Company Updates - Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) has committed to a "stronger, sharper, simpler" strategy focusing on iron ore, copper, and industrial metals after abandoning talks with Glencore [5] - Telstra (ASX: TLS) reported a 9.4% increase in net profits to $1.1 billion but cautioned that overinvestment in AI could be "risky" [5] - APA Group (ASX: APA) CEO Adam Watson defended the company's $480 million East Coast pipeline commitments, stating that government actions are crucial for the project's success [5] - QBE (ASX: QBE) has reported a 20% increase in profits [6] Market Trends - The ASX is experiencing a decline of -0.33% as global equities soften, influenced by rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran [1] - ASX futures are closely following Wall Street trends, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both down -0.3% [2] - Iron ore prices have decreased by -0.4%, now selling at $95.35 per tonne [7] - Brent Crude has increased by +1.5%, priced at $71.29 per barrel, while gold is up to $5,011 per ounce [7]

Market Overview - The ASX is expected to open down by -1.2%, influenced by declines in Wall Street [1] - The Nasdaq fell -1.6% amid a tech selloff, while the S&P and Dow both dropped -1.2% [2] - Global markets also experienced losses, with London down -0.9% and the Stoxx index down -1% [3] Commodities - Gold prices remained steady but slightly down, while silver saw a significant drop of -12.5%, trading at US$73.83/oz [4] - Iron Ore prices decreased by -1.9%, selling at $100.65 per tonne [7] - Brent Crude oil fell by -3%, now priced at $67.31 per barrel [7] Company News - Rio Tinto has abandoned merger talks with Glencore, which would have created the world's largest mining company; Rio Tinto's stock fell -2.6% in London, while Glencore's dropped -11% [5] - Advance Metals reported successful historic sampling tests at its Yoquivo silver-gold project, potentially leading to a resource upgrade next month [6] - MGX Resources completed a half-split acquisition of the Central Tanami gold project in the Northern Territory [6] - REA Group and Syntara are among the companies reporting today [6]

Market Overview - The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has increased the official cash rate to 3.85%, marking the first rate hike in over two years [2] - ASX 200 futures indicate a potential 40-point decline for Australian shares following the RBA's decision [1] - Wall Street's tech sector has faced a selloff, with the Nasdaq dropping as much as 1.4% due to concerns over potential AI disruptions [2] Company News - Resource Minister Madeleine King has warned that China's pause on rare earth controls may not last, impacting miners like BHP (ASX:BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) [5] - Rio Tinto's Australian listing has decreased nearly 2% amid Glencore merger discussions, while its London listing has increased by 9% [5] - Credit Corp (ASX:CCP) CEO Thomas Beregi stated that the company's bid for Humm Group (ASX:HUM) is not expected to be made public until finalized [6] - Synlait Milk (ASX:SM1) reported a net loss of NZ$82 million for the six months ending January 31 due to manufacturing issues [6] - Amcor Plc (ASX:AMC) is set to announce its earnings to shareholders today [6] Commodity and Forex Updates - The Australian dollar has risen above US 70 cents [7] - Iron ore prices are stable at $102.80 per tonne in Singapore [7] - Brent crude oil has increased by 3% to $68.08 per barrel [7] - Gold prices have surged to $5,054 per ounce [7] - US natural gas futures have risen by 4.2% to $3.37 per gigajoule [8]

Market Overview - Australian shares are expected to advance at open, continuing the Week 5 rally, driven by the S&P 500 setting records and anticipation for upcoming inflation data [1][2] - Analysts describe the upcoming quarterly inflation report as "make or break," with expectations set at a threshold of 0.8% for potential RBA rate hikes [2][3] Company News - BHP has reclaimed its position as Australia's most valuable listed company, surpassing Commonwealth Bank, with a year-over-year increase of +26%, while CBA has seen a decline of over -20% since mid-CY25 [5] - DroneShield has experienced a -12% drop this week due to a reported shrinkage in its sales pipeline, although it remains up +35.7% year-to-date [5] - Humm Group's investor Akat Investments has requested an investigation by the Takeovers Panel regarding Credit Corp's offer from the previous year, focusing on the takeover's timeline [5] Commodities and Forex - The Australian dollar is trading at 70 cents to the U.S. dollar, a level anticipated for CY26, reached sooner than expected [7] - In commodities, Iron Ore is down -0.1% at $103.55 per tonne, Brent Crude is up +2.9% at $67.44 per barrel, Gold is priced at $5,166 per ounce, and US natural gas futures have retreated -4% to $6.49 per gigajoule [7]

Company News - BHP (ASX:BHP) is now within 8% of Commonwealth Bank's (ASX:CBA) lead on the S&P/ASX200 index, following a +30% rally over the last six months [4] - Resources Minister Madeleine King has expressed support for Rio Tinto's (ASX:RIO) mining mega-merger with Glencore, provided that Australia remains a focus [4] - Lunnon Metals (ASX:LM8) has reported finding "multiple significant, high-grade hits down plunge" at Lady Herial, attracting attention on HotCopper forums [5] - Miramar (ASX:M2R) has identified additional gold/copper targets at Lorraine [5] Market Overview - The Australian shares are projected to advance by +0.33% this Tuesday morning, influenced by global markets [1] - The S&P 500 reached another high, increasing by +0.2%, while the Dow Jones and Nasdaq composite rose by +0.4% [2] - European markets also saw gains, with London and the Stoxx both up by +0.2%, and Japan's market increased by +1.6% [2] Commodities - Iron Ore prices have held steady, rising by +0.5% to $109 per tonne in Singapore [6] - Brent Crude oil increased by +1% to $63.96 per barrel [6] - Gold is priced at $4,608 per ounce [6] - US natural gas futures rebounded by +6.8% to $3.38 per gigajoule [6]

