Media Man Blog
Markets, Shares, Cryptos, Miners, Social Media and Culture
March 26, 2026
Wednesday into Thursday Down Under
Sydney, Australia to Wall Street. New York, and beyond the Blackstump and Internet Matrix Of Things!
Pop Culture themes
"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (Cannonball Adderley)
"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)
"The Wall Street Hustle" (10cc)
"Big Wednesday" (Movie) (Basil Poledouris)
"Thursday’s Child" (David Bowie)
"Bulls on Parade" (Rage Against the Machine)
Markets
ASX 200 futures up 25 points/0.3%: 8601 AUD -0.7% to US69.48¢ BTC $71,225.08 +0.99% Dow +0.7% S&P +0.5% NAS +0.8% VIX -1.55 to 25.40 Gold +1.2% to $US4528.67 an oz Silver 70.541 -0.664 Brent oil -1.5% to $US102.98 a barrel Iron ore -1.9% to $US105.60 a ton News Numbers Double Check Australian Dollar: $0.6950 USD (down $0.0018 USD) Iron Ore: $105.60 USD (down $2.15 USD) Oil Price: $91.27 USD (down $0.34 USD) Gold Price: $4,525.98 USD (up $123.63 USD) Copper Price: $5.5175 USD (up $0.0625 USD) Dow Jones: 46,429.49 (up 305.43 points) News Australia ASX rally restores $55b in value; gold jumps The Australian sharemarket rallied on Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 1.9 per cent to close at 8,534.3 points. Local investor sentiment was boosted by lower-than-expected inflation data for February, as well as a rise in the gold price and a fall in the crude oil price. Rio Tinto was up 1.6 per cent at $149.91, Northern Star Resources advanced seven per cent to $18.80 and Alliance Aviation rose 27.4 per cent to $0.675. However, Amplitude Energy shed 36.7 per cent to end the session at $1.69 and Woodside Energy was down 3.2 per cent at $33.62. (RMS) News The miners to own in diesel crisis Bell Potter's survey of Australian-listed mining companies concluded that diesel fuel accounted for up to 15 per cent of their operating costs prior to the start of the Iran war. Stuart Howe from Bell Potter says the war and the surge in crude oil prices will result in higher costs for much of the mining sector, while production could be impacted by the availability of diesel. Bell Potter recommends that investors rotate into mining stocks that are less exposed to diesel prices. Analysts note that miners with large-scale open-cut operations are most at risk of a supply crisis due to their heavy reliance on diesel-powered truck fleets. (RMS) News Batteries, coal push out east coast LNG shortage to 2029 The Australian Energy Market Operator now expects any gas supply shortage in the south-eastern states to occur in 2029, compared with its previous forecast of 2028. AEMO says gas shortfalls in 2029 are now regarded as a risk only during "extreme peak day demand conditions". It has cited a number of factors for its revised forecast, including expectations of lower demand for gas for power generation, an extension of the Eraring coal-fired power station's operating life and the estimated 30 gigawatts of battery storage projects that are currently being developed. Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the improved outlook shows that the federal government's "balanced" energy plan is working. (RMS) News WWE/Pop Culture/Pro Wrestling Roman Reigns Spears CM Punk Through Table on Raw, Sets Mania Clash On Monday Night Raw, Roman Reigns and The Usos ambushed World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk after he mocked their family ties, ending with Reigns' devastating spear that demolished the announce table. The beatdown builds hype for their title match at WrestleMania 42 on April 18 in Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium. Elsewhere, Paul Heyman provoked Seth Rollins into a wild stomping, Penta retained his Intercontinental Title against Dominik Mysterio, and Oba Femi dominated Brock Lesnar again, filling out a stacked Night 1 card. Media Man Peg-On: Ultra Hot WWE RAW. Makes one think of wrestling and tables in a whole new light. WrestleMania Season is heating up in the best way. Oba, Oba, Oba ... struting ... Penta-Mania, and it appears a new chapter of The Bloodline with Roman Reigns and co. Odds could be stacked against CM Punk. News Lead Up Streaming News Watercooler Netflix CEO allegedly won’t speak to Meghan Markle on phone without lawyer Meghan Markle is caught in a fresh Netflix storm with rumors claiming CEO Ted Sarandos is refusing to take her calls without a lawyer. Netflix denies everything but whispers of canceled deals and rising tension have fans questioning the truth! News MMA/UFC Watercooler Dana White responds to Jon Jones' claims about $15 million offer Dana White has doubled down on his stance about Jon Jonesnever being a part of the White House plan. Jones is not fighting at the UFC White Housecard in June despite having tried for a spot ever since the event was first mentioned. Jones recently claimed that he was willing to fight Alex Pereirafor much less than he had demanded to fight