March 2024

For all the recent commentary about how President Xi Jinping is only interested in control (not disputed) and not the performance and growth of the Chinese economy, there is a growing level of official fear about the bleeding black hole in the economy, property. According to media reports this week the government wants quick action […]

US markets bounced back after three consecutive losing sessions & extended their first quarter advance. The S&P 500 closed at a new record high finishing the day up 0.86 per cent at 5,248. The Dow Jones closed up 1.2 per cent and the Nasdaq finished up 0.51 per cent. Turning to US sectors, all sectors

Westpac (ASX:WBC) has revealed ambitious plans to get rid of outdated and slow computer systems, software and other technology over the next four years that will have an estimated cost close to $10 billion between now and 2028. The bank’s CEO, Peter King and chief information officer, Scott Collary revealed the plans in a presentation

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence’s Henry Sanderson has warned Western nations to stay focused on critical minerals in order to challenge China’s dominance. Sanderson, who is also the author of the book “Volt Rush”, told the Tribeca Future Facing Commodities Conference in Singapore today that countries including Australia, Canada, Indonesia and Argentina had become very important to

The Australian market continued to trade close to flat for the afternoon, following fairly benign inflation data, finishing 0.5 per cent higher. The February CPI number was steady at 3.4 per cent — unchanged from the previous month, but lower than consensus forecasts of 3.5 per cent. Markets will now turn their attention to tomorrow’s

The mining finance model needs to change if the industry is to compete with the technology sector, according to Tribeca Investment Partners Singapore’s Scott Clements. Speaking on the first day of the Tribeca Future Facing Commodities Conference in Singapore, Clements said the three key investment themes for 2024 were the energy transition and decarbonisation, onshoring

Empire Energy Limited (ASX:EEG) CEO Alex Underwood discusses the implications of gas shortfalls across Australia and possible sources for new supply. Paul Sanger: I’m Paul Sanger for the Finance News Network, and today I’m talking to Empire Energy (ASX:EEG). Empire Energy, trading under the ASX code “EEG” with a market capitalisation of $135m is a

Chalice Mining Managing Director Alex Dorsch says palladium is a misunderstood critical mineral. “Palladium is in a very weird position because people perceive it as a metal not needed for the energy transition,” Dorsch told the first day of the Tribeca Future Facing Commodities Conference in Singapore. The key driver of palladium demand is plug-in

The damage bill and who will pay looks like being enormous, so much so that some insurance consultants are saying it could end up as one of the largest in recent memory with a raft of companies, people, governments and others impacted. There will be investigations in the US and Singapore and possibly Denmark. USA

Australian consumer price inflation held at a two-year low of3.4% in February, contrary to forecasts for a small rise a slight uptick over the month. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed that at 3,4% the monthly CPI indicator (a partial replication of the full quarterly index which includes more services details) was