What the Flux

Auction clearance rates have declined over the last few weeks across Australia, meaning the property market could be cooling down.   Global giant GE will break itself into three companies - focused on aviation, healthcare and energy - following years of company underperformance.   OpenWeb, a platform used by publishers to manage social media comments, has become a $1B unicorn - as publis...

Amazon Prime Video’s Australian arm has announced plans to aggregate rival on-demand video and streaming services in one spot.   Entertainment company Live Nation has seen its shares drop by nearly 10% following Travis Scott’s Astroworld concert.   The unique collab between Tiffany and Supreme launches this week, and it is expected to boost brand awareness for both companies....

Aussie plant-based food maker v2food is rolling out plant-based food in China with new culturally-relevant meals.   IKEA is set to launch a second-hand marketplace for Aussies to buy pre-loved furniture in early 2022.   Nike has gone on a trademark spree, a signal that the company could be preparing to sell virtual footwear in the metaverse.   ---   November = Flux Savings Mont...

An Aussie crypto ETF launched on the ASX and became the largest traded ETF on opening day.   Eco friendly footwear and clothing company Allbirds listed on the share market and saw shares soar by almost 93% on its first day of trading.   Luxury goods company Chanel is hiking its prices on some of its most popular stock ahead of the Christmas period. --- November = Flux Savings Month: http...

Online bookshop Booktopia has launched an eBook subscription service to capture more recurring book readers and recurring revenue.   Microsoft is entering the Metaverse with new 3D Avatars for your next Teams meeting    Bittersweet news from BMW who reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings...but their car deliveries have dropped off.   ---   November = Flux Savings...

CommBank will let its customers hold and use bitcoin via its app to attract to young customers and keep up with PayPal and Square.   Zoom is introducing a pilot advertising program that will show ads to users on its “Basic” free tier.   Estée Lauder sales have increased by almost $1B (USD) as consumers return to physical stores in search of that post-pandemic glow. &nb...

Following a pivot during covid, Betty’s Burgers has sees sales rise big time, proving to be a winner for its owner Retail Zoo, which also owns Boost Juice.   At-home exercise company Peloton is bringing gym classes to airplane flights through a new partnership.   Epic Games is shutting down its efforts to bring highly popular video game Fortnite to the Chinese market following cont...

David Jones has achieved its first net profit since 2018 - breaking a three-year streak of losses, partially thanks to JobKeeper.   Channel 7 owner Seven West Media has finally acquired regional broadcaster Prime Media for $132 million, 2 years after Seven first tried to buy Prime.   The parent company of popular survey tool SurveyMonkey has been acquired for around $4.13 billion (US) by...

Coke is ending its cider and beer brands in Australia as the company’s new owner sets a fresh strategy.   After sustained backlash against its brand, the corporate entity behind Facebook (and Instagram and WhatsApp) has a new name - Meta.   Oil giant Shell missed its expected profit numbers for the last 3 months, as the company battles to transition towards renewable energy.  ...

Coles is predicting that Aussies will spend up big this Christmas in a post lockdown spending spree.   Aussie shopping centre company Vicinity has taken a near 20% stake in the owner of Click Frenzy, as the two companies unite to make the most of their appeal to consumers.   LinkedIn has launched a global freelance platform to compete with UpWork and Fiverr.   ---   October = C...

Commbank’s Dollarmites program, which turned students into bank customers, has been cut by the bank, following pressure from state governments and ASIC.   Kim Kardashian-West’s shapewear line Skims is collaborating with luxury fashion brand Fendi to launch a new women’s collection.   Adobe has launched a new tool to help social media users identify whether an image has...

Facebook will make big changes and focus more on Reels to make Facebook and Instagram more appealing to users aged 18-29.   The co-founder of online retailer Stylerunner is launching a new women’s shopping app to disrupt the digital coupon industry   Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin wants to launch a space station that will house up to 10 people in the second half of th...

ANZ Bank is betting against buy now, pay later with its $100m bid to acquire cash back company Cashrewards.   Marley Spoon is expanding into pet food delivery to cater for the big number of families that bought pets during the pandemic.   Following news it would help launch Donald Trump’s new social media platform, a ‘special purpose acquisition company’ (SPAC) saw its...