Tom Aspinalllast year. However, the UFC was allegedly not willing to offer more than $15 million to Jones, who didn't think it was enough. "Was ready, willing and physically able to step in," Jones wrote on X. "I was willing to take substantially less than the Aspinall ask but they wouldn't budge one dollar over $15m. I felt like our fight was worth more." No Way in Hell White responded to Jones' claims at the UFC Londonpost-fight press conference on Saturday. White maintains that Jones was never a part of the plan for the White House card. "How many f--ing times I gotta say this?" White said. "He was never fighting on the White House card… There was no way in hell I was putting him on that card, no matter what the money was. Jon Joneswas never gonna fight in the White House card." Jones (28-1) kept the heavyweight division hanging for over a year, while White kept promising fans that "Bones" would fight interim champion Aspinall. However, Jones retired in June 2025 without fighting Aspinall. Jones would return to the drug testing pool just weeks later, after plans for the White House card were mentioned. Jones kept rallying for a spot on the card, even pleading with White. When Jones missed out, White claimed that he was never a part of the plan. However, the former UFC double champ lashed out on social media, hinting at lengthy negotiations with the promotion about fighting at the White House. Jones has since called for his release from the UFC. News Social Media The Metaverse Is Dead In a move that signals the end of a highly publicized digital era, Meta announced this week that its flagship social virtual reality platform, Horizon Worlds, is being completely removed from Quest headsets by June 15. The app will survive solely as a mobile experience, repositioning itself to compete with established gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite rather than fulfilling its original vision of an all-encompassing virtual universe. Virtual Worlds The shutdown of the VR component of Horizon Worlds is the clearest signal yet that the much-hyped pivot to the metaverse has been quietly unwound by the tech giant. When Mark Zuckerberg famously renamed Facebook to Meta in 2021, he described the metaverse as “the next frontier” for human interaction. Yet, despite being the center of that massive corporate bet, the platform never drew more than a few hundred thousand monthly active users—a staggering underperformance for a project that consumed billions. To put the financial toll into perspective, Reality Labs, the division at Meta responsible for VR and metaverse development, has accumulated an astonishing $80 billion in losses since 2020. In the fourth quarter of last year alone, it posted an operating loss of over $6 billion. The Heyman Hustle is taking the position that this strategic retreat is entirely driven by the explosive rise of Artificial Intelligence. When ChatGPT arrived in late 2022 and fundamentally shifted the tech landscape, Meta quickly pivoted its public messaging. Leveraging its highly respected AI research division led by Yann LeCun, the company found a new, credible foundation. As a result of prioritizing AI over empty digital rooms, ad revenue improved, the stock aggressively recovered, and by 2024, Meta had nearly tripled in value from its 2022 lows. While Meta executives claim they have not abandoned VR entirely—pointing to upcoming hardware and the massive success of their AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses—the closure of the flagship Horizon Worlds VR experience marks the end of a multi-billion dollar dream. (THH) Full article and coverage via The Heyman Hustle News A.I News Australia Watchdog warns against 'dangerously' positive AI advice amid crypto trading spike The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has expressed concern about the growing tendency for young Australians to use artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT for financial advice. Its figures show young people are following 'dangerously' positive AI recommendations about investing in risky investments such as crypto, with their faith in what has been referred to as 'unverified, risk-averse digital advice' occurring as many Australians are struggling with major cost of living pressures; ASIC's figures also show that 23 per cent of Gen Z now hold crypto assets – up from just 9 per cent in 2023. (RMS) News Resources Drill, baby, drill: Boom for mineral, petroleum explorers Advisory firm BDO has calculated that ASX-listed mineral and petroleum explorers raised a record $5.63 billion in the final quarter of last year. It broke the previous record for fund raising of $3.75 billion that was set in the same period in 2021, with the $5.63 billion in fund raising leaving mineral and petroleum explorers with record cash reserves of $12 billion. It comes as the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that spending on