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March 13/14, 2025

Crypto: just a bumpy downtrend

Market picture

The crypto market declined during the week to a total capitalisation of $2.5 trillion, a third lower than the peaks in December last year. However, towards the end of the week, we could see attempts to stabilise the market, with a rebound of $2.67 trillion.

Despite the growth attempts, only if the market breaks above its 200-day moving average will we be able to take it as a signal of a return to growth. For now, the market dynamics resemble no more than just a bumpy downtrend.

The story is similar in Bitcoin, where the bears are regaining control of the market on bounces to the $83,500 area. A 200-day moving average is near this level.

Ethereum is in a steep decline, having pulled back below $1900. At its low point, it was below $1750. It hasn't been this cheap since October 2023, losing over half of its price since its peak in mid-December.

News Background

Outflows from spot bitcoin-ETFs in the US continue for the seventh day in a row, with 19 trading sessions out of 21 already.

CryptoQuant calls the range of $75,000 - 78,000 as support, which coincides with the lower boundary of the realised price. If the quotes are fixed below this zone, the $63,000 mark may become a benchmark.

Senator Cynthia Lummis introduced an updated Bitcoin Act bill in the US Senate that would allow the government to store more than 1 million bitcoins as part of a newly created crypto reserve. The US can buy 200,000 BTC each year for five years, reallocating funds from the Fed and Treasury Department.

The US SEC has extended the deadlines for several applications to launch spot ETFs based on XRP, Solana, Litecoin and Dogecoin. Bloomberg called the regulator's move ‘expected’ and in line with standard procedures. (FxPro)

News

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

Gold hits fresh record

March 14, 2025

Spot gold hit a fresh record high on Friday after the US threatened higher tariffs on the EU, adding to growing concerns that levies could hamper economic growth.Prices rose as high as $US2990.02. It came after spot gold notched its biggest intraday gain this year on Thursday, rising 1.9 per cent. US President Donald Trump overnight threatened to impose 200 per cent tariffs on alcohol from the European Union, after the block set a 50 per cent tariff on American whisky.

News

Trump crypto venture has talked to Binance about doing business

March 14, 2025

World Liberty Financial, one of the Trump family’s crypto ventures, has discussed doing business with the world’s largest digital-asset exchange, Binance Holdings, according to four people with knowledge of the talks.

The exchange’s founder pleaded guilty to failing to take required measures to prevent terrorists, child abusers and entities in sanctioned nations from using its services.

It’s not clear what stage the discussions have reached or whether they’ll result in any transactions or ventures, said the people, who asked not to be named because the talks are private.

Two of the people who spoke said conversations have included the possibility of Binance developing a stablecoin – a dollar-backed cryptocurrency – with World Liberty, which President Donald Trump and his sons began promoting in September. The Trumps receive three-quarters of World Liberty’s net revenue, according to its founding documents.

In addition, representatives of the Trump family have held talks with Binance about taking a stake in its US arm, Binance US, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday (Friday AEDT), citing people familiar with the matter. In a post on X, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said he has not held discussions about a Binance US deal with anyone.

Zhao pleaded guilty in 2023 to anti-money laundering failures that allowed Binance to be used by criminal groups and terrorist organisations, including Hamas.

Zhao, known as “CZ”, was released from a halfway house in Long Beach, California, in September after serving a four-month sentence. Binance paid a $US4.3 billion fine. Zhao has been pushing for the Trump administration to grant him a pardon, according to the Wall Street Journal’s report.

Three months after leaving the halfway house, Zhao met with Steve Witkoff, a co-founder of World Liberty, in Abu Dhabi at the Bitcoin MENA 2024 conference, two of the people said. Witkoff is the president’s Middle East envoy. He is slated to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to halt the fighting that began when Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago.

The substance of Witkoff’s meeting with Zhao in December is not clear. Talks between the crypto companies they founded have taken place since then, according to the four people with knowledge of the matter.

Witkoff did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did a White House spokesperson. Witkoff has said he’s in the process of divesting from his crypto assets as well as his holdings in real estate, transferring holdings to his sons to manage potential conflicts of interest.

A representative for Binance US declined to comment on Thursday, and representatives for World Liberty did not respond to requests for comment.

Zhao is still Binance’s controlling shareholder, with a net worth of $US36.9 billion ($58.7 billion), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He stepped down as its chief executive officer in November 2023, when he pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an anti-money laundering program.

Richard Teng, who replaced Zhao, said in February that he sees an opportunity for a “fresh reset and a restart” under Trump, though he did not specify any plans. (Full article and coverage via subscription to The Australian Financial Review)

News

SEC Proposes XRP as Key U.S. Financial Asset

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has released a document titled 'Comprehensive Proposal: XRP as a Strategic Financial Asset for the U.S.' This proposal explores the potential for XRP to become a key financial asset, discussing the replacement of the SWIFT system, legal clarity for XRP, and economic benefits like unlocking $1.5 trillion in banking liquidity. Discussions are also underway regarding whether XRP should be classified as a commodity, similar to Ethereum, which could influence its regulatory and market future.

News

Rumble's Strategic Bitcoin Acquisition

March 13, 2025

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.

March 11, 2025

Bitcoin Plunge and U.S. Crypto Reserve Plan

Bitcoin experienced a significant price drop, falling below $80,000 after reaching a high of over $84,000. This decline contributed to a market cap loss of $100 billion in the cryptocurrency sector. Concurrently, the U.S. government has announced plans for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, intended to hold cryptocurrency forfeited through legal actions, sparking discussions on market stability and government involvement in crypto. (Grok)

News

US confirms its critical minerals agenda as fallen miner AVZ chases an improbable African prize

A spokesman for the US State Department has confirmed that the Trump administration is interested in entering into a critical minerals partnership with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). DRC President Felix Tshisekedi is said to want to strike a deal with the US to help resolve a conflict with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, while any deal between the DRC and the US could help Australian company AVZ Minerals. AVZ is seeking to regain control of the Manono lithium deposit, which it contends was illegally seized from it by Chinese company Zijin, and it is understood that the Trump administration would want to see AVZ regain control of at least some part of Manono as part of any deal with the DRC. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Markets

Australian Dollar: $0.6282 USD (down $0.0035 USD)
Iron Ore Apr Spot Price (SGX): $102.20 USD (up $1.60 USD)
Oil: (WTI): $66.61 USD (down $1.09 USD)
Gold: $2,983.88 USD (up $52.14 USD)
Copper (CME): $4.9240 USD (up $0.0815 USD)
Bitcoin: $80,472.06 USD (down 2.82% in last 24 hours)
Dow Jones: 40,813.57 (down 537.35 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)

Crypto, Fintech, Markets, News and Politics via Media Man

March 12/13, 2025

The crypto bounces back from extreme fear

Market picture

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.

