Today’s News

The Big Picture

• Auction market slumps to near-COVID lows. Clearance rates plunged over Easter, with the preliminary national rate hitting 55.5% — the lowest since July 2022 — and expected to fall below 50% once finalised. That would mark the weakest result since the 2020 lockdowns, as Middle East tensions and a surge in listings keep buyers on the sidelines. (AFR)
  
  

• Trump sets Iran deadline with stark warning. US President Donald Trump has threatened strikes on Iranian infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened, warning Tuesday would be “Power Plant Day” and “Bridge Day” in Iran. It marks his third threat targeting civilian infrastructure, which could breach international law. Iran dismissed the comments as a “criminal mindset,” while reports suggest ceasefire talks are underway, though a deal remains unlikely. (BBC | Trump Truth Social)
  
  

• Oil jumps as Middle East tensions escalate. Brent crude briefly surged past US$110 a barrel after Trump’s threats rattled markets. Disruptions to oil and gas shipments have persisted since late February, when Iran began targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz in response to US and Israeli strikes. (BBC)
  
  

• Australian fuel supply holding… for now. Energy Minister Chris Bowen says fuel shipments are secured “well into May,” with diesel shortages easing after peaking over Easter. Affected stations have dropped from more than 400 to 274, though NSW remains the hardest hit as farmers are prioritised during seeding season. (ABC)
  
  

• E-bikes surge as petrol prices bite. Soaring fuel costs are pushing commuters towards e-bikes, with one Perth retailer reporting sales jumping from 3–4 per week to nearly 30 in just 10 days. Many buyers are ditching cars altogether to cut costs. (ABC)
  
  

• Economists warn of stagflation risk. Leading economists say Australia faces growing stagflation risks, with weak growth, high inflation and rising unemployment all in play. Former RBA board member Bob Gregory and ex-Treasury secretary Martin Parkinson point to the Middle East conflict as a key driver through energy prices and supply chain disruptions. (ABC)

Companies in the news

• AustralianSuper reshuffles major holdings. The nation’s largest super fund has dumped a $450m stake in CSL amid ongoing plasma business weakness, while also cutting positions in James Hardie, Woolworths and Wesfarmers. Telstra has emerged as a key beneficiary, with its holding rising to $1.6bn from effectively nothing in early 2025. (AFR)
  
  

• ASIC slams ASX over governance failures. The regulator has criticised ASX management for prioritising profits over market stability in its final inquiry report. The exchange now faces a critical 10-week period, including a key CHESS system milestone and the search for a new CEO. (Capital Brief)
  
  

• Pepsi and Diageo pull out of UK festival over Kanye West. Pepsi and Diageo have withdrawn sponsorship from London’s Wireless Festival after Kanye West was announced as the headliner. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the decision “deeply concerning” following the artist’s past controversies. (BBC)
  
  

• Mario powers box office in 2026. Universal and Nintendo’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has delivered the biggest opening weekend of the year, generating US$372.5m globally. The result highlights the continued strength of nostalgia-driven family films. (WSJ)

What the…?

Western fast food giants race to conquer rural China. Western fast food giants are turning to rural China for growth after running out of room in major cities. McDonald’s plans to open 3,000 new stores, while KFC is adding more than 4,000, alongside aggressive expansion from Burger King, Starbucks and Subway.

The reason? Saturation has hit hard. Around 70% of KFCs in China are within a 10-minute cycle of another KFC, with McDonald’s not far behind.

With two-thirds of China’s 1.4 billion people living outside its biggest cities, smaller towns are now the last untapped market — and the next battleground for the world’s fast food giants. (The Economist)

A message from Odoo

Stop fighting your software and start fueling your growth. Odoo brings your entire business operation together on a single, powerful platform.

Forget the headache of disconnected apps. With 70+ integrated tools covering CRM, Sales, Project management and more, Odoo replaces the chaos with one seamless dashboard. It is simple, intuitive, and designed to scale as fast as you do.

Experience total efficiency today. Trial Odoo for free for 15 days - no credit card required. All your business needs, under one platform. 

Today’s Insight

Ren’s ETF Strategy

This was taken from our recent Equity Mates Investing episode titled ‘Our Monthly Portfolio Update - March 2026’ (Spotify | Apple | YouTube)

Bryce: All right Ren, let's get into it. How about you start with what you've been up to this month?

Ren: Always the starting point. It's repetitive and boring, but so is good investing. I've been dollar cost averaging into my core portfolio. My wife and I have three ETFs in our core portfolio. 70% of the money is in GHHF. 15% is in BEMG and 15% is in EXUS.

Now, if you're not familiar with those ticket codes, 70% of our money goes into an ETF that covers the majority of the world, but is a little bit overweight, America and Australia, and it's also got some moderate leverage being GHHF. Then 15% goes into emerging markets being BEMG and 15% goes into developed markets outside of the US being EXUS, just to top them up to get a bit more balance, around the world.

Every week, we dollar cost averaged into the market, 4th of March, 11th of March, 18th of March, 25th of March, we dollar cost averaged. Whatever the market was doing, we put the same amount of money in, and that's where the majority of our money is invested. It's not complicated, it's simple, and we keep doing it.

Today in Equity Mates