting "price floors" for trade in "processed critical minerals and their derivative products". Resources Minister Madeleine King says the reserve is of "great interest to our friends in the US", while the government has prioritised three minerals that are vital in modern warfare - antimony, gallium and rare earths - in the strategic reserve. (RMS)

News

Industry frustrated over delay to WA emissions reforms

The Western Australian government promised in October 2024 to hand over responsibility for policing greenhouse gas emissions to Canberra, a pledge that angered environmental groups and the WA Greens. It was welcomed by the resources sector, which was told the changes would take only months to implement, but as of January 2026, they have not happened. As a result, many resources and energy companies operating in WA are still having to report their missions to both the WA and federal governments, a situation that is causing confusion and frustration in the sector. (RMS)

News

LNG importers confident despite reservation plan

Squadron Energy's CEO Rob Wheals says LNG import terminals will be vital to the success of the federal government's domestic gas reservation scheme, and the facilities will be necessary. The Andrew Forrest-backed Squadron has invested more than $200m in its import terminal at Port Kembla in NSW. Wheals notes that the gas reservation scheme will primarily affect LNG exporters in Queensland rather than increasing gas supply in NSW and Victoria, because the gas pipelines linking Queensland to the southern states are already operating at capacity most of the time. (RMS)

News

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

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

Sky News Australia wins Media Man 'Australian Media Outlet Of The Month' award

Mining/Energy/Resources/Biz/Politics/Culture

Australia and World

January 2026

Jan 16

Markets

Australian Dollar: $0.6701 USD (up $0.0021 USD)
Iron Ore: $107.20 USD (down $1.05 USD)
Oil Price: $59.05 USD (down $0.89 USD)
Gold Price: $4,614.43 USD (down $19.13 USD)
Copper Price): $5.9890 USD (down $0.0970 USD)
Bitcoin: $95,584.86 -1.47%
Dow Jones: 49,401.51 (up 251.88 points)

News

Rivals Rio and BHP ponder tie-up to help open new Pilbara deposits

News

Trump backs warfare-focused critical minerals reserve

News

Top

Industry frustrated over delay to WA emissions reforms

News

LNG importers confident despite reservation plan

News

Steps to valuing BlueScope

SGH and Steel Dynamics have launched a $30 per share bid for steelmaker BlueScope, but a scenario has been suggested that could see BlueScope valued by as much as $50 in five years time. The key figure in determining that amount is the $2 billion in cash flow that BlueScope is currently generating, and it will need to demonstrate how that figure can be maintained or boosted and how it can be used for the benefit of shareholders; it will also need to show it has no more large capital expenditure plans in mind. (RMS)

News

US president's family in talks to build Trump Tower in Surfers Paradise

It is understood that the Trump Organisation is in discussion with developers over plans to construct Australia's first Trump Tower in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, with the Trump Organisation being the family business of US President Donald Trump. It is believed that the site under consideration is located on Trickett Street and was once home to the Iluka Resort, while the office of Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate says that it would be a "great outcome for Surfers Paradise and the Gold Coast" if the idea was to go ahead. (RMS)

News

Kalshi, Polymarket race to crack ‘multis’ as sports bet stakes rise

Kalshi and Polymarket are racing to build enough liquidity to offer lucrative multi-leg sports bets, as the fast-growing prediction market providers intensify their efforts to upend the $US14 billion ($20.1 billion) US sports gambling industry.

The bets, known as “multis” in Australia, “parlays” in the US and “accumulators” in the UK, deliver bettors a big payout if a series of wagers come good. But while they form a cornerstone of the mainstream sports gambling market, parlays are difficult for prediction markets to facilitate.

Prediction markets allow gamblers to bet on binary outcomes of future events, such as the result of a football match, with the prices and implied odds determined by how participants bet.

To offer parlays, prediction markets have to establish liquidity pools for each individual bet, whereas traditional gambling groups, such as DraftKings and FanDuel owner Flutter, can simply bundle preset odds.

“The current downfall [of prediction markets] is their inability to offer the same range of exotic bets that US gamblers love so much, like same-game parlays ... but the market is beginning to find a way to serve certain sports,” said Adam Rivers, a managing director at consultancy Alvarez & Marsal. (AFR) *Full article and coverage via subscription to The Australian Financial Review

News

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

News Lead Up

Jan 15

Mining/Exploration/Minerals

Japan plums the depths for rare earths

The Japanese government hopes a deep-sea exploration program will kickstart a domestic critical minerals program and reduce the nation's reliance on China for rare earths. A Japanese mining vessel will shortly commence a drilling program beneath the seabed around Minamitori Island. Mud from six kilometres beneath the seabed is believed to contain high levels of rare earths; it will be extracted by the vessel, and a full-scale mining trial could begin in 2027 if the test phase is successful. The Japanese government has invested about 40 billion yen ($374m) in the project since 2018; the project's importance has been underlined by China's latest move to restrict exports of critical minerals. (RMS)

