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Man News Blog
Mining/Energy/Resources/Markets/Politics/Culture:
Australia, US and World
October
2025
Thirsty
Thursday Media Watercooler: All That Glitters? Drill,
Baby Drill!
Search For Industry Culture and Beyond The Harsh Earth
Surface; Wealth Found In Dirty Jobs
Oct
30
Pop
Culture News
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
Oct
30
Markets
Australian
Dollar: $0.6570 USD (down $0.0010 USD)
Iron Ore: $107.75 USD (up $1.35 USD)
Oil: $60.40 USD (up $0.48 USD)
Gold: $3,933.57 USD (down $20.40 USD)
Copper: $5.2030 USD (up $0.0320 USD)
Bitcoin: $111,274.01 USD (down 1.22%)
Dow: 47,632.00 (down 74.37 points)
News
Fading
Roy Hill seeks new riches
Iron
ore miner Roy Hill has posted a net profit of $1.8bn
for 2024-25, compared with $3.2bn in the previous
financial year; it is the Gina Rinehart-backed company's
lowest profit since 2019-20. Roy Hill's iron ore shipments
totalled 61.6 million tonnes in 2024-25, compared
with 64 million tonnes previously. The company's latest
results were marred by factors such as lower iron
ore prices and production disruptions caused by Cyclone
Zelia in early 2025. Roy Hill's flagship mine is estimated
to have a remaining production life of about seven
years, but Rinehart says the new McPhee mine will
extend the operating life of the Roy Hill mine. (RMS)
News
Northern
Minerals faces battle for board
A
spokesman for Northern Minerals says its four directors
take their role of acting in the best interests of
all shareholders very seriously. They add that the
board supports the re-election of executive chairman
Adam Handley at the upcoming AGM in order to maintain
a "stable, united and effective board",
while it opposes the election of non-endorsed nominees
for the same reasons. Chinese businessman Enping Fu
and Sydney-based businesswoman Joanna Yanis are seeking
to be elected to the board of the heavy rare earths
miner; the former narrowly failed to do so in 2024.
The federal government ordered companies with Chinese
links to divest shares in Northern Minerals last year,
due to the strategic importance of its Browns Range
project. (RMS)
News
Trunp's
$121b nuclear deal fresh blow to uranium short-sellers
The
share prices of Australian-listed uranium producers
rallied on Wednesday after the Trump administration
revealed plans to spend US80bn ($121.4bn) on new nuclear
reactors across the US. The deal with Westinghouse
Electric is aimed at ensuring a reliable electricity
supply for the power-hungry data centres that will
drive the artificial intelligence revolution. Westinghouse
is owned by private equity firm Brookfield and uranium
miner Cameco; the latter's shares rose by 23 per cent
in response to the deal. Meanwhile, the proportion
of Australian uranium stocks that are held by short-sellers
has fallen sharply in recent weeks. (RMS)
Oct
29
BHP-backed
firm adds value to US-Australia deal
Innovative
technology that can extract critical minerals from
mining waste is being trialled at Rio Tinto's Kennecott
copper mine in the US. SiTration is seeking to commercialise
its silicon membrane filter, and BHP's ventures arm
participated in its second round of fundraising from
seed investors in 2024. SiTration's co-founder and
CEO Brendan Smith says its filter is being used to
process acid mine drainage at Kennecott to extract
"market-ready" copper. Recent academic research
from the Colorado School of Mines suggested that waste
by-products stored at 54 hard-rock metal mines may
contain at least $US10bn worth of copper and more
than $US1bon of rare earths. SiTration was spun off
by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2020.
(RMS)
News
Gold
below $US4000, 'deeper' losses ahead
The
gold price has fallen 9.1 per cent since reaching
a record high of $US4,381 an ounce last week. Tony
Sycamore from IG Markets says the gold price's fall
below $US4,000/ounce indicates that a deeper pullback
to around the $US3,500 level is likely. Ole Hansen
from Saxo Bank says the price of bullion could take
some time to rebound if there is a deep pullback,
and suggests that any recovery may not occur until
next year. The prospect of a US-China trade deal may
also weigh on the gold price, given that economic
concerns and geopolitical tensions have been a key
driver of demand for the traditional 'safe haven'
asset. (RMS)
News
Rinehart
weathers the storm as Atlas profits plunge from weaker
prices
Hancock
Propecting-owned Atlas Iron has posted a $260m profit
for 2024-25, which is nearly 41 per cent lower than
previously. The result was marred by lower iron ore
prices and the impact of Cyclone Zelia on production
at its Mount Webber, Sanjiv Ridge and Miralga iron
oire mines in the Pilbara; Atlas achieved annual sales
totalled $10m for the financial year. Mining magnate
Gina Rinehart amalgamated Atlas and Roy Hill in mid-2025
to form Hancock Iron Ore. The group's new McPhee iron
ore mine is slated to commence production in the current
financial year. (RMS)
News
Gina
Rinehart backs Arafura's $475m raise in rare earths
stampede
Hancock
Prospecting will increase its stake in Arafura Rare
Earths from 9.4 per cent to 15.7 per cent after agreeing
to buy $125m worth of shares in the rare earths group's
proposed $475m placement. Arafura intends to issue
new shares at $0.28 apiece, which is a 28 per cent
discount to its most recent trading price. The share
placement will provide nearly all of the remaining
capital Arafura needs for its Nolans rare earths project
in the Northern Territory. Arafura aims to make a
final investment decision on Nolans in early 2026.
(RMS)
News
Taxpayer-backed
Liontown burns through cash after $363m raise
Liontown
Resources has advised that it produced 87,172 tonnes
of lithium concentrate in the September quarter, which
is one per cent higher than the previous quarter.
However, sales volumes were 20 per cent lower at 77,474
tonnes and revenue fell 29 per cent to $68m. Meanwhile,
its cost of production was $US715 per tonne, while
it received an average of $US700 per tonne from buyers.
Liontown raised $363m from investors in August, while
it spent $44m during the September quarter. The federal
government's National Reconstruction Fund recently
invested $50m in Liontown. (RMS)
News
Glencore
walks away from taxpayer-funded clean energy pivot
Anglo-Swiss
miner Glencore has advised that it will not proceed
with a proposed renewable energy and battery hub at
its Murrin Murrin nickel mine and refinery in Western
Australia. Glencore had received a $35m grant from
the federal government's Powering the Regions Fund
to help finance the development of an 849-hectare
renewables hub at Murrin Murrin, which currently operates
its own gas-fired power station. A spokesman for Glencore
says it decided to cancel the onsite hybrid renewable
energy project due to a range of macroeconomic and
cost factors. Glencore and the government have agreed
to mutually terminate the grant. (RMS)
News
Markets
Australian
Dollar: $0.6580 USD (up $0.0020 USD) Iron Ore: $106.40
USD (up $0.70 USD) Oil Price: $59.92 USD (down $1.64
USD) Gold: $3,953.97 USD (down $45.33 USD) Copper
(CME): $5.1710 USD (up $0.0125 USD) Bitcoin: $112,972.09
USD (down 1.57%) Dow: 47,706.37 (up 161.78 points)
News
Oct
28
US
expects China to shelve restrictions on rare earths
US
Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says that staving
off China's rare earth restrictions was one of the
major objectives of the talks between the US and China
during the ASEAN summit in Malaysia. A Chinese official
has indicated that the two sides reached a preliminary
consensus on a number of issues, including export
controls on rare earths, shipping levies and fentanyl.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in turn believes
that China will delay its rare earth restrictions
for 12 months, while it re-examines the policy. (RMS)
News
PM
reassures Beijing over US minerals deal
Prime
Minister Anthony Albanese has met with Chinese Premier
Li Qiang on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala
Lumpur. Xi urged Australia to deepen its co-operation
with China amid growing global instability and uncertainty,
while Albanese said he is committed to maintaining
a stable relationship with China. Albanese also contended
that the $13bn critical minerals and rare earths deal
with the US should not affect Australia's bilateral
relationship with China. President Donald Trump is
scheduled to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi
Jinping at the APEC summit in South Korea on Thursday,
with hopes that they will be able to secure a trade
deal. (RMS)
News
Trump's
critical minerals advisor jets to Perth for talks
with leaders after Albanese's deal
Anita
Logiudice from the Chamber of Minerals & Energy
of Western Australia says the state is "ground
zero" for America's interest in critical minerals.
She notes that WA accounts for half of Australia's
critical minerals reserves, and it is the world's
fourth biggest producer of rare earths. The importance
of WA has been underlined by the Trump administration's
decision to send its deputy assistant secretary for
critical minerals and metals to Perth in the wake
of the landmark critical minerals deal between Australia
and the US. A state government spokesperson says Assistant
Secretary Joshua Kroon will hold talks with mining
industry executives on growing links and investment
in WA's resources sector. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Australia's
plan to challenge China's dominance in critical minerals
and rare earths
About
90 per cent of all rare earths are refined in China,
but the nation has a complete monopoly when it comes
to heavy rare earths. Companies or countries that
produce rare earths ship their raw material to China
for processing, giving it almost complete control
over marketing and pricing. The ABC's chief business
correspondent Ian Verrender explains to The Business
host, Kirsten Aiken, that to maintain its monopoly,
China has never been afraid of using its market power.
Verrender says it has alternatively flooded markets
with material to make it uneconomic for others to
establish rival industries, or denied access to refined
product to others as punishment. Such overwhelming
supply domination, and the pricing power that comes
with it, has raised questions over whether governments
should continue to allow market forces to determine
the supply of materials vital for national security
and development in an increasingly divided world.
(Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Bowen
told: electricity bills will jump
The
unredacted version of the incoming government brief
to Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen shows that
his department had warned that there is likely to
be a "further significant increase" in retail
electricity prices during 2025-26. The Department
of Climate Change, Energy, Environment &
Water also advised that emissions reductions will
need to accelerate rapidly for the federal government
to achieve its 2030 climate targets, and that "full
and timely" implementation of Bowen's first-term
reforms will be essential. The brief was prepared
by Bowen's department following the election in May,
but it initially resisted requests to release the
document in full. (RMS)
News
Mining
billionaire's economic warning
Fortescue's
founder and executive chairman Andrew Forrest says
Australia has a "fantastic" future in manufacturing.
Forrest adds that Australia can compete against the
best of the world, but he contends that the nation
must target areas where it is the best rather than
simply trying to prop up "old industries".
He also says Australia must avoid trying to compete
with industrial powerhouses like China and the US
in these industries. Meanwhile, Forrest says governments
are underestimating Australians by propping up struggling
or failing businesses such as the Mount Isa copper
smelter in Queensland and the Port Pirie lead smelter
in South Australia. (RMS)
News
ASX
rises in broad rally; rare earths tumble
The
Australian sharemarket posted a solid gain on Monday,
with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.4 per cent to close
at 9,055.6 points. Investor sentiment was boosted
by growing expectations of further monetary policy
easing in the US and hopes that the US and China will
negotiate a trade deal. Life360 was up 4.7 per cent
at $50.14, Woodside Energy rose 1.2 per cent to $24.69
and Qantas ended the session 3.4 per cent higher at
$10.87. However, Arafura Rare Earths fell 9.6 per
cent to $0.37 and Ramelius Resources was down 5.7
per cent at $3.30. (RMS)
News
Commodities
boom boosts ASX profits by $4b
Analysts
are upbeat about the earnings outlook for companies
in the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index. The rise in
commodity prices over the last two months have prompted
analysts to forecast earnings growth of 7.1 per cent
for top-200 stocks in 2025-26; this compares with
forecasts of just 3.1 per cent at the end of the August
reporting season. The resources sector is now forecast
to post earnings growth of 11 per cent in the current
financial year, compared with expectations in August
that earnings would fall by one per cent. Analysts
are also upbeat regarding some non-resources stocks,
including the ANZ Bank, CSL and James Hardie Industries.
(RMS)
News
Major
Tomago investor writes off smelter in gloomy update
Norsk
Hydro has written down the value of its 12.4 per cent
stake in the Tomago aluminium smelter in NSW to zero.
The Oslo-based company has progressively written down
its stake over recent years, and it has warned that
the smelter faces an uncertain future when AGL Energy's
electricity supply contract ends in 2028; Norsk Hydro
adds that it has been difficult to find an affordable
renewable supply for Tomago. The smelter's biggest
shareholder, Rio Tinto, has previously indicated that
it will not continue to operate smelters in Australia
beyond 2030 unless they can be converted to use clean
energy. (RMS)
News
Going
where the profit is
For
most of the first 130 years of BHP's existence, the
focus of successive CEOs was increasing and developing
the company's resources base, rather than profits.
With BHP recently celebrating its 140th anniversary,
profits and returns on capital now take precedence.
Likewise, during BHP's first 130 years Australia knew
that its prosperity would depend on exports of agriculture
and mining products, which would in turn require cheap
energy and strong agricultural support. However, the
nation now makes mining and agricultural development
harder, and it has abandoned low-cost energy. Meanwhile,
BHP's South Australian copper project has been pushed
back to the 2030s, and the company will use its iron
ore cash flows to develop copper mines in countries
where returns and energy costs are competitive. (Roy
Morgan Summary)
News
Antimony
miner shoots down US takeover bid
Critical
minerals producer Larvotto Resources has formally
rejected a takeover offer from the United States Antimony
Corporation. Larvotto's directors have concluded that
the $723m all-scrip bid materially undervalues the
company, which is set to resume production at the
mothballed Hillgrove gold and antimony mine in NSW
in 2026; Larvotto bought the mine from administrators
in late 2023. Meanwhile, Northern Minerals has completed
a $60.5m share placement to new investors; its Browns
Range project in Western Australia includes heavy
rare earths such as terbium and dysprosium. (RMS)
News
Long
haul, but it's a win for MinRes
Mineral
Resources has advised that 8.75 million tonnes of
iron ore were transported via its 150km private haulage
road between 1 August and 27 October. This lifted
the Onslow Iron venture's annualised haulage rate
to 35 million tonnes; this in turn triggered a $200m
contingency payment from Morgan Stanley Infrastructure
Partners, which acquired a 49 per cent stake in the
private road in 2024. Mineral Resources' MD Chris
Ellison says that achieving the haul-road's performance
target so early in Onslow Iron's ramp-up phase demonstrates
the quality of the company's people, partners and
infrastructure. The private road has been the subject
of safety concerns amid a number of truck rollovers
and costly resurfacing work. (RMS)
News
Haoma
Mining Shareholder Update
Haoma
Mining NL Announcements
28
October 2025
(Roy
Morgan Summary)
The
2025 Annual General Meeting of Haoma Mining NL will
be held at 9.30am on 26 November at Tonic House, 386
Flinders Lane, Melbourne. A formal Notice of Meeting
will be sent to all shareholders. Meanwhile, the Haoma
Rare Earths Overview has brought together an overview
of the company's Pilbara assets and their geological
status; test-work undertaken over several years on
those assets by BHP, Anglo America, SQM and Haoma;
and their potential for Heavy Rare Earths as well
as gold. Haoma's shareholder update also includes
progress on Bamboo Creek Test-work from July to October
2025, including physical gold recovered from recent
Elazac Process test-work conducted in Haoma's Bamboo
Creek Laboratory. Haoma's Board in turn resolved on
22 October to allocate performance rights to a number
of employees, consultants and contractors who are
associated with Haoma. (RMS)
News
$US50m
deal for development of Ravensthorpe gold project
Medallion
Metals has advised that it has secured a deal for
Trafigura to arrange and provide a $US50m ($77m) senior
secured prepayment facility. Medallion says the debt
financing facility will underpin the funding required
for the development of its Ravensthorpe Gold Project
in Western Australia, as well as the processing operations
at the Forrestania nickel assets that it has agreed
to buy from IGO. The deal with Trafigura also includes
an offtake agreement for gold dore, copper and precious
metal concentrate. (RMS)
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"
"A
prospector who analyses every speck of dirt won't
find much gold"
"The
world is sitting on a gold mine but knows it not."
"Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are
silver, these are gold."
"All
that is gold does not glitter."
"Gold
is forever. It is beautiful, useful, and never wears
out"
"Gold
is the money of kings"
"Mining
is the art of exploiting mineral deposits at a profit.
An unprofitable mine is fit only for the sepulcher
of a dead mule."
"Anyone
can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds
the gold."
"True
gold fears no fire."
"The
desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means
of freedom and benefit."
"Make
new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these
are gold."
"When
taken for granted, gold in one's hand is sometimes
considered like cheap copper – so are people."
Media
Man
Roy
Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Provider Of The
Month' award; Runner-ups: X, Google News, Yahoo! Finance
Markets,
Crypto and Culture
Running
Of The Bulls To Normal; Cryptos Hurting; All That
Glitters ...
October
15/16, 2025
Sin
City Sydney, Australia
ASX
futures up 5 points/0.1%, at 9024
Wall
Street:
S&P 500 +0.4%
Dow Jones: flat
Nasdaq +0.7%
Europe:
Stoxx 50 +1%
FTSE -0.3%
DAX -0.2%
CAC +2%
Australian
dollar: US65.06 cents
Bitcoin
-1.6% to $US111,106
Gold
+1.5% to $US4227.10 per ounce
Oil
+0.1% to $US58.78 a barrel
Brent
crude oil +0.1% to $US62.45 a barrel
Iron
ore -0.3% to $US104.90 per ton
10-year
yield:
US 4.03%
Australia 4.21%
Germany 2.57%
News
Update: (Near Live)
Bitcoin:
New
York/Wall St
Cryptos
Today: (Near Live) Mood: Corrective! Salt Into The
Wound In Checkers?! Or Salt Of The Earth In Metals
Right Chess Move?! All That Glitters Not Digital Gold?!
Bitcoin
$111,291.65 -1.77%
Ethereum $3,980.33 -3.44%
Tether $1.0005 -0.03%
Binance Coin $1,161.17 -3.98%
XRP $2.4129 -3.48%
Solana $194.13 -3.71%
TRON $0.3194 +0.85%
Dogecoin -$0.1961 -4.15%
Cardano $0.6677 -4.14%
Market
corrective. Mood: Somber-like for many! Suspicious!
Regaining smiles! Hardcores keep the dream!
Media
Man Favs:
October
15, 2025 (Near Live)
Wall St, New York
TKO
Group Holdings Inc $191.21 +1.18 +0.62%
NVIDIA Corp $179.83 -0.18 -0.099%
Formula One Group Series C $103.57 -0.15 -0.14%
Alphabet Inc Class A $251.03 +5.58 +2.27%
News Corp Class A $26.57 -0.070 -0.26%
Netflix Inc $1,203.29 -12.06 -0.99%
Caterpillar Inc $534.05 +6.58 +1.25%
Trump Media & Technology Group Corp $16.27
-0.010 -0.061%
Tesla Inc $435.15 +5.91 +1.38%
Walt Disney Co $111.71 +0.54 +0.49%
Wynn Resorts Ltd $118.07 +1.96 +1.69%
Meta Platforms Inc $717.55 +8.90 +1.26%
BHP Group Ltd $43.54
Mercedes Benz Group ADR $15.15 +0.040 +0.26%
Elders Ltd $7.50
Rio Tinto Ltd $129.69
News
The
dollar prefers to stay within the range for now
The
US dollar turned downward at the end of the day on
Tuesday and continues to move downward in the first
half of Wednesday. The dollar is being weighed down
by the recovery of positive momentum in the stock
markets. Pressure on the dollar can also be linked
to Powell's latest comments yesterday evening. The
Fed chairman confirmed the path to further rate cuts
and said asset sales from the balance sheet could
be halted soon, ending the quantitative tightening
phase. To be cont ..
(FxPro)
News
The
US stock market rebound may falter
US
stock index futures are rising after a disastrous
Friday, when Trump's aggressive response to China's
tariffs shook the markets. The US president's announcements
were carefully timed, with the most aggressive measures
(additional 100% tariffs on Chinese goods) announced
after the market closed.
Over
the weekend, US and Chinese leaders appeared to reach
out to each other, offering opportunities for further
discussion and a deal. Market sentiment was close
to extreme fear, with the Fear and Greed Index falling
to 29 on Friday and recovering to 30 on Monday. These
are the lowest values since the end of April, when
the market was recovering from the “liberation
day” effect on Trump's tariffs. In the last couple
of years, this index has entered the extreme fear
zone before we saw a reversal in the indices. This
means that bears may exert another round of pressure
on the markets. It is easy to link this to further
toughening of mutual rhetoric between China and the
US, albeit with the possibility of dialogue remaining
open. In other words, in this case, it is worth talking
about a decrease in the intensity of mutual recriminations,
but not about a reversal in relations. From this,
we can conclude that the risks that caused the markets
to collapse on Friday remain. We also note that the
S&P 500 is trading at a significant distance from
its 200-week moving average, near which the market
has ended its declines over the past 14 years since
2011, touching it or turning around within 2-5% of
it. This contrasts sharply with the current situation,
where the S&P 500 is almost 25% above this line.
If we talk about a correction within a bull market,
then the target for bears seems to be the 6100–6150
range, where the 50-week moving average and last winter's
highs are concentrated. Movement in this direction
looks like a viable strategy for the final quarter
of the year, unless there is a real reversal in the
rapprochement between China and the US, which we highly
doubt. In addition, seasonal factors are also temporarily
on the side of the bears, given the more than 40%
growth from the lows of the year in early April, the
suppressed volatility of the last month and a half,
and the tendency to look for new patterns in the markets
in the final months of the year. If that's not enough,
add to this the fact that the economy is beginning
to feel the effects of tariff wars and a deteriorating
labour market, and AI is no longer a novelty. In these
conditions, it will be increasingly difficult for
traders to find reasons for local purchases. (FxPro)
News
Crypto
market recovers from tariff shock
Market
Overview
The
crypto market capitalisation stood at $3.9 trillion
on Monday, up 4.4% from the previous day but down
6% from pre-Friday crash levels. On Friday, the US
stock market saw its biggest drop since April but
recovered some of its losses on Monday. Since Sunday,
the crypto market has been attempting to rebound after
a sell-off that began as an emotional reaction to
tariff initiatives by China and the US but escalated
into massive margin calls and stop orders being triggered.
