iSignthis Scare. Hybrid Warfare. Facebook Beware. This week the...

iSignthis Scare. Hybrid Warfare. Facebook Beware.


This week the markets appeared to recover with a glimpse of confidence for the Australian economy.



New unemployment data from the ABS lured investors with a boost in jobs across the country, and the Morrison Government put forward a $1.9 billion energy package.



The Government's plan to recovery doesn't stop there. The PM's flagged he also wants to shore-up Australia's fuel supply and work with oil refineries to keep them open. This week, Energy Minister Angus Taylor also brought forward a $211 million package to build more oil storage facilities in Australia. How much this will cost taxpayers remains to be seen.



A new Minerals Bill proposed by the U.S. could see a bump in Australia’s rare earth exports as the United States looks to reduce its reliance on China. Given the souring relationship between the U.S. and China, it’s likely America will turn to an allied country with similar interests and a similarly-souring relationship with China for rare earth stockpiles.



iSignthis (ISX:ASX) was one of the most talked about stocks this week after announcing it is suing Fairfax Media and the Australian Financial Review for defamation. The legal claim alleges the AFR has damaged CEO John Karantzis’ personal and professional reputation after publishing an article suggesting he facilitated money laundering through iSignthis.



Also this week, oil and gas explorer Jupiter Energy (ASX:JRP) soared nearly 520% on the back of the news its Akkar East oilfield is ready for commercial production.



And, software company The Citadel Group (ASX:CGL) spiked almost 40% on the back of a deal which will see CGL acquired by Pacific Equity Partners for $503 million.



Tensions between Australia and China reached new lows, with “hybrid warfare” and “psychological warfare” declared as the personal information of over 35,000 Australians was found in a mass Chinese data leak owned by Chinese company Zhenhua Data.



And finally, the latest development in the ACCC vs big tech battle continues, with consumer watchdog chair Rod Sims warning Facebook will only hurt itself if goes ahead with its decision to ban Australian news from its platform. Legacy publishers are finding it harder to make their case that the platforms need to fund their journalists.



Much of what we do at The Market Herald is delivering news on market movers. Already we break more Australian listed company stories than any other newsroom. This week our editorial and production teams have been busy finalising our mission to expand our operations to other key exchanges. A key part of our vision: First with the news that moves markets.



We hope you have a great weekend.

Jag Sanger


Publisher
The Market Herald

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