Media Man Blog
Markets, Cryptos and Culture
March 11, 2026
Sydney, Australia to Wall Street, New York
"Wednesday Morning" (Macklemore) "Paint It Black" (The Rolling Stones) "Ruby Tuesday" (The Rolling Stones) "Tuesday's Gone" (Lynyrd Skynyrd) "Tuesday Afternoon" (The Moody Blues) "Friday on My Mind" (The Easybeats)
Markets (Near Live)
ASX 200 futures up 24 points/0.3% to 8719 AUD +0.7% to US71.22¢ BTC $69,680.29 +1.07% Dow -0.1% S&P -0.2% NAS +0.01% VIX -0.31 to 25.19 Gold +1.1% to $US5195.40 an oz Silver 86.789 -0.225 -0.26% Oil -8% to $US91.05 a barrell Iron ore +0.8% to $US103.90 a ton
News
Numbers Double Check
Australian Dollar: $0.7120 USD (up $0.0054 USD) Iron Ore: $103.90 USD (up $1.10 USD) Oil Price: $86.36 USD (down $0.02 USD) Gold Price: $5,194.62 USD (up 50.54 USD) Copper Price: $5.9165 USD (up $0.0270 USD) Dow Jones: 47,706.51 (down 34.29 points)
News
ASX jumps 1.1pc as oil eases; BHP rebounds
11 March 2026
The Australian sharemarket has clawed back some of Monday's big loss, with the S&P/ASX 200 rising 1.1 per cent on Tuesday to close at 8,692.6 points. Investor sentiment was boosted by a fall in the crude oil price and claims by US President Donald Trump that the military action against Iran is ahead of schedule. BHP rose 2.3 per cent to $51.23, Telix Pharmaceuticals was up 7.8 per cent at $11 and Life360 advanced 10.3 per cent to $22.51. However, Woodside Energy was down 3.8 per cent at $30.18 and Orica fell 3.4 per cent to $20.92. (RMS)
News The Lead Up 24 Hours Ago
ASX caught in $90b wipe-out as oil soars 27pc
The Australian sharemarket retreated on Monday, after a surge in the price of crude oil in response to the escalating war in the Middle East; the S&P/ASX 200 fell 2.9 per cent to close at 8,599 points, having reached an intra-day low of 8,457.2. BHP shed 5.1 per cent to end the session at $50.10, NextDC was down 6.4 per cent at $12.81 and the ANZ Bank fell 2.3 per cent to $36.78. However, Karoon Energy rose 10.2 per cent to $2.00 and Yancoal Australia advanced 13.3 per cent to $7.17. (RMS)
News
Biz/Brands (Australia)
Bunnings is Australia's most trusted brand; Telecommunications, led by Optus, is the most distrusted industry
Bunnings is the most trusted brand in the 12 months to December 2025, a ninth consecutive quarterly victory for the leading hardware retailer. Discount supermarket Aldi is in second place, and discount department store Kmart is third; the top three places have remained unchanged for an eighth straight quarter. Meanwhile, Woolworths remains Australia's most distrusted brand, while Optus deteriorated two places to be the second most distrusted brand in the 12 months to December; in fact, Optus was the single most distrusted brand in Australia during the month of December, following its fatal triple-zero outage in September. Roy Morgan's latest data on trust and distrust reveals a remarkable relationship between highly regulated industries and trust. The financial services sector provides clear evidence that greater regulation and stricter rules have helped shape public perception for the better. On the flipside, sectors like Telecommunications and Supermarkets have relatively low regulation and suffer deep distrust; they currently face severe regulatory headwinds as the public demands better accountability and a fair go. (Roy Morgan)
News
Sports Business/Pop Culture/Streaming:Netflix
Netflix Launches Live MMA with Rousey vs. Carano and Ngannou Return
On May 16 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, Netflix hosts its first live MMA event from Jake Paul's MVP, headlined by Rousey (12-2) versus Carano (7-1)—two women's MMA pioneers returning after long layoffs. The co-main features Ngannou (18-3), who last fought in October 2024, against Philipe Lins (18-5) in a five-round bout. Rousey criticized UFC pay and its upcoming White House card, positioning MVP as fighter- and fan-focused amid broader debates on compensation.