News Background

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.

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

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

Media Man Group Market Feed

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:

Markets

March 1, 2025

ASX futures down 12 points or 0.2% to 8120
AUD -0.6% at US61.96¢
Bitcoin +0.4% to $US84,447
Dow flat
S&P -0.1%
Nasdaq -0.2%
Gold -1.1% to $US2845.82 an ounce
Oil -1% at $US73.3o a barrel
Iron ore -2.2% at $US102.00 a tonne

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

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Markets

January 7, 2025

Under The Media Man Watercooler And On The Floor

ASX futures up 12 points or 0.2%

AUD +0.5% to 62.46 US cents
Bitcoin +3.7% to $US102,068 at 8.33am AEDT
On Wall St: Dow -0.1% S&P +0.6% Nasdaq +1.2%
In New York: BHP -0.7% Rio -0.4% Atlassian +1.7%
Tesla +0.2% Apple +0.7% Nvidia +3.4% Microsoft +1.1%
Alphabet +2.5% Amazon +1.5% Meta +4.2%
VIX -0.09 to 16.04 QQQ +1.2% TLT -0.5%
Stoxx 50 +2.4% FTSE +0.3% DAX +1.6% CAC +2.2%
Spot gold -0.2% to $US2635.63/oz at 1.53pm in New York
Brent crude -0.7% to $US76.00 a barrel
Iron ore -1.2% to $US97.00 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.61% Australia 4.47% Germany 2.44%
US prices as of 4.29pm in New York

Markets

January 4, 2025

ASX futures up 23 points or 0.3% near 8am AEDT

AUD +0.2% to 62.16 US cents

Bitcoin +1.2% to $US98,195 at 8.27am AEDT

On Wall St at 4pm: Dow +0.8% S&P +1.3% Nasdaq +1.8%

In New York: BHP -0.8% Rio -0.3% Atlassian +3.3%

Tesla +8.2% Apple -0.2% Nvidia +4.7% Microsoft +1.1%

Alphabet +1.3% Amazon +1.8% Meta +0.9%

Mara +14.1% MicroStrategy +13.2% Iren +8.4%

VIX -1.8 to 16.13 QQQ +1.6% TLT -0.3%

Stoxx 50 -0.9% FTSE -0.4% DAX -0.6% CAC -1.5%

Spot gold -0.7% to $US2639.37oz at 4.51pm in New York

Brent crude +0.9% to $US76.58 a barrel

Iron ore -2.6% to $US98.30 a tonne

10-year yield: US 4.60% Australia 4.38% Germany 2.42%

US prices as of 4.54pm in New York

Markets and Commodities

November 1, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6579 USD (up $0.0009 USD)

Iron Ore Nov Spot Price (SGX): $104.10 USD (up $0.30 USD)

Iron Ore Dec Spot Price (SGX): $103.80 USD (up $0.28 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $70.51 USD (up $1.57 USD)

Gold Price: $2,746.76 USD (down $38.62 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $4.3600 USD (up $0.0030 USD)

Bitcoin: $69,991.53 USD (down 2.58% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 41,763.46 at 4.09pm NY time (down378.08 points on yesterday's close)

Markets and Commodities

October 10, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6710 USD (down $0.0040 USD)

Iron Ore Nov Spot Price (SGX): $105.15 USD (unchanged - public holiday)

Oil Price (WTI): $73.36 USD (down $0.55 USD)

Gold Price: $2,607.14 USD (down $15.75 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $4.4080 USD (down 0.0605 USD)

Bitcoin: $60,908.07 USD (down 2.11% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 42,512.00 at 4.20pm NY time (up 431.63 points on yesterday's close)

Markets and Commodities

October 4, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6840 USD (down $.0040 USD)

Iron Ore Nov Spot Price (SGX): $108.75 USD (down $0.20 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $73.71 USD (up $2.70 USD)

Gold Price: $2,656.04 USD (down $2.97 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $4.5435 USD (down 0.1195 USD)

Bitcoin: $60,801.67 USD (up 0.09% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 42,011.59 (down 184.93 points on yesterday's close)

Market, Commodities and Financial News

Snapshot via Media Man

October 4, 2024

ASX futures down 33 points or 0.4% to 8209 near 6am AEST

AUD -0.6% to $US68.44¢

Bitcoin +1.3% to $US60,954

Dow -0.6%

S&P -0.4%

Nasdaq -0.3%

FTSE -0.1%

DAX -0.8%

CAC -1.3%

Gold -0.1% to $US2657.32 an ounce

Brent oil +5.2% to $US77.77 a barrel

Iron ore +0.6% to $US108.75 a tonne

Markets and Commodities

September 11, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6650 USD (down $0.0010 USD)

Iron Ore Oct Spot Price (SGX): $91.00 USD (down $1.35 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $66.31 USD (down $2.49 USD)

Gold Price: $2,516.51 USD (up $11.13 USD

Copper Price (CME): $4.1050 USD (down 0.0365 USD)

Bitcoin: $57,669.72 USD (down 0.38% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 40,736.96 at 4.59pm NY time (down 92.63 points on yesterday's close)

Market, Commodities and Financial News

Snapshot via Media Man

September 11, 2024

ASX futures down 3 points or 0.04% to 7997 near 6am AEST

AUD -0.1% to 66.58 US cents

Bitcoin +1.4% to $US57,885

Dow -0.3%

S&P +0.4%

Nasdaq +0.8%

FTSE -0.8%

DAX -1.0%

CAC -0.2%

Gold +0.3% to $US2514.88 an ounce

Brent oil -3.2% to $US69.52 a barrel

Iron ore -0.8% to $US91.00 a tonne

Markets And Commodities

August 20, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6728 USD (up $0.0063 USD)

Iron Ore Sep Spot Price (SGX): $95.00 USD (up $2.70 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $74.43 USD (down $2.22 USD)

Gold Price: $2,504.11 USD (down $4.07 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $4.1975 USD (up $0.0470 USD)

Bitcoin: $59,144.75 USD (down 1.09% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 40,896.53 (up 236.77 points on Friday's close)

Market, Commodities and Financial News

Snapshot via Media Man

July 29, 2024

ASX futures up 60 points or 0.8% to 7938 near 3am AEST

AUD +0.2% to 65.48 US cents

Bitcoin -0.6% to $US67,636

Dow +1.6%

S&P +1.1%

Nasdaq +1%

FTSE +1.2%

DAX +0.7%

CAC +1.2%

Gold +1.0% to $US2387.19 an ounce

Brent oil -1.5% to $US81.13 a barrel

Iron ore +2.5% to $US102.40 a tonne

Markets and Commodities

July 18, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6730 USD (unchanged)