The
sentiment index stood at 38 (fear) on Monday morning,
down from 24 (extreme fear) the day before. The level
of sentiment we saw over the weekend was last seen
in April under similar circumstances — when tough
trade tariffs were announced.
Bitcoin
approached $115K on Monday, while Ethereum exceeded
$4,200. Cryptocurrencies are recovering after Friday's
sharp decline. The movement on Friday and in the early
hours of Saturday swept the ‘weak hands’
out of the market, taking the price of BTC below the
50—and 200-day moving averages and below the
August and September lows.
Such
sweeping liquidations often set the bottom of the
market, but it may take time for the wounds to heal.
In 2020, 2021 and 2024, it took a couple of weeks
for the rally to start, although the market did not
rewrite the lows. But in 2022, the turnaround to growth
after the crash began after about six months. Relying
on these statistics is encouraging for bargain hunters
in crypto. Still, it would be too hasty to say that
the recovery will be just as quick and will begin
immediately.
News
Background
Wall
Street crashed on Friday after US President Donald
Trump escalated the trade conflict with China following
Beijing's tightening of restrictions on trade in rare
earth metals, Reuters reports. Cryptocurrencies and
stock indices fell sharply on Friday. Some softening
of tone from Trump and Xi has led to the probability
of 100% tariffs against China by 1 November being
estimated at 8% on Polymarket, down from 26% at the
end of Friday. Santiment notes that bitcoin remains
extremely sensitive to risk appetite and behaves more
like a risky asset than a safe haven.
The
Kobeissi Letter notes that the collapse of cryptocurrencies
on 11 October will not have long-term fundamental
consequences and was caused by a combination of technical
factors. The market crash triggered a record cascade
of liquidations worth $19.3 billion. Analyst Frank
Fetter, citing technical indicators, said the cryptocurrency
market is still far from overbought, which means there
is still potential for the rally to continue.
News
Flashback
Oil
Holds Strong Despite Bearish Fundamentals
Weekly
data from the EIA noted that the US returned to record
oil production rates last week, supplying an average
of 13.6 million barrels per day to the market, according
to the latest EIA data. The trend towards increased
supply began in August, but producers have only now
returned to the peak levels recorded at the end of
last year. Despite a 5.5-million-barrel increase in
US commercial inventories over the past two weeks,
inventories stay at the lower end of the range seen
over the past decade, leaving considerable room for
growth. The same can be said for the strategic reserve,
which holds nearly 40% less oil than it did five years
ago, before the start of the active sell-off. It is
an interesting game in which, on the one hand, the
US (the largest oil producer) is increasing supplies,
while OPEC+ is increasing quotas on a monthly basis.
This extremely bearish combination of factors did
not cause oil prices to collapse; it was only because
of global trade in currency depreciation that caused
precious metals, stock indices, and cryptocurrencies
to rise. Oil prices have not peaked in recent weeks
.. To be cont .. (FxPro)
News
Gold
hits new highs due to political turmoil
Gold
is outside the realm of politics.
While
currencies and securities depend on the actions of
presidents and governments, precious metals do not.
Therefore, political turmoil forces investors to use
them as safe-haven assets.
The
impressive 52% rally in gold started in April with
the introduction of tariffs on America's Liberation
Day. It continued due to the US government shutdown,
the political crisis in France, and the change of
leadership in Japan. he rise of gold above 4,000 dollars
per ounce is not only the result of the weakness of
fiat currencies. There are tectonic shifts in the
structure of investment portfolios and fears of financial
crises due to government recklessness.
The
share of precious metals is growing both in speculators'
assets and in the gold and foreign exchange reserves
of central banks. The indicator has already exceeded
the share of the euro. According to Eurizon Capital,
if it equals the share of the US dollar, the price
per ounce will soar to 8,500 dollars. The Supreme
Court's abolition of tariffs will inflate the US budget
deficit. France does not intend to reduce it, and
Japan plans to increase bond issuance. All this creates
a tailwind for commodity assets. (FxPro)
News
Politics
remains the main driver of FX
The
US government shutdown did not have a noticeable impact
on the dollar's performance last week. However, it
did help the stock market to grow slightly by strengthening
expectations of monetary policy easing. However, these
events pale in comparison to the change in Japan's
ruling elite and the resignation of the French prime
minister less than a day after the formation of the
government in terms of their impact on the currency
market. In Japan, Sanae Takaichi was chosen head of
the Liberal Democratic Party over the weekend and
is on track to become the country's first female prime
minister. This event caused the yen to fall 2% to
150.49 from Friday's level before correcting to 149.80
at the time of writing. Takaichi is considered a supporter
of aggressive government spending, structural reforms,
and soft monetary policy, echoing the basic principles
of Shinzo Abe. Overall, she has a more right-wing
approach to national policy and is also a supporter
of revising Japan's pacifist constitution. The market
reaction clearly shows that they are considering Takaichi
to be the new prime minister. If she does not change
her political views (and she has softened them recently
to win the party elections), we should be prepared
for a further weakening of the yen, which reached
its highest level since 1991 in the EURJPY pair, exceeding
176. However, the single currency is also facing uncertainty
today due to a new political crisis in France. Prime
Minister Lecornu, who had been trying to form a government
for a month, resigned the day after he finally presented
his new cabinet. His appointments drew criticism from
both left-wing and right-wing allies. The EURUSD fell
to 1.1650 at its lowest point on Monday, losing a
full cent against Friday's levels. Unlike Japan, where
a 2% drop in the JPY was accompanied by a 5% jump
in the Nikkei225 index, France's CAC40 lost more than
2% intraday, paring its losses to 1.2% towards the
end of the trading day in Europe. The EURUSD stopped
its climb in July and has been hovering around 1.1700
all this time, not least because of the political
crisis in France. Without it, the single currency
would have had a much better chance of exploiting
political divisions in the US to its advantage. It
would be an exaggeration to call the situation in
Japan and France a drama. Still, these events once
again emphasise that as soon as the dollar's throne
begin.
News
Pop
Culture News
Dream
Matches: Fantasy Booking/Sports; Media Man Group Dream
Match Series; Crack The Code!
Million
Dollar Man vs IRS
Michael Wall Street vs Billionaire Ted
Mr X vs Mr BTC
Mr Green vs Mr Cash
VKM vs Easy E
Vinnie Vegas vs Mr Corbin
Mr Corp Merch vs Mr Freelance
Masked Superstar vs John McAfee
Sid Justice vs Mr Blood Diamond
Mr Bluey Chipper vs Street Fighter - King Of The Streets
Mr Dotcom vs Mr Wiki
Mr Gold vs Mr Green - Money In The Bank Ladder Match
Khan vs Khan - Winner Take All Match
Mr Wolff vs The Cleaner
Mr News vs Mr Vice - U.S Market Footprint Stipulation
Mr Paramount vs Mr Netflix
Mr ESPN vs Mr Fox
Mr Kross vs Mr H
Cesaro vs Rollins
Dirty Dom vs Mr AAA
Punks vs Egos
Kross vs H
Murdoch Title vs Title
Mr Black Coffee vs Mr Claudio's Cafe Blend
Mr Warner vs Mr Netflix: Broadway draw thus far! Re-match!
Winner take all?!
TMZ vs Riddle UFC vs PFL
The Oracle vs Cincinnati, Ohio
Mr X vs Hollyweird
Succession vs Billions
Mouse House vs Art House
NFL vs UFL
ABC vs Mainstream Aussies
Reigns vs Blanka
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E. Honda vs NJPW
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Combat Sports Players vs Father Time
NXT vs TNA Wrestling (Showdown, not Invasion)!
Alpha vs Meta
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WWE's Solo vs Western Australia
UFC Predator vs MMA Predator
Bulls vs Bears
News
Cryptocurrency
Movies
Documentaries
The
Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014)
Follows early Bitcoin adopter Daniel Mross, exploring
Bitcoin’s origins, its volatile rise, and the
community behind it. Great for understanding Bitcoin’s
early days and its potential to disrupt finance.
Banking
on Bitcoin (2016)
Examines Bitcoin’s history, ideological roots,
and impact on global financial systems through interviews
with pioneers and experts. A solid primer for newcomers.
Cryptopia:
Bitcoin, Blockchains, and the Future of the Internet
(2020)
Directed by Torsten Hoffmann, this documentary dives
into blockchain’s broader applications beyond
cryptocurrency, addressing scalability and regulatory
challenges. Ideal for those interested in blockchain’s
transformative potential.
Trust
Machine: The Story of Blockchain (2018) Narrated by
Rosario Dawson, it explores blockchain’s societal
impact, from financial inclusion to voting systems.
A comprehensive look at real-world applications.
Bitcoin:
The End of Money as We Know It (2015)
Traces the history of money and introduces Bitcoin
as a decentralized alternative, critiquing centralized
financial systems. Features interviews with crypto
experts.
Deep
Web (2015) Narrated by Keanu Reeves, this documentary
focuses on the Silk Road marketplace and its creator,
Ross Ulbricht, highlighting Bitcoin’s role in
dark web transactions.
Bitconned
(2024) Explores the Centra Tech crypto scam, detailing
how three individuals defrauded investors during the
2010s crypto boom. A cautionary tale about unregulated
markets.
Feature
Films
Crypto
(2019)
A crime thriller starring Beau Knapp, Luke Hemsworth,
and Kurt Russell. It follows a young anti-money laundering
agent investigating corruption and cryptocurrency
in his hometown. Critics note its exaggerated portrayal
but praise its entertainment value.
Silk
Road (2021)
A dramatization of Ross Ulbricht’s creation of
the Silk Road, a dark web marketplace using Bitcoin.
It explores his rise and fall, blending crime and
drama.
Dope
(2015) A coming-of-age comedy-drama featuring Bitcoin
as a plot device. High schooler Malcolm uses Bitcoin
for a dark web transaction, reflecting its early association
with illicit activities.
Bonus
Mentions
Life
on Bitcoin (2014): Follows a couple attempting to
live solely on Bitcoin for 100 days, showcasing early
adoption challenges.
Bitcoin
Heist (2016): A Vietnamese action-comedy about hackers
chasing a crypto criminal, blending humor and thrills.
Notes
Documentaries are generally more educational, focusing
on Bitcoin’s history, blockchain technology,
and real-world implications. They’re great for
beginners and enthusiasts alike.
Feature
films often dramatize crypto’s association with
crime or scams, sometimes oversimplifying or exaggerating
for effect. They prioritize entertainment over accuracy.
For a deeper dive, check streaming platforms like
Prime Video, Fandango at Home, or YouTube, where many
of these are available.
News
Wall
Street (Movie)
Wall Street (1987), directed by Oliver Stone, is a
drama about ambition and greed in the 1980s financial
world. It follows Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a young
stockbroker desperate to succeed, who gets entangled
with Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a ruthless corporate
raider. Gekko’s mantra, “Greed is good,”
drives the story as Bud is lured into insider trading
and unethical deals, compromising his morals for wealth
and power.
The
film explores themes of capitalism, loyalty, and betrayal,
with Bud navigating pressures from Gekko, his father
(Martin Sheen), and his own conscience.
Key
Details: Cast: Michael Douglas (Gordon Gekko), Charlie
Sheen (Bud Fox), Daryl Hannah (Darien Taylor), Martin
Sheen (Carl Fox).
Runtime: 2h 6m.
Genre: Drama/Crime.
Rating: R. Box Office: ~$44 million (US).
Awards:
Michael Douglas won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Notable
Aspects:
Gekko’s
“Greed is good” speech is iconic, reflecting
1980s excess. Inspired by real-life figures like Ivan
Boesky and Michael Milken.
A
sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), continued
the story.
Where
to Watch (as of 2025):
Streaming: Available on platforms like Peacock or
rentable on Amazon, YouTube, or Apple TV (check current
availability).
Physical: DVD/Blu-ray via retailers like Amazon.
News
Flashback
Gold,
copper, & silver:
How
metals are moving this year
Metal
futures have made some pretty dramatic moves lately
from safe haven gold to tariff sensitive copper. So
let's take a look at the longer term trends. I'm Jared
Blikre, host of Stocks in Translation. And I'm going
to start by charting some of the moves in Dr. Copper
because this is where we have the most zig and zags
over the last 25 years. So this goes back to the beginning
of the century and we can see right now, we're at
$5.51 per pound. That is a record high. But if we
go back to the beginning of the century, guess what?
Uh we had a little bit of a slump in the wake of the
dot com boom and then bust, but starting in 2003,
we saw a big rise there. And that was as China actually
joined the World Trade Organization or the WTO. That
lasted into the global financial crisis. Then we had
a pretty big bust in in Dr. Copper, and then we had
another rise. And that rise was due to unprecedented
stimulus, not only from the Chinese government, but
also from the United States government, QE was in
force, and then we saw kind of a strong dollar play.
That weighed on this metal all the way into the beginning
of 2016. The entire world, most of the world indices
went through a bear market in 2015, and then 2016,
we found the footing. And that was actually the year
that Trump won, began his first presidency. And from
there, we saw some zig and zags, and then we saw a
shock into the pandemic. A couple of, a couple of
years of deflation or a semi-deflation, disinflation,
that caught up with it in 2022, but then it was off
to the races again. And especially with the Trump
tariffs now on copper, threatening to be threatening
to be 50% on August 1st, we're seeing a lot of front
running in this trade. Now, I also want to show you
gold futures and I'm going to show you silver as well.
And they follow a very similar pattern. We're not
seeing the dramatic zig and zags that we did in copper,
but we did see the same pattern of China joining the
WTO, contributing to that huge rise in price to 1800,
almost $2,000 an ounce by the beginning of the global
financial crisis. So a little bit of a meltdown there.
But in 2016 into 2018, we saw a bit of a rise into
the pandemic, a little bit of a whipsaw there, and
consolidation over a few years. Again, that 2022 bare
market in US stocks that contributed to some deflation
and disinflation globally, supply chain chain shocks
came into force again, and then we saw this huge rise
beginning in late 2023, and we are now at 3353. We've
seen a high of as much as $3,500 per ounce. And gold
is kind of unique among the precious metals and also
the industrial metals, and this is because central
banks have been a huge determining force in their
buying of it. This is a bar chart that shows central
bank buying in tons going back all the way to 2010.
And what you notice here is the last three years,
2022, 2023, 2024, all of those had gold being bought
by central banks of in the amount of over 1,000 tons.
And so that's a pretty big dramatic increase from
the prior years. And this has to do with the ongoing
dedollarization in China, as well as Russia, but also
a host of other countries, even some in western and
eastern Europe. So this is a trend that we want to
follow. Uh, I want to close out here with silver,
and I'm going to just chart the price action. Again,
very similar chart to gold and copper in terms of
the big movements here. We saw a big price spike into
almost $50 per ounce, and that was just as the global
financial crisis was getting underway. And then the
QE area in 2011, that's when we saw that high. Then
we saw a dramatic, dramatic crash into 2016, kind
of found its footing, saw a big squeeze in the early
pandemic, 2020 was a great year for silver, but then
we saw a little bit of a fallout. And again, silver
is on the rise here at $38. It's still off of that
$50 record high, but it is increasing very quickly.
To round out the conversation, I want to just put
on a table here. I have all three medals and just
kind of grouping them together. I want to display
how they are moving with their specific patterns with
a trigger, and then to tell you which one of these
is featured in these specific criteria. So here, under
the pattern, we have acceleration. So that would be
an economic acceleration. The trigger would be liquidity.
And when that happens, we see all metals benefiting
from that. And then when there's a safe haven scare,
and that trigger would be a crisis of some sorts,
you're going to see gold and silver outperforming
the most, kind of leaving Dr. Copper behind. And then
here's a bearish one, industrial drags, that affects
copper disproportionately here, and the trigger there
is typically a stronger US dollar because the US dollar
surges when global global industrials tend to drag,
and that's because the US is the least dirty shirt
in the laundry basket of the world. And then finally
here, we have a policy shock. This will affect all
three medals, but especially copper and gold here.
Um, arguably, the biggest reason is tariffs and debt,
and we've seen both of those contribute to silver
rising. So we could put all three in that basket as
well. But when you put it all together, we have the
perfect explosive mix for all three of these metals,
including palladium and also platinum, which we didn't
get to have time for, but all of these are experiencing
huge thrust in 2025. And we'll have to see how these
tariffs play out, especially on Dr. Copper with respect
to that August 1st deadline. Remember, 50% there.
So tune into Stocks in Translation for more jargon
busting deep dives, new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays
on Yahoo Finances website, or wherever you find your
podcast. (Transcript from Yahoo! Finance podcast)
News
Best
Quotes
An
investment in knowledge pays the best interest."
— Benjamin Franklin
"Bottoms
in the investment world don't end with four-year lows;
they end with 10- or 15-year lows." — Jim
Rogers
Be
fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when
others are fearful." — Warren Buffett
Media
Man "Bullish is a mindset"
Media/Marketing/Comms/Brands/News/Culture/
Streaming/Events: Australia and World
October
2025
WWE
Roman
Reigns Returns To WWE
Brock
Lesnar Returns To WWE
Women's
Division On Fire: Ripley, Asuka, Stratton, IYO SKY
Western
Australia Preps For Crown Jewel Perth: Oct 11
Rhodes vs Rollins
John Cena vs AJ Styles
Stephanie Vaquer vs Tiffany Stratton
Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky vs The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka
and Kairi Sane)
WWE
SmackDown - Heritage Bank Center. Cincinnati, Ohio.
Cody Rhodes, Orton, The Vision and more.
Rhodes
and Orton vs The Brons/Vision: Oct 3
NXT
Showdown
NXT vs TNA Wrestling
October 7, 2025
Orlando, Florida
News
Oct
2
Southern
Cross chair says merger with Seven has 'strong support'
The
proposed merger between Seven West Media and Southern
Cross Media Group has been criticised by some shareholders
of the latter. They are concerned about the proposal
to issue nearly 100 per cent of its shares to finance
the acquisition of Seven West without putting the
deal to its own shareholders. Sandon Capital MD Gabriel
Radzyminski will seek a change to Southern Cross's
constitution that would prevent the group from issuing
more than 25 per cent of new shares without a shareholder
vote; Sandon has an 11.3 per cent stake in the media
group. However, Southern Cross chairman Heith Mackay-Cruise
says there is strong support for the deal amongst
its major shareholders. (RMS)
News
MMA
UFC 320
Ankalaev vs Pereira 2
October 4, 2025
T-Mobile Arena
Paradise, Nevada
News
NRL
Grand Final
Sunday October 5
Melbourne Storm vs Brisbane Broncos
Accor Arena, Sydney, Australia
News
Oct
2
NRL
poised to pip AFL for largest grand final broadcast
audience for first time in a decade
The
Seven Network's coverage of the 2025 AFL grand final
is currently Australia's most-watched TV program in
the year-to-date, boasting an average audience of
4.08 million people. However, the NRL's two preliminary
finals had a combined average audience of 5.2 million,
which is 35 per cent higher year-on-year. Some TV
industry insiders believe that the NRL grand final
on the Nine Network will attract a larger audience
than the AFL's premiership showdown; this would be
for the first time since 2015. The last grand final
showdown between the Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne
Storm in 2006 attracted an average audience of nearly
four million. (RMS)
News
Media
merger to counter big tech
The
proposed merger between Seven West Media and Southern
Cross Media Group is forecast to generate annual pre-tax
cost synergies of up to $30m. The merger will combine
Seven's linear TV and digital broadcast platforms
with Southern Cross's radio stations; Seven also owns
print and digital newspapers. Seven West's shareholders
are expected to vote on the deal later this year or
in early 2026; if approved, Southern Cross will emerge
with a 50.1 per cent stake in the combined entity.
Seven's CEO Jeff Howard will take on the role in the
merged group, while Seven chairman Kerry Stokes will
step down in favour of Southern Cross counterpart
Heith Mackay-Cruise. Southern Cross CEO John Kelly
has indicated that he has also held merger talks with
Nine Entertainment in recent months. (RMS)
News
Don't
team up: NRL chief to Nine, Foxtel
The
National Rugby League's current $1.7m broadcasting
rights deal with Foxtel and Nine Entertainment ends
in 2027, and the league will commence negotiations
for the next deal later this year.
The
Australian Rugby League Commission's chairman Peter
V'landys expects the new deal to be worth much more,
noting that there has been strong growth in TV audiences
for NRL matches. He adds that live sport is crucial
to the future of free-to-air TV, given the audience
shift to streaming platforms.
V'Landys
has also cautioned Nine and Foxtel against making
a joint bid, warning that the NRL will take the rights
elsewhere if they attempt to collude. (Roy Morgan
Summary)
News
Netflix
Top 5: Current
Wayward
House Of Guinness
Black Rabbit
Wednesday
Adolescence
News
Flashback
September
2025
September
22 (US) and 23 (Australia)
WWE
RAW On Netflix
Jey
Uso Going To The Dark Side?! Inner Heel!
Asuka
The Heel; May Take Australian Rhea Ripley And Saine
Souls?! Saine under the Asuka Kabuki Spell! Ripley
attacked post match by Japanese Kabuki Triad-like
faction!
John
Cena def by Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza!
WWE
RAW On Road To Crown Jewel Perth; Wrestlepalooza Fallout!
