Grafa News and Videos — Page 271

The Australian government has ended the temporary fuel excise discount, confirming wholesale fuel prices will increase by 16 cents per litre.

Data provider Cotality reported that national auction volumes in Australia fell 19.2% year-on-year to 1,273 listings.

• Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) reported fiscal Q4 2026 revenue of $90 billion, up 18% year over year, with cloud growth supporting overall performance.
• The company’s Intelligent Cloud segment generated $39.3 billion in revenue, while Azure and other cloud services revenue increased 43% and surpassed $100 billion in annual revenue.
• Technology companies are increasing cloud and AI investments while managing infrastructure costs, enterprise demand, and competition across digital services.

• HSBC Holdings (NYSE:HSBC) agreed to divest its $36 billion Australian home and personal loan portfolio to Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) as part of a broader strategy to simplify operations.
• The transaction carries an immaterial loss of under $100 million for HSBC, while major domestic competitors continue managing multi-billion-dollar residential lending portfolios.
• Traditional banks are scaling back complex consumer portfolios to optimise capital reserves, leaving specialised non-bank institutions to expand market share through third-party servicing arrangements.

• Boeing (NYSE:BA) reported Q2 2026 revenue of $24.6 billion, up 8% year over year, supported by 171 commercial airplane deliveries.
• The company reported a GAAP loss per share of $0.67 and a core loss per share of $0.76, while total backlog reached a record $715 billion.
• The aerospace sector continues balancing aircraft demand, production execution, supply chain constraints, and profitability across commercial and defense operations.

• Anthropic's Claude AI has gained access to Google Wallet for cryptocurrency, allowing the assistant to interact with supported blockchain wallet data through Google's infrastructure.
• The update highlights growing links between artificial intelligence, digital wallets and blockchain applications, with wallet providers expanding support for programmable financial services.
• Privacy protections, wallet security and user permission controls remain the main challenges as AI gains greater access to digital asset tools.

• The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a 7.2% rise in total dwelling approvals to 18,328 in June, driven by a 17.8% jump in multi-unit approvals.
• Annual residential approvals reached 205,249 dwellings for the 2025-26 financial year, reflecting a 9.2% increase compared to the previous period.
• Sector analysts observe that while apartment pipelines expand, non-residential construction values dropped 24.7% to $8.26 billion, creating mixed pressures for large developers.

• The US administration imposed a 12.5% tariff on Australian exports following forced labour allegations across global supply chains.
• Energy markets spiked simultaneously as Brent crude hit US$91 per barrel, driving Australian capital city unleaded petrol prices up to $2.25 per litre.
• Australian federal leaders confirmed temporary fuel tax relief will expire on Aug. 2 while challenging export levies through diplomatic channels.

• Genesis Minerals entered a binding agreement to acquire Vault Minerals, creating a combined entity valued at $12.6 billion.
• The transaction values Vault at approximately $5.6 billion, with the merged group projecting annual output of 600,000 to 700,000 ounces and $2.0 billion in post-tax synergies.
• Mid-tier producers are pursuing regional operational integration to lower processing costs and achieve scale amid shifting macroeconomic conditions.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $16.99 billion, up 10% year over year, with adjusted earnings per share of $3.65, exceeding analyst expectations of $3.60.