6m agoThu 12 Feb 2026 at 12:33amMarket snapshotASX 200: +0.5% to 9,057 pointsAustralian dollar: Flat at 71.27 US centsS&P 500: Flat at 6,941 pointsNasdaq: -0.2% to 23,066 pointsFTSE: +1.1% to 10,472 pointsEuroStoxx: +0.1% to 621 pointsSpot gold: -0.3% to $US5,059/ounceBrent crude: Flat at $US69.4/barrelIron ore: Flat at $US100.15 a tonneBitcoin: -0.5% to $US67,428

Price current around 11:26am AEDT

Live updates on the major ASX indices:

10m agoThu 12 Feb 2026 at 12:30am

Britney Spears sells rights to music catalogue in reported $281m deal

US music star Britney Spears has reportedly sold the rights to her music catalogue to independent music publisher Primary Wave.

US outlets have reported the deal to be worth $281 million, and it is the latest example of major artists inking deals to cash in on their work.

You can read the full report here:

22m agoThu 12 Feb 2026 at 12:17am

Hello!

Hello everyone,

Business reporter Adelaide Miller here, jumping into the blog to take you through the finance, economics and business news for the rest of today.

The ASX is sitting up +0.5% to 9,059 points.

I’ll bring you some more detailed news shortly!

48m agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 11:51pm

A reader’s comment

I can’t believe I am saying this, but I agree with Senator Canavan. It feels like every day we read a story about companies laying people off. CBA, ANZ, CSL, Telstra the list goes on. Hell, the department I work for is going through a “restructure” that involves making most people redundant. I have been applying for jobs for 6 months and haven’t had an interview. My lived experience, and the lived experience of the people around me absolutely does NOT suggest a good labour market.

– Stuart

Thanks for your comment Stuart.

49m agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 11:50pm

Governor Bullock’s appearance ends

Governor Bullock’s appearance before Senate estimates has wrapped up. It was short and sweet, only 90 minutes.

Last week’s appearance before a parliamentary committee was much longer. And she also answered journalists’ questions for an hour last Tuesday after the RBA’s rates decision.

She appears “done” with these public appearances for a while, given how tedious it would be answering the same questions over and over, and how exhausting it would be trying to avoid being pulled into Canberra’s political arguments.

Although, she’s scheduled to speak in two weeks (on February 25), during a “fireside chat” at a dinner at Melbourne University.

56m agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 11:43pm

AMP, Temple & Webster plunges 24% while ANZ rises 6%

Top movers:

Orora +6.8% to $2.35ANZ +6.7% to $39.7Origin Energy +6.2% to $11.76

Bottom movers:

Temple & Webster -23.8% to $8.64AMP -23.6% to $1.33Pro Medicus -16.6% to $141.32Top and bottom movers at open (LSEG)1h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 11:30pmGovernor Bullock snaps at Senator Canavan for suggesting she’s ‘gaslighting’ Australians

Governor Bullock has taken great exception to something Nationals senator Matt Canavan has said, and the atmosphere in the committee room has heated up sharply.

Senator Canavan:

“I think people are only going to get angry in this country if they’re gaslit into thinking the economy is okay when their lived experience is terrible right now.”

Governor Bullock did NOT like that comment.

“Senator, I take exception to that comment,” she says.

“I am not gaslighting anyone. I have said that there are certain aspects of the economy which are doing well, and one of them is the labour market, which is positive for people.

“Now, I understand that some people are doing it tough. I do understand. I get letters, and I read them.

“But that is not to say that you can’t recognise that there are some parts of  the economy that are doing well, and the labour market, I think, has been a really positive thing for this country.”

Senator Canavan:

“Well, my response, governor, was to the comment that the economy was okay. You didn’t say that some people are doing well, you said the economy is OK, and I cannot see on these numbers… what is the economy about? The economy is about, in my view, the reason we care about it, is people’s basic ability to provide for themselves. That has gone backwards at a rate that we have never seen in Australian economic history [NB: fact check on that one please].”

Bullock:

“And I am saying that you’re thinking ‘OK’ means it’s great. [But] ‘OK’ means it’s OK.

“We aren’t growing – I’ve already made this point – we are not growing strongly. We can’t grow stronger because we don’t have strong productivity growth. That is not a good thing.

“But people at least have jobs at the moment. The unemployment rate is … at pretty low levels, and that is a positive thing.

Canavan:

“But if the labour market is so good, why aren’t wages growing?

Bullock:

“Well, it depends, again, on your measure. You are looking at the Wage Price Index. We are looking at a measure of what people are actually being paid. Now, it’s not shooting the lights out either, but it is above where it was pre-COVID.”

