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ASX Preview: Australian Shares to Rise on US-Iran Talk Hopes; Virgin Australia Says Fiscal 2026 Guidance Unchanged, Fiscal H2 EBIT Expected to Rise

Australian shares are poised to rise on Wednesday as easing oil prices and renewed hopes of US-Iran talks offset concerns over Middle East tensions, even as risks persist following reports of a blockade of Iranian ports and ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.Overnight, the S&P 500, the Nasdaq Composite, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.2%, 2%, and 0.7%, respectively.In the macroeconomy, investors are eyeing the release of Australia's labor force report on Thursday.In corporate news, Virgin Australia Holdings (ASX:VGN) said that its fiscal 2026 financial guidance remains unchanged, with the underlying earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) and underlying EBIT margin in the second half expected to be higher than the prior-year period.Evolution Mining (ASX:EVN) reported group production of 170,137 ounces of gold for the quarter ended March, compared with 179,778 ounces a year earlier.Australia's benchmark index rose 0.5% or 44.8 points to close at 8,970.80 on Tuesday.

ASX 200ASX:EVNASX:VGN

International92d ago

IMF Expects Bank of Japan to Hike Rates Slightly Faster, Even as Growth Moderates and Deficit Widens

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates gradually, at a slightly faster pace than projected six months ago, moving toward a neutral rate of about 1.5%.Japan's economic growth is projected to decline from 1.2% in 2025 to 0.7% in 2026 and further to 0.6% in 2027, according to its latest World Economic Outlook report released Tuesday.The 2026 growth forecast was revised upward from the October 2025 figure due to a new fiscal stimulus package, stronger domestic-demand-driven carryover from 2025, and government measures to limit higher energy prices.Inflation in Japan is expected to moderate in 2026 relative to 2025 and converge toward the country's target by the end of 2027 as food and commodity prices ease.Japan's fiscal deficit is projected to widen by 1 percentage point of GDP in 2026, with moderately expansionary fiscal policy expected to continue through 2030.

Nikkei 225

Asia92d ago

Orthocell Wins Approval for Nerve Repair Device Across US Military, VA Hospital Networks

Orthocell (ASX:OCC) said it has secured approval for its Remplir nerve repair device to be used across the US Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs hospital networks, according to a Wednesday Australian bourse filing.The company said it will use its existing US distributor network to target military and VA surgeons operating within these hospital systems, which currently covers 17 states.The approval comes as Orthocell said it is seeing growing evidence of increasing commercialization and revenue momentum in the US market.

ASX:OCC

Asia92d ago

Virgin Australia Says Fiscal 2026 Guidance Unchanged, Fiscal H2 EBIT Expected to Rise

Virgin Australia Holdings (ASX:VGN) said that its fiscal 2026 financial guidance remains unchanged, with the underlying earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) and underlying EBIT margin in the second half expected to be higher than the prior-year period, according to a Wednesday Australian bourse filing.The airline is hedged 92% for Brent crude oil and 71% for refining margins for the remainder of the second half of fiscal 2026, and the exposure to the unhedged portion of both Brent crude oil and refining margins in fiscal 2026 is expected to result in an increase of fuel costs for the half of around AU$30 million to AU$40 million.It adjusted airfares and capacity in the second half to offset the impact from increased fuel and other operating costs such as airport charges. The airline's fuel suppliers continued to provide assurances regarding the near-term supply of aviation fuel to support its operations well into May.Revenue-per-available-seat-kilometer growth is now expected to be around 5% in the second half, and 6% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, compared with previous second half guidance of 3% to 4%. Total domestic capacity is now expected to increase 1% in the second half and fall 1% in the fourth quarter.Virgin's services to Doha in Qatar, operated via the wet lease arrangement with its partner Qatar Airways, are cancelled until mid-June. Its fiscal 2027 settings, including capacity, are under review.

ASX:VGN

Asia92d ago

Santana Minerals Says Drilling at New Zealand Deposits Provides Support for Gold Camp Model

Santana Minerals (ASX:SMI, NZE:SMI) said step-out drilling, targeting the northerly down-plunge extensions of mineralization at the Rise and Shine and Come-in-Time deposits in New Zealand, supports the model of the deposits being part of a broader gold camp, according to separate filings with the Australian and New Zealand bourses.It encountered intercepts of 12 meters at 1.5 grams per tonne grade of gold from 815 meters at Rise and Shine and 13.9 meters at 1.1 g/t grade of gold from 181.1 meters from Come-in-Time.Its shares fell 1% in early trading on the New Zealand bourse on Wednesday.

ASX:SMINZE:SMI

International92d ago

South Korea's Export, Import Prices Jump in March

South Korea's export prices rose 28.7% year-over-year in March, while import prices gained 18.4%, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea released on Wednesday.On a month-on-month basis, the export price index and the import price index increased 16.3% and 16.1%, respectively, the data showed.The net barter terms of trade index gained 22.8% on-year during the month.

