Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to Fear and Greed. Business news you can use today.
Despite the global tariff wars, the world's biggest company, and
Video tops US four trillion dollars in value, while Bitcoin
hits a new record. Prime Minister Anthony Albanesi announces that
universities and arts bodies could lose government funding if they
failed to combat anti Semitic bigotry from staff, students and artists.
(00:29):
And nine entertainment wigans big from rugby league's state of
origin on Wednesday night, Plus some of Australia's best loved
magazines are up for sale. And Europe's top human rights
court has delivered damning judgments against Russia accusing Moscow of
atrocities in Ukraine dating back more than a decade. It's Friday,
the eleventh of July twenty twenty five. I'm Adam Lang
(00:51):
and good morning Sean Almer. Good morning Adam Sewan. The
main story this morning. It has been twenty four hours
of records on financial mark makes on Wall Street, and
Video became the first company ever to be valued at
over US four trillion dollars. In crypto markets, Bitcoin reached
a new high, and that's despite global economic uncertainty and
(01:13):
locally one of the best performing stocks of the last year.
Imaging group Promedicus hits another record, forcing its way into
the top twenty stocks for the first time. Sean tell
us about it.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Given all the uncertainty around tariffs and global growth and trade,
the performance of the assets you just went through has
been nothing short of exceptional. It reflects a seeming underlying
optimism that despite what's going on out there, particularly in
the US, things are okay, and video pushed beyond the
four to Trilly News dollar mark valuation, which is about
(01:47):
six point one trillion Ossie dollars. It closed slightly below that,
but it's the first time any company has hit that mark.
To put it into some perspective, that's more than twice
the value of the total mark capitalization of all the
top two hundred stocks in the AX, So we are
talking massive. Nvidia is up more than twenty percent this year,
(02:09):
more than one thousand percent since the beginning of twenty
twenty three. It now accounts for a massive seven and
a half percent of the S and P five hundred,
and the next biggest stock on wall streets Microsoft with
about three point seven trillion dollars now. The latest cutalyst
for Nvidia has been a commitment to artificial intelligence spending
(02:29):
from some of its biggest customers, showing the demand for
its computing systems remain strong and includes places like Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Alphabet.
They're projected to put about three hundred and fifty billion
US in the capital expenditure in their upcoming fiscal years
and Nvidia is a big winner from that.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
And speaking of incredible, Sean, what is behind bitcoin pushing
beyond US one hundred and twelve thousand dollars for the
first time.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Wish I knew, Adam, Whish I knew. I mean, there's
just there's broad support for risks and that swept up
tech stocks as well as cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin, of course, is
the original crypto asset. It's up twenty percent this year.
An Less say that institutional demand for bitcoin is surging,
not just retail demand. That gives it some sustainability. Still,
(03:17):
it's a risk asset and we are in pretty risky
times at the moment. Other cryptos have also done well,
as have exchanged traded funds on Wall Street and in
Australia and other places. I think the fact that bitcoin
is training over one hundred and twelve thousand USL has
unit for the first time. Is the slight mystery.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
It's spectacular too, isn't it incredible? Now? Sean finally back
home pro Medicus. It keeps going from strength to strength.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
It's an imaging provider to hospitals and healthcare groups. The
way I think about pro Medicus because many people will
never have heard of this company, right, it basically brings
X rays into the twenty first century. So no longer
are you carrying those big films all over in those
big envelopes. Right what it's visage radiology software mostly used
(04:04):
in North American hospitals. Basically, laos are really efficient viewing,
in interpreting of scans and transmission of scans, and it
has been a bit of a game changer in that industry.
Promedicus is one of the best performing stocks on the
A six two hundred over the last year, up one
hundred and forty percent. That's on the back of a
bunch of contract wins in the US and support from
(04:26):
fund managers who suddenly see the potential of this company.
One thing that Promedicus has done, it's market cap has
risen so much so quickly that a bunch of index
funds have sort of been clan bring to actually get
stock because it's it's not a household name. I mean,
it's now a top twenty stock. It's bigger than Zero,
(04:47):
bigger than Coal's, bigger than Santos, bigger than Aria, market
cap of thirty three billion dollars, twice the size of Quantus.
Quite a phenomenal effort from Promedicus.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Shorn apart from Promedicus, and it is an incredible story.
How did the local market perform yesterday?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Well, there's in PA six two hundred finished up more
than half a percent to eight five hundred and eighty
nine points. It's back training close to record levels. That's
on the back of hopes of local interest rate cuts.
Also strong Wall Street. It's school holidays, Adam, as you know,
boys are at home at the moment. Trading's lighter than
normal now. In terms of the sub indices, yesterday, Materials,
(05:27):
industrials and real estate did best. Healthcare index was worse.