News

ASX higher as energy offsets bank sell-off

The Australian sharemarket edged higher on Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.1 per cent to close at 8,820.6 points. BHP rose 1.1 per cent to $48.12, Beach Energy was up 5.2 per cent at $1.20 and Neuren Pharmaceuticals advanced 6.1 per cent to end the session at $20.47. However, the Commonwealth Bank was down 1.3 per cent at $152.88, Mayne Pharma shed 2.3 per cent to end the session at $2.94 and BlueScope Steel finished 0.3 per cent lower at $29.76. (RMS)

News

Virgin's pet-friendly flights trial extended

Virgin Australia has advised that its trial of pet-friendly flights on some domestic routes will be extended until the end of June. The trial on flights between Melbourne and the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast began in October and was initially slated to end in late January. Up to four small cats and dogs are allowed to travel in airplanes' cabins with their owners, and more than 300 pets travelled in this way during the peak Christmas period. Virgin is believed to be planning to expand its pet-friendly flights to include the Adelaide, Launceston and Canberra routes, amid positive feedback from pet owners, cabin crew and passengers who do not have pets. (RMS)

News

Balance of power shifts in job hunt

Research from global recruitment firm Robert Half shows that the balance of power in Australia's corporate jobs market is shifting from employers to highly-skilled candidates. The firm's survey of 500 hiring managers across a range of sectors has found that 88 per cent of candidates have rejected a job offer in the last year. Some 32 per cent said they had received a better offer, and 31 per cent said the proposed salary or compensation package was not competitive. Emma Sestic from Robert Half notes that candidates with a strong skillset match and a strong fit with an organisation's values will often have a choice of jobs. (RMS)

News

Time to right a Rio wrong

Rio Tinto's proposed merger with Glencore should not be approved until its previous undertakings are honoured and control of Rio's Australian assets is returned to the Australian-listed company in the dual-listed structure. That company must have an Australian-based CEO and at least three Australians on its board; if Rio Tinto believes that this is administratively too hard, control of the whole Rio Tinto operation should come to Australia. Rio Tinto's London board has proved to be a disaster over the last three decades, so shareholders stand to benefit from proper management. (RMS)

News

Rio Tinto, Glencore deal could spark wave of mining takeovers

Rio Tinto would overtake BHP as the world's biggest mining company if its proposed merger with Glencore proceeds. Brian Szeto from Morningstar DBRS says this deal would most likely put pressure on BHP to pursue its own mega-merger. BHP has in recent years made four attempts to merge with Anglo American, but the latter opted to merge with Teck Resources. Meanwhile, Szeto adds that 2026 is likely to be a big year for mergers and acquisitions acrosss the mining sector. Freeport-McMoRan, Vale and China's Zijin Mining Group are among the other big miners that could potentially seek expansion opportunities. (RMS)

News

BHP less likely to gatecrash Rio deal

BHP is not expected to make a rival bid for Glencore; it is believed to ascribe less value to Glencore's copper assets than Rio Tinto, and is said to have doubts about Glencore's ability to meet its annual copper production targets. Meanwhile, Rio Tinto has a deadline of 5 February under the UK's Takeover Code to announce a firm intention to make a formal bid for Glencore. Sources have indicated that Rio Tinto CEO Simon Trott will not be rushed with regard to the proposed merger. The team of banks that Rio Tinto has engaged to advise on the deal include JPMorgan, Macquarie and Evercore; Simon Robey is a senior executive of the latter, and previously helped to advise Rio Tinto on Glencore's merger offer in 2014. (RMS)

News

Gold heads to $US7000 in '70s echo

The price of gold rose by 65 per cent during calendar 2025, and Cameron Judd from the Victor Smorgon Group says the current bull market in bullion has similarities to the 'supercycle' from 1978 to 1980. The gold price rose by 127 per cent in 1979, amid strong demand for 'safe haven' assets in response to geopolitical turmoil such as the Iranian Revolution and the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. Judd says that based on the rise in the gold price in 1980, the precious metal could potentially peak at more than $US7,000 per ounce in 2025; it recently reached a record high of $US4,634 an ounce. (RMS)

News

Lithium tops $US2000 as rally roars on

Rising demand for lithium saw the price of the battery metal rise above $US2,000 per tonne earlier this week, reaching this level for the first time in more than two years. Data from S&P Global Platts shows that the price of spodumene - the type of lithium that is mined in Australia - has in turn risen to $US2,305 per tonne; Barrenjoey still expects the price of spodumene to reach $US3,250 per tonne in 2026. Meanwhile, Bell Potter has upgraded its recommendation on PLS Group's share to from 'sell' to 'hold'; the firm has 'buy' ratings on Liontown Resources and Mineral Resources, and has increased its share price targets for all three stocks. (RMS)

News

Bitcoin aims to break out of a corrective rebound

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has shown a slight increase to $3.26T over the past 24 hours, as it paused its growth, releasing steam after rallying to a total capitalisation of $3.30T. The recovery to a two-month high still keeps the market within a typical corrective rebound of 61.8% of the initial downward momentum. Although it would be too hasty to ignore the sequence of rising local lows, it is still worth being prepared for the recovery momentum to lose steam.