Company Developments - IGO Ltd (ASX:IGO) has commenced construction of its new lithium plant at Greenbushes, with a projected capacity of approximately 500,000 tonnes per year of spodumene concentrate [5] - Champion Iron (ASX:CIA) is pursuing the acquisition of Norwegian iron ore producer Rana Gruber for around US$289 million, marking an overseas expansion [5] - Monadelphous has been selected to assist Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) in building a significant link at the Brockman Syncline iron development in Western Australia [6] - Eminence Minerals (ASX:EMA) has concluded its hearing with the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Committee regarding two new Aboriginal sites near the Hamersley Iron Ore Project, with findings expected in early 2026 [6] Market Overview - Australian shares are up by 0.5% at the start of the last week of the year, influenced by the upcoming holiday breaks [1] - The major U.S. indices have shown positive performance, with the S&P gaining 0.9%, the Dow Jones advancing 0.4%, and the Nasdaq increasing by 1.4% due to AI-related gains [3] - European markets also experienced gains, with the Eurostoxx up by 0.4% and the FTSE adding 0.6% [3] Commodity Prices - The Australian dollar is trading at 66.1 U.S. cents [7] - Iron ore prices have decreased by approximately 0.4%, now at $104.50 per tonne in Singapore [7] - Brent crude remains stable at $60.47 per barrel [7] - Gold is priced at $4,350 per ounce [7] - U.S. natural gas futures have increased by 2%, reaching $3.98 per gigajoule [7]

Market Overview - Australian shares are flat, with the ASX shaving less than five points at the open, indicating a lackluster close for CY25 [1] - The ASX 200 is following Wall Street lower, with the Nasdaq down -0.5% [2] IPO Performance - Recent IPOs such as Saluda Medical (ASX:SLD), Epiminder (ASX:EPI), and Carma (ASX:CMA) have seen significant declines, dropping as much as -20% since their debut [4] - Upcoming IPOs include Advance Energy Minerals and Equus Energy scheduled for Thursday, and Channel Infrastructure, Trade Window Holdings, and Unity Metals lined up for Friday [5] Company News - Venari Minerals (ASX:VMS) announced the discovery of the "highest-grade lithium intersection to date" at its Red Mountain project in Nevada [5] - Predictive Discovery (ASX:PDI) confirmed a new bid from Robex Resources (ASX:RXR), making Perseus Mining's (ASX:PRU) mid-December bid "no longer superior" [6] - Orica (ASX:ORI) is holding its AGM today [6] Commodity Prices - The Australian dollar is trading at 66.4 U.S. cents [7] - Iron Ore prices retreated -0.5% to $101.45 per tonne, Brent Crude dropped -1.2% to $60.37 per barrel, Gold is at $4,309 per ounce, and US natgas futures fell -2.5% to $4.01 per gigajoule [7]

Market 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]

Market Overview - Australian shares are set for their first advance of Week 50, despite the Reserve Bank halting its rate relief cycle and warnings against expecting rate cuts soon [1] - ASX 200 futures indicate a +0.25% rise, while Wall Street has also shown positive movement, although traders remain divided ahead of the Fed's rate decision [2] Economic Indicators - Jerome Powell's potential rate cut in the U.S. is contributing to a more dovish market sentiment, with the S&P 500 approaching all-time highs from October [3] - The ASX is on track to reach three million fund investors by next year, with an additional 411,000 entering the ETF space this year [4] Company News - South32 is considering acquiring the West Musgrave mine from BHP Group, which is divesting most of its nickel assets; Sandfire Resources may also be interested [5] - KKR has reportedly been exploring the option to take Pepper Money private, but a spike in Pepper's value has complicated those plans [5] - Trigg Minerals has received permitting to drill at Antimony Canyon and will begin staging contractors at the site [6] - Wildcat Resources has intercepted mineralization at its Bolt Cutter Central lithium discovery [6] - Tempest is in the process of acquiring the Remorse iron deposit [6] Commodity Prices - The Australian dollar is trading at 66.4 U.S. cents [7] - Iron Ore has decreased by -0.2% to $101.85 per tonne, Brent Crude is down -0.8% to $61.98 per barrel, Gold is priced at $4,215 per ounce, and U.S. natural gas futures have dropped -7% to $4.57 per gigajoule [7]

Market Overview - Australian shares are projected to gain approximately +0.3% in futures, driven by a surge in copper prices, which have reached a record high in London [1][3] - The Dow Jones index in the U.S. saw a significant increase of +0.9%, while London's stock market experienced a slight decline of -0.1% [2] Commodity Insights - Copper prices have surged to an all-time high following Glencore's decision to reduce near-term output targets, which is expected to tighten supply in the short term [3] - Other commodities are also performing well, with iron ore up +0.4% to $104.30 per tonne, Brent crude oil gaining +0.6% to $62.83 per barrel, and gold priced at $4,212 per ounce [6] Company News - BHP (ASX:BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) are highlighted as key stocks to watch due to their +1.5% gains in London, benefiting from the rise in copper prices [4] - Nuix Limited (ASX:NXL) has announced an agreement to acquire Linkurious, a Paris-based AI decision platform that specializes in graph data visualization [4] - Lefroy Exploration (ASX:LEX) has commenced mining activities at Lucky Strike, with the first ore haulage expected in January next year [4] - 6K Additive Inc., a U.S.-based metal powders producer, is set to join the Australian stock exchange under the ticker "6KA," with an initial share price of $1 [5]