Afternoon Report | Trump says Iran “going to get a beating”
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Welcome to the Fear and Greed Business News Afternoon Report for Thursday, the 30th of July, 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.
What drove the ASX 200 to slip 0.8% and which sectors were hit?
The S&P ASX 200 fell 0.8% today, slipping back below 9,000 points after reaching a five-month high yesterday. It closed today at 8,968 points. Investors are worried about inflation, driven by commentary from the US Fed overnight. More on that one tomorrow morning. And also about the war in the Middle East. Gold miners were among the weakest performers today. Resolute Mining, Genesis Minerals, Newmont, they all fell. BHP lost ground as well. Retail stocks retreated after a pretty solid day yesterday. Harvey Norman, Wes Farmers were both lower. Only two sectors actually finished higher today, energy stocks and technology, led by a near 7% jump in WiseTech Global, while Xero also advanced. On to story number two now.
How did US strikes and Trump's comments escalate tensions with Iran?
I mentioned concerns about what's happening in the Middle East. Well, the United States has launched a new wave of strikes against Iran after Tehran fired ballistic missiles at American forces in the region. U.S. Central Command says the two-hour operation targeted dozens of Revolutionary guard sites, including command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal defense systems, and maritime capabilities. So quite wide ranging. The US says all five Iranian missiles fired at American targets were intercepted. President Donald Trump had vowed to hit Iran hard in retaliation. He described Iran's attack as a surprise. And this is probably the most significant part of this story was just how colorful he was in describing what was going to happen.
He was speaking to Fox News and he said, Apologies if there are children in the car. We're going to beat the effing S out of them and we'll be hitting them hard. They're going to get a beating. Oil prices were actually down slightly after the attacks. At story number three, Ampol has tripled its June half profit on the back of turning crude oil into petrol and diesel with its refining margins at its Lytton plant. four times higher than a year earlier. If you want to know who is winning from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, it's the refiners. Ampol's first half unaudited results was a pre-tax profit of $1.35 billion from just over $400 million last year. It isn't all good news, though the refiners need major ongoing investments in maintenance and upgrades to continue their safe operation, and they've asked the government for help.
Shares in Ampol, which are trading at the highest for more than two years, were up a touch again today.
Which Iranian targets were struck and were the missiles intercepted?
Story number four, Domino's Pizza Enterprises, long one of the most shorted stocks on the ASX, today reaffirmed its profit guidance and said changes to the way it sells pizza helping franchisees. That was enough to send its share price up more than 9% today. Domino's will write down around $260 million, reflecting at struggling businesses in France and in Taiwan. It plans to close 60 stores globally, including 29 in Australia and New Zealand. But it's changed its strategy from constant promotions and discounts to just having everyday low prices. It looks to be working, at least for franchisees. Their earnings are up 11% over the last year, even though same store sales were lower and the group expects to report a full year loss.
And finally, story number five, Victoria has recorded its first case of the highly contagious H5N1 bird flu strain after a greater crested turn. found near Portland tested positive. Now that detection follows confirmation yesterday, I spoke about on the afternoon report this time yesterday, that the virus was spreading locally among greater crested terns in coastal South Australia. Australia now has recorded 28 confirmed H5 bird flu cases in wild seabirds across five states. Agricultural authorities say there have been no detections in commercial poultry, no signs of mass wildlife deaths. The risk to humans also remains low and no restrictions have been imposed.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:03–0:16
2
What drove the ASX 200 to slip 0.8% and which sectors were hit?
0:16–1:05
3
How did US strikes and Trump's comments escalate tensions with Iran?
1:05–2:51
4
Which Iranian targets were struck and were the missiles intercepted?
2:51–4:24
5
Why did Ampol triple its June half profit and what does it mean for refiners?
4:24–5:50
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from FEAR & GREED | Business News
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