Bitcoin rose to $98K on Wednesday, gaining for the third day during the US session, while Asian and European trading saw a correction and lull, respectively. The price of BTC touched the 61.8% level of the decline from the peak of $126K to the November lows of $80K. Further growth from these levels, especially exceeding $100K, will be an important signal that the decline in October and November may have been a deep correction, but did not break the bull market.

The relatively small Dash coin is experiencing an impressive rally, gaining over 130% since the beginning of the week. Technically, buyers pushed off the 200-day moving average, which had been providing support since September. The last comparable rise in scale was in early November, after which the price fell even lower over the next month and a half. It seems that the main reason for the growth is insufficient liquidity and the pump & dump approach, rather than the start of the alt season.

News Background

The revival of institutional demand signals that investors are actively reallocating capital after a period of caution and risk reduction at the end of last year, according to LVRG Research.

For the first time since mid-2022, the 52-week correlation between Bitcoin and gold has fallen to zero. Historically, the decoupling of these assets has preceded rallies in the first cryptocurrency.

According to Validator Queue, the number of coins locked in Ethereum staking has reached a new all-time high. There are 35.8 million ETH in the Beacon Chain network, which is 29.57% of the market supply of the second-largest cryptocurrency by capitalisation.

Liquidity in cryptocurrencies ceased to be distributed evenly last year, mainly concentrating in Bitcoin, Ethereum and a few other major coins, Wintermute notes. The situation arose against the backdrop of large institutional players actively entering the market. (FxPro)

News

Jan 15

Cryptocurrency News

The crypto market has made a breakthrough

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has increased by almost 5% over the past 24 hours to $3.25T. This rise above previous local highs confirms the formation of a bullish trend with a sequence of higher local highs and lows. The crypto market has few technical obstacles until it reaches $3.32T, which is the classic Fibonacci retracement level of 61.8% of the decline from the peak in early October.

The sentiment index jumped to 48. Although this is the lower half of the sentiment range, we are seeing the highest values for the indicator since the end of October, reflecting a significant change in sentiment. The crypto market did not need support from US stock indices for this, but metals and Asian markets still updated their highs.

Bitcoin is trading above $95K, its highest since November 17th. It managed to push off the 50-day MA, exceed previous highs and confirm a sequence of higher lows. What other bullish signals do you need? Technically, BTC now has a clear path towards the $100-106K area, limited by the psychologically crucial round level from below and the 200-day MA from above.

News Background

The weakening of the US dollar will be a powerful catalyst for Bitcoin’s growth, according to analysts David Brickell and Chris Mills. In their opinion, the first cryptocurrency is the optimal asset for trading depreciation.

Bitcoin is simultaneously forming three serious signals for a decline, notes analyst Doctor Profit. In his opinion, reaching the $70K level is ‘only a matter of time.’

Strategy made its largest weekly purchase of bitcoins since July last year. Between January 5 and 11, the company purchased 13,627 BTC ($1.25 billion) at an average price of $91,519 per coin. Strategy now owns 687,410 BTC, purchased for $51.8 billion at an average price of $75,353 per bitcoin.

BitMine added 24,266 ETH to its crypto reserves last week, accumulating a total of 4,167,768 ETH at an average price of $3,119. The company already owns 3.45% of the total Ethereum supply, with a stated target of 5%.

The collapse of Ethereum’s market value could disrupt the blockchain’s settlement mechanism and cause Ethereum’s infrastructure to collapse, according to a study by the Bank of Italy.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin outlined a set of technical requirements that will allow the blockchain to maintain long-term stability without the constant involvement of developers.
Spot crypto market trading volume reached $18.6 trillion at the end of 2025. The figure rose 9% from $17 trillion in 2024, according to CryptoQuant.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson called on White House cryptocurrency adviser David Sax to step down from his post for ‘complete failure.’ According to him, since the appointment of the ‘crypto czar’ at the end of 2024, the industry has not seen the progress that everyone was expecting. (FxPro)

News

Jan 14

The dollar does not tolerate dissent

US GDP growth is driven not by the White House, but by AI

The Bank of Japan's sluggishness is weighing on the yen.