1h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 11:15pmASX opens up

The Australian share market is off to a better-than-expected start this morning.

The ASX 200 index was up 0.4% to 9,049 by 10:15am AEDT.

1h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 11:14pmGovernor Bullock says it’s harder for young people to buy entry-level homes these days

Liberal senator Andrew Bragg asks Governor Bullock about house prices.

He wants to know whether she thinks if prices for entry-level homes for younger people are too high.

Ms Bullock answers this way:

“Well, ‘too high.’ That’s a sort of [normative] judgement. I wouldn’t like to say they’re too high, but it is harder for people.

“Housing prices to income, now, are higher than they’ve been in the past. So by definition, it is harder for people to get in on the bottom end of the rung of the ladder than it has been in the past, given [their] income.”

1h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 11:06pmMore half-year results

Temple & Webster

The online furniture retailer’s first-half net profit fell by 36% to $5.8 million from $9 million.

Its gross margin declined to 31.4% from 34.0% as it invested in price and promotion efforts to drive that sales.

Revenue for last six months of 2025 rose 20% to 375.9 million.

IAG

Insurance Australia Group reported a smaller-than-expected drop of 21% in its first-half cash earnings, as higher gross premiums blunted the impact of increased claims costs and lower investment income.

It also announced a fresh share buyback of up to $200 million, citing a strong capital position.

“Various major hailstorms and severe weather events in October and November across south-east Queensland and northern NSW resulted in significant claims for insurers,” CEO Nick Hawkins said.

IAG forecast full-year gross written premiums growth in high-single digits, compared with the prior view of 10% rise, and in line with the consensus estimate of 9.6% growth.

The insurer also announced an interim dividend of 12 Australian cents per share, the same as what it paid last year.

ASX

The stock exchange operator’s net profit jumped 8.3% to $263.6 million for the first half.

Revenue was up 11.2% to $602.8 million, compared with same time last year.

It will pay an interim dividend of 101.8 cents per share fully franked.

It comes two days after the company revealed Helen Lofthouse would step down in May without providing a specific reason for her departure.

Reporting with Reuters

1h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 11:04pmGovernor Bullock reminds senators that low unemployment is a good thing

Liberal senator Dave Sharma wants to know if we’ll need to see more rate increases to bring trimmed mean inflation back to 2.5 per cent.

Governor Bullock says that’s the RBA’s central forecast, but it might not require a rate increase to bring inflation back down.

She explains that forecasts are fallible and we always have to read forecasts with caution.

She then takes an opportunity (as she’s done numerous times in the last week) to remind senators about something:

“I do want to inject one positive here, and that’s the labour market,” she says.

“I think everyone’s been focusing on the negatives, but we’re in this position because the economy is actually doing okay.

“It can’t grow really strongly because productivity is not growing, but the labour market is holding up. It’s still a little bit tight, and this is good news, and in fact it’s much better news than some other countries overseas have seen with their labour markets,” she says.

1h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 10:52pm

Governor Bullock plays dead bat on question about global politics

Greens senator Nick McKim has a question for governor Bullock about the societal impacts of inflation on political circumstances globally.

He says there appears to be a link between the level of debt individuals are shouldering around the world, the rise in inflation, and the shift to the “hard right” in global politics in recent years.

“Whether that’s Reform in the UK, whether it’s Trump in the US, whether it’s the rise of the Nazi Party … or Le Pen in France, or One Nation here in Australia,” he says.

“Have you thought about that at all, and do you have any views you’d like to share about the societal impacts of inflation rather than the economic impacts of inflation?”

Ms Bullock has an easy answer for that one.

“No, I have nothing to say on the political [impacts].”

2h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 10:39pmAMP annual profit meets estimates on robust inflows

AMP met market expectations for annual profit on Thursday, aided by stronger adviser-driven inflows into its platform business and lower net cash outflows from its pension offerings.

The Australian money manager’s platforms unit, which houses its flagship North platform that provides retirement income and investment solutions, reported 9% growth in full-year underlying earnings, helped by higher inflows, new adviser activations and growth from existing advisers.

AMP’s superannuation and investments division also reported a near 15% growth in full-year profit, supported by lower net cash outflows and improved retention.

Total assets under management rose 9% to $161.7 billion for the year ended December 31, which helped the wealth manager post full-year underlying net profit after tax of $285 million, in line with the Visible Alpha consensus estimate of $285 million, and up from last year’s $236 million.

AMP declared a final dividend of 2 Australian cents per share, higher than the 1 Australian cent apiece declared a year ago.