In fact, only two of the top twenty companies ended
in the red. One was CSL and the back of
tariff concerns on pharmaceuticals, the other wise Sigma Healthcare Woodside
was flat. The other seventeen of the top twenty all rows.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Not a bad day, And Sean tell us about the
global markets well.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
In terms of numbers. Oil prices have risen in recent days,
Brent's training around seventy US dollars of barrel, goals training
around thirty three twenty US dollars announce, and that mighty
Aussie dollar buying just under sixty five and a half
US since.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
If you want to read about all of that, plus
a bit more in Sean's opinions, sign up on our
website to the newsletter. It's out this morning. It is
another belter of a newsletter. We'll be back in a
moment with the rest of the day's business news. Sean
universities and arts bodies will lose government funding if they
(06:24):
failed to combat anti Semitic bigotry from staff, students and artists.
And this is part of a new federal strategy to
combat the wave of attacks against Jewish Australians.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Yesterday, Prime Minister Anthony Albernezi, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke
and Special Envoy on Anti Semitism Gillian Siegel announced the plan,
saying Australian border Force officials will be trained to spot
and deport anti Semites. The announcement comes after a government
commission report by MS Siegel showing anti Jewish sentiment in
(06:55):
Australia has risen to deeply troubling levels. The report includes
a push to adopt the national standard definition of anti
Jewish bigotry. It's part of a strategy to combat the
wave of attacks against Jewish Australians in recent months, including
alleged anti Semitic attacks in Melbourne last weekend. MS Siegel
said anti Semitism was once marginalized, but had increasingly become
(07:18):
a mainstream threat, challenging national values and public safety.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Sean, the Prime Minister, was also asked yesterday about Donald
Trump's plan to introduce two hundred percent tariffs on pharmaceuticals,
which would put at risk two billion dollars worth of
drug sales from Australia into North America.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Mister Ailmenezi went straight into a discussion about the Pharmaceutical
Benefit Scheme, which subsidizes the cost of drugs in Australia.
He said, we won't be compromised in trade talks with
the US when it comes to the PBS. The background
to that US drug makers have complained to the White
House about having slow access to the Australian market, saying
the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme often subsidizes cheaper generic products over affairs.
(08:01):
The fear is that Donald Trump uses that as a
reason to lump Australian goods with higher tariffs. Given what
he's done, that is fair to be concerned about that.
Another point of contention at the moment is the government's
Media Bargaining Code, which forces big tech to pay media
companies for content. Now that the Prime Minister has said
that's also not up for negotiation. Of course, we haven't
(08:24):
had any negotiations with the US, so until that happens,
we'll have to wait and see Shawn.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
An investigation by anti corruption barrister Jeffrey Watson sc has
found the CFMEU in Queensland deliberately inflicted physical, sexual, emotional
and economic abuse on others, from labor politicians to public
servants and rival unionists, including women and children.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Quite incredible findings. The investigation accused the group's former Queensland
leadership of overseeing a regime that was violent, cruel, misogynistic
and targeted family members as fair game. Media hoarding union sources,
saying six organizers have now been removed from their roles
at the CFMEU. The forty five page investigation details dozens
(09:07):
of incidents, and Watson said he fears it only scratches
the service. He described the union violence as childish and cowardly,
but said far and away the worst hypocrisy from the
CFMEU relates to its treatment of women.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Sean the private equity owners of some of Australia's oldest
and best known magazine brands, The Australian Women's Weekly, Better
Homes and Gardens, New Idea in Women's Day, They've been
put up for sale.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Have you ever read any of those? Adam?
Speaker 1 (09:34):
I haven't bought one, but I reckon I've sat in
so many waiting rooms where I've thumbed through one.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Yeah, or two, I would totally agree. I remember years
ago my mother used to buy the English Women's Weekly.
Shouldn't buy the Australian Woman's Weekly, the English Women's Weekly.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Just to keep retire the Northern Hemisphere.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Yeah, I'm not sure. Private equity group Mercury Capital wants
to sell the magazine. Publisher R Media aren't now the
group has struggled from a decline in advertising dollars flowing
to traditional flowing away from traditional magazine brands. Plenty of
tough competition out there, social media platforms, podcasts, ADAM podcast
streaming services, rival women's media groups. Our Media formerly was
(10:17):
called Bauer Media Group. Maybe people remember it as that
German media giant. Bauer spent five hundred and sixty five
million dollars about well. They bought magazines from nine Entertainment
in twenty twelve, it's from seven West Media in twenty twenty.