Dirty
Dominik Mysterio, New Double Champ Spying Whole WWE/TKO
Group For More Gold!
Logan
Paul Has Focus On WWE Gold And International Tours
Including Australia and Saudi including WrestleMania
and numerous PLE's (Premium Live Events)
WWE
Powers That Be Continue To Mention Some Non-WWE Signed
Talent Including Chris Jericho
Some
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Talent May Appear On Upcoming
RAW's, SmackDown's And PLE's!
News
Young
Australians drive use of captions for films, videos
and TV shows
Research
from Roy Morgan shows that 43% of Australians now
prefer to watch films, videos and TV shows with captions
or subtitles on, while 13% prefer their news and entertainment
in a language other than English. Analysis by age
shows a that majority of Australians under 35 say
they prefer to watch films, videos and TV shows with
the subtitles or captions on (54% aged under 25 and
58% aged 25-34), as do 48% of those aged 35-49. Meanwhile,
just over a quarter of 50-64yr olds (28%) and 65+
(30%) prefer to watch such content with the subtitles
or captions on. Younger Australians are also more
likely than their older counterparts to prefer their
news and entertainment in a language other than English.
This new Roy Morgan dataset was developed in partnership
with the Media Federation of Australia's DE&I
Advisory Council. A nationwide cross-section of 14,969
Australian aged 14+ were interviewed between April
and June 2025. (RMS)
News
After
trashing big tech for years, Murdochs eye TikTok US
stake
US
President Donald Trump has stated that a group of
"American patriots" could potentially buy
the US operations of short-video platform TikTok.
He named Lachlan and Rupert Murdoch as likely investors
in TikTok, as well as IT pioneers Michael Dell and
Larry Ellison. Sources have indicated that the Murdoch
family would most likely invest in TikTok via Fox
Corporation. However, the Murdochs' media outlooks
in Australia have been frequent critics of TikTok
- and social media platforms in general - in recent
years. Amongst other things, they lobbied for reforms
that led to the introduction of the News Media Bargaining
Code. (RMS)
News
Atlassian
in blockbuster $1.5b AI deal
Computer
software company Atlassian has made its second big
acquisition this month, paying $US1 billion ($1.5
billion) to buy US software firm DX. Atlassian's purchase
of DX comes after it bought The Browser company for
$US610 million, with Atlassian co-founder and chief
executive Mike Cannon-Brooke saying the purchase of
DX will help its customers understand if they are
making the right AI investments. For his part, Atlassian
chief technology officer Rajeev Rajan notes many of
DX's current customers are also Atlasssian clients.
(RMS)
News
Starlink
ups plans to 44,988 satellites
SpaceX
has filed a formal application to the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) for permission to launch thousands
of extra satellites into very low Earth orbit (VLEO).
The scheme will take some time to implement but suggests
that Starlink would then be able to manage greater
coverage of its direct-to-consumer connectivity. Starlink
already has about 650 ‘direct-to-cell- satellites
in orbit.
The
application covers a slew of new orbits, between 326
kms and 335 kms and much lower than the existing Starlink
fleet. The application also covers usage of new –
to Starlink – transmission frequencies. Those
frequencies include those which Starlink acquired
from EchoStar earlier in September.
“This
new system of up to 15,000 satellites will provide
ubiquitous connectivity to ordinary mobile handsets
and a range of other devices and user terminals,”
the company wrote in its filing.
The
request is over and above existing filings which total
up to 29,988 satellites and covers a maximum –
says SpaceX – of an extra 15,000 satellites,
and taking the total envisioned of 44,988 satellites.
This
filing attachment contains information describing
SpaceX’s non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite
system and use of spectrum for Mobile-Satellite Service
(MSS), as required under Part 25 of the Commission’s
rules.1 SpaceX proposes to provide MSS service internationally.
The
SpaceX request typically lists up to 5,760 satellites
for each orbital plane. SpaceX says the frequencies
and satellites will be used in partnership with terrestrial
operators to augment high-capacity terrestrial 5G
networks.
Observers
say these very low orbits mean that the satellites
are subject to some atmospheric drag. While the atmosphere
is extremely thin at altitudes of around 330 kms,
it still impacts satellites at these heights. Consequently,
the fleet will need to be replaced more frequently
as the satellites decay in orbit.
Expert
observers suggest that the extra fleet, when fully
in position will need an average of 3,100 replacements
to be launched annually.
Last
November, the FCC cleared SpaceX to orbit some Starlink
satellites as low as 340 kms in orbit, so long as
the company coordinates with NASA. The company’s
new application requests to orbit the next-generation
cellular Starlink satellites ever closer to Earth,
from between 326 kms to 335km, which would likely
help reduce their latency when connecting to phones
below.
News
Netflix:
Top 3 (World)
1.
Wednesday: Season 2
28.2 million views
The
Addams Family spin-off returns with Part 2, topping
the English TV list and driving massive buzz for its
gothic mystery and Jenna Ortega's performance. It's
a major highlight for September releases.
2.
My Life With the Walter Boys: Season 2
10.9 million views
This
teen romance drama sees fans divided between love
interests, maintaining strong viewership from its
first season.
3.
Hostage: Limited Series
5.5 million views
A
tense thriller that's emerged as a sleeper hit this
month, praised for its pacing and plot twists in WIRED's
best shows roundup. Scary good. Not for kids.
News
Foxtel
'thriving' under DAZN
Foxtel
Group's CEO Patrick Delany says the pay-TV group is
is more committed than ever to serving the Australian
market under new parent company DAZN. Delany says
the global sports-focused streaming group bought Foxtel
due to its current strategy of continuing to grow
through streaming while maintaining its traditional
pay-TV service; DAZN finalised the acquisition of
Foxtel in April. Meanwhile, Delany says there are
compelling reasons for the NRL to renew its broadcasting
rights deal with Foxtel. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Lachlan's
win means his mates Down Under can breathe easily
Andrew
Bolt is perhaps the News Corp Australia employee most
relieved that Lachlan Murdoch has won the succession
battle regarding control of the Murdoch family media
empire. Bolt had stated last year that he would quit
if James Murdoch and the other siblings of Lachlan
Murdoch involved in the battle had won control of
the empire. Lachlan Murdoch is also a big supporter
of News Corp Australia boss Michael Miller, who retains
his role despite ongoing rumblings that Sky News boss
Paul Whittaker is after his job, while Daily Telegraph
editor Ben English is said to be Lachlan Murdoch's
favourite editor. (RMS)
News
Paramount/Warner
deal could buck merger trend (RMS)
Peter
Supino from Wolfe Research estimates that a merger
between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery
would generate initial cost synergies of about $US3bn.
He says it would create the world's biggest film and
TV studio and one of the top five streaming video
companies. Shares in both companies have rallied in
response to media reports that Paramount is preparing
an all-cash takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery.
The merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media
was completed in August. (RMS)
News
September
12, 2025
Fox's
path now clear, says Lachlan
Fox
Corporation's executive chairman and CEO Lachlan Murdoch
says the deal to resolve a long-running family trust
dispute will ensure clarity about the media company's
future strategy. The $US3.3bn deal will give Lachlan
Murdoch full control of the family's stakes in both
Fox and News Corporation. Murdoch says the deal with
his siblings will allow Fox to continue on the path
that it set in 2019 when the Murdoch family sold its
entertainment assets to Disney. He notes that Fox's
revenue has increased by $US5bn since the sale to
Disney. (RMS)
News
September
10
Siblings
paid to exit Murdoch media empire
Sources
have indicated that the Murdoch family has settled
the long-running dispute over future control over
its media empire in a deal worth $US3.3bn ($5bn).
Rupert Murdoch's eldest son Lachlan is set to assume
full control of the family's stakes in News Corp and
Fox Corporation, ending the dispute with his siblings.
Prudence MacLeod, Elisabeth Murdoch and James Murdoch
will each receive $US1.1bn, while they have also agreed
to sell all of their shares in the two companies over
the next six months. The family trust that was at
the centre of the legal dispute between the Murdochs
will be dissolved as part of the deal. (RMS)
News
September
8
News
Meta
tries diplomacy as ban looms
The
federal government is set to reveal further details
of its age-limits policy for social media in coming
weeks. This includes the 'reasonable steps' that technology
group will have to take in blocking people under the
age of 16 from accessing their platforms. Meta executives
Antigone Davis and Dustin Ho recently visited Australia
to hold talks with the government regarding the looming
age restrictions. Other social media platforms such
as YouTube and TikTok have launched advertising campaigns
in recent weeks to promote the educational value of
their platforms. (RMS)
News
Kayo,
Binge remain key pillars of Foxtel
Foxtel
Group executive Mark Frain has emphasised that the
pay-TV company remains committed to the Binge streaming
service under its new owner, the sports-focused DAZN.
The CEO of Foxtel Media says the entertainment-focused
Binge is a key part of the group's future plans; he
argues that Binge provides DAZN with an opportunity
to bolster and complement sport. Meanwhile, Frain
expects demand for Kayo Sports to continue growing
amongst both from advertisers and subscribers. Foxtel
will hold its 2006 'upfronts' event ths week. (Roy
Morgan Summary)
News
Antitrust
suit against Fox News dismissed
US
District Court judge Aileen Cannon has ruled in favour
of Fox News in an antitrust case launched by cable
news rival Newsmax. The latter had alleged that Fox
News had used its market power to coerce distributors
into unfair terms that bar them from carrying its
competitors' broadcasts. Cannon essentially found
that the complaint against Fox News had been poorly
drafted, but she ruled that Newsmax can lodge a revised
complaint by 11 September. (RMS)
News
Netflix:
October 2025
Movies
A
House of Dynamite (Oct 24): A political thriller directed
by Kathryn Bigelow, starring Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson,
and others. It centers on a nuclear threat to the
U.S., touted as a potential Best Picture nominee.
The
Woman in Cabin 10 (Oct 10): A psychological thriller
starring Keira Knightley as a journalist uncovering
a mystery on a luxury yacht, based on Ruth Ware’s
novel.
Steve
(Oct 3): Cillian Murphy stars as a headteacher at
a reform school facing personal and professional struggles,
based on Max Porter’s novella Shy.
About
My Father (2023, Oct 1): A comedy with Sebastian Maniscalco
and Robert De Niro, focusing on a clash between an
Italian father and his fiancée’s family.
Blue
Crush (2002, Oct 1): A sports drama starring Kate
Bosworth about a woman pursuing her dream of becoming
a pro surfer.
Casper
(1995, Oct 1): A family-friendly supernatural comedy
with Christina Ricci about a kind-hearted ghost.
Elysium
(2013, Oct 1): A sci-fi action film by Neill Blomkamp
starring Matt Damon, exploring class struggles between
Earth and a luxurious space station.
Hacksaw
Ridge (2016, Oct 1): Mel Gibson’s WWII drama
about medic Desmond Doss, starring Andrew Garfield.
Dirty
Dancing (1987, Oct 1): The iconic romantic dance film
with Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.
Austin
Powers Trilogy (Oct 1): All three films (International
Man of Mystery, The Spy Who Shagged Me, Goldmember)
bring Mike Myers’ comedic spy antics.
Series
Nobody
Wants This Season 2 (Oct 23): The rom-com starring
Kristen Bell and Adam Brody returns, following Joanne
and Noah’s chaotic relationship.
The
Diplomat Season 3 (Oct 16): Keri Russell and Rufus
Sewell navigate political intrigue, with Bradley Whitford
joining as the First Gentleman.
The
Witcher Season 4 (Oct 30): Liam Hemsworth takes over
as Geralt of Rivia, adapting the final novels of Andrzej
Sapkowski’s series. A Rats special may accompany
it.
Love
Is Blind Season 9 (Oct 1): Set in Denver, this reality
dating show explores love without physical attraction.
Monster:
The Ed Gein Story (Oct 3): Ryan Murphy’s anthology
series continues with Charlie Hunnam as the infamous
serial killer Ed Gein, joined by Laurie Metcalf and
Addison Rae.
Splinter
Cell: Deathwatch (TBD): An animated espionage series
based on the video game, following Sam Fisher.
The
Resurrected (TBD): A Taiwanese series about two mothers
resurrecting a criminal to avenge their daughters.
Genie,
Make a Wish Season 1 (Oct 1): A Korean rom-com starring
Kim Woo Bin as a genie and Bae Suzy as a stoic woman.
Dudes
Season 1 (Oct 1): A German comedy spinoff of Alpha
Males.
The
New Force Season 1 (Oct 1): A Swedish drama about
Stockholm’s first female police officers.
Documentaries
Victoria
Beckham (Oct 9): A three-part series tracing her journey
from Spice Girls fame to fashion mogul.
The
Perfect Neighbor (Oct 17): A Sundance award-winning
documentary on the 2023 Ajike Owens murder and Florida’s
stand-your-ground laws.
Starting
5 Season 2 (Oct 16): Follows NBA stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
and Kevin Durant during the 2024-2025 season.
Who
Killed the Montreal Expos? (Oct 21): Explores the
demise of the Canadian baseball team.
The
White House Effect (Oct 1): Examines climate policy
under George H.W. Bush and its lasting impact.
Rockstar:
Duki From the End of the World (Oct 1): An Argentine
documentary on trap star Duki.
Specials
and Animation
Dr.
Seuss’s Horton! (Oct 1): An animated adaptation
from Brown Bag Films.
Ranma
1/2 Season 2 (Oct 1): Weekly anime episodes continue
the classic series.
Rurouni
Kenshin Season 2 (Oct 1): A Japanese anime about a
samurai seeking redemption.
Six
Kings Slam 2025 (Oct 15): A live tennis showcase featuring
top players.
Matt
McCusker: A Humble Offering (Oct 1): A stand-up comedy
special.
News
Flashback
Netflix:
September 2025
Highlights
include:
Wednesday
Season 2, Part 2 (Sept. 3): The second half of the
season continues with four episodes, following Wednesday
Addams (Jenna Ortega) at Nevermore Academy as she
faces new mysteries and threats, including her Season
1 rival Tyler’s Hyde form.
Black
Rabbit (Sept. 18): A limited series starring Jude
Law as a restaurateur and Jason Bateman as his brother,
diving into New York’s criminal underworld.
Alice
in Borderland Season 3 (Sept. 25): The Japanese thriller
returns with new death games and challenges for Arisu
and Usagi.
House
of Guinness (Sept. 25): A new drama series exploring
the family behind the iconic brewery.
aka
Charlie Sheen (Sept. 10): A two-part documentary offering
an unfiltered look at Charlie Sheen’s life and
career.
Canelo
Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford (Sept. 13): A
live boxing event with a behind-the-scenes series,
Countdown: Canelo v Crawford (Sept. 4). *just hit.
Record breaking viewership/audience!
Love
Is Blind: Brazil Season 5 and Love Is Blind: France
(Sept. 10): New seasons of the reality dating franchise.
Next
Gen Chef (Sept. 17): A culinary competition featuring
21 chefs under 30 at the Culinary Institute of America.
Pokémon
Concierge Season 1, Part 2 (Sept. 4) and Pokémon
Horizons Season 2 – The Search for Laqua Part
4 (Sept. 26): Animated series for fans of the franchise.
Dr.
Seuss’s Red Fish, Blue Fish (Sept. 8): An animated
preschool series based on the classic book.
The
Wrong Paris (Sept. 12): A rom-com featuring Miranda
Cosgrove as a woman who joins a dating show, expecting
France but landing in Texas.
Inspector
Zende (Sept. 5): A Bollywood drama about a serial
killer evading capture in Mumbai.
Love
Con Revenge (Sept. 5): A documentary series following
victims of romance scams seeking justice.
Licensed
Movies (Sept. 1):
Classics
like:
8
Mile (RT: 96%)
The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2
Boyz n the Hood (RT: 96%)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (RT: 99%)
La La Land
Shrek series
Billy Madison
Willy Wonka (original)
The Expendables (1 to 4). Carry over from August
Against The Ropes (has returned)
The Legend Of Baron To'A (just hit)
WWE
RAW
WWE SmackDown (numerous international markets. Not
US)
WWE NXT
News
Media
Man
Google
Finance wins Media Man 'Business News Website Of The
Month' award
Runner-ups:
Yahoo! Finance, The Australian Financial Review, FOX
Business and Sky News Australia
Yahoo!
Finance Sports Report wins Media Man 'Sports Business
Podcast Of The Month' award
News
Brand
News via Media Man
Netflix
wins Media Man 'Brand Of The Month'; Runner-up: MAX
WWE
wins Media Man 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month'
award
UFC
wins Media Man 'MMA Promotion Of The Month' award
TKO
Group wins Media Man 'Entertainment Promoter Of The
Month' award
AEW
wins Media Man 'Challenger Brand Of The Month' award
Prime
wins Media Man 'Beverage Of The Month' award
Claudio's
Cafe wins Media Man 'Coffee Brand Of The Month' award;
Runner-up: Nespresso
FOX
Business FOX
News - US Economy
News
Trends Bitcoin
News Cryptocurrency
News
Sky
News Australia - Business News
The
Sydney Morning Herald - Business
News.com.au
- Finance - Business
The
Australian Financial Review - Companies
AFR
- Companies Index
The
Australian Financial Review - Media and Marketing
Valuetainment
- Business
Financial
Times
Features
Sports
Business Daily
Sports
Business Coverage Here
Media
Business
Big
Tech
Gold
News
SEO
News
AI
News
Mining/Energy/Resources/Culture/Digital
Gold: Australia and World
September
2025
Newsfeed
Sept
5
MinRes
drivers 'asked to fill out false timesheets'
A
former employee of Mineral Resources has told Western
Australia's WorkSafe that the iron ore miner is not
complying with safety rules on its 148km private haulage
road. The ex-employee contends that truck drivers
are being asked to work 12-hour shifts in order to
meet Mineral Resources' targets for transporting iron
ore from the Ken's Bore mine in the Pilbara to its
export facility. It has also been alleged that drivers
have been "coerced" into falsifying their
timesheets. The company has spent more than $200m
on repairing the road, while there have been a number
of truck crashes and rollovers since the road opened.
(RMS)
News
Shell
plots exit from North West Shelf
Sources
have indicated that energy giant Shell is considering
the sale of its 16.67 per cent stake in the North
West Shelf LNG project. Shell previously decided to
withdraw from the $US30bn ($46bn) Browse LNG project,
which is likely to supply gas to the processing plant
at Karratha in Western Australia to replace the declining
NWS gas fields. Woodside Energy has a 50 per cent
stake in the NWS project, and Shell's potential exit
would allow it to either increase its own stake or
bring new partners into the venture. (RMS)
News
LNG
export blow as US, Qatar to flood market
Investment
bank Goldman Sachs has forecast that the LNG price
willl fall $US7.35 per million British thermal units
in calendar 2027. This is 42 per cent lower than in
the current quarter. Goldman Sachs notes that global
LNG supply is expected to rise by 50 per cent to a
record 200 million tonnes by the end of this decade,
amid increased production in the US and Qatar. Australia
currently exports about 81 million tonnes of LNG a
year, but the US appears to be on track to ship about
110 million tonnes in 2025; Qatar is aiming to ramp
its LNG output to a similar level. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Bass
Strait partners Mitsui, Woodside, ExxonMobil in $300m
feud
The
Federal Court is to hear a dispute involving Mitsui,
Woodside Energy and ExxonMobil. It involves Mitsui
being asked for a payment of $156.3 million from ExxonMobil
and $141.6 million from Woodside. The latter two companies
are of the view that Mitsui should make a greater
contribution to the petroleum resource rent tax payable
to the federal government for gas extracted from the
Kipper gas field in Bass Strait. The dispute is linked
to a demand from the Australian Taxation Office for
greater payments of the tax for the period between
2013 and 2017. Mitsui, which acquired Santos's 35
per cent stake in the Kipper field in 2016, does not
believe it should be liable for those debts. (RMS)
News
Sept
3
High-grade
threat to Australian iron ore
Australia
exported about $120 billion worth of iron ore from
the Pilbara during 2024-25. However, Vale executive
Rogerio Nogueira contends that Brazil has a key advantage
over Australia because its iron ore is better suited
to beneficiation; this process removes contaminants
such as silicon or alumina to produce the higher-grade
ore that will be needed to make steel using natural
gas or hyrogen instead of coal. Australia's iron ore
miners are already facing the problem of decline ore
grades in the Pilbara. (RMS)
South32
chief in blast over green tape
Diversified
miner South32 battled the bureaucracy for more than
seven years to secure approval to continue operating
its Worley bauxite and alumina business in Western
Australia. Meanwhile, difficulty in gaining approval
for an extension to the Dendrobium coal mine in the
Illawarra region of NSW prompted South32 to sell the
asset in 2024. South32 CEO Graham Kerr says the Trump
administration has made it much easier to gain environmental
approval for US mining projects compared with Australia.
The company is on track to gain all approvals for
its Hermosa critical minerals project in less than
four years; it was the first project to be added to
the FAST-41 list. (RMS)
News
Flashback
September
3, 2025
Medals/Rare
Earths News
Gold
may be targeting $4,500, silver $50 Precious metals
have returned to active growth, pushing the spot price
of gold to $3,490—just $10 below its historic
high of 22 April. Meanwhile, silver has decisively
moved above $40, its highest level in 14 years.
The
news agenda continues to favour metals, with reports
that India is now actively selling US government bonds,
building up its gold reserves. China did the same
before, and Russia even earlier. However, this may
turn out to be nothing more than a glimpse into the
past, cleverly picked up by the global media. It should
also be remembered that years of net sales of gold
reserves did not initially prevent gold from rallying.
This could also work in the opposite direction: the
actions of finance ministers and central banks may
not have a very noticeable long-term effect.