mineral exploration hit a two-year high in the final quarter of 2025, while spending on petroleum exploration was at a decade high. (RMS) News A.I News Global giants join Australia in fight to make AI companies pay for content Both the US and the UK appear to be backing the stance of the federal government of wanting AI companies pay for their use of content that has been produced by artists, musicians and journalists. In a document released on Friday that was titled 'Respecting Intellectual Property Rights and Supporting Creators', the White House stated that US copyright laws - under which content theft for the training of AI models, or any other use, is illegal - will remain. For its part, the UK government stated last week that it no longer had a "preferred option" on copyright reform, which comes after it last year endorsed a proposal that would have allowed tech companies to use copyrighted work without permission unless rights holders 'opted out' of the process. Its change of stance follows a longrunning campaign – led by artists including Elton John and Thom Yorke from Radiohead – which warned that the unlicensed use of copyrighted material for training AI models was threatening the livelihoods of people working in the creative industries. (Roy Morgan Summary) News Bitcoin News Byte Despite a 47% Price Drop, Bitcoin Traders Aren’t Selling: A survey of U.S. Bitcoin holders and crypto subreddit posts found that despite anxiety and market turbulence, most investors (69%) held onto their Bitcoin, with only 8% panic selling. Bitcoin faced a dramatic market correction in early 2026, plunging 46% from its $126,000 all-time high and briefly dipping below $61,000 on February 6. The drop erased over $1 trillion in market value and prompted headlines warning of a defining crypto moment. Social media feeds filled with reactions, yet most holders remained on the sidelines. A survey by Oobit of 1,006 American Bitcoin holders and sentiment analysis of 117,630 posts across 10 major crypto subreddits reveals that fear did not translate into widespread selling. News Social Media (Australia) Firms face fines as kids beat the ban The eSafety commission has declined to release updated figures on how many social media accounts of children under the age of 16 have been closed since the federal government implemented its world-leading ban. It had claimed in January that 4.7 million accounts had been closed since early December, but those figures were called into question, with it being claimed that they had been heavily inflated. The commission says it will provide updated figures on the ban at the end of March and that tech companies found guilty of non-compliance with it will soon face fines, while many children are claiming that beating the ban is easy. (Roy Morgan Summary) News Mining/Energy/Resources: Australia and World) McEwan braces for exits as Craig takes BHP helm Nearly 43 per cent of BHP's staff are female, and there were some who expected that Mike Henry would be replaced as CEO by an internal female candidate. Minerals Australia president Geraldine Slattery and chief development officer Catherine Raw were viewed as two such candidates, but BHP gave the job to mining engineer Brandon Craig. Asked if his appointment could mean the loss of skilled female executives who were overlooked for the job of CEO, BHP chairman Ross McEwan said he would not be surprised if unsuccessful candidates chose to leave the company. (RMS) News New coal mines at greenfield sites to be banned in NSW NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee has described a decision by the state government to ban new coal mines on greenfield sites as "disappointing". The government announced the ban on Thursday as part of a new strategy aimed at managing the NSW coal sector until 2050, while it also announced new rules requiring major coal mines in NSW to reduce methane emissions caused by their operations; NSW coal mines produce around 30 per cent of the state's methane emissions and contribute around 11 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions. (RMS) News Cryptos Crypto: the bulls may have their horns broken Market Overview The crypto market cap has fallen to $2.42 trillion, under pressure from sellers alongside risk assets, as the Fed pushes the next rate cut further into the future, boosting the dollar’s appeal. The decline also coincided with the upper boundary of the corrective rebound being touched. It is possible that cryptocurrencies were simply unable to ignore the significant deterioration in external sentiment, but they may soon return to outperforming other assets. Overall, however, we maintain a more pessimistic view, anticipating the bear market will continue, with bulls likely to be beaten soon, not least due to macro factors. Bitcoin has fallen by 8.4% from its latest peak on Tuesday morning and briefly dipped below 70 at the start of the day on Thursday. At