Iron Ore Aug Spot Price (SGX): $105.05 USD (down $2.10 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $83.10 USD (up $2.28 USD)

Gold Price: $2,458.69 USD (down $10.15 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $4.4165 USD (down $0.0405 USD)

Bitcoin: $64,196.81 USD (down 0.80% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 41,198.08 at 4.20pm NY time (up 243.60 points on yesterday's close)

(Roy Morgan Summary)

Shares In Hot Fintch Company Block Fall After Latest Hindenburg Report
(Chartr)

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Markets and Commodities

July 9, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6735 USD (down $0.0003 USD)

Iron Ore Aug Spot Price (SGX): $108.75 USD (down $1.50 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $82.30 USD (down $0.86 USD)

Gold Price: $2,358.93 USD (down $32.66 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $4.6035 USD (down $0.0645 USD)

Bitcoin: $56,215.84 USD (down 1.75% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 39,344.79 (down 31.08 points on Friday's close)

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Cryptocurrency News via Media Man and FxPro

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PxPro: News

July 1, 2024

Buyers failed to pick up on the crypto market

Market picture

The crypto market has been enjoying an influx of buyers since Saturday, with a visible acceleration on Monday. Over the past 24 hours, capitalisation has risen 3.6% to $2.33 trillion. Last week’s drop in the crypto sentiment index to 30 (fear zone) reversed the price twice, showing that the market is dominated by a ‘buy the dip’ pattern.

Bitcoin is trading near $63.3K, adding 5% since Saturday morning and reaffirming the importance of support at 61.8% of the Jan-March rally. From another perspective, Bitcoin is adding and bouncing off the lower boundary of the downward channel. Likely, the price is now moving towards the upper boundary at $67K. However, cautious buyers may prefer to wait for confirmation with the price rising above $72-73K - the pivot area of the last four months - which would be confirmation of the start of a new impulsive wave of growth.

Bitcoin ended June down 8.5% to $61.9K. In terms of seasonality, July is considered quite successful for BTC, adding eight times (22.3% on average) out of the last 13 and declining on five occasions (-7.8% on average).

News background

In terms of on-chain analysis, quotes have crossed the realised price level of short-term holders at $62,000, which historically can act as support during corrections in bull markets.

According to Arkham data, German authorities sent another 595 BTC worth ~$36.6 million to crypto exchanges on 26 June. Authorities began actively moving the cryptocurrency on 19 June, when some of it first hit the Kraken and Bitstamp exchanges.

Bitwise forecasts net inflows into spot ETH-ETFs in the US of $15bn in the first 18 months. Bloomberg expects trading in the new product to start on 2 July.

Solana Foundation has launched tools that enable it to turn any website or app into a gateway for cryptocurrency payments and other blockchain transactions.

On 26 June, the Blast development team completed the first phase of an airdrop, distributing 17 billion BLAST tokens (17% of the total issuance). Blast is an Ethereum-based layer 2 (L2) network that was launched in November 2023 by Blur founder under the pseudonym Pacman. In terms of blockchain value locked (TVL), the Blast ecosystem is ranked sixth in the DeFi Llama ranking with a value of $1.58bn.

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Asia Pacific Mega Gambling News Update, by Greg Tingle - 9th April 2011

Newcastle NSW War Pokie Laws...

New poker machine restrictions proposed by Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie will "annihilate" pubs and clubs in the Hunter, leaving hundreds out of work, ClubsNSW Newcastle councillor Jon Chin says. Clubs Australia is launching a $20 million advertising campaign on Monday in an attempt to prevent the introduction of mandatory pre-commitment technology for all poker machines. Banjo, a John "Singo" Singleton company is behind the campaign. Mandatory pre-commitment requires pokies users to commit to a spending limit before they begin gambling. Once they reach that limit they will be unable to gamble again until the following day or longer, depending on what restrictions the player sets for themselves. Chin said the cost of implementing the new technology in the Hunter region would surpass $100 million. This figure did not include the 40% in revenue clubs would experience once the restrictions were imposed, he said. "This means Hunter clubs will lose another $100 million, making it impossible for us to sustain our businesses," he said. Australian Hotels Association Hunter sub-branch vice-president Bruce Woods said there was no evidence to suggest the restrictions would discourage people from gambling. "This won't help pathological gamblers at all but it will lead to a loss of jobs," he said. "We support the clubs' campaign against this, it will affect pubs just as much as clubs".

Online Gaming Strong Growth In Asia...

Online gaming industry has grown into a $US3 billion business that provides a good standard of living to migrant workers in Asia who play games all day and sometimes, all night! Virtual currency is all the rage, it sometimes gets sold to punters abroad for cash. A World Bank study demonstrates an emerging industry in which firms seeking to boost their brands' popularity pay low-skilled workers overseas to become their Facebook fans or Twitter followers. The study, Knowledge Map of the Virtual Economy, is the World Bank's first in-depth look at the impact of online gaming and social media in the developing world. Vili Lehdonvirta, a co-author of the report, advised that the bank should not pour its money into the industry, because he said the deal making violated some of the game publishers' terms of service and was cheating. Known in the business as "gold farming", the game-playing boomed in the early 2000s with games like World of Warcraft and has evolved considerably. Labourers in Asia spend numerous hours each day advancing through levels of an online game, picking up gold, swords and gems that enhance a game player's status. Then gaming studios, which employ the players, sell those virtual goods to online retailers. Next step, the retailers sell on those goods to more than 120 million players globally, many of them in Europe and North America, who don't want to play the games day and night to gather their own. The bank's report indicates that online gaming has a positive impact in Asia because 70% of the industry's revenue remains in the gaming countries, with most of that money going to the gaming studios. Compared with the $US70 billion coffee market...in which only a tiny fraction of the revenue remains in the bean-growing countries...the gaming industry had a "much better development impact", the report states. A report survey checks out on a group of 26 players and studio managers that offers a rough, yet rare demographic look at their lives. Most of the players work out of studios in China, in Beijing or Changsha, capital of Hunan province. They earn an average wage of $US2.70 an hour, $US1 more than Beijing's minimum wage for part-time factory work. "The larger point is that online gaming is often viewed as exploitation, Lehdonvirta said. "Certainly it's not a dream career, but the players are not at sweatshop levels." The gaming studios keep about 60% of the industry's $US3 billion in revenue. Readers, would you like to be a prize gather for the gaming studios on that level of pay? Better not answer!

Samoan Casino Proposal Has Social Concerns For Kiwi, Samoan Locals...

