Apple(US:AAPL) The Market Online·2025-12-14 21:43Market Overview - Australian shares are expected to decline on Monday, with futures down by approximately -0.5% to around 8,650 points, influenced by tech misses on Wall Street affecting AI-related companies [1][2] - The S&P 500 dropped over -1%, the Dow fell -0.5%, and the Nasdaq experienced a significant decline of -1.7%, indicating a broader market downturn [3] Economic Indicators - Key global data releases this week include China's retail sales, production, and infrastructure updates, as well as delayed U.S. payrolls due to a government shutdown, which are set to be released on Tuesday [4] - In Australia, consumer confidence data will be released on Tuesday, followed by third-quarter finance and wealth updates on Thursday [4] Company News - Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) is abandoning its lithium plans, relinquishing nearly 150,000 hectares in Western Australia and is reportedly looking to sell its mothballed Mt Cattlin lithium mine [5] - Treasurer Jim Chalmers is implementing measures against price gouging, introducing fines for Woolworths (ASX: WOW) and Coles (ASX: COL), while the federal government prepares to ban excessive pricing [6] - Finder Energy (ASX: FDR) has made a significant acquisition of the "Petrojarl," a floating production storage and offloading vessel [6] - Bastion Minerals (ASX: BMO) has received exploration consent from the Ross River Dena Council, marking the Yukon region in Canada as "open for business" [7] - Pinnacle (ASX: PIM) has appointed William Witham as CEO [7] Commodity Prices - The Australian dollar is trading at 66.4 U.S. cents [8] - Iron Ore prices have decreased by -1% to $100.45 per tonne in Singapore [8] - Brent Crude oil has dropped -0.3% to $61.12 per barrel [8] - Gold is priced at $4,312 per ounce [8] - U.S. natural gas futures have fallen -2.8% this week to $4.11 per gigajoule [8]