Woolworths, Coles and Aldi are rolling out vaccine mandates to protect shoppers and staff from COVID-19.   EA Games and FIFA are ending their 3-decade-long relationship, which has produced some of the most profitable video games ever.   Snapchat’s shares fell nearly 25% last week after it acknowledged its ad business “was disrupted” by changes to Apple’s latest pr...

CommBank is rolling out new payments terminals as it ramps up its fight against newer financial technology companies that have cut its lunch.   Paypal is exploring an acquisition of social media company Pinterest for nearly $52 billion.   Nestle has exceeded its own expectations for the last 3 months, after increasing prices by 2% for some of its top brands.   ---   October = C...

Flight Centre thinks it can get back to monthly profits this financial year, as the travel industry gets ready to swing back into action.   Netflix has added 4.4 million subscribers, and has praised Squid Game for its much needed growth.   Global pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson is expecting $3.3 billion of vaccine sales this year.   ---   October = Credit Score Res...

Mercedes-Benz will defend a $650m Federal Court action launched by a majority of its Australian dealerships.   A four-year-old supermarket advertising startup, founded by a former AFL player, has been acquired for $205m by a French multinational.   Microsoft is shutting down LinkedIn in China as internet censorship increases in the country.   ---   October = Credit Score Restor...

Aussie pokies machine maker Aristocrat Leisure wants to expand its market dominance and has made a $3.9B bid for a UK online gambling and content supplier.   The ecommerce division of Saks Fifth Avenue is preparing for its IPO - and it could value the company at over $8B.   Square, the new owner of Afterpay, is looking to build its own bitcoin mining system.   ---   October = C...

Qantas will receive $802m from the sale of land next to Sydney Airport, making it one of the big winners from Australia’s industrial property boom.   DoorDash is introducing search-page ads for restaurants, as food-delivery apps move deeper into advertising to boost revenue.   Aussie gym company Body Fit Training has sold its IP for $60m to Xponential Fitness as it plans to beef up...

The RBA has warned that climate-conscious investors could “divest” from Australia, as financial markets go green.   Mindbody has acquired ClassPass and it looks like it could be a partnership made in business-heaven.   TV network Fox is stepping outside of its comfort zone and is trying to build a Masked Singer NFT community.   ---   Flux Daily Quiz - Win prizes: ht...

QR codes could soon become a common way to pay, with Coles and Woolworths supporting a new QR payments platform developed by eftpos.   To attract premium advertisers, TV network Seven has signed a deal to broadcast the Commonwealth Games in the UK next year.   Canva wants to make design accessible to everyone and is now expanding into video editing.   ---   Flux Daily Quiz - Wi...

A new budget airline named Bonza will launch in Australia in early 2022 to compete with Jetstar and Virgin.   ASOS’ CEO has stepped down following an announcement that profit will take a hit due to supply-chain issues and returns.   Texas is getting closer to becoming the world’s new home for tech companies, as Tesla announces that it is moving its HQ to Austin.   --- &n...

Aussie gambling company Star Entertainment Group is in the spotlight after allegations it facilitated ‘money laundering’.   Pinterest wants to reclaim e-commerce marketshare from rival social platforms and has rolled out new major features to entice shoppers and advertisers to its platform.   Nike has demonstrated it is capable of appealing to all age groups after being recog...

Amazon is reportedly working on a smart fridge that can monitor items and help you order replacements if you’re running low on something.   After 18 years Ireland has dropped its 12.5% tax rate, which attracted companies like Google and Facebook to locate their European HQs there.   Foxtel is planning to sell smart TVs over the next few years in a move that could mark the beginning...

Westfield has launched a click and collect service that removes the need for shoppers to buy items through individual stores.   Coles is ending its in-store butcher service this weekend, and from Monday will only offer pre-packaged meat.   Google and Aussie shopping centre giant Vicinity Centres have partnered to deliver goods to homes and businesses via drone.   ---   Flux Dai...