these levels, BTC is testing the 50-day moving average from above. As we have repeatedly warned previously, the upward momentum will face significant resistance at the boundary of a typical correction from the latest downward impulse. The leading cryptocurrency has more room to move within the $65K–$75K range. Breaking out of this range may require more momentum to determine the market’s direction for the coming days or weeks. News Background Investment bank Citigroup has lowered its 12-month price targets for Bitcoin and Ethereum amid delays in the adoption of US cryptocurrency legislation. The forecast for Bitcoin has been lowered from $143,000 to $112,000, and for Ethereum from $4,304 to $3,175. In a negative scenario, BTC risks falling to $58,000 and ETH to $1,198. Bitcoin still has two-thirds of its bear cycle ahead, said Willy Wu, co-founder of the Bitcoin Vector project, urging investors to remain cautious. In his view, it is premature to expect sustained growth without an improvement in market liquidity. Ethereum developers are testing the Fast Confirmation Rule (FCR), which will speed up transfers between the mainnet and the second layer from 13 minutes to 13 seconds. (FxPro). Media Peg-On (as seen burning up the LinkedIn and X newsfeeds with web traffic spikes) Media Man Peg-On: Having your horns broken is one step better than having your you know what broken. Ball breaking headlines that hit you right between the Eye Ball! BTC for the true believers, for better or worse. A labor of love and for those who keep the dream alive. Remember our saying, "Bullish is a mindset", right Mr Michael Saylor of Strategy. MC is always good fodder for the crypto and tech media fodder and website traffic generation. MC, the media darling you love to hate! So, when's the running of the bulls then? Red flag to a bull! News Betting on Americas and keeping BHP whole BHP has ended long-running speculation about succession planning after announcing that Brandon Craig will succeed CEO Mike Henry. The BHP veteran has ruled out demerging assets such as the resources group's copper mines during his tenure, which will start on 1 July. Craig says he believes that a diversified model is still superior, especially in the mining sector. He argues that BHP's ability to use its flagship iron ore division to fund projects such as copper and potash mines differentiates it from rivals. Craig says BHP may be open to mergers and acquisitions, although he says any such opportunities would need to be compelling to compete with its internal growth options. He has also indicated that BHP's focus will shift to the Americas, where many of its growth projects are located. (RMS) News Woodside taps insider amid energy turmoil Woodside Energy's chairman Richard Goyder has praised new CEO Liz Westcott, stating that she was the "outstanding candidate" to succeed Meg O'Neill. Westcott has been the acting CEO since O'Neill resigned in late 2025 to take the helm at BP. Westcott joined Woodside in 2023, and has previously worked at ExxonMobil and EnergyAustralia. Westcott says she will hold meetings with Woodside's partners, investors, shareholders, employees and government officials across its global operations over the next several months. (RMS) News Shares Alphabet Inc Class A $290.93 +0.49 +0.17% TKO Group Holdings Inc $193.94 +0.46 +0.24% Netflix Inc $92.28 +1.36 +1.50% Media Man Peg-On: Good gains across these three popular stocks. All rising a wave of momentium. News X Newsfeed Trump Declares Victory Over Iran, Targets Democrats as New Enemy The conflict, now in its third week, began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites like Natanz and targets in Tehran, including residential areas. Iran hit back with ballistic missiles breaching Israel's Iron Dome, injuring at least 175 in Arad and Dimona near a nuclear facility, while Israel bombed east Tehran blocks. Netanyahu urged world leaders to join the fight after Iran's missile toward Diego Garcia, though U.K. and NATO officials questioned the claims; Trump demands Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz in 48 hours or face more strikes, as oil prices soar over 50%. Skeptics like former official Joe Kent note U.S. intelligence saw no imminent Iranian nuclear bomb, and Pope Leo XIV decried the civilian toll. Media Man Peg-On: The Art Of War Continues! All's fair in love and war, and politics?! News WWE Rhea Ripley Shuts Down Physique Trolls Ahead of WrestleMania Title Match The WWE star fired back at online critics mocking her body, daring them to post their own photos while reminding them they know nothing about her life or mental health. Her post drew massive support from fans and wrestlers like Bully Ray, who called her 'OVAH,' though some questioned why she engages trolls at all. This comes as Ripley, fresh off winning the 2026 Women's Elimination Chamber, gears up to challenge champion Jade Cargill at WrestleMania 