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Azzet Unpacked: Digesting a sales-heavy week in business
The festive season has begun with record Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales pushed by AI, despite some hiccups as tech giants battled tech outages. Geopolitical tensions have also risen from Washington to Moscow, while Europe deals with resurfacing inflation concerns. However, Christmas has come early for some, including Databricks, which raised US$5 billion in capital and Korea after the U.S. retroactively reduced tariffs. All the top moves, shakes, and red-hot takes from Azzet's editorial team are right here in your weekly business wrap every Friday (5 December, 2025).MondayGlobal markets opened the week with a heavy macro focus, with investors digesting the previous week’s domestic inflation pressures closely as runaway price growth threatened the RBA’s easing path, while Airbus faced an urgent recall of its A320 aircraft, raising industry-wide safety questions. Early retail signals were upbeat, with AI tools bolstering Black Friday sales volumes. In Switzerland, voters rejected an inheritance tax proposal aimed at the ultra-wealthy. Geopolitics intensified as the Trump administration warned that Venezuela’s airspace should be treated as closed, while the U.S. President separately announced a pause on migration
Wraps & Blogs
Azzet Unpacked: Giving thanks for a thin week in business
Spatchcock anyone? Welcome back to Unpacked. Institutional capital flooded the market this week, with major plays ranging from Fleet Street consolidation to massive Australian logistics buyouts. And while Wall Street semi-shuttered for the Thanksgiving holiday, thinning liquidity across global bourses late in the week - the M&A desks certainly didn't stop. All the top moves, shakes, and red hot turkey bastes from Azzet's editorial team are right here in your weekly business wrap every Friday (28 November, 2025). We saw the Daily Mail finally clinch its prize, Macquarie return to its infrastructure roots, and a COP30 accord that left policymakers divvying up the bill. Here is what you need to know:The week that wasAfter months of regulatory-intensive wrangling, the Daily Mail struck a £500 million deal to acquire The Telegraph, cementing a significant consolidation of right-leaning media in the UK. This acquisition finally ends the uncertainty that has plagued the broadsheet since the RedBird IMI bid collapsed, though the deal is almost certain to attract fresh scrutiny from competition watchdogs concerned about media plurality. Closer to home, the "Millionaire’s Factory" is deploying capital into hard assets again a
Wraps & Blogs
Azzet Unpacked: Silicon dreams up your week in business
If you thought the markets were going to take a breather before the holiday season, you should look up the meaning of the most used work in finance right now - volatility. This week has been an absolute slugfest of capex one-upmanship, with the word "trillion" again being thrown around like confetti at a small cap funeral. Between the AI arms race turning nuclear (literally and figuratively), Trump throwing tariff grenades at the dinner table, and NVIDIA reminding us all who actually runs this whole darn simulation, it’s certainly been a week for the history books. Or the bonfire. Take your pick. All the top moves, shakes, and red hot AI stocktakes from Azzet's editorial team are right here in your weekly business wrap every Friday (21 November, 2025). Here's what mattered this week…The LeadsThe AI Crown is Heavy: Just when you thought the AI hype cycle might be cooling off, the big boys decided to double down. Google dropped Gemini 3 like a mic on Wednesday, claiming state-of-the-art dominance. But the ink wasn't even dry on that press release before stalwart tech giant Microsoft opened its war chest, handing AI chatbot leader Anthropic a casual US$30bn to make sure they don't lose ground. Not to be outdone by the
Wraps & Blogs
Azzet Unpacked: AI spending splits the week in business
Markets navigated choppy waters this week as Washington finally ended its record-breaking government paralysis while tech's biggest names threw billions at AI infrastructure - even as Michael Burry warned the party might be ending. Elsewhere, unemployment in the UK reached 5% and COP30 opened in Brazil without top polluting nations present. The contradictions were stark - just as the U.S. government shutdown dragged into its sixth week, causing economic havoc and grounding flights, Silicon Valley was unveiling plans to spend tens of billions on data centres. Meanwhile, one of the world's most famous short-sellers, Burry, was betting it's all built on dodgy accounting.Shutdown finally breaksPresident Donald Trump signed legislation on Thursday ending the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history after more than 40 days of paralysis. The House voted 222-209 to pass the bill, with nearly all Republicans backing it alongside a handful of Democrats who broke party lines, after the Senate had cleared it earlier in the week. The stalemate centred on Obamacare subsidies - Republicans refused to fund enhanced tax credits for insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act, which expire this year. Democrats wouldn'
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Azzet Unpacked: A week of critical business ups and downs