JP Morgan believes that the White House's focus on lowering interest rates will have the opposite effect. Inflation will accelerate, and rates will rise. Donald Trump claims that Jamie Dimon is wrong and just wants rates to be high so that his bank can earn more. He went on to describe Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as a “bad person” who, in his view, is hindering the prosperity of the American economy. The US economy is indeed pleasantly surprising. The World Bank has pointed to its resilience to tariffs and raised its GDP forecast for 2025 from 1.4% to 2.1% and for 2026 from 1.6% to 2.2%. The growth in these indicators is not based on White House policy, but on large-scale investments in artificial intelligence technology. However, Donald Trump has his own opinion on this matter.

According to the president, in 11 months, the American administration has achieved explosive growth in the economy and productivity, victory over inflation, and prosperity in investment. Is more to come?

However, we have to adjust the midterm election promotions. Inflation in the US may have fallen to 2.6-2.7%, but it is still significantly above the 2% target. GDP growth is impressive, but the cooling labour market is causing the Fed to cut the rate from 4.5% to 3.75% in 2025. Currently, FOMC officials believe that monetary policy is well-positioned. They intend to maintain a pause in the cycle, which supports the dollar. Meanwhile, the yen continues to get battered. Investors expect Sanae Takaichi to dissolve parliament and call new elections as early as February. This is leading to higher Japanese bond yields and a surge in USDJPY to 18-month highs, returning to the previous territory of currency intervention. The stronger the Liberal Democratic Party's footing, the more chances of higher fiscal stimulus. At the same time, the government may put pressure on the central bank to prevent interest rates from rising, as this increases the cost of servicing the national debt.

In this regard, Kazuo Ueda's speech on continuing the cycle of monetary policy normalisation while meeting the conditions required by the Bank of Japan can be seen as justifiable. Investors do not expect an overnight rate hike before June, which, against the backdrop of a prolonged pause by the Fed, allows USDJPY to rise. (FxPro)

News

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

Australia, Asia Pacific And World

January 2026

Heavy Industry Awards

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

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

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

Elders wins Media Man 'Agribusiness Of The Month' award

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

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

News

Pop Culture News

Landman (Paramount Plus)

(In Case You Missed It)

Plot

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

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

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

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

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

"Death and a Sunset"
November 16, 2025

"Sins of the Father"
November 23, 2025

"Almost a Home"
November 30, 2025

"Dancing Rainbows"
December 7, 2025

"The Pirate Dinner"
December 14, 2025

"Dark Night of the Soul"
December 21, 2025

"Forever Is an Instant"
December 28, 2025

"Handsome Touched Me"
January 4, 2026

"Plans, Tears and Sirens"
January 11, 2026

"Tragedy and Flies"
January 18, 2026

News

Gold Movie

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

Trailer

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

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

News

Best Quotes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Develop men the same way gold is mined"

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

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

Media Man

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

Markets, Cryptos And Culture

January 2026

Digital Bush Telegraph

Wrestling With Numbers And Showbiz Edition; Mining For Intel!

Sin City Sydney, Australia
Wednesday January 14

Past High Noon Update

Wall Street, New York
Lucky/Unlucky Tuesday January 13

ASX futures up 5 points or 0.1% to 8789 near 6am AEST
AUD -0.4% at US66.85¢
Bitcoin $95,297.29 +4.38%
Dow -0.7% S&P -0.3% Nasdaq -0.3%
Gold +0.1% to $US4599.68 an ounce
Brent oil +2.9% at $US65.70 a barrel
Iron ore -0.9% at $US108.20 a ton

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.6680 USD (down $0.0033 USD) Iron Ore Feb Spot Price: $108.20 USD (down $0.85 USD)
Oil Price: $61.11 USD (up $1.60 USD)
Gold Price: $4,582.10 USD (down $26.34 USD)
Copper Price: $6.0015 USD (down 0.0210 USD)
Dow Jones: 49,082.27 (down 507.93 points)

News

BHP Group Ltd $48.02 +0.44 +0.91%

Elders Ltd $7.49 +0.16 +2.11% (ASX)

Rio Tinto plc ADR Common Stock $83.59 +0.71 +0.86%

Mineral Resources ADR $39.49

TKO Group Holdings Inc $208.89 +9.82 +4.94%

Tesla Inc $447.20 -1.76 -0.39%

Trump Media & Technology Group Corp
$13.99 +0.070 +0.50%

Palantir Technologies Inc $178.96 -0.45 -0.25%

NVIDIA Corp $185.81 +0.87 +0.47%

Netflix Inc $90.32 +0.91+1.02%

Paramount Skydance Corp $12.14 -0.0100 -0.082%

Alphabet Inc Class A $335.97 +4.11 +1.24%

Microsoft Corp $470.67 -6.51 -1.36%

Porsche Automobile Holding SE Unsponsored Germany ADR $4.37 -0.026 -0.59%

Volvo ADR $33.38 -0.51 -1.50% (Parent company of Mack Trucks)