They created Australia's largest publisher of primarily women's magazines. Now
(10:39):
that was in twenty twelve and twenty twenty. They spent
that money six months after the Pacific Magazines deal. In
twenty twenty they sold the business for less than fifty
million dollars to Mercury Capital. So they did their money
on it. It'd be interesting to see how much Pe Group
Mercury Capital get for it.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Sure the rugby league state of origin between Queensland and
New South Wales resulted in a win for the Sunshine
State and also for Nine Networks streaming service nine Now.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
The game had an average national television audience of more
than three point nine million people according to ratings company
os TAM. That made it the most watched program of
twenty twenty five. Almost five point seven million people tuned
in for at least one minute through broadcast TV or
fifteen seconds through the streaming app. In this case it
was nine Networks nine Now It had the biggest streaming
(11:28):
audience in history, according to nine, with nine one hundred
and seventy eight thousand viewers. That's about eight thousand more
than the Matilda's win. It was a loss against England
in the Fee for Women's World Cup back in August
twenty twenty three. All in all, Wednesday Night was the
biggest TV audience for an Origin game since twenty sixteen.
(11:49):
The three State of Origin games, which are New South
Walers v. Queensland the three most watched events of the year.
They beat the AFL Grand Final and the NRL Grand Final.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
They reach about about that five and a half million
people across cumulatively when you put streaming and free to
air across each game. Massive audiences.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
It is a spectacle.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Yeah, did you watch it the other night?
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (12:18):
See. I grew up in a rugby league town in
country Orange. Yeah. In Orange, and I've got to say
I watched possibly thirty seconds of it the other night.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
You thought yourself, I was losing come out.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Ah, yeah I was. I don't even know whether that
was it. I just sort of had lost lost my interest,
lost the vibe.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
And then of course Sean had a son playing in
the other hemisphere in the wee hours of the morning.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yes, the Under twenties World Cup is going on at
the moment in Rugby. I did get up at two
am and watch that particular game, And given that I
normally go up at four am, it just meant that
I got up at two am and stayed.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Up even less sleep Long day yesterday, sewn in international news.
In the United States, Donald Trump has confirmed the fifty
percent tariff on US copper imports will come into effect
on the first of August.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
He also threatened to hit Brazil with tariffs of fifty
percent and accused it of attacking free speech over the
treatment of the country's former right wing president, j R. Bolsanaro.
Trump is also critical of Brazil's policy on US tech companies. Previously,
Brazil had attracted just to ten percent tariff, like Australia.
He criticized them over Bolsonaro and the tech companies. Now
(13:35):
they've got a fifty percent tariff. Not quite sure what
that means for Australia, but it doesn't sound like a
good thing. Bolsanaro, a long time Trump ally, is currently
on trial in Brazil over an alleged coup attempt against
the city in government Sean.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Europe's top human rights court has delivered damning judgments against
Russia in four cases brought by Kiev and the Netherlands
accusing Moscow of atrocities in Ukraine dating back more than
a death.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Judges at the European Court of Human Rights ruled that
Russia was responsible for widespread violations of international law, from
shooting down Malaysian Airlines Flight seventeen in twenty fourteen to
the murder, torture, rape, destruction of civilian infrastructure and kidnapping
of Ukrainian children after Moscow's full scale invasion in twenty
(14:21):
twenty two. The Boeing Triple seven, flying from Ampisteradam to
Kuala Lumpa, was shot down on July seventeen, twenty fourteen,
using a Russian made buck missile fired from territory in
eastern Ukraine that is controlled by separatist rebels loyal to Moscow.
All two hundred and ninety eight passengers and crew were killed,
including thirty eight Australian citizens and residents. The court said
(14:44):
Russian forces breached international humanitarian law in Ukraine by carrying
out attacks that killed and wounded thousands of civilians and
created fear and terror. That's all, according to Associated Press Sean.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Meanwhile, Russia has fired more than seven hundred attack decoy
drones at Ukraine in twenty four hours, topping previous barages.
As Moscow intensifies its aerial and ground assault in this
three year war.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Russia has recently sought to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses by
launching major attacks that include increasing numbers of decoy drones.
The most recent one appeared aimed at disrupting Ukraine's vital
supply of Western weapons. Lutsk, a city that's home to
airfields used by the Ukrainian Army, was the hardest hit,
according to President Vladimir Zelenski. It lies near the border
(15:30):
with Poland in western Ukraine, a region that is a
crucial hub for receiving foreign military aid.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
That's It's Shawn and up next is the Fear and
Greed Daily Interview with Vincent Nair. He's the executive chairman
and CEO of smart Tech Business Systems. Tell us about
the interview.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
So Smartek's a major sponsor of super rugby in Australia.
Now it's not really a mainstream sports super Rugby. It's
so close to but it's not like AFL or NRL
or anything like that. So we ask him why he
doesn't and what he gets out of it. Then we
sort of push more broad into marketing your product and
a B to to B space how smart Teak is
doing them. It's great chat with Vincent.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
That's up next in the Fear and Greed playlist on
your favorite podcast platform or at Fearangreed dot com dot au.
Thank you, Sean, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Adam.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
It's Friday, the eleventh of July twenty twenty five. Make
sure you're following the podcast, Join us online on LinkedIn, Instagram,
x TikTok and Facebook, and please have a great day.