Afternoon Report | ASX climbs; CEO’s possible $18m pay packet
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Why did the ASX 200 break its six‑day losing streak and what drove the market higher?
Welcome to the Fear and Greed Business News Afternoon Report for Thursday, the 20th of August, 2026. I'm Michael Thompson, and every afternoon, we've got the five stories that happened today that you need to know about. Let's go with story number one. Good place to start. The SP ASX 200 closed 0.3% higher today to 9,084 points. It's been six days since I've been able to say that. This is the end of a six-day losing streak. Mining, technology, healthcare stocks all helped offset falls among the big banks. WiseTech Global, in particular, it rebounded 9% after yesterday's sharp fall. Gold miners rallied after US bond yields fell overnight, helping push the gold price to its highest level since June. Evolution Mining, a gold miner, it jumped 10%.
Northern Star, that rose 6%.
How could Northern Star Resources’ new CEO earn more than $18 million in his first year?
BHP gained more than 3%. The Aussie dollar dipped briefly today after the labor force figures for July were released. The number of jobs fell by nearly 16,000 last month, while the unemployment rate rose from 4.4% to 4.5%. But back to equities, it was another very busy day for company results. Had super retail groups surged 15% after beating expectations. Sonic Healthcare down at E. They both fell around 10%. We will have some more results very shortly. On to story number two, Northern Star Resources, new chief executive, could pocket more than $18 million this financial year when he takes the helm. As the under-fire gold miner warned of a looming leap in costs, the ASX's biggest gold miner tempted the Glencore executive, Suresh Vadnagra, to jump ship with
With a lucrative $5.6 million package of sign-on and cash incentives. But that total remuneration could hit $18.3 million in the 2027 financial year should he hit certain targets and steady the ship, according to the Financial Review.
What were the biggest corporate earnings surprises from IDP Education, Zip and Medibank?
The figure is double the amount that his predecessor, Stuart Tonkin, earned in 2025. Tonkin left after the miner shocked the market with a series of production down. Yeah. Northern Star's share price jumped 6% today. Story number three, I promise more company results. There were plenty of them today, IDP Education. Its shares tumbled 21% after the education services provider reported an 11% drop in revenue and a 74% fall in net profit. The company which operates student placement services, English language testing, and English language teaching. Said that international student volumes had declined significantly as policy settings had reduced global mobility. By now PayLader provider Zip, its share price surged 18% after its full year earnings rose 58% and it forecast more growth in the current financial year.
That's clearly what investors wanted to hear. The expansion has been driven by take up in the United States as it pushes to fund everyday.
Why are major sponsors pausing their deals with the Sydney Swans after the controversy?
spending, it now has an active customer count of six and a half million. And health insurance giant Medibank Private said membership growth slowed last year, adding that cost of living pressures are forcing people to downgrade their cover. While competition in the industry is intensifying, the group reported a 28% rise in net profit. Its share price fell more than 6% today. Story number four, away from markets now. The fallout from the Sydney Swans controversy has spread to some of the club's biggest commercial partners with Nike and Volkswagen, pausing activities involving the five players suspended for the remainder of the 2026 season for breaching club behavioral standards. There is a separate Victoria police investigation into an alleged sexual assault at the hotel where the Swans were staying in Melbourne after their win.
Over Essenden on Sunday night. No one has been accused, arrested, or charged in relation to that alleged incident. Colgate has suspended its partnership with Vice Captain Isaac Heaney, while Telstra has already suspended Heaney and one other Chad Warner from its brand ambassador program. Beyond sponsorships, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood has pulled out of planned match day activities this Sunday. While publisher Alan Anun has paused promotion of Heaney's first two children's books and the upcoming publication of a third.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Why did the ASX 200 break its six‑day losing streak and what drove the market higher?
0:03–0:51
2
How could Northern Star Resources’ new CEO earn more than $18 million in his first year?
0:51–1:59
3
What were the biggest corporate earnings surprises from IDP Education, Zip and Medibank?
1:59–3:00
4
Why are major sponsors pausing their deals with the Sydney Swans after the controversy?
3:00–4:22
5
What is prompting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to move back to the United Kingdom?
4:22–5:26
6
How might the security and police‑protection issues affect Harry and Meghan’s return to Britain?
5:26–5:59
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from FEAR & GREED | Business News
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