Bally's Corp $16.64 -0.0100 -0.060%

Wynn Resorts Ltd $116.40 -0.44 -0.38%

MGM Resorts International $34.65 -0.17 -0.49%

Red Rock Resorts Inc $62.38 +0.51 +0.82%

News

Australia

ASX rallies as copper surge boosts BHP, Rio

The Australian sharemarket posted a solid gain on Tuesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.6 per cent to close at 8,808.5 points. The rising price of copper and gold boosted the resources sector, with BHP up 2.3 per cent at $47.58 and Northern Star Resources ending the session 3.6 per cent higher at $26.35. Suncorp Group in turn finished one per cent higher at $17.26 and Austral advanced 6.7 per cent to $8.73. However, Woodside Energy fell 1.7 per cent to $23.31 and GQG Partners was down 8.6 per cent at $1.64. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Mining (Australia and World)

Rio may finally land its Glencore megamerger

The prospects of a merger between Rio Tinto and Glencore may have been boosted by the former's appointment of Simon Trott as CEO last year. He is like to be more amenable to a deal than his predecessor, Jakob Stausholm, who is said to have objected to Glencore's proposal in previous merger talks that its CEO Gary Nagle rather than himself should head the combined group. Meanwhile, Rio Tinto's dual listing in Australia and the UK may be a challenge in sealing a merger. Glencore's coal mines are also likely to be problematic, given that Rio Tinto has exited the sector and these assets would conflict with its environmental, social and governance policy. (RMS)

News

Crypto: sell-the-growth continues

Market Overview

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

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

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

News Background

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

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

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

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

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

News

Crypto market grows with risk appetite in stocks

Market Overview

The crypto market gained 0.75% over the past 24 hours to $3.13T in another attempt to turn towards growth, pushing off the 50-day moving average. Appetite for crypto grew amid a rebound in US financial markets during Monday’s trading and continued growth in Japanese stocks on Tuesday morning. Steady risk appetite began to spread to cryptocurrencies, which had underperformed the market for many weeks.

Bitcoin has exceeded $92K since Monday evening, attempting to climb above levels seen a week ago. There were wide fluctuations on Monday, with an impressive increase in sales when the price rose above $92K, but this did not deter the bulls from continuing their attempts. It would be too hasty to conclude sustained risk appetite while the price remains below previous local highs of $95K. An optimistic view of the situation considers a series of rising local lows since November.

Ethereum is holding above $3,000, carefully forming a bottom at this level over the past five days. At the end of last month, a similar support level was near $2,920. As with Bitcoin, ETH is trading above the 50-day MA, but still below the local peak on 6 January.

News Background

Retail investors continue to offload loss-making assets due to fears of volatility, which is increasing selling pressure, according to CryptoQuant.

Profit-taking and shifting expectations in the options market indicate that investors are postponing bullish expectations to a later date, not believing in a quick rally. Optimism about a breakout in the first quarter is fading, QCP Capital notes.

Views of cryptocurrency content on YouTube have fallen to their lowest levels since 2021, ITC Crypto notes. A similar decline in social interest has also been recorded on social network X.
According to Arkham Intelligence, the DAT company BitMine has increased the amount of locked assets on the Ethereum network to 1.08 million coins. The value of the portfolio exceeded $3 billion.

The theory of Ethereum’s ‘demise,’ based on its prolonged decline against Bitcoin, is untenable, said MN Trading founder Michael van de Poppe. In his opinion, the ETH/BTC rate has already bottomed out. The key argument in favour of growth is the increase in the volume of stablecoins on the Ethereum network.

South Korea has lifted its ban on corporate investment in cryptocurrencies. Legal entities will be able to allocate up to 5% of their share capital to coins from the top 20 by market capitalisation, excluding stablecoins. (FxPro)

News

The yen returned to the Takaichi trade

The dollar resumed its growth after the lawsuit against the Fed chairman

Rumours of early elections in Japan drove up USDJPY quotes. ‘We’re screwed!’ -- that’s how Donald Trump described the possible Supreme Court’s ruling against his tariffs. The US will have to return hundreds of billions of dollars, not to mention the cancellation of investments that other countries intended to make in exchange for lower import duties. In fact, the White House screwed up a little earlier when the Justice Department informed Jerome Powell about the lawsuit. The Fed chairman and the markets perceive this event as a factor putting pressure on the central bank. Lowering rates under pressure from the president could lead to uncontrolled inflation, as has occurred in several emerging market countries in the past. Investors will demand a higher risk premium on bonds. Higher Treasury yields will weigh on the economy.

