Strategy Retains Nasdaq 100 Spot Amid Growing Scrutiny of Bitcoin Treasury Model 
SoftBank Shares Slide as Oracle’s AI Spending Plans Fuel Market Jitters 
HSBC’s $13.6 Billion Take-Private Offer for Hang Seng Bank Gains Board Backing 
Coca-Cola’s Costa Coffee Sale Faces Uncertainty as Talks With TDR Capital Hit Snag 
United Airlines Tokyo-Bound Flight Returns to Dulles After Engine Failure 
Nvidia Weighs Expanding H200 AI Chip Production as China Demand Surges 
Azul Airlines Wins Court Approval for $2 Billion Debt Restructuring and New Capital Raise 
iRobot Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Amid Rising Competition and Tariff Pressures 
Trello Outage Disrupts Users as Access Issues Hit Atlassian’s Work Management Platform 
SoftBank Eyes Switch Inc as It Pushes Deeper Into AI Data Center Expansion 
JD.com Pledges 22 Billion Yuan Housing Support for Couriers as China’s Instant Retail Competition Heats Up 
Woolworths Faces Fresh Class Action Over Alleged Underpayments, Shares Slide 
Mizuho Raises Broadcom Price Target to $450 on Surging AI Chip Demand 
California Jury Awards $40 Million in Johnson & Johnson Talc Cancer Lawsuit 
SK Hynix Considers U.S. ADR Listing to Boost Shareholder Value Amid Rising AI Chip Demand 
Nomura Expands Alternative Assets Strategy With Focus on Private Debt Acquisitions 
Moore Threads Stock Slides After Risk Warning Despite 600% Surge Since IPO 
ANZ Group's Earnings Impacted by Rising Costs and Competitive Pressure
ANZ Group announced a lower-than-expected annual cash profit of A$6.73 billion ($4.49 billion) for the fiscal year ending September 30, missing the A$6.82 billion market estimate and marking a decline from last year’s A$7.41 billion. CEO Shayne Elliott highlighted ongoing challenges in core banking, with fierce competition in home lending and deposits driving down margins.
The intense competition among Australian banks is exerting pressure on profits, as customers search for favorable lending and deposit rates. Net interest margin, a key profitability indicator, dropped by 13 basis points to 1.57%. Additionally, the common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio, reflecting the bank’s available cash, declined to 12.2%.
Dividend and Loan Performance Updates
ANZ declared a final dividend of 83 Australian cents per share, down from last year’s 94 cents but consistent with market expectations. Meanwhile, overdue loan payments rose by 47% to A$4.17 billion, as higher interest rates place financial strain on some customers. ANZ noted an 11% increase in total customer deposits to A$715.21 billion, though its Institutional division experienced a minor dip.
Rival banks Westpac and National Australia Bank also faced profit declines this year due to competitive pressures and slight increases in overdue loan payments.