2h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 10:34pmGovernor Bullock gets noticeably frustrated with questions about government spending

It’s time for questions from Liberal senator Jane Hume. 

Senator Hume has a list of written questions for governor Bullock, which is focused on the mechanics of the National Accounts, and how public and private demand interact to contribute to aggregate demand, including the multiplier effect of government spending.

This is part of the Liberals’ weeks-long attack on the Albanese government’s spending, in its attempt to blame the government for the recent increase in inflation.

Governor is getting noticeably frustrated.

“I really don’t think I have anything more to add on this. I have answered this question all last week,” Ms Bullock says.

Senator Hume wants to know when the RBA first flagged its concerns about the return of inflation last year.

She asks about the level of public and private demand in the September quarter National Accounts.

Ms Bullock says the RBA was surprised by the growth in private demand in the September quarter National Accounts.

That seems to disrupt Senator Hume’s momentum a little bit because she seems to be hoping that Ms Bullock will pinpoint the moment when government spending became a problem.

“I really feel that I’m answering the same question over and over again,” Ms Bullock says.

2h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 10:19pmLendlease CEO to step down

The CEO of construction giant Lendlease, Tony Lombardo, will leave the top job in August, after the company’s full-year results.

Mr Lombardo has been in the position for the past five years and worked for the company for 18 years.

“Leading Lendlease has been a privilege, and after nearly two decades, with five years as CEO, now is the right time for new leadership to oversee the next chapter in this great Company’s storied history. I am proud of the progress we have made towards the strategic resetting of the group,” he said in a statement to the ASX.

He will be heading to South-East Asia to take on a “new career opportunity”.

The board has begun an international search for his replacement.

2h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 10:13pmRBA governor Michele Bullock at Senate estimates hearing

Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock is appearing before a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra this morning. She started answering questions a few minutes ago.

She already appeared before a parliamentary hearing in Canberra on Friday last week, and RBA deputy governor Andrew Hauser spoke at an event in Sydney yesterday (see the link below), so she’s getting lots of opportunities to communicate with the public at the moment.

Senators’ first questions for Ms Bullock have been about the prevailing level of volatility and uncertainty in the global economy.

2h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 10:13pmOrigin Energy’s first-half profit nearly halved

Electricity and gas retailer Origin Energy has reported a statutory profit for the half year ended December 31, 2025, of $557 million, down from $1,017 million in the prior first half.

It will pay an interim dividend of 30 cents per share, fully franked.

Frank Calabria, CEO of Origin, said the first half results were “solid”, which allowed an upgrade to full-year guidance for Energy Markets.

“Retail performance continued to strengthen, grid-scale batteries added further portfolio flexibility, gas production was steady, and cost management remained disciplined as commodity prices softened,” he said in a statement.

3h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 9:15pm

ICYMI: Wednesday finance with Alan Kohler

3h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 9:13pm

Market snapshotASX 200 futures: Flat at 8,960 pointsAustralian dollar: +0.7% to 71.24 US centsS&P 500: +0.1% to 6,946 pointsNasdaq: -0.1% to 23,081 pointsFTSE: +1.1% to 10,472 pointsEuroStoxx: +0.1% to 621 pointsSpot gold: +1.3% to $US5,089/ounceBrent crude: +1.3% to $US69.71/barrelIron ore: Flat at $US100.15 a tonneBitcoin: -1.4% to $US67,650

Price current around 8:00am AEDT

Live updates on the major ASX indices:

3h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 9:06pmHot US employment could delay Fed rate cut

All three main indexes on Wall Street started the session on a strong note, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq hitting their highest level in more than a week after the closely watched payrolls report showed much faster than expected US job growth in January.

Labor Department data showed 130,000 workers were added to nonfarm payrolls in January, well above forecasts for a rise of 70,000, while both November and December were revised down a touch.

The unemployment rate ticked lower to 4.3% from 4.4% in December, below forecasts for a reading of 4.4%.

However, gains subsided as traders dialed back on bets for rate cuts.

While traders are still banking on at least one 25-basis-point cut in June, the probability that rates would hold steady that month crept up to 38.7% from 24.8%, according to the latest data from CME Group’s FedWatch tool.

Julia Hermann, global market strategist at New York Life Investments, said that investors digested changes to rate cut bets “quite well” because they interpreted the strong jobs report as good news for the economy.

“This is constructive news in that the economy is not in dire need of rate cuts because the jobs market has been showing some new signs of life,” she said. “It comes down to the sweet spot of hiring being strong enough to show us the economy is resilient but not so strong as to derail expectations for future Fed easing.”

Investors will next turn their attention to the January Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation report, which is due out on Friday.