Yahoo Finance ASX positive ahead of RBA cash rate announcement for May
Good morning.
Here's everything you need to know in finance markets for today.
ASX: The Australian share market looks set to have a positive day on Tuesday following a solid start to the week on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 16 points or 0.25 per cent higher this morning.
Wall Street: In the United States the Dow Jones rose 0.7 per cent and the S&P 500 climbed 0.3 per cent. The tech-focused Nasdaq index was out of form, though, and dropped 0.5 per cent. This could weigh on local tech shares today.
AUD: The Australian dollar is trading at 0.7763 to the US dollar as at 7.15am this morning.
Oil: According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 1.35 per cent to US$64.44 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price has risen 1.1 per cent to US$67.51 a barrel. Oil prices jumped after demand hopes outweighed concerns over rising COVID numbers in India.
Gold: According to CNBC, the spot gold price is up 1.4 per cent to US$1,792.70 an ounce. Weakness in the US dollar and bond yields gave the precious metal a boost. Elsewhere, the silver price jumped 4.3 per cent overnight.
Bitcoin: The bitcoin price rebounded impressively last week, providing strong signs of long-term bullish continuation. It's expected to continue moving upwards, resuming its bullish trend.
RBA: The Reserve Bank of Australia will be meeting this afternoon to decide on the cash rate. According to the latest cash rate futures, there is an 86 per cent probability of a cut to zero being priced in by the market.
Danger stocks: One of Australia’s greatest stock market players is worried about Bitcoin and stocks like Tesla and thinks they have “dotcom bust” written all over them! The guy in question is Hamish Douglas, co-founder of Magellan Financial Group, which has been a pretty good stock market performer since 2004. Here's what he has to say.
Soaring house prices: Australian house prices have soared by more than 500 per cent over the past 25 years but while capital values have grown, yields have fallen to all-time lows. Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) President, Adrian Kelly said property investors have been driven more by expected capital gains rather than rental yields.
Aus Post: The chair of Australia Post has accused former CEO Christine Holgate and her lawyers of trying to be "cute" and making "unreasonable" demands in their war over her bitterly contested departure. Holgate threatened legal action against her former employer on Monday, just hours before chair Lucio Di Bartolomeo faced a Senate committee grilling over her exit from the organisation.
Abel & Buffett: Vice Chairman Greg Abel will succeed billionaire Warren Buffett as Berkshire Hathaway CEO, according to a report. Buffett confirmed the succession plan on Monday to CNBC after Berkshire Vice Chairman Charlie Munger let slip the plan during during the company's annual meeting on Saturday.
Yahoo & AOL: AOL and Yahoo are being sold again, this time to a private equity firm. Verizon will sell Verizon Media, which consists of the pioneering tech platforms, to Apollo Global Management in a US$5 billion deal. Verizon said Monday that it will keep a 10 per cent stake in the new company, which will be called Yahoo.
Telstra: Telstra has paid a $1.5 million penalty after the communications watchdog found it failed to provide consumers with the opportunity to keep their existing local phone number when changing telcos. The infringement notice, related to what is known as "local number porting", is the biggest ever issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Age pension: A majority of Australians believe the age pension should be increased, with many fearing they won't have enough money when they enter retirement. An Australian National University survey of 3500 adults found more than seven out of 10 adults think the current age pension of $944.
Savings: Wrangling with your utility or phone service provider is a great place to start savings money. Here's how to get $100 and fast.
Bill, Melinda Gates: Microsoft power couple Bill and Melinda Gates will get a divorce after 27 years of marriage. The couple announced the decision in a joint statement to Twitter on Monday US time. “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the pair said in a joint statement today.
Have a great day.
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