The greenback is poised to benefit from both the Supreme Court’s repeal of tariffs and the lawsuit against Jerome Powell. The latter led to a rise in EURUSD and allowed the euro to be sold at a higher price. The refund of previously paid fees could be seen as a fiscal stimulus that will boost the US economy. The strength of the dollar was one of the reasons for the USDJPY’s surge to its highest level since July 2024. The second factor was rumours of early elections in Japan. The new prime minister’s ratings are high, and she intends to strengthen the Liberal Democratic Party’s position in parliament. As a result, investors are returning to a so-called ‘Takaichi trade’ with stocks rising while the yen is weakening.

The USDJPY rally is forcing the government to return to verbal interventions. Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama expressed concern about the speculative nature of the yen’s weakening at a meeting with her American counterpart. She said that Scott Bessent is also unhappy with what is happening on Forex.

Now the markets are trying to determine the levels of Tokyo’s potential intervention in the international currency market. In 2024, it resorted to currency interventions four times near the 160 level, a very close call with 159 now.

Gold took advantage of the growing distrust of fiat currencies. It reached a new record high. As a result, CME changed its margin calculation methodology to reduce volatility. Its increase at the end of 2025 caused precious metals to retreat. (FxPro)

News

Crude Oil counteracts

While developments in Venezuela acted as a headwind for oil prices, events surrounding Iran provided clear support. Expectations of an influx of cheaper supply from Latin America pushed Brent crude to its lowest level in eight months. However, escalating tensions in the Middle East helped North Sea crude find a floor and rebound. The four-day rally in black gold highlights a renewed rise in geopolitical risk premiums.

According to Capital Economics, mass protests, oil workers' strikes, the blockade of the shadow fleet, and Tehran's threats to close the Strait of Hormuz could push Brent prices up by $15-20 per barrel. Iran is a much larger oil producer than Venezuela, ranking fourth in OPEC. It accounts for about 3% of global production, or 3.3 million barrels per day. Exports are estimated at 2 million barrels per day, with about 90% going to China. The country's share of China's black gold imports is estimated at 15%. Venezuela's share is only 2%. Western sanctions have significantly undermined Tehran's potential. At the peak of its glory in the 1970s, Iran's share of global production was 10%. Investors are hedging against the risks of Brent's rally continuing at its fastest pace since the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran last summer. At the same time, the market is considering two key scenarios for further developments. Either there will be a supply crisis, or the resumption of the trade war between the United States and China will deal a blow to the world economy and global demand for oil. Following Donald Trump's announcement of additional 25% tariffs on countries doing business with Tehran, such a scenario is quite likely. Such a rapid rally in Brent would not have happened if speculators had not built up huge short positions in North Sea crude against the backdrop of events in Venezuela. Their unwinding is leading to a rebound. Demand for oil call options has jumped to its highest level since October. A significant share of them are trading with strike prices at $80 per barrel. (FxPro)

News

Sports Culture

NRL broadcast deal focus for game changes

The Australian Rugby League Commission's chairman Peter V'landys still hopes the NRL's next broadcasting rights deal will be worth at least $5bn. He contends that in order to achieve a record rights deal the NRL must evolve by making rule changes that will make the sport more exciting and attract new viewers. The ARLC and the NRL are currently consulting with the league's 17 clubs regarding a number of proposed rule changes for the 2026 season; they include giving the team that concedes a try the option of either kicking off or receiving the ball. V'Landys notes that previous rule changes have boosted NRL viewership from just 137 million in 2019 to 224 million in 2025. (RMS)

News

Jan 12

Tech/A.I

Joint statement from Google and Apple

Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology. These models will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri coming this year.

After careful evaluation, Apple determined that Google's Al technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and is excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for Apple users. Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute, while maintaining Apple's industry-leading privacy standards. (Source: Google/Alphabet)

https://blog.google/company-news/inside-google/company-announcements/joint-statement-google-apple/

News

Pop Culture

NETFLIX BECOMES OFFICIAL HOME OF WWE LIBRARY IN UNITED STATES

January 6, 2026 – Netflix and WWE today announced an expansion to their long-term partnership that will see the world’s leading entertainment service become the home of WWE’s library in the U.S.

Beginning immediately, Netflix is the new U.S. home for WWE’s library of Premium Live Events (prior to September 2025) including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble, as well as award-winning documentaries and original programming.

This follows the January 2025 launch of WWE on Netflix, where Monday Night Raw has become a weekly staple in the global English Top 10. Past episodes of Monday Night Raw are also available as part of the WWE library on Netflix.

The arrival of WWE’s library on Netflix also comes ahead of Season 2 of original behind-the-scenes documentary series WWE: Unreal on January 20.

