BHP pips CBA to lead ASX; hottest property in 2026; $Trump tanks

BHP pips CBA to lead ASX; hottest property in 2026; $Trump tanks

News in brief

Business conditions and confidence rebounded last month suggesting economic growth momentum was solid into the end of 2025. Inflation figures are due for release today from the ABS.

 

Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia have been identified as the hottest property markets for 2026, while high prices and policy settings are set to somewhat constrain NSW and Victoria.

 

Oil and gas group Santos has shipped the first LNG cargo from its delayed Barossa venture in the Timor Sea, a significant milestone for the $6.1 billion project.

 

Teal MP Monique Ryan, whose seat of Kooyong in Melbourne pushed beyond 40 degrees yesterday, has made a humorous and pointed suggestion about climate change: name heatwaves after the oil and gas companies.

 

Donald Trump’s memecoin has tumbled more than 90 per cent in price from its peak a year ago, in a sign of how the excitement around the US president’s controversial cryptocurrency has evaporated.

Fear-o-meter

Dr Monique Ryan arguing for naming heatwaves after oil and gas companies, which contribute to climate change (edited):

 

“Extreme weather events like Black Summer, Cyclone Yasi and the Lismore floods are seared into our memories. But heatwaves, the climate hazard responsible for more Australian deaths than floods, storms and bushfires combined, remain a silent killer.

 

“Extreme heat strains every system in the body. It stresses the heart, destabilises diabetes, worsens respiratory conditions, and intensifies mental health crises. When temperatures rise, so do emergency department presentations. Heat kills, and it’s time the Albanese government did something about it.

 

“Extreme heat is a health crisis and a communications failure. Heatwaves are not benign ‘warm spells’, as the media portrays them, they’re a silent killer. Every heatwave is a potential mass casualty event; by naming them, we can save Australian lives.

 

“Fossil fuels are the leading cause of climate change. They contribute to longer, hotter, and more frequent heat waves. When it comes to climate hazards, people act faster when they immediately grasp what’s at risk. Declaring a Category 4 ‘Heatwave Santos’ or ‘Heatwave Woodside’ would be more salient than communicating a ‘temperature spike.”

Fear & Greed Q+A today

On the rise of build-to-rent in Australia, including what it means for rental supply, the investor demand, and the benefits for tenants:

 

“Build-to-rent is simply institutionally owned housing. When a single investor owns an entire apartment building, you can do some really cool things. That includes offering long-term leases, which is highly valued by tenants right now, and particularly by millennials who have been crying out for this sort of product. You also get on-site management teams and additional amenities like co-working spaces, gyms, pools and cinema rooms. It means you’re renting the entire building to residents, not just a single apartment within it, and that allows you to create a much better rental experience overall.”

BHP has become the largest company on the Australian share market, as the shift to miners, away from previous market leader Commonwealth Bank, gathers pace. While the likes of BHP, Fortescue Metals, Rio Tinto and gold miners Northern Star and Evolution Mining have surged over the past 12 months, the four big banks’ share of the ASX200 has dipped below 25 per cent for the first time in several years. The total market capitalisation of the ASX200 is $2.6 trillion, and that represents about 77 per cent of the total market. So, the total market is worth around $3.4 trillion. For the sake of context, if the whole Aussie market was listed on the S&P500 on Wall Street, it would come in as the 7th largest company. Nvidia, the biggest company, is about twice the size of the ASX. Another way of looking at it – depending on the measure the ASX is about 1.5-2 per cent of global equities. Wall Street is 72 per cent.

Greed-o-meter

State	Temp (°C)	Date	Place
WA	50.7	13 Jan 2022	Onslow
SA	50.7	2 Jan 1960	Oodnadatta
NSW	50.1	11 Jan 1939	Wilcannia
QLD	49.5	24 Dec 1972	Birdsville
VIC	48.9	27 Jan 2026	Walpeup
NT	48.3	2 Jan 1960	Finke
TAS	42.2	30 Jan 2009	Scamander

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Victoria's heatwave set temperature records yesterday - 48.9°C at Walpeup beat the previous record of 48.8°C at Hopetoun, set during the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009. 

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Source: Bureau of Meteorology, ABC