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Asia92d ago

Latitude Group's Credit Card Entity Enters Enforceable Undertaking With ACMA, Pays Nearly AU$4 Million Fine for Spam Act Breaches

Latitude Group Holdings (ASX:LFS) acknowledged the Australian Communication and Media Authority's (ACMA) findings, saying that its credit card entity entered into an enforceable undertaking with the regulator and paid a nearly AU$4 million fine for breaching the Spam Act, according to a Wednesday Australian bourse filing.ACMA found that between March 2024 and April 2025, Latitude sent more than 2.3 million marketing messages without accurate contact information, and 344,416 messages also lacked a working unsubscribe function, per a separate statement from the regulator on Wednesday.The latest breaches were identified through the company's mandatory compliance reporting under a court‑enforceable undertaking that it entered into following a previous investigation, ACMA added.Latitude boosted its spam compliance processes after becoming aware of the potentially noncompliant text messages. It will engage an independent expert to confirm that its strengthened processes are working in compliance with regulations.

ASX:LFS

Asia92d ago

Collins Foods Executes Settlement Deed in Employee Class Action Case

Collins Foods (ASX:CKF) has executed a settlement deed with applicants and other respondents to resolve a class action concerning 10-minute rest break entitlements that started in December 2023, according to a Wednesday Australian bourse filing.The company earlier disclosed a settlement of up to AU$9 million under a cap-and-collar structure, per the March filing.The settlement deed is subject to approval by the Federal Court of Australia.

ASX:CKF

Asia92d ago

Evolution Mining Confirms Mineralization Extension at Western Australia Prospects

Evolution Mining (ASX:EVN) confirmed extensions of high-grade mineralization at the Genesis and Arctic prospects within the Mungari gold operation in Western Australia, according to a Wednesday filing with the Australian bourse.Intercepts identified extended mineralized corridors near existing infrastructure, indicating potential for underground mine life extensions at current production rates, the filing said.Meanwhile, high-grade results were identified from the Oban underground target, along with "encouraging" findings beyond the pit outline at E41 at Cowal in New South Wales, per the filing.

ASX:EVN

Asia92d ago

Forrestania Resources Says Drilling At Malawi Niobium Project Confirms Mineralization Associated With Soil Anomaly

Forrestania Resources (ASX:FRS) said maiden reverse circulation at the Wozi niobium project in Malawi confirmed high-grade, near-surface niobium mineralization, associated with an over 1.5 kilometers long and up to 400 meters wide niobium soil anomaly, according to a Wednesday Australian bourse filing.It encountered intercepts of 36 meters at 0.56% grade of niobium pentoxide from the surface, as well as 16 meters at 0.42% grade of niobium pentoxide from 52 meters.

ASX:FRS

Asia92d ago

Tivan, Sumitomo Agree To Extend Northern Territory Tungsten Project Memorandum of Understanding Term

Tivan (ASX:TVN) and Sumitomo agreed to extend the term of their existing memorandum of understanding for the Molyhil tungsten project in the Northern Territory to June 30 from Wednesday, according to a same-day Australian bourse filing.The firms have advanced discussions on a potential joint venture structure for the project and have begun early-stage marketing of the project. Tivan agreed to provide product samples from the project to potential customers and is targeting delivery in the September quarter.Tivan also advanced preliminary discussions with third parties on joining a key terms memorandum of understanding as potential joint venture partners, with the consent of Sumitomo.

ASX:TVN

Asia92d ago

Avita Medical Reports Positive Interim Results From Cohealyx-I Wound Care Study

Avita Medical (ASX:AVH) said interim results from its Cohealyx-I multi-center study showed a reduction of nearly 20 days in the mean time to skin grafting, at 13.6 days compared with a 33.2-day real-world benchmark, for patients with full-thickness wounds, according to a Wednesday Australian bourse filing.The study's primary endpoint is time to autografting, and the secondary endpoints include wound healing and safety outcomes, per the filing.The company said the interim analysis of 40 patients showed a median time to grafting of 11 days, with grafting achieved as early as five days, 25% of patients grafted within seven days, and 72% grafted within 14 days.The study is ongoing, with the full dataset expected this year.

ASX:AVH

Research92d ago

Research Alert: CFRA Keeps Buy Opinion On Shares Of Blackrock, Inc.

CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:We raise our 12-month target price by $100 to $1,220, valuing BLK shares at 22x our 2026 adjusted EPS estimate of $54.58 (raised by $0.38) and at 20x our 2027 EPS estimate of $61.75. Our target multiples compare to BLK's one-year average forward multiple of 21x and a peer average of 13x, which included many firms that are slower growing and less profitable than BLK. Despite a challenging macroeconomic and geopolitical environment, we believe BLK shares are poised to outperform, thanks to a combination of solid, above-peer organic AUM growth, a growing and recurring revenue stream from technology services operations, and contributions from a targeted acquisition program. Currently trading at 19x our 2026 EPS estimate and at 17x our 2027 EPS estimate and yielding 2.2%, we view the shares as undervalued versus historical averages.

