ASX to edge higher, European stocks rise

Australian shares are set for a modest opening advance after the EU and the US agreed to accelerate trade talks to avert a potential tariff war.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index closed up 1 per cent, paced by industrial goods and autos. The UK stock market was shut for a holiday as were US markets.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen secured a one-month reprieve from US President Donald Trump who on Friday threatened the EU with a 50 per cent tariff hit to press for trade concessions.
Market highlights
ASX futures are pointing up 17 points or 0.2 per cent to 8408.
All US prices are as of 2.15pm New York time.
Today's agenda
It's a very quiet day for data with European May consumer and economic confidence at 7pm and later in the evening US durable goods for April and the Conference Board's May consumer confidence.
Top stories
Labor poised to approve NW Shelf gas project | The Albanese government has given its strongest signal yet that it will approve Woodside's long-delayed gas development.
| The ex-Rothschild deal maker has become a crusader against bad boards. Depending on who you ask, he's either shareholders' best-friend or a grandstander.
Chanticleer: Saving Healthscope won't cure our sick private health system | Most of Healthscope's hospitals will be picked off by new buyers but without at least an eye to the bigger picture, other private hospitals could end up in the sick bay.
| While the company says it has 10 prospective suitors, Health Minister Mark Butler has flagged that overseas private equity firms are unacceptable hospital owners.