All these places have land based casinos - Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, Macau, Melbourne and just maybe soon - Apia in Samoa. Some business folks have earmarked it as a future gambling destination, and Kiwi group, the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand, is advising against it, citing social harms of a casino will outweigh any economical benefits that the Samoan government will hope to achieve. In an admission of the dangers of gambling, the proposed casino in Apia will attempt to bar locals by only allowing the holders of foreign passports to gamble. Problem #1... many locals have duplicate passports, so getting in to a casino for locals may not be that hard, and don't even bring up the subject of fake ID. Will the region get a land based casino? Stay tuned for updates.

Clubs Australia War On Gillard Labor Government Re Pokie Laws...

Clubs Australia has declared "open warfare" on the Gillard government, preparing a $20 million media campaign to try to stop laws to limit how much punters can spend on poker machines. Last year "Tasmanian Devil" (MM satire) independent MP Andrew Wilkie backed Labor to form a minority government in return for a clampdown on the use of poker machines. Now, the lobby that represents clubs and pubs is wrestling and punching back, with a media blitz targeting Wilkie and Prime Minister Julie Gillard. Both Wilkie and Gillard are in big trouble in the popularity polls, with Labor set to lose the next federal election, following their NSW loss, where it was bloody and crimson mass. Billboards, a website, beer coasters and more It's war on nationwide. The campaign has been criticised as misleading for claiming punters will need a licence to gamble. Clubs Australia executive director Anthony Ball rejects that. "What we do know is that everyone who plays a poker machine will need to register and obtain a card, and then insert it into a poker machine and set a binding limit. There needs to be player tracking, because how else does the machine know what the player is doing? It will have your private details and your gambling history on it. Now if that's not a licence, I don't know what is." Under Wilkie's master plan, gamblers would have to nominate a dollar figure for how much they are prepared to lose before they start gambling, a scheme known as "mandatory pre-commitment". Wilkie wants the law in place by 2014 and he has the backing of South Australian independent Senator Nick 'Mr X' (MM satire) Xenophon. Senator Xenophon describes the Clubs Australia campaign as a "joke". "This industry is willing to spend $20 million of tax-break money that they get from community clubs - effectively taxpayers' monies, indirectly - to peddle lies in terms of a campaign where they haven't even seen what the final report will say. Whether it's $20 million or $200 million, this mob can spend as much as they like, but they can't spin that they are causing enormous damage out in the community. There are 300,000 Australians who either have a severe gambling problem because of poker machines, or are already showing the signs of one."

Proposed Pokie Laws With Cost 10,000's of Aussie Jobs...

Clubs Australia advise the changes will cost jobs. They want it to be a voluntary scheme and have rejected a government request to hold off on the ad war. "It will cost jobs, for the simple reason that asking Australians to sign on to this licence to gamble will mean they'll do something else," Mr Ball said. "They'll go and gamble online where none of these controls exist, or they they'll go to the TAB - they won't do it at the club.Even the proponent of this, Andrew Wilkie, is saying that this will cost up to 40% of revenue."
It's all hot fodder in Aussie Parliament too. Liberal Steve Ciobo sits on the joint committee on gambling reform, which has been hearing arguments pro and con against a mandatory pre-commitment scheme. "The committee was charged by the Labor party with the responsibility to look at a roll-out of pre-commitment," he said. "But Coalition members will be putting in a dissenting report because the evidence is clear that it's going to cost jobs, it's going to cost investment, and I'm concerned based on the evidence that it will make problem gambling potentially worse." The committee is due to report in the next few weeks. The states and territories have until the end of May to decide if they will agree to the Wilkie-led reforms. If they refuse, the Commonwealth believes it has the power to introduce overriding legislation to impose a national scheme. The pokie industry has shown the willingness to wrestle all the way to the next election, and perhaps even beyond. It's the lovers VS the haters. Who will win, and when will the final victor emerge. Stay tuned.

Sky City Entertainment Group Stocks Fall From Sky...

Sky City Entertainment Group, the casino and hotel operator, fell 0.9% to $3.41 amid media reports that overseas competitors were looking to hire the 500 staff made redundant or on leave without pay due to the closure of the Christchurch Casino. SkyCity owns a 50% stake in the business.

Casino Bouncer Thought Disabled Bloke Was Drunk...

A South Australian man with deasiese cerebral palsy says he was refused entry to the Adelaide Casino because the bouncer thought he was drunk. Mark Thiele was on a big night out with friends when he attempted to enter the casino, but was refused by a bouncer aka "gorilla". Thiele says the bouncer mistakenly thought he was drunk, but the casino is sticking by its decision. "I had said to the man that I wasn't a drunk, I was crippled," said Thiele, talking about his rejection on 7.30 South Australia. "He had said to me he was convinced I was intoxicated even though we said that I had only had a few drinks earlier on in the evening. "So I can't see why I was singled out and everybody else in my party wasn't. There was no difference between any of us besides the obvious. It's a mystery to me really." Last month, he and his friends had walked to the casino from the city's Hindley Street entertainment strip a few blocks away. Thiele has trouble moving his body and for him, walking distances is a big effort. His mate Aaron Nettlebeck says the casino bouncer did not understand. "Walking that sort of distance does get very, very sweaty over that sort of short period. It was a bit infuriating that it happened like that after such a nice evening." Thiele says he has not had a problem at venues until now. "For the vast majority it's never been a problem. Bouncers that I've come into contact with have been understanding and even let me skip the line a few times just to put me at ease," he said. "Obviously it's a stamina thing that I can't walk these long distances and stand in lines and all of these things." He says he is considering lodging a complaint with the commission or under South Australia's liquor laws.The casino's general manager, David Christian, has offered an apology of sorts. "It was certainly not our intention that Mark would have felt discriminated against and I'm sorry that he does feel that way," he said. But he is defending the actions of his staff. "They believe that they made the right call. I would believe that with the calibre we have and the training we put into our security officers, and the level of management that oversees it, that they would be right most of the time."

New Zealand Christchurch Casino Workers Hurting From Earthquake Financial Aftershocks...