The
lack of progress on a peaceful settlement between
Russia and Ukraine also helps gold. After months of
virtually empty promises, hopes are gradually fading.
A
more visible but at the same time short-term factor
is the growing expectation of a Fed key rate cut in
September from 75% on 21 August (before Powell's speech)
to 87% now. This leaves room for the rate to rise
by another 10-13 percentage points, which is negative
for the dollar and positive for commodities.
However,
we recommend paying more attention to the technical
picture now. The gold market has been in a prolonged
sideways trend since reaching highs in April. At the
same time, the bullish scenario is supported by sluggish
resistance from bears in recent days and a series
of higher local lows.
Silver
has been under less pressure from local profit-taking,
gaining in each of the last four months. Platinum
and palladium seem to be ending their corrective decline,
having risen sharply in early September. This behaviour
of precious metals indicates that traders are serious
about this direction, sharply increasing the chances
of new historical highs soon.
Nevertheless,
we urge caution when joining the gold rally in the
coming days. First, reaching historic highs could
trigger widespread selling in gold, as we saw in April
and as is happening with Bitcoin.
If
the breakout above $3,500 does not trigger a sell-off,
as was the case earlier this year, the potential target
is $4,500, close to which the 161.8% Fibonacci extension
level is located.
In
silver, it appears that the bulls are targeting the
area of historical highs near $50.
Platinum
also looks rested and ready to renew its multi-year
highs after a corrective pullback. Its technical growth
potential suggests a rise above $1,800, to the highs
of 2011. However, such ambitious growth will only
become the main scenario if the recent highs are exceeded
and the price rises above $1,500. (FxPro)
News
Gold
News
August
29, 2025
Gold
approached the upper limit of the 4-month trading
range Gold is trading above $3,400 again at the end
of the week. The upper limit of the trading range,
within which the price has been fluctuating since
April, is close to $3,430. Jerome Powell's signals
about a rate cut, unprecedented pressure from the
White House on the Fed, and the continuing high level
of geopolitical risks have brought the price back
to this level.
Washington's
introduction of 50% tariffs against India risks further
deepening the divide between the West and the East,
as well as the associated processes of de-dollarisation
and diversification of gold and foreign exchange reserves
by central banks in favour of precious metals.
For
the first time since 1996, central banks hold more
gold (about 25%) than US government bonds (about 20%)
in their gold and foreign exchange reserves. For comparison,
between 2008 and 2015, this ratio fluctuated between
10% and 30%, respectively.
Gold bulls are drawing strength from the dynamics
of the US yield curve. Yields on 2- and 10-year Treasuries
are falling. The market is painting a stagflationary
backdrop, which is the best food for gold bugs.
Gold's
ability to break through the resistance zone above
$3,430 will be an important signal of the market's
readiness to return to a rally after four months of
tug-of-war. But it is worth being cautious with early
bullish bets at these levels. Formally, there is now
a greater chance of another pullback to the lower
end of the range at $3,300-3,315.
At
the same time, investors should remember that whichever
way the breakout occurs, the subsequent movement could
be very strong, given how long the gold market has
been gathering strength while remaining in a sideways
trend. (FxPro)
News
Australian
Mining: Overview
Economic
Impact: Mining accounts for around 13.6% of Australia's
GDP (2023) and nearly 70% of total export revenue.
It generated $356.6 billion in company tax and royalties
over the past decade. Iron ore, coal, lithium, gold,
and bauxite are among the top exports, with Australia
being the world’s largest producer of lithium,
iron ore, and bauxite, and a top-five producer of
gold, lead, zinc, and nickel.
Key
Regions and Resources:
Western
Australia (WA): The epicenter of Australian mining,
hosting major iron ore, gold, lithium, and nickel
projects. It employed 134,871 full-time-equivalent
workers in 2023-24, with iron ore (62,950 FTEs), gold
(31,884 FTEs), and lithium (11,386 FTEs) leading employment.
Queensland
(QLD): Contributes $75 billion annually to the economy
and employs over 50,000 people, with high-grade graphite
and rhenium deposits.
New South Wales (NSW): Rich in coal, gold, and copper,
with the Cowal gold mine as the largest. It provides
40,000 jobs and nearly $2 billion in royalties.
Northern
Territory (NT): Home to the world’s largest manganese
mine and one-third of Australia’s uranium reserves,
valued at over $4 billion.
Victoria
(VIC): Known for gold, antimony, and brown coal, with
a strong mining equipment and technology sector.
Tasmania
(TAS): A century-long mineral producer with diverse
geology.
Critical
Minerals and Innovation: Australia is a global leader
in critical minerals like lithium, rare earths, and
manganese, essential for renewable energy and defense.
The industry is adopting automation (e.g., driverless
trucks), AI, and blue hydrogen to improve efficiency
and reduce emissions. The government’s $1 billion
Value-Adding in Resources Fund aims to enhance domestic
processing.
Environmental
and Social Challenges: Mining faces scrutiny for environmental
impacts, including land destruction, water pollution,
and carbon emissions from fossil fuel production.
ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) concerns and
commodity price uncertainty are top risks for 2024.
The industry is criticized for low tax contributions
relative to profits (6% of federal revenue) and benefits
from subsidies like the $3.5 billion Fuel Tax Credit
Scheme.
Employment
and Ownership: The sector employs about 229,500 people
(2% of the workforce), with high median earnings ($2,649/week).
However, it’s 86% foreign-owned, with major players
like BHP (76% foreign-owned) and Rio Tinto (83% foreign-owned)
dominating.
Future
Outlook: With 80% of Australia’s mineral potential
unexplored, the industry is poised for growth, particularly
in critical minerals for electric vehicles and renewable
energy. However, regulatory changes, climate goals,
and community expectations for fairer taxation and
environmental stewardship pose challenges. (Grok)
News
Flashback
September
1, 2025
BHP
call to voters in coal tax fight
BHP's
BMA coking coal joint venture in Queensland paid an
effective tax rate of about 67 per cent in 2024-25.
BHP CEO Mike Henry has warned that some of the joint
venture's mines may need to be shut down due to the
impact of low coal prices and the state's coal royalty
regime. Meanwhile, BMA's head of operations Mariette
Bylsma says Queensland has one of the world's highest
coal royalty regimes, which is making the state less
competitive and less predictable for investment. Bylsma
adds that the "unsustainable" coal tax is
having a real impact on regional jobs and communities,
and she has urged the general public to raise the
issue with their local MP. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
MinRes
takeover of miner run by Ellison's brother faces backlash
Resource
Development Group's administrator McGrathNicol recently
advised that it had received seven non-binding offers
to acquire the failed garnet miner. However, the firm
decided to recommend the offer from RDG's majority
shareholder, Mineral Resources, as it would result
in the highest return to shareholders. However, minority
investors in RDG claim that they are not being treated
fairly, and allege that Mineral Resources is hastening
the takeover without allowing time for other bids
to emerge. RDG's former MD Andrew Ellison is the brother
of Mineral Resources' founder and MD Chris Ellison.
(RMS)
News
Sunday
truck crash adds to MinRes woes
Mineral
Resources is under renewed scrutiny following another
incident on the private road that is used to transport
iron ore to port facilities at Onslow in Western Australia.
There has been a rear-end collision between one of
the company's road trains and a truck that was being
driven by a contractor; it is believed that nobody
was injured in yesterday's incident and both trucks
sustained only minor damage. However, there have been
a series of incidents on the 150km road since it was
opened in 2024, including a road train rollover last
week. Mineral Resources has also spent $230m on repairing
damage to the road caused by cyclones in early 2025.
(RMS)
News
Gas
industry frays over future of LNG as lobbying intensifies
Australia's
east gas market is facing a supply crisis that could
hit NSW and Victoria as early as 2029, with the nation's
$90 billion liquefied natural gas sector at odds as
to which of its participants should face the burden
of addressing the looming crisis. With the federal
government having announced a review of the LNG sector
earlier in the year, Australia Pacific LNG and Santos,
which is the operator of the Gladstone LNG project,
are both actively lobbying the federal government
as to their views as to how the two ventures believe
the sector should be reformed. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Bitcoin
Mining News
Industry
Challenges and Hashrate Records: Bitcoin mining difficulty
recently hit an all-time high of 126.9 trillion on
May 31, 2025, before slightly dropping to 126.4 trillion.
The network hashrate crossed 1 zetahash per second
(ZH/s) in April 2025, reflecting intense competition.
Miners face financial pressures from the April 2024
halving, which reduced block rewards, coupled with
rising operational costs. Despite this, companies
like MARA (mined 950 BTC in May 2025, holding 49,179
BTC) and CleanSpark (mined 694 BTC, holding 12,502
BTC) are expanding and retaining BTC as a treasury
asset.
Shift
to AI and Energy Competition: Bitcoin miners are increasingly
competing with AI data centers for cheap energy, prompting
some to pivot into AI infrastructure. For instance,
Bitmain plans to open a U.S.-based BTC mining hardware
facility by late 2025, and TeraWulf has secured Google
as its largest shareholder, validating its AI-integrated
strategy. This shift is driven by the need to monetize
power, with executives noting that energy, not just
hashrate, is now the critical factor.
Environmental
and Regulatory Concerns: A Harvard study revealed
that Bitcoin mining exposes 1.9 million Americans
to harmful PM2.5 air pollution, primarily from fossil
fuel-powered plants. The study highlights a "cross-state
domino effect," urging federal regulation. Meanwhile,
rural U.S. communities, like Dresden, NY, report noise
pollution from mining operations, sparking local backlash
despite support from some pro-crypto policies under
the current administration.
Centralization
Risks: Posts on X have raised alarms about mining
centralization, with two pools controlling over 51%
of the network’s hash power, potentially enabling
a 51% attack. This has sparked debate about Bitcoin’s
decentralization, though these claims remain inconclusive
without further evidence.
Innovations
and Expansions: Companies like Cipher Mining launched
a 150MW Bitcoin mining site in Texas (Black Pearl),
aiming for 300MW, and BitFuFu reported a record 34.1
EH/s hashrate, mining 400 BTC in May 2025. Block introduced
Proto Rig, a modular, repairable miner, and Proto
Fleet, an open-source software to enhance mining efficiency.
Profitability
Struggles: Mining a single Bitcoin now costs approximately
$137,000 in electricity, exceeding its market value
of around $95,000-$104,000, rendering traditional
mining unprofitable for many. Miners are adapting
by holding BTC or diversifying into other cryptocurrencies
like Ethereum.
Song
Welcome
To The Blockchain (Song lyrics)
We're
now standing on the precipice of a global revolution
Of
economics, of politics, and government
Welcome
to the blockchain
verse
Power
corrupts, money is power
The
power to control the money is one that is now
In
the hands of those who pretend we can't function without
them
So
how can we do something about it? (Huh?)
Working
hard to get a raise, lifting that wage up
Inflation
takes it like a hidden taxation
Manipulated
interest rates to give the banks
A
way to create money with the loans that they're giving
out daily (yup)
That
means our money is debt
That
we gotta pay back more than a hundred percent
No
wonder then why the middle class is going under
When
the one's above them gotta cover and come to collect
And
many have no access to banking
Making
payments, or saving, so more fees are taken
And
every day the gatekeepers are trying to stop change
We
can not wait, welcome to the blockchain
chorus
Welcome
to the blockchain
Things
are about to change
Open
up the gates
Systems
get replaced
Bitcoin
Decentralize
the trust
Security,
transparency
The
network's run by us
Bitcoin
verse
Bitcoin
is a decentralized ledger
And
the currency is its first enterprise ever
Secured
by the worldwide incentivized network
Can't
be stolen or controlled by any sized effort
You
can send it anywhere and instantly
No
one can intervene, no third party in between
There's
no counterfeiting
Algorithms
control the outer limits of how many coins can get
released
Programmable
money, no government can seize it
Payments
can be customized by sender and receiver
Contracts
can be written cementing your agreements
With
terms that can't be bent once you consent then it
completes it
Autonomous
businesses are possible
Where
profit is distributed amongst those adopting it
Paradigm
shift we must adjust to the ending
With
the blockchain, bitcoin is just the beginning
chorus
Welcome
to the blockchain
Things
are about to change
Open
up the gates
Systems
get replaced
Bitcoin
Decentralize
the trust
Security,
transparency
The
network's run by us
Bitcoin
bridge
Now
that we got control
We're
not gonna let it go
My
people all around the globe
We
gotta keep building, building, building
Now
that we got control
We're
not gonna let it go
My
people all around the globe
We
gotta keep building, building, building
chorus
Welcome
to the blockchain
Things
are about to change
Open
up the gates
Systems
get replaced
Bitcoin
Decentralize
the trust
Security,
transparency
The
network's run by us
Bitcoin
By
di DECAP, Toby / Toby Ganger
News
Working
Man: Sony Lyrics
It's
a working man l am And I've been down under ground
And I swear to God if l ever see the sun Or for any
length of time I can hold it in my mind I never again
will go down under ground
At
the age of sixteen years Oh, he quarrels with his
peers Who vowed they'd never see another one In the
dark recess of the mines Where you age before your
time And the coal dust lies heavy on your lungs
It's
a working man l am And I've been down under ground
And I swear to God if l ever see the sun Or for any
length of time I can hold it in my mind I never again
will go down under ground
At
the age of sixty four Oh, he'll greet you at the door
And he'll gently lead you by the arm
Through
the dark recess of the mines
Oh,
he'll take you back in time And he'll tell you of
the hardships that were had
It's
a working man l am And I've been down under ground
And
I swear to God if l ever see the sun Or for any length
of time I can hold it in my mind I never again will
go down under ground
It's
a working man l am And I've been down under ground
And
I swear to God if l ever see the sun Or for any length
of time I can hold it in my mind I never again will
go down under ground
It's
a working man l am And I've been down under ground
And
I swear to God if l ever see the sun
Or
for any length of time I can hold it in my mind I
never again will go down under ground
God,
I never again will go down under ground
By
Rita Macneil
News
Best
Quotes Of The Day
The
best and biggest gold mine is in between your ears."
"You
are a gold mine of potential power. You have to dig
to find it and make it real."
"Your
mind is like a gold mine, if you dig deep you will
find something golden."
"Don't
die without mining the gold in your mind."
"We're
like goldfields. Until we dig deep to find what's
inside us, our true potentials may be hidden forever."
"If
you want to find gold, you've got to love the process
of digging."
"Even
if you're sitting on a gold mine, you still have to
dig."
"Develop
men the same way gold is mined"
"Don't
go into the mine looking for dirt; instead, go in
looking for the gold."
"A
prospector's job is to remove dirt as quickly as possible"
"A
prospector who analyses every speck of dirt won't
find much gold"
"The
world is sitting on a gold mine but knows it not."
"Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are
silver, these are gold."
"All
that is gold does not glitter."
"Gold
is forever. It is beautiful, useful, and never wears
out"
"Gold
is the money of kings"
"Mining
is the art of exploiting mineral deposits at a profit.
An unprofitable mine is fit only for the sepulcher
of a dead mule."
"Anyone
can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds
the gold."
"True
gold fears no fire."
"The
desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means
of freedom and benefit."
"Make
new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these
are gold."
"When
taken for granted, gold in one's hand is sometimes
considered like cheap copper – so are people."
Biz
News: Australia and World
July
14, 2025
Netflix
wins Media Man 'Streaming Brand Of The Month'
News
Tariff-stricken
copper left off Albanese's critical minerals list
Resources
Minister Madeleine King says the federal government
has no immediate plans to add copper to its critical
minerals list. King adds that Labor has a "very
active watching brief" regarding copper. The
nation's copper sector is under scrutiny in the wake
of warnings from Glencore that its smelter and refinery
in Queensland may not be viable, while the Trump administration
recently announced a 50 per cent tariff on copper
imports. Meanwhile, some lithium producers have cautioned
the government against including the battery metal
in its proposed critical minerals strategic reserve,
amid a global oversupply and depressed prices. (RMS)
News
Listing
'proves industry, rock art can co-exist'
West
Australian Premier Roger Cook has welcomed the decision
by UNESCO to add the Murujuga cultural landscape to
the World Heritage List. Located on the Burrup Peninsula,
the landscape is home to the world's biggest collection
of rock art engravings, and its listing will provide
it with additional protection. Cook says UNESCO's
decision shows that industry and protected sites can
co-exist, with Cook noting that UNESCO was obviously
convinced by evidence presented to it that emissions
from Woodside's North West Shelf gas plant on the
Burrup Peninsula had no material impact on the rock
art. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Trump
announces 30 per cent tariffs against EU, Mexico to
begin August 1
US
President Donald Trump has announced 30 per cent tariffs
on Mexico and the European Union in letters posted
to his social media account, with the tariffs to take
effect from 1 August. In his letter to the EU, Trump
claimed that the US trade deficit with the EU was
a national security threat, while European Commission
President Ursula von der Leyen says the EU is willing
to take the necessary steps to safeguard its interests
if the US proceeds with its 30 per cent tariff. In
his letter to Mexico, Trump acknowledged that it had
been helpful in stemming the flow of undocumented
migrants and fentanyl into the US, but it had not
done enough to stop North America from turning into
a "Narco-Trafficking Playground". (Roy Morgan
Summary)
News
Miners
shield ASX as iron ore challenges $US100
Futures
pricing suggests that the S&P/ASX 200 will shed
about 13 points when the market opens on Monday. The
US earnings season will be a key focus for investors
in the coming week, while the release of US inflation
data and Australian jobs data for June will also be
closely scrutinised. The S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.11
per cent to 8,580.1 points on Friday. Meanwhile, iron
ore futures in Singapore have now risen in each of
the last three weeks, prompting a rally in the share
prices of Australia's major producers over the same
period. (RMS)
News
Banks
driving gold rush
The
world's central banks have collectively purchased
over 1,000 tonnes of gold annually for the past three
years, which is around $US80bn ($123bn) at current
prices. The latest World Gold Council survey found
95 per cent of central banks expect their peers to
keep buying gold over the next year, while 43 per
cent of them plan to boost their own gold reserves
within that period. With the price of gold having
more than doubled since late 2023, RBC Capital Markets
states that some of the factors behind the 'gold rush'
by central banks include gold's liquidity and its
performance during times of crisis. (RMS)
News
Banks
and big retail extend Armaguard's lifeline
Cash
transportation business Armaguard has been given a
$25 million cash injection by the banks and major
retailers to enable it to keep operating until the
end of the year. It comes after the banks and retailers
paid Armaguard some $50 million in 2024 to keep operating
after its parent company Linfox stated it was not
profitable and could be closed down, while it was
announced in May that the Australian Banking Association
and Armaguard had agreed to appoint Deloitte Access
Economics to come up with a pricing structure for
its operations. (RMS)
News
Italy's
Ferrero agrees to buy cereal giant Kellogg in $4.7b
deal
Italian
confectionery business Ferrero International is to
acquire US cereal maker WK Kellogg in a $US3.1 billion
($4.7 billion) deal. Ferrero is the maker of the chocolate
nut spread Nutella while WK Kellogg is the maker of
cereals such as Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops, and
the purchase of WK Kellogg marks the latest in a number
of US acquisitions by Ferrero, including ice-cream
maker Bomb Pops in 2022 and Keebler and Famous Amos
cookies in 2019. (RMS)
News
Polestar
lashes lobby for 'unfounded' EV attack
Scott
Maynard has accused the Federal Chamber of Automotive
Industries of 'unnecessary and unfounded' attacks
on proposed fuel efficiency standards, with Maynard
being the Australian MD of electric vehicle car maker
Polestar. Car makers have claimed the standards will
lead to higher prices, while Maynard claims the attack
on the standards by traditional car makers and the
FCAI have hindered the uptake of EVs. EV sales accounted
for just 7.7 per cent of the total new car market
to June this year, although Polestar's sales are up
23 per cent on the first six months of 2024.
News
Victoria's
gas giants fight over access to Melbourne pipeline
Viva
Energy is seeking to establish an LNG import terminal
at Geelong in Victoria, and is seeking full access
to a gas pipeline that currently delivers gas to Melbourne.
Viva's bid to get access to the congested pipeline
is causing friction with other gas producers and users
of the pipeline, and there are claims that the value
of the Iona gas storage plant, which is located in
western Victoria, will be cut if its access to the
pipeline is reduced. Viva has told the Australian
Energy Market Operator that it may not proceed with
the import terminal if it cannot secure full access
to the pipeline. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Global
freight prices tumble, but not for goods shipped to
Australia
The
Drewry World Container Index has halved over the last
12 months, with the index tracking freight rates for
40-foot containers on the world's most popular shipping
routes. Its decline has been attributed to reduced
demand for Chinese exports to the US as a result of
Donald Trump's tariffs, but rates for goods to Australia
are defying the downward trend, with freight rates
for consumer goods shipped from Asia to Australia
increasing at the start of July, and shipping companies
are predicting further increases. (RMS)
News
ABC
board shake-up favours 'outsider'
Sources
have indicated that the federal government wants to
replace the ABC's deputy chair Georgie Somerset with
an external candidate. Somerset was appointed to the
public broadcaster's board by the former Coalition
government in February 2017, and she was elevated
to the role of interim deputy chair for six months
following the resignation of predecessor Peter Tonagh.
With that temporary role set to expire, the government
is believed to be keen make its own appointment to
the ABC's board; Somerset herself is said to be keen
to continue in the role. (RMS)
News
Win
for regions as Ten, Sky ink new deal
More
than three million unique regional viewers watched
Sky News Regional on free-to-air television in 2024.
The Ten Network has struck a new multi-year deal with
Sky News Australia to continue broadcasting the latter's
content in regional areas of NSW, Victoria and Queensland.