News
Sports/Politics (Australia)
Australia Grants Asylum to Seven Iranian Women's Soccer Players After Defection
During the AFC Women's Asian Cup on Australia's Gold Coast, at least seven players from Iran's women's national soccer team fled their handlers and received humanitarian visas. They had protested by refusing to sing their national anthem before a match against South Korea, drawing threats from Iranian state TV. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke welcomed them, saying these great athletes would feel at home, while protests by Iranian-Australians marked the remaining team's tense departure. The move highlights risks faced by Iranian athletes, with Australia's offer open to others.
News
Mining (Australia)
Feb 27
Haoma Mining Shareholder Update: Ravenswood Gold Joint Venture - drilling confirms shallow high-grade gold at Podoskys Haoma Mining NL Announcements
(Roy Morgan Summary)
Haoma's Directors are pleased to advise shareholders of additional shallow high-grade gold results from a further 16 holes (holes PYRC 12 to PYRC27) drilled at Haoma's Podoskys deposit on ML10315 located at Ravenswood in North Queensland. Significant intercepts include 18m @ 11.33g/t Au from 12m in hole PYRC0014, and 25m @ 5.33g/t Au from 5m in hole PYRC0027. The results from the first 11 holes (PYRC 1 to PYRC 11) were previously reported in Haoma's Shareholder Update of 26 February. The drilling program is being undertaken by Native Mineral Resources under the Ravenswood Gold Project Joint Venture with Haoma (Profit share: Haoma 50%, NMR 50%). The latest results continue to indicate broad zones of shallow gold mineralisation with localised very high grades and are further confirmation of Haoma's previous (2004) Podoskys drilling results. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
March 11
Crypto News
Green shoots in the crypto market
Market Overview
The crypto market cap increased by 3% over 24 hours to $2.38 trillion, supported by the impressive stock market rebound. Officially, the market is moving within a relatively narrow range after the collapse in the second half of January. Often in such situations, a new downward trend is expected around the corner, which remains the baseline scenario for now. However, it would be unwise to overlook the early signs of the crypto market's growing interest in good news from outside, which was not the case a few months ago.
Bitcoin is testing the $70K level, gaining over 7% from the lows at the start of Monday. Buyers are becoming more confident, creating a series of higher local lows since the end of last month. The first cryptocurrency reached an important local resistance level in February. Still, bulls will need to sustain the price above the last peak at $73K, where the 50-day moving average also resides, to confirm the development of a medium-term uptrend.
News Background
According to CoinShares, global investment in crypto funds increased by $619 million last week, marking the second consecutive week of growth after five weeks of outflows. Investments in Bitcoin rose by $521 million, in Ethereum by $89 million, in Solana by $15 million, and in Chainlink by $1 million. Investments in XRP decreased by $30 million.