News

Pop Culture

Pro Wrestling

AJ Styles Returns to TNA Wrestling LIVE January 15 on Premiere of Thursday Night iMPACT! on AMC

Jan 9, 2026

The premiere of Thursday Night iMPACT! on AMC will be PHENOMENAL.

For the first time since Slammiversary, AJ Styles makes his jaw-dropping return to TNA Wrestling as a new era begins LIVE January 15 from the Curtis Culwell Center in Dallas, Texas.

What will "The Phenomenal One" have in store as TNA Wrestling makes history once again?

Also on the loaded lineup:

Frankie Kazarian vs. Mike Santana for the TNA World Championship

The IInspiration vs. The Elegance Brand for the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship

Elijah and The Hardys vs. Order 4

Plus more!

Thursday Night iMPACT! on AMC debuts January 15, 2026 at 9/8c LIVE from the Curtis Culwell Center in Dallas, Texas.

News

Pop Culture

Pro Wrestling: WWE - Studio/Production News

WWE is set to be an important part of a new initiative that Fanatics is launching.

It was announced today that Fanatics and production company OBB Media have linked up to launch Fanatics Studios, which will see Fanatics produce its own feature films and documentaries, unscripted and scripted original programming, live event specials, premium digital series, and more. WWE is listed among the partners — with a “multi-project commitment across unscripted and digital content.”

"YEE(A)T with The Usos: Fanatics Studios will debut an unscripted culinary series with WWE Superstars Jimmy and Jey Uso, who will take their tag team efforts on the road with a BBQ travel show featuring fellow WWE superstars and celebrity friends distributed across WWE’s social and YouTube channels"

News

Jan 12

Netflix - WWE News

“Netflix members welcomed WWE with a bang (but thankfully, no permanent injuries). In 2025, our members watched 525M hours of WWE content”... “Of this total, Raw accounted for nearly 340M views and 185M views for Premium Live Events broadcast outside of the US like SmackDown, WrestleMania, Elimination Chamber, Money in the Bank, Night of Champions and Royal Rumble.” ...

Netflix scribed that Raw ranked in the top 10 of its category most weeks, with it only falling outside of the rankings in December when “Stranger Things” took up much of the top 10.

“Since Raw’s official Netflix debut on January 6, 2025, the show has made the Global English TV Top 10 nearly every week it’s been on service (47 out of a possible 52 weeks),” Netflix wrote. “Over 52 shows, Raw has averaged more than 3M views per week.

“And it’s not just in the US, the birthplace of the WWE. Raw has made the Top 10 in 34 countries, including the US (51 weeks), Bolivia (49 weeks), Canada (48 weeks), the UK (40 weeks) and Mexico (38 weeks).”

Media/TV Biz

Research: Netflix leads growth in streaming ad-tiers

Jan 13

Global usage of ad-supported subscription tiers increased across Netflix, Disney+ and HBO Max between Q4 2024 and Q3 2025, according to research from Digital i.

The highest growth in adoption was on Netflix, with 40 per cent of active accounts using its Standard with Ads plan in Q3 2025, in the 20 countries measured by Digital i.

This was up by 14 per cent from the 26 per cent of subscribers on that tier in Q4 2024 that were recorded in Digital i’s trend report, Evolving Streamer Strategies, in 2025.

Ad-supported tier usage rose from 35 per cent to 44 per cent on Disney+ during that period and from 22 per cent to 28 per cent on HBO Max. Prime Video remained the service with the highest ad-supported tier usage, but this fell from 88 per cent of subscribers in Q4 2024 to 82 per cent in Q3 2025.

Digital i measures streaming audience data in the UK, the US, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Australia, South Korea and Japan. (Wires)

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
Office Workers vs Field Workers

Markets, Crypto and Culture

January 2026

Sin City Sydney Australia to Wall Street, New York

Friday Energy, Mining, Media and Intel

Digital Bush Telegraph

Jan 9

ASX 200 futures up 26 points/0.3 per cent to 8716

AUD -0.4% to US66.95¢

Bitcoin $91,020.37 -0.34%

Wall St:
Dow +0.5%
S&P -0.1%
Nasdaq -0.6%

VIX +0.19 to 15.57

Gold +0.1% to $US4459.27 an ounce
Brent oil +4.3% to $US62.55 a barrel
Iron ore -0.7% to $US108.25 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.18% Australia 4.66%

News

Crypto fails to find support for a breakout

Market Overview

The crypto market remained under pressure throughout Wednesday and early trading on Thursday, losing about 4% of its capitalisation to $3.08 trillion over the day. The market once again confirmed its cautious sentiment, retreating from the upper boundary of the consolidation range of the last eight weeks. The retreat of the stock markets created an unfavourable backdrop, and cryptocurrencies were unable to move from a rebound mode after the decline to a full-fledged recovery.