Sky News Regional was previously broadcast by Southern
Cross Austereo, which sold its TV licences in these
markets to Ten in late 2024. Sky News Australia is
owned by News Corporation. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Nova
links with Diary of a CEO podcast
Radio
stations group Nova Entertainment has secured a deal
to add the popular The Diary of a CEO to its podcast
network. The deal includes new episodes of The Diary
of a CEO, plus a back catalogue of more than 650 existing
episodes. The podcast is hosted by British entrepreneur
and author Steven Bartlett; it has 25 million followers
and more than 11 million YouTube subscribers, making
it the world's second-most popular podcast after The
Joe Rogan Experience. Nova Entertainment also distributes
podcasts produced by News Corp. (RMS)
News
Magazine
empire facing likely 'split' in sale
The
founding editor of Marie Claire magazine, Jackie Frank,
says finding a single buyer for Are Media may be difficult,
and its stable of 22 titles could potentially be sold
to several buyers. Private equity firm Mercury Capital
recently revealed plans to sell Are Media, and there
is speculation that it could be seeking about $50m
for the business. However, some media industry insiders
have suggested that such a price may be unrealistic
given the decline in sales of print magazines. Are
Media CEO Jane Huxley notes that the company's titles
now reach more than 10 million women each month via
print, digital and social media. (RMS)
News
New
gig's just the ticket for Banducci
Brad
Banducci says he is looking at how he can use technology
to boost Ticketek's market share of the event sector,
with Banducci having joined Ticketek's parent company
TEG as CEO in March. Formerly the CEO of supermarket
chain Woolworths, Banducci says there is scope to
implement technology that would allow someone to share
an empty seat next to theirs with a friend, or to
upgrade seats at venues if they can see ones that
are better and empty. Banducci says he was determined
to do something different after he left Woolworths,
and that he spent six months contemplating executive
and board roles at public companies before joining
TEG. (RMS)
News
Trump
rare earth call adds to Rinehart fortune
The
Pentagon is to acquire a 15 per cent stake in American
rare earths producer MP Materials, which operates
the only rare earths mine in the US. Australian billionaire
Gina Rinehart owns an 8.2 per cent stake in MP Materials,
and the announcement of the Pentagon's investment
has seen the value of her stake rise to $US628 million
($955 million), with news of the Pentagon deal pushing
MP Materials' shares up 50 per cent. It also boosted
the share price of Australian rare earth producers
on Friday, with Iluka Resources up 20 per cent to
$4.80 and Lynas Rare Earths increasing 18 per cent
to $9.80. (RMS)
News
The
Pentagon's bold move to secure U.S rare earth mineral
needs
The
price of MP Materials' common stock surged by 54 per
cent on 10 July, following the announcement that the
US Department of Defense had acquired a 15 per cent
stake in the company. MP Materials owns the only operational
rare earths mine in the US, and the Pentagon's investment
is aimed at reducing the US's dependence on imports
of rare earth minerals. As well as owning the only
operational rare earths mine in the US, MP Materials
refines and manufactures magnets at its California
operation, with rare earth metals being critical elements
in the high-grade magnets that go into every modern
military weapons system, jets and ships.
News
Coal
sector: Qld's LNP making 'right noises' over royalties
Coal
Australia CEO Stuart Bocking says the peak body will
continue to work constructively with the Queensland
government regarding its Labor predecessor's controversial
coal royalty scheme. Bocking says there have been
some "some very positive noises" from Premier
David Crisafulli regarding the importance of coal
mining to the state's economy. Bocking has warned
that the royalty scheme and rising production costs
could see some coal producers collapse, given that
they must pay the royalty even if they are not making
a profit. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Media
Man
TKO
Group wins Media Man 'Entertainment Promoter Of The
Month' award
Roy
Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Brand Of The
Month' award
The
Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper
Of The Month' award
News
Markets
July
14, 2025
ASX
futures down 13 points/ -0.2% to 8548
Australian
dollar -0.2% to 65.63 US cents
Wall
Street:
S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow Jones -0.6%, Nasdaq -0.2%
Europe:
Stoxx 50 -1%, FTSE -0.4%, DAX -0.8%, CAC -0.9%
Bitcoin
+1.6% to $US119,150
Gold
+1% to $US3355.59 per ounce
US oil +2.8% to $US68.45 a barrel
Brent crude oil +2.5% to $US70.36 a barrel
Iron ore +0.5% to $US99.50 per ton
10-year
yield: US 4.41% Australia 4.32% Germany 2.72%
Mining,
Resources, Energy, Markets,News: Australia and World
June
30, 2025
War,
tariffs, growth slump take $33bn toll on miners
The
Department of Industry, Science & Resources has
forecast that Australia's resources export earnings
will fall to $369bn in 2025-26, compared with an estimated
$385bn in the current financial year. The quarterly
resources and energy report also forecasts that the
sector's export earnings will fall to $352bn in 2026-27.
The report notes a number of risks for the sector,
including geopolitical tensions, the Trump administration's
tariffs regime and slowing global economic growth.
The report forecasts that iron ore export earnings
will fall by $11bn to $104.8bn in 2025-26; however,
gold shipments are expected to rise by $10bn to $56bn,
and become the nation's third-biggest resources export
in 2025-26. (RMS)
News
Iran
could resume uranium enrichment 'in a matter of months',
UN nuclear watchdog says
International
Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Grossi
says Iran might be able to resume uranium enrichment
'in a matter of months', despite the US and Israeli
attacks on several of its nuclear facilities. There
have also been questions as to whether Iran was able
to relocate some or all of its estimated 408.6-kilogram
(900-pound) stockpile of highly enriched uranium before
the attacks, with Grossi admitting to CBS News that
"we don't know where this material could be".
Iran has decided to suspend co-operation with the
IAEA, and has Grossi's request for a visit to the
damaged facilities. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Rio
Tinto puts hunt for CEO on fast-track
Sources
have indicated that Rio Tinto is likely to announce
the successor to CEO Jakob Stausholm after its half-year
results are released on 30 July. The resources group
has commenced the process of interviewing and assessing
the shortlisted candidates for the role; the leading
internal contenders include chief commercial officer
Bold Baatar and the head of iron ore, Simon Trott.
Stausholm revealed plans to step down in May, prompting
speculation that he had been pushed out. Rival BHP
is said to be preparing for the eventual departure
of CEO Mike Henry. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Beach
touted as Narrabri buyer
Citi
has stated that regulators might require Santos to
divest its undeveloped Narrabri gas field in NSW in
order for them to approve its $30 billion takeover
by Abu Dhabi's XRG consortium. It comes as XRG was
given an exclusive four-week period of due diligence
on Friday to progress its bid for Santos, while the
Kerry Stokes-backed Beach Energy is seen as a potential
buyer for the Narrabri gas field, which contains an
estimated 1,500 petajoules of gas. Potential daily
production of 200 terajoules is equivalent to half
of NSW's current gas consumption. (RMS)
News
June
26, 2025
Australia
sues China-linked rare earths investors
Treasurer
Jim Chalmers has lodged Federal Court action against
Indian Ocean International Shipping & Service
for breaching Australian foreign investment laws;
action is also being taken against a former unnamed
associate of the firm. The company is one of five
foreign investors with links to China that Chalmers
ordered in 2024 to divest their shares in rare earth
miner Northern Minerals due to national interest concerns,
with Chalmers' legal action against Indian Ocean International
Shipping & Service said to be the first of its
kind. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Best
Quotes Of The Day
The
best and biggest gold mine is in between your ears."
"You
are a gold mine of potential power. You have to dig
to find it and make it real."
"Your
mind is like a gold mine, if you dig deep you will
find something golden."
"Don't
die without mining the gold in your mind."
"We're
like goldfields. Until we dig deep to find what's
inside us, our true potentials may be hidden forever."
"If
you want to find gold, you've got to love the process
of digging."
"Even
if you're sitting on a gold mine, you still have to
dig."
"Develop
men the same way gold is mined"
"Don't
go into the mine looking for dirt; instead, go in
looking for the gold."
"A
prospector's job is to remove dirt as quickly as possible"
"A
prospector who analyzes every speck of dirt won't
find much gold"
"The
world is sitting on a gold mine but knows it not."
"Make
new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these
are gold."
"All
that is gold does not glitter."
"Gold
is forever. It is beautiful, useful, and never wears
out"
"Gold
is the money of kings"
"Mining
is the art of exploiting mineral deposits at a profit.
An unprofitable mine is fit only for the sepulcher
of a dead mule."
"Anyone
can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds
the gold."
"True
gold fears no fire."
"The
desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means
of freedom and benefit."
"Make
new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these
are gold."
"When
taken for granted, gold in one's hand is sometimes
considered like cheap copper – so are people."
News
Gold
holds decline as ceasefire saps haven demand
Gold
held a decline as a shaky Iran-Israel ceasefire appeared
to hold, reducing demand for haven assets. Bullion
was near $US3330 an ounce, after closing down 1.3
per cent on Tuesday. The truce between Israel and
Iran continued after US President Donald Trump lashed
out at both sides for early breaches. Geopolitical
uncertainties, along with Trump’s aggressive
trade policy and central bank buying, have spurred
a 27 per cent advance in gold this year. The rally
has lost momentum over the last couple of months,
however, with bullion mostly trading between $US3300
and $US3400 an ounce. Spot gold rose 0.2 per cent
to $US3330.85 an ounce in Asian trading. The Bloomberg
Dollar Spot Index was flat. Silver was steady, while
platinum and dipped.
News
Bonus
Gold
by Spandau Ballet
Producers:
Steve Jolley & Tony Swain
Music
Video: Gold
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VQ4qrcHyYj4
[Verse
1]
Thank
you for coming home
Sorry that the chairs are all worn
I left them here I could have sworn
These are my salad days
Slowly being eaten away
Just another play for today
Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you
Nothing left to make me feel small
Luck has left me standing so tall
[Chorus]
Gold (gold)
Always
believe in your soul
You've got the power to know
You're indestructible, always believing
You are gold (gold)
Glad that you're bound to return
There's something I could have learned
You're indestructible, always believing
[Verse
2]
After
the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time
Remember we were partners in crime
It's only two years ago
The man with the suit and the face
You knew that he was there on the case
Now he's in love with you, he's in love with you
And love is like a high prison wall
And you could leave me standing so tall
[Chorus]
Gold
(gold) Always believe in your soul
You've got the power to know You're indestructible,
always believing
You are gold (gold)
Glad that you're bound to return
Something I could have learned
You're indestructible, always believing
[Bridge]
Love
is like a high prison wall
You could leave me standing so tall
[Chorus]
Gold
(gold) Always believe in your soul
You
got the power to know You're indestructible, always
believing
You are gold (gold)
Glad that you're bound to return
Something I could have learned
You're indestructible, always believing (You are,
gold)
Always believe in your soul You've got the power to
know
You're indestructible, always believing 'Cause you
are gold (gold)
I'm glad that you're bound to return
Something I could have learned
You're indestructible, always believing (gold)
[Verse
1]
Thank
you for coming home
Sorry that the chairs are all worn
I left them here I could have sworn
These are my salad days
Slowly being eaten away
Just another play for today
Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you
Nothing left to make me feel small
Luck has left me standing so tall
[Chorus]
Gold
(gold) Always believe in your soul
You've got the power to know
You're indestructible, always believing
You are gold (gold)
Glad that you're bound to return
There's something I could have learned
You're indestructible, always believing
[Verse
2]
After
the rush has gone I hope you find a little more time
Remember we were partners in crime
It's only two years ago
The man with the suit and the face
You knew that he was there on the case
Now he's in love with you, he's in love with you
And love is like a high prison wall
And you could leave me standing so tall
News
Markets
June
30, 2025
Australian
Dollar: $0.6535 USD (down $0.0009 USD)
Iron Ore July Spot Price (SGX): $94.75 USD (up $1.20)
Oil (WTI): $65.52 (up $0.33)
Gold: $3,274.23 (down $53.78)
Copper (CME): $5.1220 (up $0.0690)
Bitcoin: $107,356.68 (up 0.13%)
Dow Jones: 43,819.27 (up 432.43)
Markets
June
27, 2025
Australian
dollar +0.5% to 65.46 US cents
Wall
Street:
S&P 500 +0.8%
Dow Jones +0.9%
Nasdaq +1%
Europe:
Stoxx 50 -0.2%
FTSE +2%,
DAX +0.6%
CAC -0.01%
Bitcoin
+0.1% to US$107,875
Gold
$US3329.90 an ounce at 6.41am AEDT
US oil +0.5% to $US62.26 a barrel at 8.42am AEDT
Brent Crude Oil +0.1% to $US67.78 a barrel
Iron ore -1% at $US94.52 a ton
10-year yield: US 4.24% Australia 4.1% Germany 2.57%
News
Gold
once again approaches a cliff edge
The
Israel and Iran ceasefire has reduced demand for gold
as a safe-haven asset. The precious metal failed to
break out of the medium-term consolidation range of
$3,100 to $3,400 per troy ounce and resume its upward
trend. This signals weakness among bulls and allows
Citigroup to predict a fall in prices below $3,000
in 2026. According to the bank, thanks to Donald Trump's
‘big and beautiful’ tax bill, the acceleration
of the US economy will push gold prices down. The
decrease in geopolitical risks will also contribute
to gold's decline.
Goldman
Sachs, on the other hand, maintains its forecast for
the precious metal to rise to $4,000. It cites the
insatiable appetite of central banks, the weakening
dollar, and the fall in US Treasury bond yields. Indeed,
the White House is keen on lower debt market rates
and a weaker currency. A recent survey by the World
Gold Council shows that 43% of central banks plan
to increase their bullion purchases over the next
12 months, up from just 29% a year ago.
The
recent de-escalation has once again tested gold's
support at its uptrend, marked by the 50-day moving
average. On Friday, sellers pushed the price below
this level, which passes through 3324, and are even
attempting to stabilise below 3300. In May, a sharp
movement managed to push the price back above this
line. However, this metric is now turning downward,
reflecting over two months of consolidation after
reaching recent highs.
All
signs indicate a potential repeat of the consolidation
seen in November-December last year, which laid the
groundwork for the subsequent rally. However, there
is also a high probability that the failure to break
through the $3500 level over the past two months signals
a global trend reversal. We await whether this will
mirror 2020, with a 20% correction in the next six
months and a two-year sideways movement or resemble
the nearly halving in gold prices from 2011 to 2015.
(FxPro)
News
ASX
dips on tech sell-off; lithium stocks rally
The
Australian sharemarket drifted lower on Thursday,
with the S&P/ASX 200 easing 0.1 per cent to close
at 8,550.8 points. Northern Star Resources fell 2.3
per cent to $18.84, Xero was down 5.3 per cent at
$184 and the Commonwealth Bank finished 0.4 per cent
lower at $190.71. However, Mineral Resources was up
3.6 per cent at $20.90 and DroneShield added 11.7
per cent to end the session at $2.39. (RMS)
News
'Not
the moment' for abandoned rare earths mega-merger,
says Lynas boss
A
merger of Lynas Rare Earths with MP Materials would
create a monopoly of rare earths in the Western world,
and the idea that they should merge has been previously
flagged. Lynas CEO Amanda Lacaze said on Wednesday
that she had been of the view that a merger of the
two was a good idea, but that for a "variety
of reasons, it didn't happen". Speaking on the
sidelines of a talk for the Western Australian Mining
Club, she said that there were no discussions between
Lynas and MP Materials about a merger at present.
She said that deals often have their moment, "and
now is not the moment, unfortunately", in terms
of one between the two companies. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Best
Quotes Of The Day
"The
best and biggest gold mine is in between your ears.
To find the gold, think deeply and think better."
"You
are a gold mine of potential power. You have to dig
to find it and make it real."
"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."
"Even
if you're sitting on a gold mine, you still have to
dig." Broadway Mining
"There's
a gold mine in you that must be exploited"
Media/Marketing/Arts:
Australia
News
June
24, 2025
Thomson
to lead News Corp until 2030
US-based
media giant News Corporation has extended the current
contract of CEO Robert Thomson by three years. It
was slated to expire in mid-2027, but Thomson will
now remain at the helm until at least June 2030. News
Corp's chairman Lachlan Murdoch says Thomson has been
instrumental in the media groups' growth and transformation
in the digital age. Indeed, News Corp's digital revenue
accounted for about 50 per cent of its total revenue
in fiscal 2024, compared with about 20 per cent in
2014. Thomson has been CEO since 2013. (Roy Morgan
Summary)
News
Mia
Freedman's Mamamia and News Corp sued over cannabis
ads
The
Therapeutic Goods Administration has filed legal action
against News Corp's magazine division and Mamamia
in the Federal Court, with Mamamia being the media
company owned by Mia Freedman. The TGA alleges Mamamia
and News Corp's 'Body + Soul' magazine ran articles
that unlawfully promoted medicinal cannabis products
from Altus, which is a alternative-medicine website
and dispensary; the Mamamia article under scrutiny
was allegedly written by a person whose mother worked
for a company connected to Atlus. (RMS)
News
Ten
turns to Spotify to halt news losing streak
The
Ten Network has signed a deal with audio streaming
platform Spotify to broadcast its new current affairs
and news show '10 News+' each day as an hour-long
podcast and video. Spotify users will be able to access
it within minutes of it finishing it on TV, while
it will also be broadcast live on YouTube. With Ten
having long trailed behind Seven and Nine in the ratings
for free-to-air news, its new deal with Spotify follows
the cancellation of its long-running nightly talk
show 'The Project', with '10 News+' having being announced
in its place. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Media/Marketing/Arts:
Australia
June
23, 2025
Nine
banks on NRL-led revival
The
National Rugby League's current four-year broadcasting
rights deal expires at the end of the 2027 season.
Nine Entertainment and Foxtel are both keen to renew
their rights deals when negotiations begin in coming
months; the Stan streaming platform is likely to be
a key element in any future deal for Nine to broadcast
NRL matches, given the ongoing decline in linear TV
audiences and advertising revenue. Meanwhile, sources
at the Seven Network have indicated that it will not
bid for the broadcasting rights for the NRL's regular
season, although it may be interested in events like
the State of Origin series and international matches.
(Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Stan
to buy ELP rights 'this week'
Media
industry speculation suggests that Nine Entertainment
is poised to secure a three-year broadcasting rights
deal for the English Premier League. The incumbent
rights holder Optus Sport is halfway through its current
six-year deal with the EPL, which expires in 2028.
However, sources have indicated that Nine will pay
about $300m to take over the broadcasting rights for
the next three seasons; the ELP is expected to air
exclusively on Nine's Stan streaming platform. (RMS)
News
Google
ditches deals with publishers amid Labor inaction
The
Public Interest Publishers Alliance was established
in 2021 and comprises 24 independent news publishers.
The alliance negotiated a funding deal with technology
giant Google in 2022 that had been slated to run for
five years; the deal is believed to be worth several
million dollars a year and was negotiated with the
assistance of the Minderoo Foundation. Google has
advised alliance members that it will terminate the
deal two years ahead of schedule, because wants to
split the small payments across a broader range of
publications. The move comes amid criticism of the
federal government over its tardiness over the proposed
news bargaining incentive. (RMS)
News
'2025
Digital News Report more positive than it looks'
The
latest University of Canberra Digital News Report
has sparked some fears about the future of the Australian
news industry, but the reality is not as bad as it
may seem. Although media platforms overtook online
news as a "source of news" for the first
time, users are ultimately consuming content that
has come from news publisher websites. The report
reveals the percentage of people who pay for news
has increased, while the main 'takeaway' from the
report for advertisers is that consumer engagement
with news is strong and strengthening, which is again
consistent with ThinkNewsBrands and Roy Morgan data
on news consumption. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Telstra
nets film prize as impact and humour dominate Cannes
Several
Australian advertising campaigns has taken out awards
at the annual Cannes Lions International Festival
of Creativity. Telstra's Better on a Better Network
ad campaign won four awards in the film craft category,
including a Grand Prix award and two gold Lions. Telstra
also won four Lions in the film category for its Christmas
and business advertising campaigns. Other Australian
ads that were recognised at Cannes include one for
Suncorp, Coca-Cola and Volkswagen. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Leggett:
Clemenger ready to lead the market
Clemenger
BBDO has undergone major changes this year as it prepares
to become a fully owned Omnicom agency, with Clemenger
BBDO having combined with CHEP Network and Traffik
agencies to create one fully integrated agency. Clemenger
BBDO CEO Lee Leggett says it is now " ready to
lead the market", with its leadership team being
completed with the appointment last week of Stephen
de Wolf as new chief creative officer. His appointment
marks a return to Clemenger BBDO, where some of the
campaigns that he worked on included the highly-regarded
'Meet Graham' campaign for the Victorian Transport
Accident Commission. (RMS)
News
Pockets
as deep as the snow
Snow
Resorts Australia chairman Noel Landry says Victoria's
2025 ski season is expected to generate $21bn for
the state economy. The state's ski resorts have had
well "above average" snow depths since the
season officially began during the King's Birthday
long weekend. However, analysis shows that the cost
of lift tickets at Victoria's ski resorts for the
current season are generally much higher than some
popular resorts in New Zealand. Landry, who is also
the general manager of Buller Ski Lifts, emphasises
that the cost of lift tickets in Victoria is boosted
by state government charges that largely do not apply
when visiting overseas ski resorts. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Roy
Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Company Of The
Month' award
News,
Politics, Media, Markets and Comms: Australia and
World
June
3/4, 2025
Unions
want curbs on 'unethical' Amazon
ACTU
president Michele O'Neil says the federal government
should use its huge purchasing power to ensure that
multinationals meet high ethical standards. The
union movement wants Labor to strictly enforce Commonwealth
Procurement Rules for companies such as Amazon, and
ban them from holding public contracts if they engage
in unethical conduct in both their general operations
and across their supply chains. The Transport Workers
Union's national secretary Michael Kaine contends
that companies such as Amazon must comply with Australian
standards throughout their global operations if they
want to retain lucrative federal government contracts.
(Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Minns
wants tobacco tax cut to fight crime
NSW
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman has accused Premier
Chris Minns of blaming federal tobacco taxes for the
fact that the illegal tobacco trade in the state is
"out of control". Minns has suggested cutting
tobacco taxes would lead to a reduction in blackmarket
tobacco activity, leaving NSW Police with more resources
to combat organised crime and domestic violence. Federal
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the excise on tobacco
serves as a public health measure to encourage people
to give up smoking, and that is part of the reason
why the government is collecting less from the excise
than it used to.
News
Gina
Rinehart helped Liberals raise nearly $400,000 at
exclusive dinner that led to wrongful dismissal claim
Enterprise
Victoria's former executive director Nadine Jones
recently filed an unfair dismissal application with
the Fair Work Commission. Jones alleges that she was
stood down from her role at the state Liberal Party's
fundraising arm the day after a private dinner that
she had organised; the event raised more than $370,000
for the Liberal Party on the eve of the federal election
campaign. Mining magnate Gina Rinehart was a guest
speaker at the event. Jones was subsequently accused
of three instances of "serious misconduct",
which included giving some guests discounted tickets
to the dinner. However, she has denied the allegations
and says they were only made after Liberal president
Philip made a "very public and embarrassing gaffe"
about Rinehart at the dinner.
News
Energy
drags on ASX; Brickworks merge surge
The
Australian sharemarket posted a small loss on Monday,
with the S&P/ASX 200 easing 0.2 per cent to close
at 8,414.1 points. Fortescue was down 2.5 per cent
at $15, Santos fell 1.5 per cent to $6.49 and Westpac
shed 1.2 per cent to end the session at $32.18. However,
Brickworks rose 27.6 per cent to $35.10 in response
to a proposed merger with Washington H. Soul Pattinson,
while BlueScope Steel was up 4.4 per cent at $23.75.
News
ASIC
lays into AusSuper blunders
The
Australian Securities & Investments Commission
is suing AustralianSuper over what ASIC contends is
its failure to pay death benefit claims in a timely
manner. In a statement of claim filed with the Federal
Court, ASIC alleges that failures with AustralianSuper's
administration systems led to the delays in the payment
of death benefit claims, along with thousands of deceased
fund members being charged administration fees long
after they had died. AustralianSuper is yet to file
its defence in the case.
News
Could
Labor's super tax grab target family trusts next?
There
are concerns that Labor's plan to double the tax on
supernnuation balances above $3 million and to tax
unrealised gains on such balances could be just the
start of a tax grab by it on wealthy Australians,
with fears that family trusts could be next. LGT Crestone
CEO Michael Chisholm says it is making clients aware
of that possibility, with his comments coming as LGT
Crestone finalised its purchase of the Commonwealth
Bank's private wealth arm. The deal means that LGT
Crestone now has $40 billion under advice, while Chisholm
expects consolidation of the wealth management sector
to continue.
News
Soul
Patts to 'liberate' Brickworks in merger
Shares
in Washington H. Soul Pattinson rose 16.4 per cent
to $43 on Monday, after the listed investment company
revealed plans to merge with Brickworks. The proposed
$14bn merger will unwind a controversial cross-shareholding
that began in 1969 and has been subject to frequent
scrutiny. Soul Patts has a 43 per cent stake in Brickworks,
which in turn has a 26 per cent stake in Soul Patts.
The merged entity will be the 44th biggest company
in the benchmark S&P/ASX 200, if it is approved
by shareholders of both groups. Brickworks shares
rose 27.6 per cent to $35.10.
News
Soul
Patts, Brickworks deal build on ASX departures
Brickworks'
former MD Lindsay Partridge says he will vote in favour
of the group's proposed merger with Washington H.
Soul Pattinson. Partridge still has a stake in Brickworks,
having stepped down as MD in 2024 after 25 years in
the role. He says factors such as a housing shortage
and the low value of the Australian dollar have contributed
to the consolidation of the nation's building materials
sector in recent years, with strong interest in Brickworks'
rivals among foreign suitors. The likely delisting
of Brickworks means that Fletcher Building will be
the sector's only major company on the Australian
sharemarket.
News
Savvy
shoppers target EOFY sales for big ticket spending
Research
from the Australian Retailers Association and Roy
Morgan shows that shoppers are tipped to spend $10.5
billion on mid-year and end-of-financial-year sales
in 2025, which is 3.9 per cent higher than in 2024.
The ARA's Chief Industry Affairs Officer Fleur Brown
said the annual sales provide an excellent opportunity
for shoppers to find great deals on big-ticket and
seasonal items, or to make tax-deductible purchases.
The most popular categories this year are clothing,
footwear and accessories (mentioned by 34% of respondents),
household appliances and white goods (mentioned by
19% of respondents), and electronics and technology
(mentioned by 12% of respondents). Brown says the
sales are especially important for retailers this
year, given the slowdown in discretionary spending.
News
Rival
states 'not playing fair' in renewables rollout
ElectraNet
has queried modelling undertaken by the Australian
Energy Market Operator as part of the transition to
renewable energy, with ElectraNet being South Australia's
power transmission company. ElectraNet contends that
AEMO's modelling significantly underestimates future
electricity demand in South Australia, and that it
fails to take into account the state's "advanced
position" in the energy transition. South Australia
is targeting 100 per cent renewables by 2027, while
it is tipping a major jump in demand for electricity
over the next 10 years, covering areas such as mining
and data centres.
News
Emirates
Airbus
Emirates
president Sir Tim Clark is confident that the airline
will continue to operate Airbus A380s until the late
2030s. Emirates currently has a fleet of 116 of the
superjumbos, and a vast store of spare parts from
planes that have been retired from service. However,
Sir Tim has warned that there will not be another
generation of superjumbos unless aircraft manufacturers
take action to address the fuel efficiency of big
planes. Meanwhile, Sir Tim still believes that it
will be difficult for the aviation industry to achieve
a net-zero emissions target of 2050, noting that the
development of sustainable aviation fuels is not progressing
quickly enough.
News
Telstra
launches satellite texting
Telstra's
customers with Samsung Galaxy S25 phones can now send
and receive text messages in areas without mobile
coverage, while customers with Apple iPhones are expected
to be able to do so within the next two weeks. Telstra
is offering its satellite texting message service
via its partnership with Elon Musk's SpaceX and his
Starlink satellite, while rival telcos Optus and TPG
are working on providing similar services. Channa
Seneviratne from Telstra says while it welcomes competition
from Optus and TPG, he was proud that "Telstra
was the first to launch this technology".
News
Resources/Energy
China
steel demand fall 'ominous' for ASX miners
Blackwattle
portfolio manager Ray David says the recent fall in
steel rebar futures in China to the lowest level since
2017 has significant implications for Australia's
iron ore producers. Steel rebar futures is a key indicator
of construction activity, and David warns that demand
for housing in China has peaked, while the nation
is likely to continue to face headwinds. David adds
that there do not appear to be any positive catalysts
for a rebound in both demand for iron ore and the
price of the steel input. Vivek Dhar from the Commonwealth
Bank expects the iron ore price to average $US95 per
tonne in the second half of 2025.
News
Elders
to keep Rio Tinto on the right track
Rio
Tinto and the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP)
Aboriginal Corp have signed a co-management agreement
regarding mining on the PKKP's land. The PKKP are
the traditional owners of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters
that were blasted by Rio Tinto in 2020 as part of
its Pilbara iron ore mining operations, and the agreement
gives the PPKP certainty that places that are important
on its land will be protected, as well as giving Rio
certainty about where it can conduct its mining operations.
Move
to block coalmine spread over 'human rights'
The
Queensland Conservation Council has filed an application
aimed at preventing the expansion of the Lake Vermont
Coal Mine in Queensland's Bowen Basin. The QCC will
be represented by environmental firm Nixon Law, which
will aim to use the precedent set by the Queensland
Land Court in 2022 when it refused to approve Waratah
Coal's Galilee mine on human rights grounds. Lake
Vermont Coal Mine is owned by the Jellinbah Group,
which has indicated that it will contest the challenge
by QCC to its proposed expansion.
News
Property/Construction
Builder
warns of supply risk from US tariffs
BESIX
Watpac has returned to profitability after two years
of losses, with the building company's results for
the year to December showing it made an after tax
profit of $11.6 million on revenue of $1.2 billion.
This compared to net losses of $9.8 million in 2023
and $17.7 million in 2022, while BESIX Watpac states
that the supply chain uncertainty resulted from Donald
Trump's announcement that he will lift tariffs on
US imports of steel and aluminium from 25 per cent
to 50 per cent is a sign that the construction sector
must again adapt to uncertain conditions. (RMS)
News
June
4, 2025
Markets
ASX
futures up 30 points/0.4% to 8514
AUD -0.5% at US64.64¢
Bitcoin +1.7% to $US106,247
Dow +0.5%
S&P +0.6%
NAS +0.8%
Gold -0.9% to $US3352.28 an ounce
Brent oil +1.6% at $US65.67 a barrel
Iron ore -0.9% at $US94.40 a ton
News
Media
Man
Roy
Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Company Of The
Month' award
Grok
wins Media Man 'AI Service Of The Month' award
X
wins Media Man 'Platform Of The Month' award
Sky
News Australia wins Media Man 'News Outlet Of The
Month' award (Australia)
News,
Markets, Energy, Politics and Culture - Australia,
US and World
Markets
May
20, 2025
Australian
Dollar: $0.6456 USD (up $0.0060 USD)
Iron Ore June Spot Price (SGX): $99.45 USD (down $0.25)
Oil Price (WTI): $62.71 USD (up $0.22)
Gold Price: $3,230.61 USD (up $29.39)
Copper Price (CME): $4.6640 USD (up $0.0725)
Bitcoin: $105,357.30 USD (up 1.04%)
Dow Jones: 42,792.07 (up 137.33 points)
News
Big
tech is back after a brutal reality check, but will
the rally last?
Wall
Street's so called magnificent seven tech companies
have recovered strongly from the hit they took when
US President Donald Trump annnounced his 'Liberation
Day' tariff splurge on 2 April. They are now up 28
per cent on their April lows, beating the S&P
500 Index, which has returned 19 per cent in the same
period. Nick Griffin from Munro Partners is one investor
that is confident that US big tech will continue its
recovery in the second half of the year, with Griffin
claiming that companies like Amazon and Meta are a
safer investment than US Treasuries. (RMR)
News
Judge
queries Qantas outsourcing 'remorse'
The
Federal Court has commenced a hearing to determine
the financial penalty Qantas will pay for illegally
outsourcing the jobs of ground-handling workers in
October 2020. The Transport Workers' Union wants the
court to impose the maximum fine of $121m; the union's
barrister, Noel Hutley SC, told the court that the
outsourcing was the "largest ever" breach
of the general protection provisions of the Fair Work
and previous industrial relations legislation. Qantas's
chief people officer Catherine Walsh told the court
that she was "deeply sorry" about the outsourcing,
even though it occurred before she joined the airline;
Justice Michael Lee responded by noting that Qantas
had argued that the affected workers should not be
entitled to compensation. (RMR)
News
Telstra's
Brady to face grilling over returns
Telstra
will hold its investor day in Sydney on 27 May, with
its shareholders wanting to see evidence that the
telco is increasing returns on invested capital (ROIC).
Telstra has conceded it needs to improve ROIC and
is investing in artificial intelligence to become
more efficient; its ROIC was at eight cent in the
six months to December 31, up from 6.8 per cent in
the same period a year earlier. Hugh Giddy from Investors
Mutual, which owns around $200 million worth of Telstra
shares, says that to improve its returns, the telco
must raise the prices it charges its wholesale customers
– and ensure the increases are passed onto
consumer. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Gaming
M&A
deals on the cards for Light & Wonder
Light
& Wonder CEO Matt Wilson says the gaming group
is looking at more acquisitions at a time when it
is considering if its future lies as a company listed
solely on the ASX, or on both the Nasdaq and the ASX.
Light & Wonder acquired the charitable gaming
assets of Grover Gaming and G2 Gaming in February
under a deal worth $US850 million ($1.3 billion),
while Wilson says it is looking at possible acquisitions
in class II gaming, a term used to refer to games
such as Bingo that are played for prizes. (RMS)
News
Personal
motive for Ainsworth family's $50m gift
Roy
Morgan Summary
The
Ainsworth family has donated $50 million to the University
of NSW to establish the Ainsworth Endometriosis Research
Centre; endometriosis is a chronic disease that impacts
up to one in seven women. Lily Ainsworth, the granddaughter
of Aristocrat Leisure founder Len Ainsworth, suffers
from the condition, as does her mother Anna; Lily
Ainsworth says she has endured endometriosis pain
since she was 15. Endometriosis occurs when tissue
that is similar to the inner lining of the uterus
grows outside the uterus, and it causes pain, inflammation
and scarring, and can impact fertility. (RMS)
News
Lachlan
Murdoch's Nova under scrutiny for not lodging accounts
Owned
by billionaire media mogul Lachlan Murdoch for more
than a decade, Nova Entertainment owns the Australian
radio brands Smooth FM and Nova. It has been under
scrutiny from the Australian Taxation Office for more
than a year, while earlier this year, it admitted
it had failed to file more than 40 annual account
statements with the Australian Securities & Investments
Commission over 15 years. Nova's latest accounts reveal
that it had revenue of $187.8 million in 2024, up
from $185.9 million the year before; it posted a profit
of $24.1 million, down from $27.9 million. (RMS)
News
MinRes
lands new chair with $8.3m carrot
Iron
ore and lithium producer Mineral Resources has appointed
Malcolm Bundey to succeed executive chairman James
McClements. Bundey's remuneration will include an
annual salary of $750,000 in cash and shares, plus
780,000 stock options that will vest over three years;
Bundey could potentially gain about $8.3m over this
period if he succeeds in turning around the company.
Jeffrey Jackson from shareholder advisory group Open
Engagement has questioned the options component, noting
that stock-based remuneration is usually reserved
for a company's executives rather than directors.
Bundey's lack of experience in the mining sector may
also attract scrutiny. (RMS)
News
New
Hope's boom over as coal price slump hits sales
New
Hope Corporation's shares fell 7.1 per cent to $3.65
on Monday, after the coal miner posted underlying
earnings of $155.2m for the three months to 30 April;
this is 27 per cent lower than previously. New Hope
received an average of $US147.50 per tonne for its
thermal coal during the quarter, compared with $US159
per tonne in the previous quarter; the price of thermal
coal had peaked at $US432.45 per tonne in 2022. Meanwhile,
the company expects full-year production to be within
the range of 15.93 million to 17.45 million tonnes,
which is three per cent higher than previously. (RMS)
News
Perenti's
Barminco inks $500m Agnew underground contract renewal
with Gold Fields
Barminco
has secured a $500 million contract renewal with Gold
Fields to continue its underground mining work at
Gold Field's Agnew mine near Leinster in Western Australia.
Barminco, which is the underground mining services
division of Perenti, has been working underground
at Agnew since 2010, and currently employs around
300 people there. Barminco's new contract with Gold
Fields will run for three years, with the option of
an additional year, while Agnew produced 229,500 ounces
of gold in 2024, compared to 244,900oz. (Roy Morgan
Research)
News
World
Headline News
Gaza
Crisis: The first aid trucks have entered Gaza after
nearly three months of Israel’s blockade, but
allies are threatening sanctions and urging more aid.
Israel announced "Operation Gideon's Chariots,"
a new ground offensive, while stating it will allow
a "basic amount of food" to prevent a hunger
crisis.
Ukraine-Russia
Conflict: Russia launched its largest drone attack
on Ukraine, deploying 273 drones, ahead of a call
between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President
Vladimir Putin aimed at stopping the "bloodbath."
Trump later backed off a direct meeting with Putin,
pushing for Ukraine-Russia talks, but peace negotiations
show little progress.
UK-EU
Relations: The UK and EU struck a post-Brexit "reset"
deal, including a defense partnership and reduced
trade barriers. Discussions also cover fishing rights,
youth schemes, and UK access to EU passport e-gates.
Romanian
Election: Liberal mayor Nicusor Dan won Romania’s
presidency, defeating a right-wing nationalist in
a tense race amid political turbulence.
Papal
Inauguration: Pope Leo XIV called for unity at his
inaugural Mass, attended by world leaders including
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. He offered to host
peace talks for Ukraine.
Mexican
Navy Incident: A Mexican navy ship crashed into the
Brooklyn Bridge during a celebration of Mexico’s
independence, killing two sailors and injuring 22.
U.S.
Terrorism Incident: A bombing at a Palm Springs fertility
clinic, deemed an "intentional act of terrorism,"
killed one person. The FBI has a person of interest,
possibly the deceased.
These
stories reflect major global events as of May 20,
2025. (Grok)
News
Pop
Culture/Pro Wrestling: WWE
May
19, 2025 (South Carolina, USA)
Red
Hot WWE RAW On Netflix
Paul
Heyman Guys aka 'Trifecta Of Terror'
Jey Uso vs Bron Breakker; Warm Up For Uso To Face
Lon Paul at Saturday Night's Main Event This Weekend!
Phenomenal
Penta Tag Team Match - Penta and Styles vs Judgement
Day
Australia's
Rhea Ripley Progresses In Women's Money In The Bank
Qualifiers; Stark gets legit injury off missile dropkick
attempt
Judgment
Day: Rozanne Perez Gifts Chicken Tenders For Dom and
Apples For Carlito!
Aussie
Grayson Waller Cops Beating By Sheamus, Waller's tagteam
partner Austin Theory Laughs And Grin To Grin at Waller's
fall!
Aussie
Tsunami Bronson Reed Continues To Post On X With Rehab
Of Leg And Foot Recovery re leap of top of cage month
ago at Survivor Series: WarGames.
News
Movie
Box Office (US)
May
18, 2025
1.
Final Destination: Bloodlines - $51m
2. Thunderbolts* - $16.5m
3. Sinners - $15.4m
4. A Minecraft Movie - $5.9m
5. The Accountant 2 - $5m
6. Hurry Up Tomorrow - $3.3m
7. Friendship - $1.4m
8. Clown in a Cornfield $1.3m
9. Until Dawn - $800,000
10. The Amateur - $712,000
*correct
at time of publication to best of knowledge
News
Best
Quotes
Mining
Mining
is the art of exploiting mineral deposits at a profit.
An unprofitable mine is fit only for the sepulcher
of a dead mule.
Don't
die without mining the gold in your mind.
Anyone
can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds
the gold.
Praise
like gold and diamonds, owes its value only to its
scarcity.
Make
new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these
are gold.
Everything
has its limit - iron ore cannot be educated into gold.
The
desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means
of freedom and benefit.
Best
Quotes
News
News
from afar is seldom sooth."
"A
reporter is always concerned with tomorrow. There's
nothing tangible of yesterday."
"If
you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed."
"News
is something somebody doesn't want printed; all else
is advertising."
"TV
news has no intention of suggesting that any story
has any implications, for that would require viewers
to continue to think about it when it is done and
therefore obstruct their attending to the next story."
News,
Markets, Comms and Culture
May
15, 2025
Sydney,
Australia
Markets
Australian
Dollar: $0.6420 USD (down $0.0050 USD)
Iron Ore June Spot Price (SGX): $101.70 USD (up $2.10
)
Oil Price (WTI): $62.89 USD (down $0.74)
Gold Price: $3,179.41 USD (down $72.13)
Copper Price (CME): $4.6435 USD (down $0.0650)
Bitcoin: $103,541.08 USD (down 0.93%)
Dow Jones: 42,051.06 (down 89.37 points)
News
Australia
Miners,
energy help ASX to sixth day of gains
The
Australian sharemarket posted a modest gain on Wednesday,
with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.1 per cent to close
at 8,279.6 points. Fortescue was up 2.2 per cent at
$16.97, Woodside Energy rose 3.4 per cent to $22.31
and the Commonwealth Bank firmed 0.8 per cent to end
the session at $167.50. However, Insignia Financial
shed 15.8 per cent to finish at $3.37 and Aristocrat
Leisure was down 8.9 per cent at $62.10. (Roy Morgan
Summary)
News
Media
CNN
and Fox take on their own legacies with new streaming
services
Fox
Corporation is set to launch its third streaming service
in the US. Fox One will feature content from across
the media group's operations, including news, sport
and entertainment. It will complement Fox Corp's existing
Fox Nation streaming news channel and Tubi, a free
advertising supported general entertainment streaming
platform. Meanwhile, Warner Bros Discovery-owned CNN
plans to launch a news streaming service that will
be bundled with subscriptions to http://cnn.com. Fox
Corp and CNN are both confident that their new streaming
products will not cannabilise the customer base for
their cable TV services. (RMS)
News
Rio
shows we must invest in green iron: Fortescue boss
Rio
Tinto recently advised that the iron content of its
flagship 'Pilbara Blend Fines' product will be downgraded
by nearly one percentage point, to 60.8 per cent;
BHP had previously reduced the iron content of two
iron ore products in 2024. Fortescue CEO Dino Otranto
says the trend underlines the need for Australia to
invest in more domestic refining, in order to produce
higher-grade iron ore. Otranto has indicated that
Fortescue is on track to finish construction of a
green iron plant at its Christmas Creek iron ore hub
and produce commercial quantities of green iron by
the end of 2025. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Beware
the rally in iron ore above $US100, it might not last
The
iron ore price has peaked at more than $US101 per
tonne in Singapore trading on Wednesday, which is
its highest level in about six weeks. Factors such
as the easing of trade tensions between the US and
China have bolstered the price of the steel input,
although market watchers say the rebound is unlikely
to be sustained. Headwinds include steel production
cutbacks in China and a looming increase in global
iron ore supply as new projects in Africa start to
commence shipments. (RMS)
News
Core
Lithium plan to revive mothballed Finniss
Perth-based
Core Lithium has advised that it may resume operations
at its Finniss mine in the Northern Territory. The
mine was placed in 'care and maintenance' mode in
2024, in response to a sharp downturn in the price
of lithium. Core hopes a plan to significantly reduce
mining and processing costs at Finniss, while also
boosting productivity, will enable the mine to reopen.