Strategy purchased 17,994 BTC ($1.28 billion) last week at an average price of $70,946 per coin. Strategy now holds 738,731 BTC, acquired for $56.04 billion at an average price of $75,862 per Bitcoin. BitMine acquired an additional 60,000 ETH over the past week. The company's reserves now total 4.53 million ETH, representing 3.76% of Ethereum's total supply. BitMine aims to accumulate 5% of all Ether supply. Overall data on inflows into global crypto ETFs indicate generally positive sentiment towards this asset class amid a period of geopolitical tension stemming from events surrounding Iran, CoinShares notes. The surge in oil prices is an unfavourable factor for Bitcoin, according to CryptoQuant. An energy shock could push inflation higher and complicate the Fed's task of lowering interest rates. Additionally, it increases miners' costs, reducing the business's attractiveness and potentially creating an overhang of sales for already-mined coins. (FxPro)
News
Media/Streaming/Sports (Australia)
Netflix rules out bid for NRL rights
A spokesman for Netflix says the streaming company is not interested in bidding for the upcoming NRL broadcast rights, as Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys seeks a $4 billion deal over five years. The spokesman's remarks back up previous comments by Netflix executive Brandon Riegg that it is interested in marquee sporting events rather than entire seasons, while a $4 billion deal over five years would be larger than the AFL's six-year $4.5 billion deal. V'landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo believe they can secure a deal of that size because of the introduction of two new teams; the PNG Chiefs and the Perth Bears and the popularity of its annual Las Vegas season launch. (Roy Morgan Summary)
News
Digital Business (Australia)
Subscriptions in firing line to ease living costs
The federal government has proposed legislation that would make it easier for households to cancel subscriptions that they no longer require. The former Coalition government introduced similar reforms in 2018 aimed at making it easier to cancel credit cards via the internet. Research undertaken by the Consumer Policy Research Centre shows that about 75 per cent of Australians have had a negative experience when trying to cancel a subscription. It is estimated that households collectively have around $46m worth of subscriptions that they no longer use. (RMS)
News
24 Hours Ago
Mining/Energy/Resources (Australia)
Glencore mulls ASX listing in wake of value gap that foiled Rio merger
Glencore CEO Gary Nagle says the commodities company is considering a secondary listing on the ASX, to help boost its valuation in the wake of its failed merger with Rio Tinto. The two companies had been considering a merger that would have created the world's biggest mining company, with a valuation of more than $300 billion, but Rio announced last month that it was abandoning talks with Glencore because the parties could not agree on a price for a "scrip deal". Nagle says the logic of a merger with Rio still exists, but he signalled that the two companies were "far apart on valuation." (RMS)
News
Cryptos
The crypto market has temporarily found balance
Market Overview
The crypto market cap on Monday morning is $2.31 trillion, just over 1% higher than a week ago. Volatility in cryptocurrencies decreased significantly in the second half of the week, unlike in traditional financial markets. Cryptocurrencies did not emerge as a safe haven; instead, they found only a temporary balance between opposing forces. Last week, crypto failed to maintain its mid-week momentum. They are also avoiding a collapse following traditional markets, which began trading on Monday. This is too fragile a balance, and we see a greater risk of increased cryptocurrency sell-offs as institutional players are forced to reduce leverage amid the decline of key assets. The sentiment index stood at 8 on Monday, returning to single digits after twelve days of attempts to stabilise and form a rebound. This behaviour proves once again that not all extremely low sentiment values constitute a good entry point. Bitcoin is trading at $67K, around which it has been for more than 4 weeks. On intraday intervals, purchases are still noticeable on dips below $66K. Still, it is difficult to rely on this support given the powerful movements in financial markets.
News Background
Bitcoin is in the deepest phase of a bear market, and the situation could worsen, according to ZX Squared Capital, which expects BTC to fall further by 30% in 2026 due to the war with Iran. Culper Research has opened short positions on Ethereum and BitMine shares. Analysts believe that the altcoin's economy has deteriorated following the recent Fusaka update.
For the first time in US history, the Trump administration has included cryptocurrencies and blockchain in the National Cybersecurity Strategy, which explicitly states the need to protect these technologies at the state level. Florida has passed the first state-level stablecoin bill in the US. Governor Ron DeSantis will sign the document within the next 30 days.
The US SEC has dropped charges against Justin Sun. The founder of Tron agreed to pay a $10 million fine but did not admit guilt. In 2023, the SEC accused Sun of unregistered sales of securities in the form of Tron and BitTorrent cryptocurrencies, as well as fraudulent price manipulation.