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Canberra Times

9 minutes ago

• Canberra Times

Winter slowdown brings steady opportunities for buyers in top capital cities

WATCH: Australian auction surge fuels confidence | | 7NEWS By Tim McDonald Auction activity stepped back slightly last week, with 2,040 homes going under the hammer across the combined capital cities. This marked a 6.6 percent drop in volume compared to the previous week and a 5.1 percent decline year-on-year. Despite the softer numbers, buyer competition proved strong, with the preliminary clearance rate rising to 73.9 percent, the highest level since July 2024. The result signals a sharp rebound from the slowdown seen over the King's Birthday long weekend two weeks prior, when the preliminary clearance rate dipped to 63.8 percent amid reduced listings and public holiday timing. Melbourne led the nation in auction volumes, hosting 947 auctions for the week. Its preliminary clearance rate came in at an impressive 76.6 percent, the city's strongest result since May 2023 and the second-highest performance nationally, just behind Adelaide. SOLD: 9/67 Alexandra Avenue, South Yarra, VIC 3141 Pic: Supplied In Sydney, 789 properties were taken to auction. The harbour city reported a preliminary clearance rate of 73.5 percent, its highest since late February 2025, when the Reserve Bank delivered its first interest rate cut of the year. The improved result points to renewed buyer confidence and a tightening market in key metropolitan areas, even as winter sets in. Riverside penthouse apartment dazzles at auction with $1.115 million result A vibrant crowd of 60 turned out to watch bidding unfold for the riverside penthouse at 9/67 Alexandra Avenue, South Yarra, and they weren't disappointed. The top-floor Deco apartment with sweeping city views and brilliant northern light sold under the hammer for $1.115 million, delivering a dynamic result in one of Melbourne's most protected pockets. SOLD: 9/67 Alexandra Avenue, South Yarra, VIC 3141 Pic: Supplied Belle Property's Mark Konishi, who led the campaign, said interest was strong from the outset. "We had 57 groups through the apartment during the campaign and five registered bidders on the day," he said. "It was good fun, good energy and a really entertaining auction. The crowd was into it." SOLD: 9/67 Alexandra Avenue, South Yarra, VIC 3141 Pic: Supplied Spanning an impressive 148 square metres, the two-bedroom residence is the crown jewel of its Art Deco complex. A spacious living zone unfolds across three distinct lounge, dining and sitting areas, all bathed in north light and opening onto a full-width balcony that frames the Yarra and city skyline. Bidding opened at $910,000 and quickly escalated as a third-party bidder pushed the price to $1.107 million. In the final moments, the original bidder returned to clinch the win at $1.115 million. SOLD: 9/67 Alexandra Avenue, South Yarra, VIC 3141 Pic: Supplied Konishi said the result highlighted the long-term strength of Melbourne's prestige apartment market. "The property last sold in the mid-$600,000s back in 2006," he said. "To see it achieve $1.115 million today shows an uplift of more than 70 percent. It's a strong return, especially for a unique residence like this with such a premium riverside position." Manly apartment sells for $2.86m in emotional auction finale on Eastern Hill A rare opportunity at one of Manly's most premier addresses has captured hearts and headlines, with a near-original apartment in Marlborough Gardens selling under the hammer for $2.86 million. More than 100 onlookers gathered outside 8/140 Addison Road NSW to witness a spirited auction that saw three competitive bidders vie for the landmark Eastern Hill property. SOLD: 8/140 Addison Road, Manly, NSW 2095 Pic: Supplied Listing agent Mark Skeens of Stone Real Estate Manly said the sale was not only a financial success but an emotional moment for the estate. "The estate had been owned by a 92-year-old gentleman who bought it back in 1977 for just $41,500," Skeens said. "He passed away with no children, and as per his will, the full proceeds from the sale will be donated to two separate charities. It was a very special result." SOLD: 8/140 Addison Road, Manly, NSW 2095 Pic: Supplied Sold to a downsizing couple, the 114-square-metre apartment offered a pristine canvas for reinvention, with generous proportions, a sun-drenched balcony and leafy ocean glimpses. "This is the best part of Manly," Skeens added. "It's freehold land, footsteps to Fairy Bower and in a building that rarely sees turnover." SOLD: 8/140 Addison Road, Manly, NSW 2095 Pic: Supplied With the final price representing a more than 6,700 percent increase since it was last purchased, the sale stands as both a remarkable return on investment and a testament to Manly's enduring coastal prestige. Where oranges grow, fortune follows. Family treasure in Geelong West fetches $1.16m after heartfelt auction. There were smiles, sunshine and even mandarins at the auction of 3 Mowat Street, Geelong West, as the beloved family home sold for $1.16 million after a spirited 20-bid showdown. SOLD: 3 Mowat Street, Geelong West, VIC 3218 Pic: Supplied The classic character home, held by one family for 60 years, attracted 75 groups through its pre-auction campaign, with three registered bidders competing on the day. Jellis Craig agent Marcus Falconer said the result was deeply meaningful for the vendors. "The owners' children had recently renovated the home for their parents, so it was very emotional watching it change hands," he said. "There were tears, but also pride. They were thrilled with the outcome." SOLD: 3 Mowat Street, Geelong West, VIC 3218 Pic: Supplied Set on a wide 752-square-metre block, the home offered charm and potential in equal measure. Character details like high ceilings, timber fretwork and a bay window met modern updates, including a north-facing living zone, expansive backyard and undercover deck perfect for family life. "It's neat as a pin, with plenty of room to grow," said Falconer. "And it's in one of the most desirable pockets of Geelong West." SOLD: 3 Mowat Street, Geelong West, VIC 3218 Pic: Supplied As the auction wrapped up, the new owners left with more than a new address. The sellers handed them a bag full of mandarins from the backyard tree, a warm parting gift from one family to another.

7NEWS

14 minutes ago

• 7NEWS

‘There is no one dirtier than Trump': Some Iranians urge strong response after US strikes