Financial and emotional aftershocks are still be felt by the casino sector after a series of earthquakes that rocked the Asia Pacific - Japan and New Zealand region. Christchurch Casino workers are feeling disappointed and even depressed after having failed attempt to get a bigger redundancy payday.In excess of 500 formally happy and motivated casino employees were offered redundancy at the central Christchurch casino last weekend, which was badly damaged in the February 22 quake and has stayed closed ever since the act of mother nature. Anyone who wants to stay at the casino will be paid their holiday pay as either a weekly amount or in a "lump sum". Simply put, they will remain as employees of the land based casino on leave without pay until the the gambling den opens again. The SFWU (Service and Food Workers' Union), which reps for 100 plus casino workers, has a meeting with the casino's managers on Thursday. SFWU strategic industry boss Len 'Razor' (MM tag) Richards said workers were sombre but firm in their desire about securing a more attractive redundancy package. The union power that be were also asking for continued pay for employees that choose to stay on until the casino opens again. However, he advised management was not prepared to increase the amount of redundancy pay for staff, but did agree to request for a government wage subsidy. Due to a private insurance deal and policy in place, the land based casino has not relied upon the $1.5 million government subsidy available for quake-affected businesses. Richards stated that the union has contacted earthquake recovery minister Gerry Brownlee to request assistance to help pay workers who remain employed. SkyCity, half owner of the famous Christchurch Casino, has projected a $130 million plus profit this year. It's not known how much financially the quake cost Christchurch Casino or SkyCity. Christchurch Casino top sheep er top dog...chief executive Brett 'Ask Him' (MM satire) Anderson said about 70% of employees have indicated they will stay with the company rather than take the offered redundancy. He said a number of employees are also being offered jobs offshore. Anderson elaborated "I'm getting phone calls from Australia looking for our people and likewise all over New Zealand, and a few of them have spread their wings. More than a few have gone over to the Gold Coast. It's a lot warmer, it's a lot more stable, you can swim in the sea, the pay rates are better." Anderson said he still does not know when the casino will reopen.Employees have a deadline until Monday to decide whether they will take the redundancy package or stay on. Yep, it's the money or the box. Workers who have not contacted the company by showdown at 5pm on Monday will be deemed to have left their jobs and will be paid out a four-weeks-notice payment, along with their annual leave entitlements. Casino workers, did you get that. D Day is approaching.

A Media Man spokesperson said "In the current global economy anyone with a decent job should be grateful, especially in the casino or gaming sector. Well done to Christchurch Casino management for doing their utmost to assist in their difficult times. Employers will always want to ask for more... its in the nature. Land based casinos generally remain popular around the world so good staff will always be in demand."

Media Man and Gambling911 wish all parties well with their dealings, and hopefully some win - win - wins will still be possible.

States Probe Sports Betting Ads...

Aussie states are uniting to consider a crackdown on an explosion in advertising of sports betting, Victoria's Gaming Minister says. Michael O'Brien last night revealed the betting blitz on sport was being examined by the Council of Australian Governments. "There is growing concern at the extent to which is becoming inseparable from the coverage of major sporting events. Kids are being exposed to it constantly just by watching the footy or cricket," he said.AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said the league had expressed its concerns to stadium managers. Goal posts, boundary line fences and scoreboards at the MCG and Etihad Stadium have been plastered with ads from bookmakers. Demetriou said the alarm was raised during last year's Brownlow Medal telecast. "There seemed to be an enormous amount of (gambling) advertising after each break," he told press. O'Brien said the AFL, which enjoys lucrative sponsorship arrangements with gambling giants, could take responsibility through its media and stadium deals. "It may be that there's an opportunity for this influence to be exercised to ensure the promotion of sports betting isn't allowed to detract from family-friendly objectives of (such) sports," he said. This week, former Demon Daniel Ward revealed in the the newspapers his battle with gambling. "It's always in your face," he said of the ads. "It's like being a drug addict and an advert comes on saying, 'The first 50 people to ring will get a free bag of marijuana'."

Hawkins Former Ms Univervese Lookalike Kahili Blundell Wins Ralph Swimwear Title At Star...

Sin City Sydney babe Kahili Blundell has snatched the Ralph Australian Swimwear Model of the Year comp. The Crows Nest bikini super babe bested more than 2000 babes from all over Australia and Kiwi land to grab the coveted title at Sin Sydney's Star City Casino on Thurday. "I feel more than special right now, I'm blown away and so honoured to be given this position," Blundell said. "I was expecting him to call another number and I stood there thinking 27, is that me? "It's also my boyfriend's birthday, but I realised it was me and I was shivering." The 21-year-old Jennifer Hawkins lookalike works as a personal assistant and dabbles in makeup artistry in her spare time. Blundell says modelling has been tough, slogging it out for 3 years. "Since November I've been training every week for this, thinking about it every night," she said. "I've been brought up to eat very healthy, so I don't have too much trouble doing that, but I definitely exercise a lot. I've been working very hard so thank god it's all paid off." The comp saw the 38 finalists strut their stuff in catwalk parades. Sex bikinis were all the rage. A select group of a bakers dozen were picked, then reigning champ Emmi Moore handed over her sash and championship title to Blundell. "I've been doing this for three years now and this is exactly what I've been dreaming and hoping for," Blundell said. "I'm open to any opportunity and I love challenges. I've obviously done well in the bikini field, so I might just continue on this track for a little while." Burlesque babe Sina King from Underbelly home Melbourne snatched runner-up while second runner-up went to 21-year-old writer - journo type Tiffany Baker from Fremantle in Western Australia.

Australian Boxer Katsidis To Fight Guerrero In MGM Grand Casino Las Vegas Bloody Sunday...

Down under's Australia's Michael Katsidis and his opponent in Sunday's (AEST) interim lightweight world-title fight at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Casino, America's Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero, also have powerful stories. Guerrero's world was crushed big time circa 2007 when his wife, Casey, was diagnosed with leukemia. The Californian gave up boxing, giving up his world-title, so he could be by Casey's side and stay close to their young children as she underwent a bone-marrow transplant. Things are now looking up for Guerrero. "Casey has been cancer free for almost a year now," 28-year-old Guerrero, the number one ranked lightweight in the world and a former featherweight and super featherweight champion, said. Last year Katsidis' was having a dream run. The likable 30-year-old blokefrom Toowoomba celebrated his first wedding anniversary with wife Kumiko. He loved being a dad to their one-year-old daughter Kalia and was preparing for the biggest bout of his career, a world-title fight in Las Vegas against Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez. Things quickly went downhill when five weeks before the Marquez fight he learned his 31-year-old brother, champion Australian jockey (horse racing) Stathi Katsidis, had passed away. Just days later Katsidis' longtime trainer, Brendon Smith, received two more bad news calls. Smith's nephew got paralysed from the chest down in an accident and one of the trainer's former boxers passed away. "We got it all within three weeks and just before the Marquez fight," Smith said. Katsidis and Smith made the call to keep training at their Thai boxing camp and take on Marquez at the MGM Grand Casino, a match that would be voted the Fight of the Year after Katsidis floored Marquez to the mat in the third round. Marquez guts and balls by getting up and pounding Katsidis so badly ref Kenny Bayless ended the match in the ninth round, giving Marquez a ninth round technical knockout victory. On the eve of the Guerrero fight, Katsidis and Smith, who kept quite before the Marquez bout, finally opened up about their personal tragedies. Katsidis did not sleep two days before the Marquez fight. "He was emotionally spent before he got in the ring and to do what he did under the circumstances was incredible," Smith said. "I believe if something doesn't kill you it only makes you stronger," Katsidis said. Guerrero has 22 knockouts in his 27 professional victories. "This is truly a fight for boxing fans," Guerrero, who has a 28 win (18 KO), one loss professional record, said. "You are going to see two guys go at it and give it their all." The winner of the match will be named the interim World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organisation lightweight champions. Promoter 'Golden Boy' Oscar De La Hoya has named the MGM card "Action Heroes", with another Mexican legend, Erik Morales, fighting Argentina's exciting welterweight contender Marcos Maidana and in another welterweight battle, Brooklyn's Paulie Malignaggi VS Jose Miguel Cotto. The matches will be broadcast live in Australia on Sunday from 11am AEST by Main Event pay-per-view. "For a boxing card, sounds like it will be value for money for a bit of a change", said a Media Man insider.

