This is the Fear and Greed Afternoon Report - everything you need to know about what happened in the markets, economy and world of business today, in just a few minutes.
ANZ shines
Wall Street hit record
Nuclear warns up
Myer profit tumbles
Declaration of war
Welcome to Fear and Greed. Business News Afternoon Report for Friday, the twentieth of September twenty twenty four. I'm suan alma. Every afternoon, We've got the five stories that happened today that you need to know about. Story number ONEm The SMPASX two hundred closed up just a bit today, zero point two percent to eighty two hundred and ten points. A and Z and Wes Farmers were the best of the large caps. A and Z hitting a multi year high. Telstra was the worst, down more than one percent. In corporate news, Tab Corp chair Bruce Akhurst will step down after major investors expressed concerns about the company's weak performance and rising costs. Tablecorps share price is down nearly fifty percent this year. In retailer Harvey Norman was served with a second class action for misleading and deceptive conduct over the alleged selling of extended warranties, days after Echo Law launched similar proceedings against the company. Today's proceedings were announced by law firm Morris Blackburn. Sorry Number two Wall Street hit record levels overnight on the back of the fifty bases point rate cut from the Federal Reserve earlier in the week, with a broad based SMP five hundred finishing up nearly two percent, topping fifty seven hundred points for the first time, while the tech heavy NASTACK raised two and a half percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which measures the thirty leaders on Wall Street, also hit a record, topping forty two thousand points for the first time. Nvidia, Apple, and Meta all jumped sharply, while Tesla rose seven percent overnight. The Bank of England, as expected, kept interest rates unchanged during the day. The Bank of Japan kept rates in that economy unchanged. Bitcoins also had a good twenty four hours training at more than sixty four thousand US dollars a unit. The Aussie dollar has held on to recent gains, fetching more than sixty eight US since story number three. There was quite a bit going on in federal politics today, even though the Prime Minister was overseas. Opposition leader Peter Dunton rejected costing estimates for the coalition's nuclear power proposal released by Energy Minister Chris Bowen, which suggests it would raise household energy bills by six hundred and sixty five dollars a year. Thus far, the Coalition hasn't provided estimates on what its nuclear policy would mean for household spending on energy. Pensioners, job seekers and those on rent assistance will receive a boost to their payments from today in line with the biannual indexation increase. Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth was sprioking the boost in payments today. The increase will impact more than five million Australians who received some sort of government welfare payment outgoing. In dis Minister Bill short And ramped up the Albanesi government's attack on the Greens. This is at the end of a week where it struggled to pass legislation through the Senate. Mister Shorton accused the Greens of living in a parallel universe and former Xenophone Senator rex Patrick Maka second tilted Parliament in the next federal election after he was announced as the Jackie Lamby Network candidate for South Australia. Story number four. Meyer has recorded a sharp drop in sales and a slump in profit for the twenty twenty four financial lim the group said, challenging macroeconomic conditions and the closure of his Brisbane Frankston and Werribee Stores led to a three percent drop in sales to almost three billion dollars. Net profit after tax fell twenty eight percent. That resulted in a big drop in its share price, though by the end of the day it had paired most of those losses. It finished down half percent. Executive chair Olivia Worth outline plans to return the department store to sustainable growth may Tomorrow She's calling it, and includes stronger cost controls, cracking down on instore theft, better use offormations, and unlocking the full potential of its Maya One loyalty scheme. It will seek to increase custom engagement, especially mail and young shoppers, to enhance the loyalty scheme and give Maya a greatest share of the wallet and story number five. Israel launched a waiver air strikes against Hezbala targets in Lebanon this morning Australian Time, as the Milton Group's leader said two days of attacks on its members involving pages and walking talkies amounted to a declaration of war. In his first public remarks since the device explosions, which killed at least thirty seven people. Hesbla's leader, Hassen israela acknowledged that his group had endured a severe we are in cruel blow, according to report on Reuter's in the Telegraph of London. He said Israel would face just retribution and a bitter reckoning, and promise that the attacks were not deter Hesblah from continuing to launch rockets and drones at Israel as he spoke, two large sonic booms from Israeli fighter jetsok buildings in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, an apparent show of mike by Israel. Later in the day, Israeli warplanes struck thirty rocket launches in southern Lebanon, as well as weapons cachets in military structures. The Israel military said that's it. The afternoon report for Friday, the twentieth, September twenty twenty four Adam Lang, Michael Thompson and I will be back tomorrow morning with the weekend edition of Beering Greed Business News. I'm schanelma enjoy Reavening