$BLK

Asia92d ago

Qantas Airways Fuel Guidance Revision In-Line With Expectations, Says Jefferies

Qantas Airways' (ASX:QAN) revised fuel expense and earnings guidance are in line with expectations, Jefferies said in a note on Tuesday, adding that the airline appears insulated from any material impact from the war in West Asia.The company increased its second-half fuel outlook to a range of AU$3.1 billion to AU$3.3 billion from AU$2.5 billion previously, broadly aligning with Jefferies' estimate of AU$3.19 billion. Domestic revenue per available seat kilometer (RASK) is projected to grow by 5% in the period, up from prior guidance of around 3%.The investment firm noted that while current demand levels are expected to hold, any future weakness would likely be offset by lower capacity.Jefferies said it expects the company to cancel its AU$150 million interim share buyback and another buyback expected at its fiscal year 2026 result to retain cash to strengthen its balance sheet.The brokerage will review its fuel forecasts in a few weeks once May refinery margin data becomes available, it added.Jefferies maintained a buy rating on Qantas with a price target of AU$12.80.

ASX:QAN

Asia92d ago

Telix Pharmaceuticals Upsizes Convertible Notes Due 2031 to $600 Million

Telix Pharmaceuticals (ASX:TLX) successfully priced and upsized its 1.50% convertible notes due 2031 to $600 million from $550 million, issued through its wholly owned subsidiary, Telix Pharmaceuticals Investments, reflecting strong investor demand, according to a Wednesday Australian bourse filing.The notes can be converted into the company's ordinary shares at an initial conversion price of $13.85, which reflects a premium of around 38% over the reference share price, per the filing.The bonds pay interest quarterly and mature around April 2031, unless they are redeemed or converted earlier, the filing said.The company will simultaneously repurchase and cancel over 85% of its 2029 convertible bonds through a reverse bookbuild process, with settlement for both transactions expected on April 22, the filing added.

ASX:TLX

Oil & Energy92d ago

Market Chatter: Over 20 Commercial Ships Sail Through Strait of Hormuz in Past 24 Hours

Over 20 commercial vessels have transited the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, WSJ reported, citing two US officials.The increase in the number indicates improving traffic through the key global oil route.Commercial tanker traffic, however, remains a fraction compared to pre-conflict levels.Vessels that crossed the waterway in the last 24 hours included cargo, container and tanker vessels headed into and out of the Persian Gulf, WSJ reported, citing an official.A few ships have reportedly sailed without their transponders switched on, making them difficult to track in an attempt to minimize the risk of an Iranian strike.Vessels have reportedly not attempted to sail through the strait amid reports of Iranian attacks and sea mines.US President Donald Trump has been pushing for Iran to reopen the key waterway.Two US warships sailed through the strait earlier this week in a freedom of navigation mission. The move aimed at establishing a new passage to encourage the free flow of commerce amid concerns about Iranian sea mines, according to the report.The White House did not immediately respond to' request for comment.(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

International92d ago

South Korea's Unemployment Rate Eases to 3.0% in March

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Asia92d ago

Alcoa Unit to Redeem $219 Million Notes Due 2028

Alcoa (ASX:AAI) said that its wholly owned subsidiary, Alcoa Nederland, has issued a notice to redeem all $219 million of its outstanding 6.125% senior notes due in 2028, according to a Wednesday statement from the company.The redemption price will be 100% of the principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest up to the redemption date, and the repayment will be funded using the company's existing cash reserves.

ASX:AAI

Asia92d ago

Westpac Banking's Downward Annual Guidance Signals Caution as Credit Conditions Hold, Says Jefferies

Westpac Banking (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC) is faring well with solid fundamentals, but its recent annual earnings guidance cut calls for a cautionary glance on weaker net interest margin, Jefferies said in a note on Tuesday.The bank revised its fiscal 2026 earnings per share down by 3%, dragged down by lower first-half net interest margin due to reduced markets and treasury contribution, one-off costs from the sale of its RAMS mortgage portfolio, and higher loan impairment charges.The investment firm said that provisions increased despite improving asset quality, pointing to a more defensive macroeconomic stance.Analysts at Jefferies also expect Westpac's New Zealand segment to be negatively affected by currency weakness in the first half, creating a modest headwind to earnings.Jefferies reaffirmed a hold rating on Westpac Banking and lifted the price target to AU$34.92 from AU$34.88.

ASX:WBCNZE:WBC

Asia92d ago

Ryman Healthcare's Total Fiscal Q4 Sales Volumes Rise

Ryman Healthcare (ASX:RYM, NZE:RYM) reported 331 occupation right agreement (ORA) sales in the fiscal fourth quarter, up 10% from 302 a year earlier, according to a Wednesday filing with the Australian and New Zealand bourses.The total sales for the quarter ended March 31, include 81 new sales and 250 resales, compared with 83 new sales and 219 resales a year earlier.Occupancy at mature care centers held steady at 96.1% in the fourth quarter, while newer centers outperformed expectations, with four of five opened in the past two years exceeding 80% occupancy as of March 31, per the filing.The company's fiscal 2026 free cash flow is expected to be around NZ$180 million, while net interest-bearing debt stood at NZ$1.57 billion as at March 31, the filing added.

ASX:RYMNZE:RYM

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