42 amid a heated feud with body jabs and a recent three-on-one ambush by Cargill's allies. Marking five years since her main roster debut, Ripley stays focused on the gold. Media Man Peg-On: Expecting Ripley to snatch some gold at WrestleMania Vegas! Aussie Gold all the way legend. News Wrestling/WWE/Pop Culture Jade Cargill Calls Out Rhea Ripley in Heated SmackDown Face-Off On Friday's SmackDown, WWE Women's Champion Jade Cargill challenged Rhea Ripley directly, boasting she doesn't need the title or fans to be 'that b*tch.' Ripley, fresh from her Elimination Chamber win for a title shot, stood ready to strike back amid a roaring crowd. The intense promo ramps up their WrestleMania 42 rivalry, with fans praising Cargill's star power while craving the first brawl. Both bring unmatched athleticism and attitude to the collision course. Media Man Peg-On: Ripley our Uncrowned Women's Champion, belt or not! She's Got IT! NXT's Zaria shares some of the same attributes, as does Z's rival, Sol Ruca. News FX The currency market awaits negotiations The global economy is heading towards 1970s-style stagflation EURUSD depends on US-Iran talks News Gold News Gold is back in focus as markets react to geopolitics The market is fixated on the threat of accelerating inflation driven by high energy prices. As a result, central banks are expected to adopt a tighter monetary policy, keeping rates at high levels or even raising them. This has a positive impact on fiat currencies and strips gold of its key feature as a store of value amid currency debasement. It is no surprise that the precious metal, which had got off to a strong start, has been losing out to Bitcoin and the US dollar since the start of the armed conflict in the Middle East. Although gold is generally regarded as a safe-haven asset, in the early stages of financial market turmoil, investors often choose to flee to liquidity. They favour fiat currencies and are far more willing to buy US dollar-nominated short-term treasuries. Gold prices usually recover only if market shocks worsen, fears of recession or stagflation rise, and central banks start adding liquidity. Bank of America believes that the markets are still underestimating the scale of the potential consequences of geopolitical tension. They are fixated on the threat of accelerating inflation and are not considering a global economic downturn. Therefore, the longer the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran lasts, the better it is for the precious metal. UBS Global Wealth Management notes that gold serves as a hedge against currency devaluation, rising budget deficits and recession. All of these could result from a geopolitical shock. The firm therefore maintains its bullish outlook on gold. In its view, the precious metal could rise to the $5,900-$6,200 range before the end of this year. However, gold must first weather the storm of numerous central bank meetings. The RBA has already raised its cash rate to 4.15%. Investors now expect ‘hawkish’ rhetoric from the rest. The ECB and the Bank of Japan are ready to tackle inflation, and the futures market expects them to tighten monetary policy. The Fed and the Bank of England are most likely to talk about prolonged pauses in their cycles. Thus, gold appears to be a win-win option. It will gain if the conflict in the Middle East drags on, and will not lose if it ends. Investors just need to be patient for a little while. (FxPro) News Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'Media Series Company Of The Month' award The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award; Runner-up: The Australian Google wins Media Man 'Search Engine Of The Month' award Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award WWE wins Media Man 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month' award UFC wins 'Combat Sports Brand Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: Most Valuable Promotions, Everlast, BKFC Mack Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Brand Of The Month' award CAT wins Media Man 'Heavy Industry Brand Of The Month' award Dynasty: The Murdochs wins 'Streaming Show Of The Month' award (Netflix) Media Man Biz https://www.mediaman.com.au/biz.html Markets https://www.mediaman.com.au/markets_and.html Wall Street https://www.mediaman.com.au/wall_street.html Mag 7 https://www.mediaman.com.au/mag_7.html News https://www.mediaman.com.au/news.html Newsfeed https://www.mediaman.com.au/newsfeed.html Watercooler https://www.mediaman.com.au/watercooler.html Media Man News Blog https://mediamannews.blogspot.com/ #Markets #Gold #Oil #BTC #NYSE #Sharemarket #Stockmarket #Gold #Oil #BTC #NYSE #Commodities #Bitcoin #BTC #Currency #FX #WWE #TKO #GEO #Business #BusinessNews #Trade #Trading #DonaldTrump #Biz #War #Disrupt #Disruptor #PopCulture #Culture #SmackDown #WWE #Wrestling #WrestleMania #Trend #Buzz #Media #MediaMan #World #WorldNews #XBiz #XMarkets #XWorld