CEO Paul Brown says the quality of the Finniss deposit
and its proximity to the Port of Darwin gives it an
advantage over rival lithium mines in Western Australia.
(RMS)
News
Australian
Mining News
WA
Mining Conference and Exhibition: Scheduled for October
8–9, 2025, in Perth, this event will focus on
critical minerals, mine waste management, and innovative
technologies shaping the industry’s future. It
aims to be a key platform for networking and industry
insights.
Global
Resources Innovation Expo (GRX25): Set for May 20–22,
2025, in Brisbane, GRX25 will feature industry leaders
like Owen Hegarty, discussing transformation and sustainability
in mining.
Carbine
Resources: The company secured a 21-year mining lease
for its Muchea West silica sand project in Western
Australia, marking a significant milestone.
Federal
Government Cabinet: Following the re-election of Prime
Minister Anthony Albanese, the new cabinet has been
welcomed by mining bodies. The government is pushing
the Critical Minerals Production Tax Incentive (10%
refundable tax offset for processing 31 critical minerals)
and a Hydrogen Production Tax Incentive ($2/kg for
renewable hydrogen).
Prospect
Awards 2025: Nominations are open for the Australian
Mining Prospect Awards, recognizing excellence in
safety, occupational health, and industry leadership.
Legacy
Minerals: The company is advancing the Nico Young
nickel-cobalt project in New South Wales, leveraging
prior work by Jervois Global to reduce costs and accelerate
development.
Rio
Tinto’s Winu Project: Rio Tinto and Sumitomo
Metal Mining signed final joint venture agreements
for the Winu copper-gold project in Western Australia’s
Great Sandy Desert.
Sibanye-Stillwater:
The company reported a 92% increase in zinc production
(25,000 tonnes) at its Century zinc retreatment operation
in Queensland for the March 2025 quarter, with a feasibility
study for the Mt Lyell copper mine in Tasmania due
by late 2025.
Tivan’s
Speewah Fluorite Project: Tivan formed a joint venture
with Sumitomo Corporation, supported by a $5.3 million
investment and government funding, to develop Australia’s
first fluorite operation in Western Australia.
Hillgrove
Resources: The Kanmantoo copper mine in South Australia
produced 811 tonnes of copper in April, with annual
guidance set at 12,000–14,000 tonnes for 2025.
Critical
Minerals and Sustainability: Australia’s mining
sector is poised to lead in the global energy transition,
with growing demand for critical minerals and a focus
on innovation and sustainable practices.
Queensland
Mining Coroner: Wayne Pennell was appointed Queensland’s
first mining and resources coroner to investigate
fatalities and address a backlog of inquests, enhancing
safety accountability.
Social
Media Sentiment: Posts on X highlight ongoing exploration
(e.g., Verity Resources’ Monument Gold Project)
and acquisitions (e.g., Terra Metals’ Dante Project
expansion), reflecting active industry momentum. However,
a 119% mining rate hike by a Goldfields council has
sparked concern among local explorers. (Grok)
News
Pop
Culture/Entertainment
Media
Movies
Network
(1976) - Directed by Sidney Lumet, this satirical
drama follows a TV network exploiting a deranged anchor’s
rants for profit, highlighting media sensationalism.
Stars Faye Dunaway and Peter Finch.
Nightcrawler
(2014) - A thriller by Dan Gilroy about a drifter
(Jake Gyllenhaal) who becomes a freelance crime journalist,
blurring ethical lines for fame. It’s a sharp
critique of modern media’s vulture-like tendencies.
Zodiac
(2007) - Directed by David Fincher, this film chronicles
a cartoonist-turned-detective’s obsession with
the Zodiac Killer, exploring media’s role in
public fear and fascination.
Citizen
Kane (1941) - Orson Welles’ classic traces the
life of a newspaper magnate, loosely based on William
Randolph Hearst, examining media power and personal
ambition.
Sweet
Smell of Success (1957) - A biting satire about a
ruthless press agent and a powerful columnist, showcasing
media manipulation with sharp dialogue.
News
Gold:
Movie
Gold
(2016) is a crime drama inspired by the 1990s Bre-X
mining scandal. Matthew McConaughey stars as Kenny
Wells, a prospector who partners with geologist Michael
Acosta (Édgar Ramírez) to find gold
in Indonesia. After striking it rich, their success
unravels amid fraud and betrayal. Directed by Stephen
Gaghan, the film explores greed and ambition but received
mixed reviews for its uneven tone and pacing. It grossed
$14.8 million against a $20 million budget. Available
on platforms like Hulu or Amazon Prime (check current
listings). (Grok)
News/Profile
Gold
(1974)
Gold
(1974) is a British thriller directed by Peter R.
Hunt, based on Wilbur Smith's novel Gold Mine. Set
in South Africa, it follows Rod Slater (Roger Moore),
a mining engineer, who uncovers a conspiracy to flood
a gold mine to manipulate global gold prices. The
plot involves corporate greed, sabotage, and high-stakes
action, with Slater racing to stop the scheme.
Cast:
Roger Moore, Susannah York, Ray Milland, Bradford
Dillman.
Key
Details: 120 min, rated PG, released August 1974 (UK).
Filmed on location in Johannesburg, featuring intense
mining scenes.
Reception:
Mixed reviews; praised for action and Moore’s
charisma, criticized for pacing and dated elements.
IMDb rating: 5.7/10.
Availability:
Limited streaming; available for rent/purchase on
platforms like Amazon or on DVD.
News
Bitcoin
Movies Streaming
Money
Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery (2024, HBO)
A
documentary by Cullen Hoback exploring Bitcoin’s
origins and the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. It’s
a thrilling investigation into Bitcoin’s rise
and its potential impact on global finance.
Streaming:
Available on HBO’s streaming platform, Max. Check
JustWatch for additional services or free options
like Apple TV+ trials.
Bitconned
(2024, Netflix) A true-crime documentary about three
individuals who scammed millions in the unregulated
crypto market to fund lavish lifestyles. Streaming:
Exclusively on Netflix.
Banking
on Bitcoin (2016)
A
popular documentary diving into Bitcoin’s impact,
its challenge to centralized banking, and its early
history. It’s a great pick for understanding
Bitcoin’s ethos. Streaming: Available on Amazon
Prime Video (free for subscribers), Fandango at Home,
and for purchase/rent on Amazon, YouTube Primetime,
or Apple TV.
The
Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014)
Follows
programmer Daniel Mross and early Bitcoin adopters,
offering insights into Bitcoin’s volatile early
days. Ideal for beginners.
Streaming: Available on Prime Video, Fandango at Home,
and for purchase on iTunes or Amazon.
Bitcoin:
The End of Money as We Know It (2015)
A
concise documentary tracing the history of money and
Bitcoin’s potential to disrupt fiat systems.
Features experts like Andreas Antonopoulos.
Streaming:
Available on Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Fandango at
Home. Free on YouTube in some regions (e.g., Ulterior
States).
Notes
on Streaming with Bitcoin:
Major
platforms like Netflix and HBO Max don’t directly
accept Bitcoin payments. However, you can use crypto
via gift cards purchased from platforms like Bitrefill,
Coinsbee, or eGifter, which offer cards for services
like Amazon, Fandango, or Rakuten, usable for streaming
or movie tickets.
For
example, Bitrefill sells Showtime or Rakuten gift
cards (for US, Spain, Portugal, Italy) payable with
Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Dogecoin.
Crypto
debit cards from providers like http://Crypto.com
or Coinbase can also convert Bitcoin to fiat for subscriptions
or purchases at non-crypto-accepting platforms.
Additional
Tips:
Check
platforms like JustWatch or IMDb for real-time streaming
availability, as services change frequently.
Some
older documentaries, like Ulterior States (2014),
are freely available on YouTube, offering ideological
perspectives on Bitcoin’s early days.
Be
cautious with free streaming sites; some, like Openload
or Streamango, have been linked to crypto-jacking
schemes that mine Monero using your device’s
CPU. (Grok)
Crypto,
Fintech, Markets, News and Politics via Media Man
March
12/13, 2025
The
crypto bounces back from extreme fear
Market
picture
The
cryptocurrency market bounced 2% in the last 24 hours
to $2.67 trillion. So far, the situation looks like
a small rebound after the collapse. We should not
talk about the beginning of recovery as long as the
market is below its 200-day moving average of $2.83
trillion.
Sentiment
in the crypto market has shifted from dread to fear
at 34. The indicator was last higher more than three
weeks ago, indicating that now is a good time to buy.
However, it's worth paying attention to the nervous
stock market before considering investments in more
volatile cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin
was climbing above $83,000 on Tuesday, hitting resistance
in the form of the 200-day moving average. If a long-term
trend line is repurposed as resistance, that's a worrisome
bearish fact.
Ethereum
ended Tuesday with growth and was trading near $1900
at the start of Wednesday, but this is a timid rebound
within the steep peak the coin has been in since February
24th and the broader downtrend of the past three months.
News
Background
CryptoQuant
states a sharp drop in open interest in Bitcoin and
Ethereum futures, suggesting a ‘leverage washout’
and a chance of market stabilisation. The Kobeissi
Letter admits a wave of short position unwinding in
risk assets after extreme fear levels are reached.
Clearstream,
the post-trading arm of Deutsche Börse, will
offer cryptocurrency settlement and custody services
to institutional clients as early as next month, starting
with Bitcoin and Ethereum. It then plans to add support
for other cryptocurrencies and services for staking,
lending and brokerage.
Glassnode
notes that Solana fell below its realised price of
$134 for the first time in three years. The metrics
show the average cost for investors to purchase the
coin.
According
to Arkham Intelligence, on 11 March, bankrupt exchange
Mt. Gox transferred 11,501 BTC (~$905 million) to
an unknown address. Mt. Gox-related addresses hold
a total of 35,915 BTC worth $2.89bn. (FxPro)
News
SEC
vs Ripple Case: Negotiations Underway for Settlement
Recent
developments indicate that the legal dispute between
Ripple Labs and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) could be nearing a conclusion. Reports suggest
that Ripple's legal team is currently negotiating
more favorable terms related to a $125 million fine
and an injunction on XRP sales to institutional investors.
The anticipation of a settlement has led to increased
interest and speculation within the cryptocurrency
community regarding the outcome and its potential
impact on XRP. (Grok)
News
U.S.
Plans Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Acquisition
Senator
Cynthia Lummis has reintroduced the BITCOIN Act, which
proposes that the United States government purchase
one million Bitcoins over five years to create a strategic
reserve. This legislative move reflects a growing
acknowledgment of Bitcoin as a digital asset for national
economic strategy, garnering support from both traditional
financial sectors and cryptocurrency advocates. Alongside
this, there is an ongoing debate about the implications,
risks, and potential benefits of such a reserve. (Grok)
News
Trump's
Crypto Banking Deregulation
President
Donald Trump is reportedly planning to sign an executive
order that would reverse regulations set by the Biden
administration aimed at restricting banking activities
for cryptocurrency firms. This move could impact how
crypto companies interact with the Federal Reserve,
potentially leading to greater integration of cryptocurrencies
within the traditional financial system. (Grok)
News
Rumble's
Strategic Bitcoin Acquisition
Rumble,
a video platform and competitor to YouTube, has announced
the purchase of 188 Bitcoins for approximately $17.1
million. This acquisition is part of Rumble's strategy
to integrate Bitcoin into its treasury management,
aiming to hedge against inflation and participate
in the growing trend of corporate cryptocurrency adoption.
The move reflects a broader acceptance of Bitcoin
as a legitimate financial asset among companies. (Grok)
News
Trump
Predicts Market Surge Amid Economic Indicators
President
Trump has publicly stated his belief that the U.S.
financial markets are poised for significant growth,
making his comments at an event with business leaders.
This optimistic forecast follows recent economic indicators
showing inflation cooling to levels not seen in years,
despite mixed responses from markets regarding Trump's
economic policies including tariffs. (Grok)
News
Ethereum's
Lowest BTC Ratio Since 2020 Triggers Liquidation Risk
The
Ethereum Foundation faces potential liquidation of
over $100 million in assets if Ethereum's price drops
to $1,100, amidst a historic low in the ETH/BTC trading
ratio not seen since May 2020. This financial maneuver
is part of Ethereum's strategy to manage its treasury
through decentralized finance (DeFi), highlighting
both the risks and innovative approaches to crypto-asset
management in a volatile market. (Grok)
News
Gold
funds burst out of the blocks in 2025 as returns rocket
Australian
gold funds are shaping up for a bumper year as mining
companies start to capitalise on record prices, helping
the stocks to finally catch up to the performance
of the precious metal.
Portfolio
managers were left frustrated last year after a jump
in production costs held back ASX-listed gold producers
from riding the rally in the spot prices to record
levels. The VanEck Gold Miners exchange-traded fund
climbed nearly 20 per cent in 2024 versus a 38 per
cent rally for the gold price in Australian dollars.
But
easing cost inflation that has plagued the mining
sector for the last three years and an ongoing surge
in prices has seen the trend reverse course. VanEck’s
Gold Miners ETF is up 17 per cent already this year
while the Aussie dollar spot price has climbed 6.3
per cent.
Local
fund managers are bullish that gold has much further
to run after the US dollar price climbed above $US2942
an ounce for the first time and the Australian dollar
gold price breached $4500 an ounce.
Victor
Smorgon Partners’ Resource Gold Fund returned
a chunky 13.3 per cent in January and portfolio manager
Cameron Judd believes the valuations of ASX gold stocks
still don’t reflect the outlook for the yellow
metal.
“Gold’s
performance in times of uncertainty or crisis could
see it push towards $US3600,” Mr Judd said. “Despite
the strong gold price performance and fundamentals
supporting further appreciation, gold miners are trading
at discounted valuations on the ASX.”
Wall
Street’s biggest banks believe a $US3000 price
tag is imminent. Citi said it was possible within
the next three months, while JPMorgan has a year-end
target of $US3150. Bank of America said on Thursday
that gold could reach $US3500 an ounce if investment
demand rises 10 per cent this year.
The
unprecedented surge in the gold price has been fuelled
by investors seeking safe haven assets as US President
Donald Trump unleashes aggressive trade and geopolitical
policies. There are fears the president will accelerate
inflation, forcing central banks to raise rates in
a way that damages global growth.
Victor
Smorgon’s top holdings include ASX-listed Vault
Minerals and the world’s largest gold miner,
US-based Newmont, which recently acquired Newcrest.
The fund also owns Australia’s biggest gold miner
Northern Star, which agreed to buy rival De Grey in
a $5 billion deal. (AFR) *Full article and coverag
via subscription to The Australian Financial Review.
News
Australia
Northern
Star paying top dollar for gold rival
Northern
Star has offered $5 billion to buy De Grey Mining,
with De Grey shareholders to vote on the offer on
16 April. De Grey is the company behind the Hemi gold
prospect in Western Australia, which is thought to
hold at least 11 million ounces of gold and which
is slated to produce 530,000 ounces annually in its
first decade of operation. KPMG, which was engaged
to provide an independent assessment of Northern Star's
offer, has valued DeGrey at between $4 billion and
$4.79 billion, inclusive of a premium for control.
It concludes that the offer is "fair and reasonable
and therefore is in the best interests of De Grey
shareholders, in the absence of a superior proposal".
(Roy Morgan Summary)
News
March
12, 2025
Crypto
market tumbles after stocks
Market
picture
Crypto
market capitalisation has been falling to $2.5 trillion
following the rumbling fall of the US stock market.
It is dipping below the peaks of early 2024 and late
2021. Previously, a similar decline would complete
a corrective pullback, attracting buyers. However,
the chances of such an outcome are now lower than
in previous years due to the powerful influence of
traditional financial companies, which has strengthened
the link between the crypto market and stock dynamics.
For
now, though, we can argue that there is less terror
in crypto. The Fear and Greed Index is at 24 (+4 points
for the day), while the low point was a week earlier
at 10.
Bitcoin
slipped towards $76.5K in the early hours of Tuesday
but has popped above $80K at the time of writing,
approaching Monday’s consolidation levels. A
bearish pattern persists on the daily timeframes,
which suggests a strengthening sell-off after a failure
under the 200-day moving average. The scenario of
a pullback to the $70-74K area still looks the most
probable for us. This is all the truer as the consolidation
and rebound in early March has taken the short-term
oversold stance out of the market.
Ethereum
is trying to find a pivot point after falling towards
$1750 at the start of Tuesday. These were the lowest
values in the last 17 months. On weekly timeframes,
the RSI oscillator hit its lowest point since mid-2022
- near the bottom of the bear market. Does this signify
an opportunity for the recklessly bold or a breakdown
in the leading altcoin? We will find out in the coming
days.
News
Background
According
to CoinShares, global crypto fund investments fell
by $876 million last week after record outflows of
$2.911 billion a week earlier. Investments in Bitcoin
fell by $756 million; in Ethereum, by $89 million.
Investments in Solana rose by $16 million, in XRP
by $6 million, and in Sui by $3 million.
As
a result of another recalculation, Bitcoin mining
difficulty increased by 1.43% to 112.15T. The growth
did not compensate for a 3.15% drop two weeks ago.
However, the figure came close to the all-time high
of 114.17T reached in January.
Strategy
(former MicroStrategy) intends to raise $21bn through
the sale of preferred shares as part of its At-The-Market
program. The proceeds will be used to buy Bitcoin
and other corporate purposes. (FxPro)
News
March
11, 2025
US
Senator And Congressman Introduce Strategic Bitcoin
Reserve Bills To Buy One Million BTC
Speaking
at the “Bitcoin for America” summit, lawmakers
announced their plans to create a federal bitcoin
reserve that would see the U.S. buy one million BTC.
Today
at the Bitcoin Policy Institute’s “Bitcoin
for America” summit in Washington DC, U.S. Senator
from Wyoming Cynthia Lummis announced that she is
going to reintroduce her strategic Bitcoin reserve
legislation in the Senate today.
“I
am so pleased to announce that today I will be reintroducing
The Bitcoin Act,” Senator Lummis stated. “And
I’ll be joined here shortly by Senator Justice
of West Virginia, who is one of the cosponsors. And
we have several other additional cosponsors. And a
lot of it is a result of the excitement that’s
been building.” (Bitcoin Magazine). *Full article
via Bitcoin Magazine
News
XRP
wins Media Man 'Crypto Of The Month' award
News
Markets
Australian
Dollar: $0.6317 USD (up $0.0020 USD)
Iron Ore Apr Spot Price (SGX): $100.60 USD (up $0.15
USD)
Oil (WTI): $67.70 USD (up $1.14 USD)
Gold: $2,931.74 USD (up $13.03 USD)
Copper (CME): $4.8425 USD (up $0.0500 USD)
Bitcoin: $82,880.91USD (up 0.32% in last 24 hours)
Dow Jones: 41,350.93 (down 82.55 points)
News
Roy
Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Company Of The
Month' award
News
Media
Australia
Peter
Dutton More Crypto Friendly And Switched On Than Albanese
(Media Man Group)
News
"Dutton
A Genuine Contender" (Sky News Australia)
March
10, 2025
ASX
futures are pointing up 69 points, or by 0.9 per cent,
to 8011.
All
US prices are as of 4.15pm Sunday in New York:
Bitcoin
-3.7% to $US83,138
On
Wall St: Dow +0.5% S&P +0.6% Nasdaq +0.7%
VIX -1.5 to 23.37
Gold -0.1% to $US2909.10 an ounce
Brent oil +1.3% to $US70.36 a barrel
Iron ore +0.3% to $US100.70 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.3% Australia 4.4%
January
10, 2025
ASX
futures up 33 points or 0.4%
AUD
-0.3% to 61.98 US cents
UK pound -0.4% to $US1.2309
Bitcoin -2.9% to $US91,275 at 7.23am AEDT
US markets closed for Jimmy Carter’s funeral
Stoxx 50 +0.4% FTSE +0.8% DAX -0.1% CAC +0.5%
Spot gold +0.3% to $US2671.00/oz at 1.55pm in New
York
Brent crude +1.2% to $US77.08 a barrel
Iron ore +1% to $US97.40 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.69% Australia 4.48% Germany 2.56%
US prices as of 1.59pm in New York
News
Finance
/ World Business News
Euro,
Gold, Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro
A
strong current account surplus may not help euro
The
eurozone's current account surplus climbed to a six-month
high of 31.9bn in December. Analysts, on average,
had expected a decline to 20.3 bn from 22.5 bn the
previous month. The current level was seen in the
eurozone during the relatively benign pre-Covid period
and sometime before Natural Gas prices spiked in the
second half of 2021.
The
normalisation of the surplus is good news for the
single currency, as it means more net capital inflows
into the region. But this growth has been fuelled
by falling imports, which can be the result of lower
commodity and energy prices (which is a very good
thing), but also partly indicative of a slowdown in
domestic demand. This threatens to translate into
economic contraction in the coming months.
The
euro area experienced periods of severe import contraction
in late 2008 and early 2010, and in both cases, the
economy experienced a severe downturn. Back in 2008,
all this was accompanied by the collapse of the euro.