News

Australia Day Special, by Greg Tingle - 26th January 2011

G'day and Happy Australia Day everyone. Ok, we know some of you punters, journos, high rollers - casino whales, entertainment news junkies, politicians, insiders, outsiders and legal eagles are from across the globe are not Australia, nor have ever been down under, but you get the idea. Did you know that some indigenous Australia's call Australia Day 'Invasion Day'! That's because most history books show that Captain James Cook and his crew invaded Australia on this day in 1988. They are known by a new names including the First Fleet, while some aborigines will always think of them and murderous mongrels, who stole their land and pride. It's easy for many of us to get the point of the blackfellas (affectionate). Media Man and Gambling911 with a bush tucker bag full of Australian gambling, casino, poker, media and sports news. Fair winds...

Queensland Banana Bender State: Pub Pokies And Online Pokies Becoming More Popular?...

One armed bandits are maintaining their popularity in 'The Sunshine State'. It's understand that punters might have only a 1 in a million chance of winning really big, lotto - millionaire style, but they just keep coming back for more. Yep, throw another dime in the pokie baby. Queenslanders "invested" close to $2 billion last year as the punters passion for the slots maintained its fever pace. The total pokies expenditure of $1.81 billion was slightly down on the previous year, it was the third year consecutively the number exceeded $1.8 billion. We're also learned that the 2008 figure of $1.83 billion was an all-time record. Now, this is important - those numbers Do Not take into account the rabid take up and roll our of online poker or sports betting. You know, betting over the global medium - the internet. Overall, Queenslanders spent $7 million less on pokies than last year and $28 million less than in 2008, but it still works out at in excess of $150 million every month down the slots August was the year's biggest month for slot gamblers, who put close to $170 million in the throats of the one armed bandits. August was also the biggest month for gamblers in 2008, with more than $173 million lost. Pokies remain by far the most popular games for punters in Australia, bringing in most of the estimated $17 billion spent on all forms of gambling down under each year. Some insiders think that the reduction in official spending was more a sign of the increased popularity of internet and sports-based gambling. Concentrating on pokie figures, it appears Queenslanders gambled more at the height of the global financial crisis two years ago than they did throughout 2010.

Tassie 'Devil' Gambling Tycoon Devilish Quotes...

David Walsh from Tasmania was such a big hit with the readership we thought we would dig up a few more of the red hot 'The Devil's' quotes, that are too good not to share. First a refresher...Art and gambling do mix, at least that's the experience of Brits Damian Aspinall, Phil 'Tuffers' Tufnell, Australian artist Gina Sinozich, Media Man (bodypaint and burlesque "fetish") and Tasmanian gambling whale - tycoon, David 'Wicked' (satire) Walsh. You will pick up on Dave's affectionate nickname by us later. We like you David, ok mate. Tasmania's most famous or infamous gambling figure, millionaire, David Walsh yesterday gave us a peak into his art exhibit...the biggest (and weirdest) private art gallery in Tasmania, if not the Asia Pacific. The $110 million Museum of Old and New Art is nestled on the banks of Hobart's Derwent River.

Quotes By The Tasmanian Devil!...

"FUCK the art, let's rock'n'roll."

"I think formal curation is a form of mental masturbation."

"I'm not really that interested in a bunch of big names. Most of the works are by people most people haven't heard of and still won't have heard of because there's no wall labels."

"I don't want to lose control (or) something that ends up looking like a pale version of the National Gallery of Victoria".

"Subversive adult Disneyland".

"Please see reception if you are planning a pool party or a ritualistic orgy."

"It's the opportunity to mess with your head. I like the idea of people having a couple of beers and looking at the art, having a couple more and changing their mind."

"Just a privileged guy with a megaphone"

"It’s like a rich man’s soap box. I’m standing on my soapbox and I’m shouting my views like they mean something."

"I’ll take all the popular stuff out. And if you go to the toilet two or three times we’ll recommend a good urologist."

“My brother once said about me that I’d rather be outside a barrel pissing in than inside the barrel pissing out. I’m anti this idea that we know what we’re doing with certainty. I kinda think that most things that are good happen to people largely by accident, but then they start looking for explanations. You see the views of rich, successful people on television, and they tell you why they got rich and successful; they don’t interview all the people who went through the same process and didn’t. I think most things are complete crap. I want to show that you can be fortunate without believing that your fortune was anything other than fortune."

"There are so many things we do that we hide from. We hack open cows and eat their guts but we compartmentalise that away from our lives so we can pretend it’s not happening. And on a larger, more important scale, if each of us acted individually to say ‘OK, we f…ed up the atmosphere, it is our personal responsibility’, humanity would behave in a very different way."

"One of the things about having money is that … I feel a bit of guilt and a level of privilege, and it seems to be an obligation to do something, and since art is what I’ve been doing....but it wasn’t really like that. It was: I bought this small gallery, bought a bigger one, and gradually it became something of this scale. It’s become a lot more serious endeavour than I intended it to be. There’s a bit of thumbing my nose at the establishment and trying to bypass academia, but mainly I just wanted it to be a bit of fun. And it is. And it will be."

"The gambling is all a computer thing that is going on right now".

Website

Museum of Old and New Art

Queensland: Cairns Reef Hotel Casino Poised To Raise Big Bucks For Flood Relief On Australia Day...

