1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: It's Thursday, the fifteenth of January twenty twenty six. Welcome 2 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: to the Fast five Business News by Fear and Greed, 3 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: where we give you the top five business stories you 4 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: need to know in just five minutes. Oh Michael Thompson, 5 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:14,800 Speaker 1: and good morning Sean Ailmer. 6 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:16,760 Speaker 2: Good morning, Michael, Sean. 7 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: Five stories, five minutes. Let's go. Story number one. Google's 8 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:23,960 Speaker 1: parent company, Alphabet has become the fourth big tech group 9 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: to hit a four trillion US dollar market valuation, fueled 10 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 1: by investor optimism that its AI models can compete with 11 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 1: rivals such as Open Ai. It's now the second largest 12 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,160 Speaker 1: company on Wall Street, behind of Course and Video. 13 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 2: Alphabet hit the mark this week after the announcement of 14 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,240 Speaker 2: a deal with Apple that will involve Google's Gemina Gemini 15 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:49,239 Speaker 2: AI models powering a revamped version of THEII, the iPhone's 16 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 2: virtual assistant. Alphabet share price that more than six percent 17 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 2: in the past month, valuation right on four trillion US dollars. 18 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 2: Microsoft and Apple passed that mark last year. They're now 19 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 2: falling back now. An Alphabet Nvidia's worth four point five 20 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 2: trillion dollar, the market leader. As you mentioned, Alphabet's just 21 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 2: had a great job reinventing itself twelve months ago. Investors 22 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 2: fear that its search engine biz cash cow would be 23 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 2: overshadowed by AI such as Chat GPT. Also facing regulatory pressures, 24 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:20,960 Speaker 2: it shifted into AI. Alphabet did gem and I came out, 25 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 2: been very very successful and its share price has doubled 26 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 2: since April last year. 27 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 1: It's a pretty good effort, particularly given Wall Street as 28 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: hit record highs in recent sessions. 29 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 2: Yes, on Tuesday morning Australian time, the S and P 30 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 2: five hundred hit a new all time high, notwithstanding concerns 31 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:40,040 Speaker 2: about Donald Trump's comments on the Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, 32 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 2: mixed economic news and a falling US dollar, and Vidio 33 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:44,720 Speaker 2: and Alphabet have done much of the work, but so 34 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 2: two non tech stocks like retailer Walmart that's had a 35 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 2: very very good run. The markets come off in the 36 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 2: past couple of sessions, but equities are doing very well 37 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 2: in the US. 38 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: Okay, moving on to story number two. Now, Sean and 39 00:01:56,560 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 1: the Federal opposition is likely to attempt to block anti 40 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 1: vilification laws in response to the Bondai massacre when Parliament 41 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: sits next week, but the Labour government could still pass 42 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 1: legislation with the support of the Greens. 43 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 2: Coalition MPs Tim Wilson and Andrew Hasty yesterday raised concerns 44 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:17,359 Speaker 2: about free speech speech if Labour's hate laws pass. Last night, 45 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 2: Coalition leader Susan Lee convened the meeting of her most 46 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 2: senior MPs and expressed serious reservations about the rushed nature 47 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 2: of the bill. Instead, the Opposition could not be expected 48 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 2: to vote for it, according to media reports. She cited 49 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 2: the lack of adequate explanation from bureaucrats on the scope 50 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 2: of the bill. She also said there are concerns over 51 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 2: religious text exemption and fears the racial vilification provision is 52 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 2: too broad. The country's top Muslim body yesterday joined major 53 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 2: Christian and Jewish groups in calling for a delay to 54 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 2: allow more time to review the scope and impact of 55 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 2: the legislation. 56 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: Story number three good news for renters, perhaps not investors, 57 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: though shown. Australia's rental market is slowing across many cities 58 00:02:57,919 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: as rent has reached the limit really of what they 59 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: can forward. According to Demand's December quarter rent report. 60 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 2: After several years of sharp rental increases, growth has eased 61 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 2: and is now uneven. Very much depends on the city 62 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 2: or whether you're in a house or a unit. Rents 63 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:16,080 Speaker 2: are still high, but increases are slowing and much more selective, 64 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:19,799 Speaker 2: a trend that's expected to continue. Vacancy remains do remain low, 65 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 2: so the landlords probably still hold the upper hand here. 66 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 2: But household rents across the combined capital cities rose just 67 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 2: two percent over the December quarter. That actually was the 68 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 2: first increase in a year. Adelaide, Perth and Darwin recorded 69 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 2: no change, but rents and all three cities do remain 70 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 2: at record highs. Melbourne's the only capital city where house 71 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 2: rents are lower than a year ago. Brisbane's kind of 72 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 2: the other end of the spectrum. It's very much true 73 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 2: that the steam has come out of the market, and 74 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 2: you can see that by the gap between house and 75 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 2: unit rents narrowing. 76 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: Sorry number before we talk a lot about the growth 77 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: of ETFs in this country. Shawn in Australia's exchange traded 78 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 1: fund market ended twenty twenty five worth three hundred and 79 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 1: thirty one billion dollars, with funds under management rising by 80 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: thirty five percent over the year. 81 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 2: Phenomenal fifty three billion dollars in net inflows, positive market performance, 82 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 2: unlisted funds converting into active ETF that all contributed to 83 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 2: that number. There are now four hundred and sixty two 84 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:23,159 Speaker 2: ETF products. The ones that have done best, of course, 85 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 2: are in commodities. You know ETFs around gold, silver, platinum, palladium. 86 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 2: They're rallied most In the last few months. 87 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,880 Speaker 1: Last one story number five, China's trade surplus climbed to 88 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: one point two trillion US dollars in twenty twenty five. 89 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: That is the largest ever recorded by an economy, extending 90 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: a record run. As the tariff war started by US 91 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 1: President Donald Trump sent exports in search of markets beyond 92 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:49,760 Speaker 1: the US. 93 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 2: Shipment's threadias like Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Europe made 94 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 2: up for a deepening fall in sales to the US. 95 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 2: Overall exports were up six point six percent from a 96 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 2: year earlier. It's exports out of China, even though those 97 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:08,279 Speaker 2: taken by the US. The US share of China's title 98 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 2: exports fell to eleven percent from about nineteen percent six 99 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 2: or seven years ago. What that is showing is how 100 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 2: the tariffs are reordering global trade flows. China are selling 101 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 2: into other economies, good for consumers there, but producers in 102 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:27,279 Speaker 2: those economies have to rethink what they're doing. As well. Anyway, 103 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 2: huge trade surplus for China. 104 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, certainly is there. Go the top five business stories 105 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:34,799 Speaker 1: in five minutes. Thank you Sean, Thank you Michael. It's Thursday, 106 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 1: the fifteenth of January twenty twenty six. Remember to hit 107 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 1: follow on the podcast. And if five minutes isn't enough, 108 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: you're going to find our longer daily show called Fear 109 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:45,839 Speaker 1: and Greed wherever you listen to podcasts. I'm Michael Thompson 110 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 1: and that was the fast five business news by Fear 111 00:05:47,839 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 1: and Greed. Have a great day.