Gold
Gold
rises but within a downward channel
Gold
rallied for the fourth consecutive session to reach
$2023, recovering almost all the losses suffered the
week before on the back of the inflation report. Gold's
ability to rally suggests continued domestic demand,
as some investors are clearly rushing to buy back
any losses.
At
the same time, however, we note that since the beginning
of the year, gold has been characterised by solid
selloffs on the news, forming a smooth downtrend.
In the context of this downtrend, a rise to $2040-2045,
which is the upper boundary of the bearish range,
looks quite acceptable.
The
area around $2035 - the highs of two weeks ago - also
appears to be a crucial intermediate level. Confident
buying from this level would be the first important
signal that the recent correction is over and that
gold is ready to make a fresh assault on the highs.
Much
more important, however, will be the behaviour of
gold as it approaches the $2050 level, where the reversal
of the decline in late January took place.
Consolidation
at this level would confirm the breakdown of the downtrend
and set the stage for a move towards $2100 and the
subsequent renewal of historic highs.
However,
as long as gold is trading within the downtrend, there
is a greater chance of a breakdown or even an acceleration
of the downtrend.
Among
the fundamental factors, the potential for growth
could be provided by the fall in the dollar if Fed
officials show a softening of their position, bringing
the start of interest rate cuts closer.
On
the bearish side, equities could come under pressure
following the optimistic rally in the tech giants
and the news of a sharp slowdown in economic activity.
We also do not rule out the possibility that the recent
support measures for the Chinese stock market and
property sector will cool demand for gold as a safe-haven
for investors from that part of the world.
Cryptocurrency
Crypto
market growth halted amid capital inflows
Market
picture
The
crypto market has corrected 0.46% in the last 24 hours,
fluctuating within a narrow range without a clear
direction. Bitcoin is down 1% but up 3.7% over seven
days, Ethereum is flat for the day but up 10.6% over
the week. The top coins are mixed with BNB +2% and
Solana -2.5%.
Bitcoin
is currently drawing its fourth daily candle with
opening and closing levels close to each other. Such
sideways consolidations are characteristic of strong
bull markets, as opposed to corrective pullbacks on
smoother rallies.
Ethereum
hit local highs on rumours of a positive regulatory
decision before the end of March. Bloomberg analyst
James Seyffarth bet 4 ETH that the SEC will not approve
a spot Ethereum ETF next month.
According
to data from CoinShares, investment in crypto funds
rose by a record $2.452 billion last week, following
inflows of $1.116 billion the previous week.
Bitcoin investments increased by $2.424 billion, Ethereum
by $21 million, Cardano lost $6 million, and Solana
lost $1.6 million.
Since
the beginning of the year, crypto funds have seen
inflows of an impressive $5.2 billion, with total
AUM rising to $67 billion, the highest since December
2021.
News
background
Bitcoin
will see institutional support in the next three to
six months, according to Coinbase. Bitcoin ETFs could
eventually become a major competitor to gold funds.
According to IntoTheBlock, there is an 85% chance
that Bitcoin will reach a new all-time high within
the next six months. Five factors could contribute
to this: the halving of the price, ETFs, monetary
easing, the US election, and companies accumulating
BTC as part of their treasuries.
Former
CIA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been living
in Russia since 2013, called bitcoin the most significant
achievement of the financial system in the entire
existence of money and means of exchange.
Amberdata
admitted that Ethereum will outpace Bitcoin in terms
of growth due to more constructive deflationary policies.
The supply of ETH has been decreasing since September
2022, thanks to the update of The Merge, as well as
the implementation of a mechanism to burn part of
the commissions. During this time, around 0.36 million
ETH, or 0.3% of the total supply of 120 million coins,
have been removed from circulation.
Via
Roy Morgan Research and Media Man social media
Copper,
gold, and Bitcoin rise; Iron ore and oil fall; ASX
to fall in response to selling on Wall Street; US
vetoes Arab-backed UN resolution demanding ceasefire
in Gaza; Assange's lawyers warn that he risks 'flagrant
denial of justice' if he is tried in US
Latest
updates on Key Economic Indicators
21
February 2024
Roy
Morgan Summary
Australian
Dollar: $0.6550 USD (up 0.0011 USD)
Iron Ore Mar Spot Price (SGX): $120.85 USD (down $6.40
USD)
Oil
Price (WTI): $78.27 USD (down $1.02 USD)
Gold
Price: $2,024.37 USD (up $6.43 USD)
Copper
Price (CME): $3.8595 (up $0.0465 USD)
Bitcoin:
$52,059.35 (up 0.35% in last 24 hours)
New
report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading
data companies - with in-depth information on millions
of Australians based on their Helix Personas
Market
Research Update
20
February 2024
Roy
Morgan Summary
Roy
Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading
data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's
leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO
Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan
about the role the company plays in compiling data
and building profiles of different Australians. One
of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which
profiles people under headings such as "young
and platinum", "smart money", "cautious
conservatives", "fair go", "working
hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example,
the "young and platinum" group love their
mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for
the shiny, new and cool" and "making the
rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year
mark and they can often be found "living a conventional
life centred around family".
Roy
Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix
Personas market segments are based on statistical
information, not data from individual people. "It's
totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things,
it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's
chief executive Michele Levine, said.: 38,582.12 at
3.22pm NY time (down 45.87 points on Friday's close)
Roy
Morgan wins three-year contract to deliver domestic
tourism statistics for Austrade
21
February 2024
Roy
Morgan Summary
From
2025, Roy Morgan will provide Austrade with the world's
best practice survey methodology, big data integration
and modelling techniques to deliver accurate domestic
tourism statistics. Roy Morgan has reimagined the
future of domestic tourism statistics to move Austrade
and its stakeholders to the forefront of tourism intelligence
with a new platform that will drive the future of
Australia's tourism industry, which is estimated to
be worth in excess of $160 billion. Portia Morgan,
the Head of Client Services at Roy Morgan, says that
using face-to-face interviewing, which is the gold-standard
for surveying the population, enhanced with big data
and cutting-edge data science techniques, Roy Morgan
will be delivering a future-proofed system that will
be cost effective, reliable, and accurate. She adds
that Roy Morgan has been delivering survey-based tourism
insights via its Holiday Tracking Survey for 20+ years
and the company is thrilled to be working with Austrade
and the broader industry to provide a deeper of understanding
of how many people are travelling, where they go,
what they do and how they spend their valuable tourism
dollars.
Anti-mining
PM pushes BHP's cash offshore
Roy
Morgan Summary
It
is somewhat hypocritical of the federal government
to flag possible support for Australia's nickel industry,
given that Labor's anti-mining legislation may jeopardise
the expansion of BHP's copper operations in South
Australia. BHP is still likely to proceed with an
expansion, but the previously touted investment of
between $10bn and $15bn is now only a 50 per cent
chance. The new labour laws in the government's industrial
relations reforms mean that BHP is now more likely
to redirect much of this capital investment to its
criticals minerals projects in other countries; rival
miner Rio Tinto is already doing this.
More
than 2.7 million New Zealanders now read newspapers
and magazine audiences surge to over 1.7 million
21
February 2024
Roy
Morgan has released its readership results for New
Zealand's newspapers and magazines for the 12 months
to December 2023. The data shows that 2.73 million
New Zealanders aged 14+ (64.4%) now read or access
newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or
online (website or app) platforms. In addition, 1.71
million New Zealanders aged 14+ (40.3%) read magazines,
whether in print or online either via the web or an
app. The New Zealand Herald is still the nation's
most widely-read publication, with a total cross-platform
audience of 1,720,000 in the 12 months to June 2023
- almost five times as many as the second placed Dominion
Post with a readership of 341,000. Meanwhile, New
Zealand's most widely read magazine is still the driving
magazine AA Directions, which had an average issue
readership of 379,000 during the year to December
(an increase of 63,000 on a year ago).
These
are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand
Single Source survey of 6,254 New Zealanders aged
14+ over the 12 months to December 2023.
New
report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading
data companies - with in-depth information on millions
of Australians based on their Helix Personas
Market
Research Update
20
February 2024
Roy
Morgan Summary
Roy
Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading
data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's
leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO
Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan
about the role the company plays in compiling data
and building profiles of different Australians. One
of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which
profiles people under headings such as "young
and platinum", "smart money", "cautious
conservatives", "fair go", "working
hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example,
the "young and platinum" group love their
mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for
the shiny, new and cool" and "making the
rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year
mark and they can often be found "living a conventional
life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele
Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments
are based on statistical information, not data from
individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike
Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular
individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele
Levine, said.
(Credit:
Roy Morgan Research)
Roy
Morgan Summary
Roy
Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading
data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's
leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO
Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan
about the role the company plays in compiling data
and building profiles of different Australians.
One
of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which
profiles people under headings such as "young
and platinum", "smart money", "cautious
conservatives", "fair go", "working
hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example,
the "young and platinum" group love their
mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for
the shiny, new and cool" and "making the
rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year
mark and they can often be found "living a conventional
life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele
Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments
are based on statistical information, not data from
individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike
Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular
individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele
Levine, said.
(Credit:
Roy Morgan Research)
Media
Man
Warrner
Bros
Profile
In
2010, the Warner Bros. Pictures Group broke the all-time
industry worldwide box office record with receipts
of $4.814 billion, which surpassed the prior record
of $4.010 billion (set by the Studio in 2009). Warner
Bros. also established a new industry benchmark for
the international box office with a total of $2.93
billion (marking a record third time of crossing the
$2 billion threshold) and retained its leading domestic
box office ranking with receipts of $1.884 billion.
2010 also marked the 10th consecutive year Warner
Bros. Pictures passed the billion dollar mark at both
the domestic and international box offices. Warner
Home Video was, once again, the industry’s leader,
with an overall 20.6 percent marketshare in total
DVD and Blu-ray sales. The companies comprising the
Warner Bros. Television Group and Warner Bros. Home
Entertainment Group remain category leaders, working
across all platforms and outlets, and are trendsetters
in the digital realm with video-on-demand (transaction
and ad-supported), branded channels, original content,
anti-piracy technology and broadband and wireless
destinations.
The
Warner Bros. Pictures Group brings together the Studio’s
motion picture production, marketing and distribution
operations into a single entity. The Group, which
includes Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures
International, was formed to streamline the Studio’s
film production process and bring those businesses’
organizational structures in line with Warner Bros.’
television and home entertainment operations.
Warner
Bros. Pictures produces and distributes a wide-ranging
slate of some 18-22 films each year, employing a business
paradigm that mitigates risk while maximizing productivity
and capital. Warner Bros. Pictures either fully finances
or co-finances the films it produces and maintains
worldwide distribution rights. It also monetizes its
distribution and marketing operations by distributing
films that are totally financed and produced by third-parties.
The Studio’s 2011 slate includes “Sucker
Punch,” “The Hangover Part II,” “Green
Lantern,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows – Part 2,” “Happy Feet 2”
and “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”
Warner
Bros. Pictures International is a global leader in
the marketing and distribution of feature films, operating
offices in more than 30 countries and releasing films
in over 120 international territories, either directly
to theaters or in conjunction with partner companies
and co-ventures.
New
Line Cinema, part of Warner Bros. Entertainment since
2008, coordinates its development, production, marketing,
distribution and business affairs activities with
Warner Bros. Pictures to maximize film performance
and operating efficiencies. Highlights of New Line’s
2011 release slate, distributed by Warner Bros., include
“Horrible Bosses,” “Final Destination
5,” “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas”
and “New Year’s Eve.”
The
Warner Bros. Television Group oversees and grows the
entire portfolio of Warner Bros.’ television
businesses, including worldwide production, traditional
and digital distribution, and broadcasting. In the
traditional television arena, WBTVG produces primetime
and cable (Warner Bros. Television and Warner Horizon
Television), first-run syndication (Telepictures Productions)
and animated (Warner Bros. Animation) programming,
which is distributed worldwide by two category-leading
distribution arms/operations (Warner Bros. Domestic
Television Distribution and Warner Bros. International
Television Distribution).
Among
the primetime series produced by divisions of the
Warner Bros. Television Group are “Two and a
Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “The
Mentalist,” “Mike & Molly,” “Fringe,”
“Gossip Girl,” “The Vampire Diaries,”
“Nikita,” “The Middle,” “Southland,”
“The Closer,” “Rizzoli & Isles,”
“Supernatural,” “The Bachelor,”
“Pretty Little Liars,” “Randy Jackson
Presents America’s Best Dance Crew” and
many more. Also produced by the company are first-run
syndicated programs such as “The Ellen DeGeneres
Show,” “TMZ” and “Extra,”
among others, as well as animated shows “Scooby-Doo!
Mystery Incorporated” and “Young Justice.”
WBTVG
is an innovative leader in developing new business
models for the evolving television landscape, including
ad-supported video-on-demand, broadband and wireless,
and has digital distribution agreements in place with
all of the broadcast networks. Internationally, the
Studio is one of the world’s largest distributors
of feature films, television programs and animation
to the worldwide television marketplace, licensing
some 50,000 hours of television programming, including
more than 6,000 feature films and 50 current series,
dubbed or subtitled in more than 40 languages, to
telecasters and cablecasters in more than 175 countries.
WBTVG
provides original shortform programming for the broadband
and wireless marketplace through its Studio 2.0 digital
venture, and its digital media sales unit is devoted
specifically to multiplatform domestic advertiser
sales for both broadband and wireless. WBTVG continues
its strategic expansion into digital production and
distribution with the launch of several advertiser-supported
entertainment destinations, including TheWB.com, a
premium, video-on-demand interactive and personalized
network and KidsWB.com, a premium destination built
around youth-oriented immersive entertainment.
The
final component of WBTVG is broadcasting: The CW Television
Network, launched (in partnership with CBS) in September
2006 with quality, diverse programming, is targeted
to the 18–34 audience.
Warner
Bros. Animation’s combined classic and contemporary
library currently boasts 14,000 animated episodes
and shorts which air on domestic broadcast networks,
as well as cable networks and in direct-to-video releases
around the world. The classic library includes such
brands as Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Hanna-Barbera
and Ruby-Spears as well as such beloved characters
as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety, Taz,
Tom and Jerry, Popeye, Batman, Superman, the Flintstones,
the Jetsons and Scooby-Doo.
Warner
Bros. Home Entertainment Group brings together Warner
Bros. Entertainment’s home video (Warner Home
Video), digital distribution (Warner Bros. Digital
Distribution), interactive entertainment/videogames
(Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment), direct-to-consumer
production (Warner Premiere), technical operations
(Warner Bros. Technical Operations) and anti-piracy
(Warner Bros. Anti-Piracy Operations) businesses in
order to maximize current and next-generation distribution
scenarios. WBHEG is responsible for the global distribution
of content through DVD, electronic sell-through and
transactional VOD, and delivery of theatrical content
to wireless and online channels. It is also a significant
worldwide publisher for both internal and third party
videogame titles.
In
2010, Warner Home Video dominated the U.S. market
as the number one company in total sell-through video
(DVD and Blu-ray combined) with 20.6% marketshare,
theatrical catalog, TV on DVD, non-theatrical family
and animation, Blu-ray and VOD. WHV has been the number
one studio in overall DVD sales 14 consecutive years,
and is also the leading studio in the international
home video space.
With
more than 3,700 active licensees worldwide, Warner
Bros. Consumer Products licenses the rights to names,
likenesses and logos for all of the intellectual properties
in Warner Bros. Entertainment’s vast film and
television library. With a global network of offices
and agents in key regions throughout the world, including
North America, Latin America, Asia and Europe, WBCP
maintains an ongoing commitment to expand and build
the power of its core brands’ recognition in
the international marketplace through strong and creative
merchandising, promotional marketing and retail programs.
DC
Entertainment’s DC Comics has been in continuous
publication for more than 60 years, and is the leading
comic book publisher in the industry and the creator
of some of the world’s most recognized icons.
DC’s characters continue to headline blockbuster
feature films, live-action and animated television
series, direct-to-video releases, collectors’
books, online entertainment, digital publishing, countless
licensing and marketing arrangements and, most recently,
graphic novels. DC continues to attract new readers
and fans all over the world with its signature characters
Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Justice League
leading the way.
Warner
Bros. International Cinemas provides a true state-of-the-art
movie experience to audiences in Japan with more than
60 multiplex cinemas and more than 600 screens internationally.
One of the pioneers in multiplex development for the
international marketplace, WBIC is continually exploring
new markets for expansion. (Credit: Warner Bros. Entertainment)
Press
Release
09
August 2010
MICROGAMING SET TO LAUNCH THE LORD OF THE RINGS™:
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING ONLINE VIDEO SLOT GAME
First Title to Utilize Proprietary Cinematic Spins™
Technology Allowing Players to Experience the Film
with Every Spin
ISLE
OF MAN – Microgaming today announced the imminent
launch of a new flagship game, The Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of the Ring Online Video Slot Game.
This slot game is the first to utilise Microgaming’s
new Cinematic Spins™ technology, allowing gamers
to see clips from the films with every spin.
The
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a
new online slot game that is part of a multi-year
licensing agreement Microgaming signed with Warner
Bros. Digital Distribution in 2009. The company is
developing a series of cutting-edge, graphic rich
video slots based on this popular movie trilogy and
will use animation material, themes, and characters,
from the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings™ motion
pictures that include The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship
of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
These online slot games will be available to adults
only in countries where online gaming is permitted.
The
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is the
first online video slot to use Microgaming’s
Cinematic Spins™ state-of-the-art gaming technology.
This allows movie clips to act as moving backgrounds
behind the reels during spins providing players an
unprecedented level of excitement and immersion.
Win sequences and expanding wilds also use cinematic
clips, instead of traditional animated graphics. The
slots feature famous scenes from the film including
Ringwraiths during the attack at Weathertop, Balrog
in the Mines of Moria, and Uruk-hai in the woods of
Middle-earth. Players will also enjoy seeing characters
from the films that include Frodo, Aragorn, Saruman
and the deadly Black Riders.
Roger
Raatgever, CEO Microgaming comments: “Microgaming
has always been ahead of the curve with innovative
offerings, but this game really does push the boundaries
of what an online slot can do. The Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of the Ring looks and feels like an
extension of the big screen film experience and we’re
confident that our operators will see a great deal
of demand from their players, when the game is released.
This is an important deal for Microgaming and highlights
our commitment to partner with the right brands, at
the right time. The Lord of the Rings is one of the
most successful and well loved brands on the planet
and we are excited about combining this widespread
appeal with Microgaming’s groundbreaking software.”
The
Lord of the Rings Trilogy generated $3 billion in
worldwide box office receipts and was nominated for
a total of 30 Academy Awards®; of which they won
17, including Best Picture.
-
Ends -
Notes to editors:
*Cinematic Spins is a trademark held by Microgaming
©
2010 New Line Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of
the Rings: The Return of the King and the names of
the characters, items, events and places therein are
trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth
Enterprises under license to New Line Productions,
Inc.
For
further information please contact:
Duncan Skehens / Laura Moss/ Lyndsay Haywood
Lansons Communications
020 7490 8828
DuncanS@lansons.com / LauraM@lansons.com / LyndsayH@lansons.com
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution
Peter
Binazeski
818-977-5701
peter.binazeski@warnerbros.com
About Microgaming (www.microgaming.com)
Since the company developed the first true online
Casino software over a decade ago, it has led the
industry in providing innovative, reliable gaming
solutions. Thanks to an unrivalled R&D programme,
that averages 60 games per year and a unique ‘partnership’
approach to working with operators; Microgaming software
powers over 160 market-leading online gaming sites.
The company’s front and back-end software supports
multi-player, multi-language games - over 500 of them,
all uniquely branded and provides platforms for land-based
and wireless gaming. Microgaming powers the world’s
largest Progressive Jackpot Network and has paid out
over €265million. In May 2009 it created the
biggest ever online jackpot winner with a single payment
win of €6.37m.
As
a founding member of eCOGRA, Microgaming is at the
forefront of an initiative focused on setting the
highest standards in the gaming industry, and leads
in the areas of fair gaming, responsible operator
conduct and player protection. Microgaming has been
awarded eCOGRA’s Certified Software Seal following
a rigorous onsite assessment to ensure that the development,
implementation and maintenance of the software is
representative of industry best practice standards
Microgaming licensees are therefore eligible to apply
for the eCOGRA Safe & Fair Seal.
About
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD) manages Warner
Bros. Home Entertainment Group's (WBHEG) electronic
distribution over existing, new and emerging digital
platforms, including pay-per-view, electronic sell-through,
video-on-demand, wireless and more. WBDD also oversees
the WBHEG's worldwide digital strategy, partnerships
in digital services and emerging new clients and business
activities in the digital space.
News
2009
With
Time Warner sitting on $7 billion in cash, the
Marvel deal has ignited rumours of a second wave
of consolidation in the media industry. Dream
Works Animation, home of Shrek, is seen as a potential
takeover candidate, as is MGM with its huge library
of classic films. The games firms Electronic Arts
and Take Two Interactive, with its Grand Theft
Auto franchise, are also being touted as potential
buys.
Profile
Warner
Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner
Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.) is one
of the world's largest producers of film and television
entertainment.
It is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters
in Burbank, California and New York City. Warner Bros.
has several subsidiary companies, including Warner
Bros. Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros.
Interactive Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television,
Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Home Video, TheWB.com
and DC Comics. Warner owns half of The CW Television
Network.
Founded in 1918 by Jewish immigrants from Poland,
Warner Bros. is the third-oldest American movie studio
in continuous operation, after Paramount Pictures,
founded in 1912 as Famous Players, and Universal Studios,
also founded in 1912.
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