Punters, let's all spare a thought for those who have been attacked by the floods on Australia Day. Numerous events are being planed around Australia, from 'Sound Relief' to and initiative from the Cairns Reef Hotel Casino 'Bring on the Sun' It will be one of the biggest events on the Australia Day calendar for the city and all funds raised will go to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal. There's a good old fashioned sausage sizzle, competitions and female performers including the Marlins’ cheer squad. "The whole idea is slanted towards the female performer," entertainment manager Bruce Stewart said. "We’ve got an eclectic blend of female artists coming to perform as well." Cazalys, El Mundo Tapas Bar and the Marlin Coast Bowls Club will also host events to raise money for flood victims. Cairns Regional Council will hold events across the region, including the ever-popular celebrations on the Esplanade. Mayor Val Schier said the council was expecting a good attendance as usual with residents keen to get outside and celebrate our sunburnt country in the green and gold. "Even last year when it poured, a huge number of people came to the Aussie breakfast; we expect the same will happen this year, rain, hail or shine. It is one of those days where people can come together as a community and help celebrate why it is great to be an Australian. We live in a fantastic country and it is good for people to get out and enjoy it." Pubs and clubs will also get into the Aussie spirit with a number of activities on offer. Paradise Palms Resort and Country Club has a patriotic, fun-filled day planned with activities that pay homage to Australia’s heritage such as the much-anticipated pie-eating competition. "Everybody is welcome to come along and have some fun while tucking into our Aussie selection of meat pies, icy beers, lamingtons and classic Australian music by DJ Danny from Millennium Sounds," director of sales and marketing Darlene Holdsworth said.

Events

Join the celebrations

Paradise Palms Resort and Country Club Australia Day celebrations
What’s on: Australian menu served from noon in Restaurant 59, pie-eating and thong-throwing competitions start at 1.30pm. Pies, icy beers, lamingtons and classic Australian music on offer at the resort.
Time: 12pm. Entry free.

Bring on the Sun at Cairns Reef Hotel Casino
What’s on: Entertainment, sausage sizzle, raffles, jumping castle and more with all proceeds going to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal.
Time: 2pm. Entry free.

Shane Warne And Poker Mates Get VIP Star Treatment At Australian Open Tennis Sunday Night...

The spinner got there at 8pm hoping to get star VIP treatment for 14 of his closest mates. In the mix was was Joe Hachem, who he had earlier caught up with at the launch of the Aussie Millions Poker Tournament at Crown Casino. Warne requested an escort (no, not that type silly) when he arrived and posed mostly for photographs with his sunglasses on. He also spent time in Andy Roddick's player's box during his loss to Swissman Stanislas Wawrinka. It been a big couple of days for "poker her" for the legend, playing rendezvous with Liz Hurley in LA. He is expected to play in the second round of the poker tournament and could face off against Gary Ablett Jr and Jeff Fenech tomorrow. Blett made it through to the second round.

Australian Financial Review Goes Gaga For Lady Gaga; Gets Facts Wrong (We Think)...

It took us a few months of going through newspapers but we finally found the AFR to make a slip up, and its a doozy....An article reads "the complex will have a few upmarket bars, including one on the roof, and an events theatre to house live acts – think Lady Gaga – as well as awards nights." With Gaga's level of popularity she would require a much larger venue than Star City. Earlier this year, she - they played two concerts at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, capacity 12,000 or thereabouts. Do the math.

Australia's Kylie Minogue To Do The Colosseum At Caesars Palace Las Vegas: Aphrodite Live...

Mark is down Kylie fans the word over. She's doing Ceasers Sunday May 22, 2011 8pm

Melbourne: Aussie Joker Comedian Performs At Packer's Crown; Raises Cash For Flood Relief...

Melbourne folks at Crown Casino recently enjoyed 'The Jokers Comedy That Rocks' at Crown Casino. James Packer's casino donated all proceeds from last Friday night’s show to Queensland flood victims. Organiser William Leitch has happy with the way things went and showcased an evening with some of the city’s top stand-up artists, including Brad Oakes, Christine Basil and Greg Fleet. It's understood he got close to 150 people to come along, and he may be invited back on upcoming Friday nights.

Top 100 ASX Listed Companies Respond To Flood Cry For Help; Gambling And Gaming Industry Steps Up; Mining Firms and Banking Bastards Lead Charge...

1. BHP Billiton: $1.3 million (in addition, matching employee donations)

2. CBA: $1.35 million

3. Westpac: $1 million

4. ANZ: $1 million

5. NAB: $1 million

6. News Corp: $500,000 and Blue Ribbon campaign

7. Rio Tinto: $1 million ($700,000 to Premier Relief, $300,000 to Emerald community)

8. Wesfarmers: $7.5 million (plus $3.5 million from Coles customers)

9. Telstra Corp: up to $1 million by matching staff contributions (so far $338,000; is also supplying phones and free calls to people affected)

10. Woolside Petroleum: $122,395 (corporate + employees)

11. Woolworths: $6.9 million (matching customer donations in Woolies, Big W, Dick Smith dollar for dollar)

14. Fortescue Metals: Matching staff donations dollar for dollar

15. CSL: $250,000

16. QBE Insurance: not releasing a statement

17. Origin energy: $1 million

18. Macquarie Group: $200,000 (combined staff and company effort with fundraising activities continuing both here and overseas)

19. AXA Asia Pacific: No response

20. Santos: $500,000 plus use of helicopters and vehicles for clean up. Also $50,000 for flooding in WA

21. Coal and Allied Industries: (see Rio Tinto)

22. AMP: $250,000 + matching employee contributions to WA flood appeal up to $250,000

23. Suncorp Group: $100,000 (staff and customers have donated $1.5million)

24. Foster's Group: $500,000

25. Brambles: No response

26. Leighton Holdings: No response

27. Orica: No response

28. Oil Search: No response

29. Stockland: Donated $250,000 to the Premier's flood relief appeal, another $30,000 to the Mayoress Rockhampton regional flood appeal and are matching employee donations dollar for dollar

30. Coca. Cola Amatil: No response

31. Amcor: No response

32. Westfield Retail Trust: No response

33. IAG: No response

39. Crown: Donation tins in Crown complexes and have committed to matching all donations as well as staff contributions

52. Tabcorp Holdings: $1 million

78. Tatts Group: Going to run a dedicated lottery for the Queensland flood appeal where all profits will go to the Premier's Flood Appeal. They ran the same thing in Victoria after the Black Saturday bushfires. It will run on Wednesday 2 Feb in Queensland and is expected to raise $200,000. In addition, another donation will be made from the unclaimed prizes fund of an as. yet undecided amount

79. Fairfax Media: Matching staff donations

100. Seek: Reported it had made a donation to the Premier's Flood Appeal but chose not to disclose how much

Brisbane: Flood Relief Money Gets Spend On Pokies, Vice - Piss Up At Pubs...

