2h agoWed 18 Mar 2026 at 8:31pmMarket snapshotASX 200: -1.6% to 8,505 points 
Australian dollar: flat at 70.2 US centsWall Street: Dow Jones (-1.6%), S&P 500 (-1.4%), Nasdaq (-1.4%)Europe: Stoxx 600 (-0.8%), DAX (-1.0%), FTSE (-0.9%)Spot gold: +0.3% to $US4,830/ounce
Oil (Brent crude): flat at $US107.4/barrelIron ore: -1.3% to $US107.35/tonneBitcoin: -0.1% to $US71,194

Price current around 10:00am AEDT

7m agoWed 18 Mar 2026 at 11:00pmASX slumps

The Australian share market has opened down -1.6% to 8,505 points.

More to come.

13m agoWed 18 Mar 2026 at 10:55pmThe flow-on effects from energy market disruption

Senior Financial Market Analyst at capital.com Kyle Rodda says the inflationary risks associated with the war in the Middle East increased on Wall Street overnight, as the impacts to energy markets spread far and wide. 

“In addition to being choked off by a blockaded Strait of Hormuz and stifled by reduced production from Gulf refineries, energy markets face shocks from direct attacks on infrastructure.

“The Iranians hit one of the world’s largest gas plants in retaliation for an Israeli strike on a gas field. The price of Brent Crude surged above $US110 as a result of the strikes, and Natural Gas prices spiked again too.

“The direct attacks on energy infrastructure illustrate the war’s long-lasting consequences: productive capacity will be offline for an uncomfortably long time, meaning energy prices are likely to fall much slower than they rose,” he says.

28m agoWed 18 Mar 2026 at 10:40pmAn exciting announcement

The ABC is launching ABC Business Daily — a new weekday podcast making sense of the biggest stories in business, finance and economics.

The ABC is launching ABC Business Daily next week. (ABC)

The first ep will air on Monday, and will be presented by Senior Business Correspondent Carrington Clarke, joined by other ABC Business journalists to break down the major business and economic stories of the day.

Monday to Thursday ABC Business Daily will go beyond the headlines to explain what’s happening and why it matters, giving smart, clear analysis of the forces shaping the economy and how they impact Australians.

Then on Fridays, dive deeper with That’s Business with Alan Kohler — one of Australia’s most respected business journalists. Each week Kohler will speak with a leading figure from the world of business, politics or economics to help audiences understand where Australia is headed — kicking off with Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

Loading43m agoWed 18 Mar 2026 at 10:25pmA note from CBA

The Commonwealth Bank economics team estimates the unemployment rate for February, which will be announced later this morning, will remain steady at 4.1%, estimating 20,000 new jobs.

The CBA economics team also think markets are underestimating the length and disruption to energy markets from the Iranian war, and warns the Aussie and US dollar will fall sharply if markets start to downgrade the global economic outlook.

58m agoWed 18 Mar 2026 at 10:10pmWhy don’t Australian banks offer 30-year fixed-rate home loans? Borrowers would benefit from them

A new report says Australians would benefit from having 20-30 year long-term fixed-rate home loans.

It says borrowers are currently used as “shock absorbers” for Australia’s financial system, since variable-rate home loans dominate the market.

My colleague Gareth Hutchens and I prepared this piece, which you can read below:

1h agoWed 18 Mar 2026 at 9:55pm

ICYMI: Wednesday finance with Daniel Ziffer

Both BHP and Woodside have new bosses, in a changing of the guard in corporate Australia.

Loading…1h agoWed 18 Mar 2026 at 9:40pmJim Chalmers pushes ambitious budget as Middle East war fuels inflation

Australia faces a fresh inflation spike and drag on economic growth as the Middle East conflict drives up oil prices and deepens global uncertainty.

As it stands, the war could push inflation above 5%.

In a pre-budget speech, Treasurer Jim Chalmers will argue that savings, productivity measures and tax reforms are essential to protect younger Australians and strengthen the economy.

You can read the full piece from the chief digital political correspondent Clare Armstrong below:

1h agoWed 18 Mar 2026 at 9:25pmOil surging

Brent crude is up +7.4% to $US111/barrel, driven by the war in the Middle East, and is being felt at the bowser, as petrol and diesel prices rise.

But this latest piece from Michael Atkin and Lucy Kent talk to experts who warn price gouging in the fuel sector isn’t illegal.

It comes as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has called an emergency meeting with industry stakeholders, asking major players like BHP and Shell to justify price hikes.

Those filling up in Australia’s five largest cities were paying on average about $2.19 a litre for regular unleaded last week — an increase of almost 49% since February 20, according to ACCC figures.

Diesel was higher — more than $2.40 per litre on average.

You can read the full piece below:

1h agoWed 18 Mar 2026 at 9:10pmOn today’s agenda: jobs data

At 11:30am today, February jobs data will be released.

January’s data revealed Australia’s unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1%, the same as December, in seasonally adjusted terms.

You can catch up on this piece from my colleagues Gareth Hutchens and David Taylor, which talks about the labour market remaining relatively tight, and the economy operating close to capacity.

2h agoWed 18 Mar 2026 at 8:53pmA moment for Wall St

It’s a sea of red for Wall Street, as the trading day comes to an end.

What started as a somewhat stronger day for the S&P 500, soon came crashing down, with the market finishing the day down -1.4% to 6,625 points. Here is a look at the day’s movements.

S&P 500 movement (Refinitiv)

Every major sector finished down, with Consumer Non-Cyclicals at the very bottom.

S&P 500 sector summary (Refinitiv)

The Dow Jones Industrial Average also finished the trading day down -1.6% to 46,225 points.

Here is a look at how the day played out:

Dow Jones movement (Refinitiv)

Again, all major sectors finished down, except for Energy.

Dow Jones sector summary (Refinitiv)

And finally, the Nasdaq Composite finished Wednesday’s trading day (US time) down -1.4% to 24,425 points.

Nasdaq movement (Refinitiv)

As for the sectors, Energy and Utilities finished up, with the rest in the red.

Nasdaq sector summary (Refinitiv)2h agoWed 18 Mar 2026 at 8:19pmGood morning

Hello everyone and happy Thursday!

Welcome to a new day on the finance blog, where we cover domestic and international business and economics stories, as well as global market movements.

Business reporter Adelaide Miller here to guide you through morning coverage, and to start, the Aussie share market is set to plunge at the open, with futures pointing down -1.6% to 8,553 points.

It comes as Wall Street finishes the day in the red, I’ll provide a detailed breakdown of these markets soon.

But for now, grab yourself a coffee, tea or juice, and see you back here soon!

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