2h agoThu 26 Mar 2026 at 8:14pmMarket snapshotASX 200 futures: -0.7% to 8,501 pointsAustralian dollar: -1.0 to 68.78 US centsWall Street: Dow Jones (-1.0%), S&P 500 (-1.7%), Nasdaq (-2.2%)Europe: FTSE (-1.3%)Asia: Nikkei (-0.3%), KOSPI (-3.2%), Hang Seng (-1.9%)Spot gold: -3.0% to $US4,370/ounceSpot silver: -5.9% to $US67.10/ounceOil (Brent crude): +5.3% to $US107.69/barrelIron ore: +2.2% to $US107.45/tonneBitcoin: -3.4% at $US68,573

Price current around 6:50am AEDT

14m agoThu 26 Mar 2026 at 10:20pm

ICYMI: ‘High risk’ of a protracted bear market as Middle East war drags on, says analyst

Fear is emerging that the United States no longer has the ability to find a so-called off-ramp to the war. Senior financial market analyst with Capital.com Kyle Rodda joins David Taylor to explain.

Loading…29m agoThu 26 Mar 2026 at 10:05pmElectric vehicle sales

Following on from those NAB figures, here is last night’s interview with founder and editor-in-chief of Renew Economy Giles Parkinson, with business correspondent David Taylor, explaining the anecdotal evidence is also suggesting there’s going to be a jump in EV sales as the war in Iran sees fuel prices soar.

Loading…40m agoThu 26 Mar 2026 at 9:54pmEV interest surges 100% as fuel pressures bite Australians

NAB insights has revealed the demand for electric vehicles has increased dramatically, as both households and businesses look to reduce the impact of the war in the Middle East.

Since the start of this month, NAB has recorded a 100% increase in EV loans to households.

As for businesses, enquiries for EV related lending has increased 88%, which the bank said is largely driven by fuel pressures and business costs.

NAB Executive for Business Banking Shane Ditcham says NAB is focused on supporting Australian businesses to “adapt and stay resilient”.

“We’re seeing more SMEs and larger operators explore EVs and electrification as a way to manage running costs and future proof their operations, particularly in a period of ongoing fuel price volatility,” he says.

“For many businesses, this is about cost certainty and resilience. For businesses where vehicles come back to the same place each night, especially EVs, can make sense because energy costs are more predictable.

“That can be a real advantage when margins are under pressure.”

59m agoThu 26 Mar 2026 at 9:35pmChalmers responds to OECD report

The Organisation for Economics Co-operation (OECD) has released its interim report overnight, stating the war in the Middle East is testing “the resilience of the global economy”.

Prior to the war, the report said Global GDP growth was projected to remain broadly stable at 2.9% in 2026 before edging up to 3.0% in 2027, thanks to robust technology-related investment and the easing of tariffs.

“However, the evolving conflict in the Middle East weighs on growth and generates significant uncertainty around global demand,” the report said.

In a statement, the Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers said: “This OECD report tells us what we already know, which is that the conflict in the Middle East will drag on global growth and make our inflation challenge harder.

“From an economic point of view, it’s clear that the end of the war can’t come soon enough.

“Australia is not immune but we confront this period of intense global volatility from a position of relative strength, with stronger economic growth, low unemployment, and solid wage growth.”

1h agoThu 26 Mar 2026 at 9:20pmICYMI: Thursday finance with Daniel Ziffer

The competition watchdog has secured a million reasons not to start a cartel to boost prices. Daniel Ziffer explains.

Loading…1h agoThu 26 Mar 2026 at 9:05pmSuperannuation admin provider Grow Inc’s financial trouble raises concerns for HESTA

I’ve been following super giant HESTA for almost a year now, after I was notified last April by some of its members they were caught out in a seven week planned outage.

This morning I’ve published my latest piece, that looks at the future viability of HESTA’s new admin provider Grow, after noticing Grow’s most recent financial report indicates it is insolvent, with a shortfall of nearly $21 million.

You can read the full piece here:

1h agoThu 26 Mar 2026 at 8:50pmWall St cont.

Looking at the two other major Wall St indexes, both have also finished in the red.

The S&P 500 has finished the day down -1.7% to 6,477 points.

Here is a look at the day’s movements:

S&P 500 movement for the day. (Refinitiv)

All major sectors finished down, besides Energy and Real Estate:

S&P 500 sector summary. (Refinitiv)

As for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, it finished the trading day down -1.0% to 45,960 points.

Dow Jones Industrial Average movement for the day. (Refinitiv)

Here is the sector summary, once again, with Energy at the top:

Dow Jones sector summary. (Refinitiv)1h agoThu 26 Mar 2026 at 8:35pmNasdaq correction

We’ve just seen a correction on the Wall St Nasdaq market.

The Nasdaq Composite has finished Thursday afternoon trading down -2.4% to 23,587 points, leaving the tech-heavy index down nearly -11% from its record high close on October 29.

In recent days, the Nasdaq has suffered its worst sell-off since April 2025, when President Trump announced his ‘Liberation Day’ global tariffs.

This sell off has been fuelled by the war in the Middle East, and the economic uncertainty being felt across the world.

Here is a look at the Nasdaq this week:

Movement on the Nasdaq Composite over last five days. (Refinitiv)

– Reporting with Reuters

2h agoThu 26 Mar 2026 at 8:20pmGood morning

Hello everyone and happy Friday,

We have made it to the end of another busy week!

Business reporter Adelaide Miller here to guide you through the morning of business, finance and economic news.

The colour of the day is red, with ASX 200 futures pointing down -0.7% to 8,501 points at the market open.

That’s as Wall St finishes its trading day with some big losses  – more on this soon.

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

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