July 2024

Oil prices held firm near their highest levels in two months, driven by indications of a major reduction in US crude inventories. Brent crude traded above $86 per barrel after a slight 0.4% decline on Tuesday, while West Texas Intermediate remained around $83. According to insiders, the American Petroleum Institute reported a substantial 9.2 million […]

Virgin Australia is restructuring its volume bonuses for travel agencies as part of a broader strategy to tighten costs within the airline industry. Despite the belt-tightening, sources indicate that some agencies could see an increase in their funds. The changes were initially flagged by Field Research in an industry note this week, suggesting potential impacts

Markets continued to march upwards in light trade on a shortened trading session ahead of the Independence Day holiday. Megacap Tech names dominated the tape and set the positive tone for the broader market. The S&P 500 added 0.51 per cent to close at 5,537.02, setting another record high. The Nasdaq closed up 0.88 per

Under pressure, Australian shoppers have again demonstrated their savvy by chasing discounts in May, just as they did last November. The Australian Bureau of Statistics pointed to evidence that consumers sought cheaper prices during the month, resulting in a 0.6% increase in sales from April. “Many retailers started end-of-financial year sales early, offering larger discounts

Companies discussed include: Baby Bunting Group (ASX:BBN)Origin Energy (ASX:ORG)Ventia Services Group Limited (ASX:VNT)

Dr Shane Oliver, Head of Investment Strategy & Chief Economist at AMP, discusses retail sales and building approvals. Australian retail sales registered an upside surprise in May, rising 0.6%mom while economists were only looking for a 0.3% rise. However, this came in the context of restrained spending from shoppers in the past few months and

Waratah Minerals (ASX:WTM) announced further high-grade gold results from its on-going drilling program at the Spur Project, Lachlan Fold Belt, New South Wales. The results from hole 7 demonstrated a significant increase in grades downdip and an association with copper. Shares are trading 40 per cent higher at 17.5 cents. AML3D (ASX:AL3) announced a approximately

In May, Australian retail trade surged by 0.6 percent, surpassing expectations with strong year-on-year growth of 1.7 percent, attributed partly to early end-of-financial year promotions. Despite this uptick, underlying spending remains flat in trend terms, reflecting ongoing reliance on discounts to stimulate consumer activity. The figures are pivotal as the central bank monitors economic indicators

Cashed-up Ramelius Resources (ASX:RMS) continues to raise eyebrows in the market as it stalks Spartan Resources, a smaller WA gold mining rival. After taking an initial 8.9% stake in Spartan, then quickly building that to nearly 18% earlier this week, Ramelius revealed Wednesday that it had made a deal with a group of banks to

All three major indices rallied and bond yields fell after Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said the disinflationary path is intact, opening the door to a pivot to rate cuts later this year. The S&P 500 added 0.62 per cent finishing above the 5,500 level for the first time ever. The Nasdaq closed 0.84 per