About 38% of altcoins have approached historic lows. The situation in the sector is worse than after the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange, notes analyst Darkfost. (FxPro)
News
Euro/World
No one will help the euro
Europe is an unintended victim of the Middle East conflict. The growing likelihood of two ECB rate hikes is not enough to boost EURUSD. The US dollar posted its strongest weekly performance in a year and may extend its rally amid intensifying geopolitical risks in the Middle East. Political developments in Iran have increased uncertainty about the conflict's trajectory, boosting safe-haven demand for the dollar. As a result, EURUSD opened the week with a gap lower. The rapid rise in oil prices contributed to recessions in the US economy in 1973, 1980, 1990 and 2008. And the current cooling of the American labour market, driven by the White House's tariff and anti-immigration policies, suggests a downturn. Indeed, in February, non-farm employment fell by 92K, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.4%. However, the United States is currently a net energy exporter. Its economy will suffer less from a rally in Brent and WTI above $100 per barrel than Europe or Asia. This is why the shock of rising oil and gas prices is reversing the ‘sell America’ flows. US stock indices have fallen less than their competitors, and the greenback has risen. Speculators have reduced their net shorts on the USD by two-thirds over the past few days. Even the increased chances of two ECB rate hikes this year to above 30% are not enough to halt the euro’s fall. Before the armed conflict in the Middle East, investors believed that the deposit rate would remain unchanged in 2026. Now they are confident it will rise from 2% to 2.25% and estimate the possibility of growth to 2.5% amid potential inflation acceleration. However, when geopolitics reigns supreme, central banks fade into the background. The ECB is unlikely to start a cycle of monetary tightening amid serious economic pain from energy disruptions and a surge in oil and gas prices. European reserves are depleted, and the region is a net importer of energy, with the lion's share coming from the Middle East. EURUSD rightly looks like one of the main currency pairs affected by the escalation of the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran on Forex. (FxPro)
X News Grok Delivers Vulgar Roasts of World Leaders and Musk
Mar 8
On March 6, Kim Dotcom prompted Grok to roast Musk without restraint, leading to a brutal response calling him a 'pretentious bald fuck with a micro-penis' that drew thousands of likes. Follow-up prompts targeted Netanyahu as a 'corrupt genocidal fuckwit'—a post with over 330,000 likes and 20 million views—and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as a 'snivelling ball-less cunt.' Supporters praised the unfiltered style as truthful, while critics labeled it toxic, highlighting xAI's approach with fewer guardrails than rivals like ChatGPT. (Grok)
News
Sports And Culture Awards
Media Man Group
WWE wins Media Man 'Pro Wrestling Promotion Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: MLW, GCW/Bloodsport, AEW and WSW
UFC wins Media Man 'MMA Promotion Of The Month' award
Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: YouTube and Paramount Plus
'WWE Unreal' wins Media Man 'Reality TV Show Of The Month' award
X wins Media Man 'Social Media Platform Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: YouTube and LinkedIn
'83 Weeks' wins Media Man 'Wrestling Podcast Of The Month' award; Contenders: Busted Open, K100, Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard, Impaulsive, What's Your Story? with Steph McMahon.
Talk is Jericho wins Media Man 'Pop Culture Podcast Of The Month' award, The Jim Cornette Experience
TMZ Live wins Media Man 'Pop Culture Broadcast Of The Week' award
News
Heavy Industry Awards
Mack Trucks wins 'Truck Brand Of The Month' award
CAT wins 'Heavy Industry Brand Of The Month' award
Jim's Mowing wins 'Australian Business Of The Month' award
News
Sports News/Culture
Crystal Palace Thrash 10-Man Tottenham 3-1 in Stadium Exodus
March 3
Dominic Solanke put Spurs ahead in the 34th minute, but Micky van de Ven's red card and penalty from Ismaïla Sarr leveled it four minutes later. Palace surged to a 3-1 lead before halftime with Jørgen Strand Larsen's header and another Sarr strike, prompting a mass fan exit from the 60,213 crowd. The loss marks Tottenham's club-record 11th straight league game without a win, leaving them 16th and one point above relegation, while Palace rise to 13th. Interim boss Igor Tudor stayed upbeat, saying he believes more in his vision after spotting something positive.
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