It was a week where the world's largest economy couldn't keep the lights on yet again, AI companies burned through billions while everyone applauded - yet again, and copper finally made Washington's critical minerals shortlist. The world witnessed the longest government shutdown ever grinding into its sixth week and a US$38 billion OpenAI deal with Amazon, as the markets priced in growth and priced out reality. For Australian investors, the week served as another reminder that local markets rarely move in isolation - what happens in Washington and Silicon Valley has a nasty habit of showing up in ASX price movements and RBA policy decisions weeks later. All the top moves, shakes, and borderline absurdities from Azzet's editorial team are right here in your weekly business wrap every Friday (7 November, 2025).Dysfunction turns policyThe United States officially entered its longest shutdown ever on Wednesday, surpassing 36 days and breaking the previous record set in 2019. Both records now belong to the Trump administration, which is either impressive consistency or concerning incompetence depending on your politics. The stalemate centres on Affordable Care Act subsidies, with Republicans pushing temporary funding at cur

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Earnings season blog: Uber, AMD, Spotify, & more
Re-live our live blog coverage of earnings season! This is the time of year when publicly traded companies report their financial results, giving investors and analysts a glimpse into their performance and future outlook. We'll bring you real-time updates, analysis, and commentary on the latest earnings reports from major companies across various sectors. Stay tuned as we break down the numbers and provide insights into what these results mean for the market. ______________________________________________________________________________________Summary Nintendo reports strong Switch 2 salesUber trips surge, though operating income falls shortAMD beats estimates with Client and Gaming strengthSpotify sees major growth in paying subscribersSuper Micro, Pinterest, Live Nation fall below earnings estimatesMarriott profit rises on international demandPfizer beats estimates despite decline in income_______________________________________________________________________________________ 8:50 am (AEDT): Good morning! Harlan Ockey here to walk you through the day's earnings. Starting off on the TYO with Nintendo (7974), the company has raised its sales forecast for its Switch 2 console after it drove a major surge in revenue
Wraps & Blogs
Azzet Unpacked: This week's word in business is TRILLION
It was a week where the market was so hot it kept melting valuations upwards, central banks eased their grip, and the world's two largest economies decided they might prefer talking to tariff wars after all. From Nvidia becoming the first US$5 TRILLION company to the Fed cutting rates while warning about inflation, and OpenAI eyeing a record-breaking $1 TRILLION IPO - the markets delivered enough drama to fill a month, not five days. All the top moves, shakes, and red-hot takes from Azzet's editorial team are right here in your weekly business wrap every Friday (Halloween, 31 October, 2025).Trillion-dollar clubThursday brought a historic milestone that would have seemed absurd just a few years ago: Nvidia hit a $5 trillion valuation. It hit $4 trillion just three months ago… The chipmaker's shares closed at $207.16, cementing its position as the engine room of the global AI revolution. Founder Jensen Huang's stake is now worth $179 billion, making him the eighth-wealthiest person on the planet. President Trump called him "an incredible guy" - high praise from a man not known for his restraint with superlatives. Not to be outdone, Apple rang up a $4 trillion valuation earlier in the week on the back of strong iPhone
Wraps & Blogs
Earnings season blog - Amazon, Apple, & more
Re-live our live blog coverage of earnings season! This is the time of year when publicly traded companies report their financial results, giving investors and analysts a glimpse into their performance and future outlook. We'll bring you real-time updates, analysis, and commentary on the latest earnings reports from major companies across various sectors. Stay tuned as we break down the numbers and provide insights into what these results mean for the market. ______________________________________________________________________________________Summary Apple posts record revenueShell, TotalEnergies income dips amid lower oil pricesAmazon beats estimates with strong Amazon Web Services growthEli Lilly revenue soars due to Mounjaro, ZepboundComcast earnings stagnant as broadband customers exitCoinbase beats on high transaction revenue and trading volumesRoblox losses continue despite revenue surge_______________________________________________________________________________________ 8:58 am (AEDT): Good morning (and happy Halloween)! Harlan Ockey here to walk you through the day's earnings. Kicking things off on the NASDAQ, Apple (AAPL) reported record revenue last quarter, though iPhone and iPad revenue were lower t
Wraps & Blogs
Earnings season blog - Meta, Alphabet, & more
Re-live our live blog coverage of earnings season! This is the time of year when publicly traded companies report their financial results, giving investors and analysts a glimpse into their performance and future outlook. We'll bring you real-time updates, analysis, and commentary on the latest earnings reports from major companies across various sectors. Stay tuned as we break down the numbers and provide insights into what these results mean for the market. ______________________________________________________________________________________Summary Microsoft beats estimates, but capital spending surgesMeta shares crater on earnings miss and raised spending outlookAlphabet revenue rises with cloud growthBoeing takes $4.9 billion hit as new jets delayed againSamsung operating profit soars on strong memory and mobile salesVerizon profit rises despite drop in customersColes sales growth outpaces Woolworths_______________________________________________________________________________________ 8:53 am (AEDT): Good morning! Harlan Ockey here to walk you through today's earnings. Starting off at the NASDAQ, Microsoft (MSFT) beat estimates on revenue and earnings per share, though shares fell as it reported a surge in c