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1 week ago | 
michaelwest.com.au | Michael West |Duncan Graham |Rex Patrick |Michael Pascoe
Alphabet’s Google illegally dominated two markets for online advertising technology, a judge has ruled, dealing another blow to the tech giant and paving the way for US antitrust prosecutors to seek a breakup of its advertising products. US District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, found Google liable for “willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power” in markets for publisher ad servers and the market for ad exchanges which sit between buyers and sellers.
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1 week ago | 
michaelwest.com.au | Michael West |Duncan Graham |Rex Patrick |Michael Pascoe
European shares have fallen, while the dollar rose as traders took some heart from trade talks between the US and Japan, and gold hit a record as Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell added a note of caution about the growth outlook. With a long weekend ahead, investors were reluctant to double down too heavily on the broad-based decline in risk assets this week.
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1 week ago | 
michaelwest.com.au | Michael West |Duncan Graham |Rex Patrick |Michael Pascoe
April 17, 2025 18:30 | News The expected loss of an iconic Australian music festival has locals fearing the economic cost and calling for government support for the struggling sector. After watching her community face the possibility of losing two major festivals, Federal Greens candidate Mandy Nolan says the events need support to stay alive.
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1 week ago | 
michaelwest.com.au | Duncan Graham |Rex Patrick |Michael Pascoe |Michael West
Hordes of Australians are jetting off or hitting the road for an extended Easter break, with consecutive public holiday weekends offering a cost-effective option. More than one-third of the nation is heading away on a holiday, according to the Tourism and Transport Forum. Some 23 per cent are going away within their own state, nine per cent are travelling interstate while four per cent of people are popping overseas.
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1 week ago | 
michaelwest.com.au | Duncan Graham |Rex Patrick |Michael Pascoe |Michael West
Global headwinds stirred by “erratic” US policy decisions could still hit the Australian jobs market despite latest figures showing only a small uptick in unemployment. About 30,000 jobs were created in March after a shock 53,000 slump in February, pushing the jobless rate up slightly to 4.1 per cent. The figure came in under consensus expectations of nearly 40,000 new jobs.
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1 week ago | 
michaelwest.com.au | Duncan Graham |Rex Patrick |Michael Pascoe |Michael West
Asian stocks wavered on Thursday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned of the risk of slowing growth and rising prices due to tariffs, while the uncertainty around US trade policies kept the dollar rooted near three-year lows. The spotlight stayed on technology shares after a bruising session on Wednesday in the wake of warnings from bellwethers Nvidia and ASML, and ahead of earnings from Taiwan’s TSMC.
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1 week ago | 
michaelwest.com.au | Duncan Graham |Rex Patrick |Michael Pascoe |Michael West
April 17, 2025 11:08 | News A key crossbencher has urged leaders to think before they speak after a series of diplomatic fumbles marred the election campaign. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton admitted during the Wednesday night leaders’ debate that he made a mistake when he earlier falsely attributed comments to the Indonesian president.
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1 week ago | 
michaelwest.com.au | Rex Patrick |Michael Pascoe |Duncan Graham |Andrew Blakers |Michael West
Chinese e-marketplace Temu and fast-fashion retailer Shein will raise prices next week as US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and crackdown on low-value imports push up costs for the companies known for their budget offerings. In nearly identical letters to customers this week, the two companies said they will be increasing prices starting April 25 and encouraged shoppers to purchase “now at today’s rates”.
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1 week ago | 
michaelwest.com.au | Rex Patrick |Michael Pascoe |Duncan Graham |Andrew Blakers |Michael West
Buyers beware – it costs an average of $1 million to enter the housing market in most major cities as political leaders try to woo potential homeowners. Adelaide has become the fifth capital city to break into the million-dollar club, with the median house price in South Australia’s capital now $1,000,202. Domain’s March House Price Report, released on Thursday, revealed the city of churches has joined Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra on the million-dollar list.
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1 week ago | 
michaelwest.com.au | Rex Patrick |Michael Pascoe |Duncan Graham |Andrew Blakers |Michael West
US President Donald Trump says he will personally attend a meeting of Japanese and US trade officials, a surprise move that underlines his eagerness to oversee negotiations triggered by his barrage of tariffs on global imports. Japan sent its economic revitalisation minister Ryosei Akazawa to kick start the talks, expecting to face Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington DC and had hoped to limit the scope of discussions to trade and investment matters.
