ASX to rise, Bitcoin hits new high, delivery drivers strike
Good morning.
ASX: The local market is expected to cruise today after a solid lead from the US overnight.
This comes after investors pushed the ASX to a 30-day high and the Aussie dollar to 75 US cents in yesterday's session.
Wall St: US stocks edged higher overnight helped by strong quarterly updates from healthcare companies.
However, worries remained about the impact of supply chain constraints and rising inflation.
The S&P 500 rose 0.37 per cent to 4,536.19, the Dow Jones was also up 0.43 per cent to 35,609.34 and the Nasdaq was flat, down 0.05 per cent at 15,121.68.
Bitcoin booms: Bitcoin hit a new record high surpassing US$66,000 for the first time.
The cryptocurrency held onto gains from earlier this week, after the first-ever Bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund, the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF, rose by nearly 5 per cent in its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange.
Melbourne reopens: Melburnians will emerge from lockdown at 11.59pm, five days earlier than planned, as the state is expected to reach its 70 per cent fully vaccinated target.
Under the new rules, people will be able to leave their homes for any reason and travel anywhere within metropolitan Melbourne.
The curfew will be scrapped, home gatherings of up to 10 will be allowed, and hairdressers and hospitality businesses will reopen for the fully vaccinated.
Delivery strike: Around 2,000 StarTrack workers went on strike across the county at midnight last night. Tens of thousands of packages are expected to be impacted by the strike.
The Transport Workers Union said other delivery companies had been able to guarantee job security for their delivery drivers, yet StarTrack were the outliers.
Bottom of the barrel: Australia has been ranked the worst climate performer in the developed world and will remain last even if it promises to get to net zero emissions by 2050, a new Climate Council report said.
The advocacy group has compared what 31 wealthy developed nations are doing to limit global warming ahead of the pivotal Glasgow climate conference in 10 days' time.
‘Trapped in poverty’: A new report has slammed the Federal Government for making it difficult for job seekers to access support payments despite job shortages.
Anglicare said about 30 people were competing for a single entry level role and people without qualifications or work experience were spending around five years looking for a job.
Have a great day.
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