US President Donald Trump 's decision to launch direct strikes against Iranian nuclear sites has sparked a wave of anger in the country, with people on the streets of Tehran telling CNN they expect their country to strike back. 'Iranian people are people of honor, and we will definitely give a strong response,' one man told CNN. 'We will stand strongly like we have been for the past 40 years.' Large crowds gathered at the Enghelab Square in central Tehran on Sunday evening, protesting the strikes. Footage published by the state-affiliated Fars News Agency showed people waving Iranian flags and punching the air, carrying signs that read: 'Down with the USA, down with Israel.' Hamid Rasaee, a politician, said even people critical of the regime were protesting. 'A lot of those standing here chanting slogans against the United States may have been critics of the policies of the Islamic Republic. 'But today, all of us are standing in one line behind the supreme leader,' he told CNN. Trump ordered attacks on three of Iran's most important nuclear facilities early Sunday morning – a move that has placed the US in the centre of the conflict between Israel and Iran. Iranians had faced the possibility of US intervention ever since Israel launched its strikes on nuclear and military targets last week – but many believed any action was days away. That's in part because Trump said on Thursday that he would decide whether to strike Iran within two weeks, seemingly opening a window for negotiations. That all changed early Sunday, when American bombers dropped more than a dozen massive 'bunker buster' bombs on Iran's Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities, and Tomahawk missiles launched from the sea struck Isfahan. One man in Tehran told CNN he believed Trump was acting in his own interest only. 'There is no one dirtier than Trump. First, he gives us two weeks' time, but then after two days he strikes us,' the man told CNN. Like other Iranians with whom CNN spoke, he preferred not to give his name for safety reasons. 'We do not have nuclear weapons, so why does he strike us?' he added, alluding to the Iranian regime's insistence the country's nuclear program is peaceful. Trump has claimed Iran was weeks away from acquiring a nuclear weapon, dismissing assessments from his own intelligence community that Iran was still years away from a weapon. Qom residents slept through the attacks While Trump has claimed the three sites struck by the US were 'totally obliterated,' his defence secretary has said the full impact is still being assessed. And unlike the strikes by Israel in recent days, some of which targeted densely populated areas, the US attacks were concentrated in locations off-limits to most civilians. Residents of Qom, a city some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Fordow nuclear site, woke to the sound of emergency vehicles' sirens and the news that the secretive complex had been bombed a few hours earlier. Five people living in Qom said they were surprised to learn what had happened when they got up, having heard nothing overnight. Qom does not have an aerial attack warning system, so residents would have had no warning before the strikes. Qom is considered a holy city, home to Iran's largest and most famous Shia seminary. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei studied at the Qom Seminary, as did several of Iran's former presidents. Similarly, people living in a village some 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the Natanz facility said they heard nothing overnight. In Tehran, far from the targeted nuclear sites, many were calling for Iran to respond with force. Fars released a compilation of short interviews with people on the streets of the capital Sunday. Each of the eight people featured urged a retaliation – with most saying Iran should strike US bases in the region and close down the Strait of Hormuz on Iran's southern shore, through which a third of global seaborne oil trade passes. In Iran, signs of dissent tend to be quickly quashed, making it dangerous for people to express disagreement with the regime. But Mohsen Milani, an Iranian scholar who has lived in the US for decades, said the US attack on Iran could spark more genuine support for the regime. 'It could ignite a new wave of nationalism, damage the future of U.S.-Iran relations more than the 1953 coup, accelerate Tehran's pivot to Russia and China, and fundamentally reshape Iran's defense, deterrence, and nuclear posture,' he said in a post on X. 'Will sacrifice my life' Some of this sentiment was already on show in Tehran on Sunday. One demonstrator at the evening protest at Enghelab Square told CNN she would stay there 'even if missiles rain down on my head'. 'I will stay here and I will sacrifice my life and my blood for my country,' she said. Everywhere around her, people were protesting the US, many holding anti-Trump signs and posters. Some of the posters ended up on the ground, where people stamped on them. One resident told CNN earlier, he would support Khamenei with his life. 'He's moving forward for the sake of our land,' he said. Speaking to CNN at a local market, a woman told CNN she believed Iran was only defending itself. 'We were living our normal lives and they attacked us. If someone strikes the United States, would they not answer? Of course they would,' she said. Another person living in Tehran said they believed the regime was greatly weakened by the US strikes – because its opponents would now be able to call its bluff. 'The claims that the Iranian regime has always made – that it will attack all American bases and close the Strait of Hormuz – they made all these claims and the whole world saw that (the US) came and easily hit the Fordow and Natanz sites ... but Iran was completely silent and no fighter planes took off and (it) used no defenses or missiles,' the person said, adding that if there is no response in the coming days, the regime's supporters could abandon it. 'No sane person will stand by someone who is in a weak position, not even their own supporters,' they said.

Sky News AU

14 minutes ago

• Sky News AU

Trump hints at regime change in Iran after strikes on nuclear facilities

US President Donald Trump has hinted at a regime change to 'Make Iran Great Again' following America's strikes on three of the country's nuclear facilities. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!'