Bitcoin plunged below $90K on Thursday morning after bears seized the initiative at the end of the day on 5 January. At its lowest point, BTC approached the 50-day moving average, above which it climbed at the start of the year. The end of the week will bring an answer to the question of whether this curve has become a support level or whether we saw a false breakout at the start of the year.

News Background

Bitcoin could reach a new all-time high this year, said Bill Miller, investment director at Miller Value Partners. According to him, major Wall Street players are once again showing interest in the asset.

Institutional investors are again buying more Bitcoin through ETFs than miners are mining per day, notes analyst Charles Edwards. On-chain demand is still weak, but there are signs of a return of liquidity on Binance.

The main catalyst for Ethereum's growth in the new year will be crypto neobanks, not speculative traders, according to http://Ether.fi. Such platforms are capable of attracting many more crypto users than spot ETFs.

On 7 January, Ethereum developers implemented the Blob Parameter-Only (BPO) fork on the main network, which increases the BLOB object limit from 15 to 21. This will allow more transactions to be processed simultaneously, increasing the efficiency of the blockchain without the direct risk of overload.

Ripple has announced that it has no plans to go public, despite Wall Street's $40 billion valuation. Ripple's strong institutional support and overall treasury size have virtually eliminated the need for additional funding.

Privacy is a critical feature necessary for the development of global finance on the blockchain, which is why it will become a major focus in the crypto industry in 2026, according to a16z crypto. (FxPro)

News

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.6693 USD (down $0.0027 USD)
Iron Ore: $108.25 USD (down $0.75 USD)
Oil Price : $58.22 USD (up $2.02 USD)
Gold Price: $4,456.72 USD (down $0.58 USD)
Copper Price: $5.7915 USD (down 0.0565 USD)
Dow Jones: 49,235.09 (up 239.01 points)

Media Man Favs

TKO Group Holdings Inc $202.09 -0.85 -0.42%

Tesla Inc $435.80 +4.39 +1.02%

Rio Tinto Ltd $144.53 -8.10 -5.31% (ASX)

Netflix Inc $90.53 -0.19 -0.21%

Porsche Automobile Holding SE Unsponsored Germany ADR $4.45 -0.020 -0.45%

Mercedes Benz Group ADR $17.42 -0.11 - 0.63%

Volvo ADR (Parent of Mack Trucks) $33.31 -0.100 -0.30%

Microsoft Corp $478.11 -5.36 -1.11%

Wynn Resorts Ltd $118.27 +1.90 +1.63%

MGM Resorts International $35.15 +1.03 +3.03%

News

Australia

ASX gains on tech and health; Ansell dives 6pc

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

News

Employment Hero settles with rival Seek

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

News

Nvidia's platform to slash AI costs

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

News

Sports

As Aussies seal Ashes victory, economists hit Bazball for six

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

News

Resources/Energy

Defence demand tipped to boost copper stampede

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

News

'Like a sauna': World's hottest location

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

News

Oil stocks are cheap for a reason

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

News

Jan 8

ASX miner cheers Trump's 'involvement' in Greenland

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

News

Nickel price offers respite for last few Australian mines

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

News

The Lead Up

January 8, 2026

Sydney, Australia to Wall Street, New York

ASX 200 futures down 4 points/0.1%: 8680
AUD -0.2% to US67.27¢
BTC $91,005.03 -1.57%

Wall St:
Dow -0.7% S&P -0.2% NAS +0.3%
VIX +0.24 to 14.99
Gold -0.8% to $US4457.23 an oz
Oil -0.9% to $US60.16 a b
Iron ore +2.4% to $US109.00 a ton

10-yr yield:
US 4.13%
AUS 4.76%

News

NYSE: News

On January 7, markets were mixed with some retreat from records as momentum cooled, but no major downturn reported.

Markets showed strength early in 2026, driven by AI optimism, chip sector gains, and positive sentiment around technology.

Latest Closes (January 6-7, 2026 session data)

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA): Closed at a record 49,462.08 (up ~0.99% on January 6), briefly surpassing 49,000 for the first time before minor pullback.

S&P 500: Closed at a record 6,944.82 (up ~0.62% on January 6), with intraday highs on January 7.

Nasdaq Composite: ~23,547.17 (up ~0.65% on January 6).

NYSE Composite Index: ~22,570.82 (up ~0.62% on January 6). Key Drivers:

Semiconductor and AI-related stocks (e.g., Nvidia commentary at CES 2026, memory/storage chipmakers hitting records).

Broader market optimism despite geopolitical headlines (e.g., Venezuela developments affecting oil).
Early 2026 gains built on strong 2025 performance, with chip indexes up significantly year-to-date. (Grok)