It's been reported in a number of Queensland newspapers that the $1000 flood relief grants that went to many good folks in Granville are being used to feed slots and buy piss (beer) rather than food and necessities. Two Maryborough publicans say that in some instances the answer to that is yes, and they are disgusted. One of the publicans was so incensed by the misuse of flood relief money she telephoned Fairfax Media to complain. "A man came in bragging about how he’d got the $1000 payout because he told Centrelink he was stuck in Granville – but he was here the whole time. It makes me sick that people are openly admitting they’ve got the money for nothing, while there are people who’ve died or lost everything." She said Centrelink should have screened the applications more carefully to make sure only people who were genuinely in need received the cash. Another pub owner said his one armed bandits had not stopped buzzing since the grants became available. "We were quiet during the actual floods but this week’s been totally different. The pokies and the bottle shop have been going non-stop." Yeah, Aussie continue to love a punt, rain, hail, shine or flood!

Aussie Millions Game 8 Results...

The London based chap took down the $1,100 8 game mixed event title at Crown Casino in Melbourne adding AUD$23,800 to his almost $1.2 million in career tournament earnings. He entered the final table as the short stack, but managed to grind his way to victory and nudge away Australia's Bruno Portaro for the victory. The event marked Ashby's 8th final table appearance at the Aussie Millions that includes a side-event win back in 2005 and a seventh-place finish in the main event in 2009. Ashby also won his first WSOP bracelet this summer in the $1,500 7 Card Stud event and went well in the $10k H.O.R.S.E. for his biggest career score of $378,027. The 2011 Aussie Millions $1,100 8-Game Mixed event drew 68-players and paid the final 7.

Here are the results:
1 Richard Ashby AUD$23,800
2 Bruno Portaro AUD$16,320
3 Casey Kastle AUD$10,880
4 Daniel Ospina AUD$6,800
5 Oliver Gill AUD$4,760
6 Dane Coltman AUD$3,400
7 Paul Ravesi AUD$2,040

Aussie Main Event Day 1b: PartyPoker And Full Tilt Poker Players Feel The Pain...

PartyGaming's PartyPoker and Full Tilt Poker's powers that be likely won't be celebrating. Ok, they got news coverage and exposure, but its because their players are out. Yep, history maties. Full Tilt went well on Day 1a but Day 1b was rooted. Many of the big name pros went down for the count as locals stepped up. 209 players entered the Crown Poker room but after 7 levels of play, 80 remained. David Oppenheim, Annette Obrestad, Carlos Mortensen, David Benyamine, Andrew Feldman, Steve Yea, Andy Bloch and Gus Hansen were some of the Full Tilt players who died. Other casualties included Luke Santo, Raj Ramakrishnan, George Moussa, Michael Pedley, Graeme Putt, Martin Comer, Dennis Huntly, Jamie Pickering, Bruno Portaro, Casey Kastle, Ben Savage and Tim Marsters. 2005 World Champion Joe Hachem (tweeting he struggled with jetlag following a recent trip to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.) Defending champ, 2010 Aussie Millions Main Event winner Tyron Krost (PartyGaming's PartyPoker pro went down too). A new champ will be crowned in 2011 with plenty of Aussies still in contention. The field kicked off with Jeff Rossier in the lead with 154,900, closely followed by Michael Ottobra (143,400) and Martin Drewe, After winning the Opening Event last week and going deep in another event, Drewe is now set in the chip leaders in the Main Event after getting to 136,100. Jay “SEABEAST” Kinkade did nicely with 128,700, Haibo Chu (113,900), Manny Stavropoulos (85,600), Sorel Mizzi (74,400), Michael Egan (61,100), Kent Hunter (56,400), Jeff Lisandro (55,000), Eric Assadourian (50,300), Scott Montgomery (49,200), Chris Ferguson (45,400), Lee Nelson (30,200), Neil Channing (28,800), Roland de Wolfe (26,100), Aleks Brkovic (24,600), Jackie Glazier (21,900), Grant Levy (18,300), Gary Benson (10,500) and Mel Judah (7,200) amongst those who will return on Day 2. The 3rd and final flight of the 2011 Aussie Millions Main will commence Tuesday with another strong field and a few big names expected. Even Van Marcus will front up. Van, is your Red Ferrari safe this time mate? We're looking for more good fodder to write about. How about do a publicity stunt and make world wide headlines ago. Maybe someone at Crown Casino - Crown Limited might be open to it. Stanger things have happened... like Ferrari's getting stolen on site, casino fights and a man getting stuck in the Crown Casino kitchen grease vacuum.

Aussie Millions Event #9 Day 1b: Rossiter In Front...

It was down to business with players investing AUD$10,600 to buy in all with the goal of becoming the 2011 Aussie Millions Champion. 7 seven levels of play, and the 209-player field went to 80. Jeff Rossiter is in front with 154,900. Martin Drewe, 2011 Aussie Millions Event #1 winner with 136,100 - now 3rd on the leaderboard. Australian Jay Kinkade is on 128,700, and European Poker Tour mainstay Jeff Sarwer sits 5th with 120,500. Randy "nanonoko" Lew has 110,000 and Gavin Griffin 101,700 in 9th ninth and 10th place. Sorel Mizzi, Jeffrey Lisandro, Eric Assadourian, Team Full Tilt's Chris Ferguson, Full Tilt Poker Red Pros Scott Montgomery and Roland de Wolfe, Neil Channing, and Lee Nelson have also all made it to Wednesday's Day 2, but it was touch and go for some of them, testing the skill VS luck debate. Full Tilt Poker $25,000 Shootout Invitational winner David Oppenheim, Annette Obrestad, Carlos Mortensen, Andy Bloch, David Benyamine, Andrew Feldman, Gus Hansen, Joe Hachem, and David Steicke all had to say goodnight nurse. PartyGaming's - PartyPoker Tyron Krost was eliminated in a hand VS Gavin Griffin where his Ace-Queen couldn't best Griffin's Aces. The 3rd and final Day 1 flight commences Tuesday in Melbourne, Australia at 12:30 p.m. local time.

Getting board of poker yet? If so, try your luck er skill at Baccarat or Craps. If your more into luck, check out the slots like Cleopatra, Sinatra, Rambo, Goanna Gold and The Terminator. Rumour goes PartyGaming also have, or will soon get, a World Poker Tour themed online slot game. We recommend punters open an account with PartyCasino, PartyGaming and World Poker Tour, just to have all based covered. Party appears to still be the most popular online casino brand in Australia despite big efforts by the likes of 888. Marvel slot games are forecast to be some of the most popular of this year with Captain America and Thor tipped to hit Australia cinema's this year, with Spider-Man also getting a remake. Whatever your casino game of choice, good luck, and let us know how you go guys and girls. Spin to win.

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