1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Fear and Greed Business News Afternoon Report 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:09,119 Speaker 1: for Wednesday, the eighteenth of March twenty twenty six. Oh, 3 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:11,600 Speaker 1: Michael Thompson, and every afternoon, we've got the five stories 4 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: that happened today that you need to know about. Let's 5 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:15,840 Speaker 1: go with story number one. The S and PA sex 6 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 1: two hundred rows zero point three percent today to eighty 7 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:22,120 Speaker 1: six hundred and forty one points. Ten of the eleven 8 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 1: sectors were higher today. Technology and real estate stocks led 9 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: the gains. Data Center Group next DC was up three 10 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: point six percent. Zero rose two point three percent. Goodman 11 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: Group added two point one percent. That was really as 12 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 1: these rate sensitive sectors rebounded somewhat after yesterday's interest rate hike. 13 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: Energy stocks were mixed as oil prices eased slightly but 14 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: remained above one hundred US dollars a barrel. Santos rose 15 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:51,639 Speaker 1: nearly one percent. Woodside edged higher after confirming its new 16 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:54,959 Speaker 1: chief executive would be Liz Liz Westcott, who has been 17 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 1: acting in that role for the last few months. Now 18 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 1: it is going to be permanent. Materials also finished higher, 19 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:04,400 Speaker 1: with BHP up zero point seven percent. James Hardy was 20 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 1: up three and a half percent. The banks were a 21 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 1: bit mixed following the rate hike yesterday. The biggest increase 22 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: though today on the ASX two hundred came from Drone Shield. 23 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,400 Speaker 1: It is a somewhat volatile stock. It has moved around 24 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:19,679 Speaker 1: a lot in the last six months twelve months, but 25 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: today it jumped more than ten percent to be the 26 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: biggest gainer on the local boss Onto story number two 27 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 1: and US President Donald Trump has abandoned efforts to recruit allies, 28 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 1: including Australia, to support the war with Iran, instead criticizing 29 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:38,319 Speaker 1: countries that have refused to participate. On social media, he wrote, 30 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:41,759 Speaker 1: because of the fact that we have had such military success, 31 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: we no longer need or desire the NATO country's assistance. 32 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: We never did likewise Japan, Australia or South Korea. He 33 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 1: added that NATO allies had made a foolish mistake by 34 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: staying out of the conflict, and even suggested the US 35 00:01:56,520 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: should reconsider its involvement in NATO. The war will continues 36 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: to escalate, with Israel claiming that it has killed senior 37 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 1: Iranian official Ali Larajani and Trump threatening further strikes on 38 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: key infrastructure, particularly oil infrastructure, in the region. Story number 39 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: three radio host Kyle Sandalans says he will challenge the 40 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 1: termination of his contract with ARN, setting up a potential 41 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: legal battle over his multimillion dollar deal. This morning, ARN 42 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 1: confirmed the Kyle and JACKIEO Show will no longer be 43 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 1: broadcast after officially issuing a termination notice following a fourteen 44 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: day suspension period. Sandalans released a very fiery statement rejecting 45 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: the decision, saying he had complied with all requests and 46 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: accusing the company of using the situation to exit the contract. 47 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 1: And it was a sizable contract, a two hundred million 48 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: dollar deal across ten years for Kyle and JACKIEO. They 49 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: were just over a year into the agreement when the 50 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: show basically disintegrated following an on air confrontation between the 51 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: two hosts. Legal experts say the case could now hind 52 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 1: John Weather Sandaland's conduct rather breached the terms of his agreement, 53 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 1: or was instead consistent with the controversial style that ARN 54 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: had hired him for and has been broadcasting for for 55 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: much of the last twenty five years. Story number four. 56 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: Electric vehicle adoption in Australia is accelerating, but remains heavily 57 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: concentrated among higher income households in major cities. New analysis 58 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 1: shows that EV ownership is significantly higher in metropolitan areas, 59 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,519 Speaker 1: with uptake around four times greater than in rural regions. 60 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: The data suggests the policies such as the fringe Benefits 61 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 1: tax exemption has had limited impact in broadening adoption beyond 62 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: wealthier households. However, analysts expect the growth of the second 63 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 1: hand EV market to gradually expand access to more Australians 64 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: over time. And finally, story number five, how about this one? 65 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: Warner Brothers chief executive David Zaslav could receive a payout 66 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 1: worth more than seven hundred million US dollars following the 67 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: company's takeover by Paramount. The package includes hundreds of millions 68 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: of dollars in shares, cash payments, and benefits tied to 69 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: the deal, making it one of the largest executive payouts 70 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 1: in Hollywood. The takeover, valued at about thirty one US 71 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:18,960 Speaker 1: dollars a share, marks a major turnaround for Warner Brothers 72 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 1: Discovery after a pretty difficult period following its twenty twenty 73 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: one merger, and comes after Netflix walked away from its 74 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,880 Speaker 1: bid for the studio, leaving Paramounts in the box seat. 75 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,880 Speaker 1: The size of the payout for the Warner Brothers boss, though, 76 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: is likely to fuel a bit of criticism, particularly as 77 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:38,680 Speaker 1: the combined company prepares for likely significant cost cuts and 78 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: potential job losses. And that's it for the afternoon Report 79 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: for Wednesday, the eighteenth of March. Make sure you're following 80 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: the podcast, and please head along to Fear and Greed 81 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:49,600 Speaker 1: dot com dot au to sign up for our free 82 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 1: daily newsletter. I'm Michael Thompson. Enjoy your evening.