Louis Allen
Louis Allen is a recent graduate from Murdoch University in Western Australia having studied a combined degree of journalism and communications. He has a keen interest in mining and technology, as well as other key areas of the market.
Ampol delivers record dividend, South32 scraps Dendrobium coal mine extension and APA CEO’s shock resignation
Ampol (ASX: ALD) has announced an interim dividend of $1.20 per share in its latest half year report – signalling the company’s largest interim dividend it has ever paid. The $1.20 per share dividend is an increase of 130% over the previous corresponding period’s, which was $0.52 per share. The company reported an 83% rise […]
IGO JV acquires Essential Metals, AMP-Dexus deal delayed and Fortescue CFO resigns
IGO (ASX: IGO) and joint venture partner Tianqi Lithium Corporation (TLC) have agreed to acquire Essential Metals (ASX:ESS), in a deal valued at $0.50 per share. Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia is a joint venture between TLC, which holds a 51% stake, while IGO owns the remaining 49% interest. IGO’s acting chief executive officer Matt Dusci […]
GrainCorp’s exports face delays, Mineral Resources opens off-market takeover bid for Norwest Energy and Magellan shares plummet
Agriculture giant GrainCorp (ASX: GNC) has confirmed export delays caused by rail and road bottlenecks as countries including China try to secure food supply from one of Australia’s most successful harvests. Last week the giant reached the 10 million tonne milestone for grain delivered into its east coast receival network and insisted there is more […]
James Hardie cuts hundreds of jobs, ACCC blocks TPG and Telstra deal and Liontown enters agreement with Zenith Energy
Global building materials company James Hardie Industries (ASX: JHX) has revealed it is slashing hundreds of jobs across the globe and making workers redundant before Christmas as the giant deals with falling demand and soaring costs. The company confirmed it will cut around 100 jobs within the Asia Pacific region, mostly Australia, as it hands […]
Star hit with NSW tax hike, BHP and OZ extend exclusivity period and Newcrest Mining CEO retires
Beleaguered The Star Entertainment Group’s (ASX: SGR) shares have continued their downward spiral – plummeting at the start of this week after the New South Wales Government announced plans to raise an extra $364 million in taxes from casino operators over the next three years. The Star chief executive officer Robbie Cooke slammed the move, […]
Mineral Resources prepares Norwest Energy takeover bid, APM Human Services acquires Everyday Independence and Westpac settles class action
Mining giant Mineral Resources (ASX: MIN) has revealed plans to make an off-market bid for the remaining stake in oil explorer Norwest Energy (ASX: NWE), adding to its existing 19.9% stake in the company. The deal will be worth around $403 million, at an offer price of $0.06 per share which represents a 33.3% premium […]
Rio Tinto advances Turquoise Hill takeover, CSL to gain new boss and Telstra issues apology
Rio Tinto’s (ASX: RIO) share price fell at the start of the week, despite a positive update on its proposed takeover of Canadian miner Turquoise Hill Resources. The mining giant announced it received the required support from Turquoise Hill shareholders for its proposed acquisition of the remaining 49% the Canadian miner’s issued and outstanding common […]
ACCC wins fight against BlueScope, Star Entertainment slapped with fines and Bellevue Gold raises $70m
Australia’s competition watchdog has won its fight against the nation’s biggest steel maker BlueScope Steel (ASX: BSL) over price fixing concerns that date back to around a decade ago. On Friday, Federal Court Justice Michael O’Bryan ruled in favour of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which brought civil proceedings against BlueScope and former […]
BHP fights English legal proceedings, APA bins gas pipeline plans and Nearmap takeover approved
BHP Group’s (ASX: BHP) share price lifted on Monday as iron ore prices continued to surge, with the mining giant also announcing it will continue to defend the English legal proceedings relating to the deadly 2015 Fundao dam collapse in Brazil. The catastrophic Fundao dam collapse back in 2015 saw large amounts of toxic mine […]
US President Biden creates history with federal marijuana research bill
United States President Joe Biden has officially signed a marijuana research bill into law, becoming the first piece of standalone federal cannabis reform legislation in the nation’s history. The White House confirmed on Friday that President Biden signed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act. Congressman Blumenauer’s endorsement of the bill was joined by […]
Cochlear rejects ACCC’s concerns over Oticon Medical acquisition, Santos loses Barossa offshore drilling appeal and Beach Energy submits counterproposal
Australia’s competition watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) declared it has “significant preliminary competition concerns” regarding Cochlear’s (ASX: COH) proposed $170 million acquisition of Oticon Medical. Cochlear and Oticon Medical manufacture and distribute non-surgical bone conduction devices, surgical bone anchored devices, and cochlear implant hearing devices. The ACCC released a statement fearing the […]
Brickworks inks multi-year deal with Santos, Bank of Queensland CEO departs and Pilbara Minerals enters JV with Calix
Australia’s largest bricking company Brickworks (ASX: BKW) has signed a new 11-year gas wholesale supply deal with Santos (ASX: STO) from 2025 – bolstering its east coast brick making operations. Although reduced gas supply and inflationary pressures have driven the deal to a higher price than the previous five-year agreement, Brickworks managing director Lindsay Partridge […]
AGL plans early closure of SA gas power station, ANZ exits Myanmar and Chalice reveals ‘outstanding’ drilling results at Julimar
AGL Energy (ASX: AGL) has announced plans to shut down its Torrens Island ‘B’ gas power station in South Australia on 30 June 2026, aiming to transform the site into a low-carbon industrial energy hub for the future. The energy giant confirmed the closure of the station will take place nearly a decade earlier than […]
nib draws Medibank customers, Brickworks posts record profit and PolyNovo announces capital raise
As Medibank (ASX: MPL) clients continue to fear for the safety of their data after the October cyber-attack, rival insurer nib Holdings (ASX: NHF) has confirmed some customers have made the switch over to its service. nib saw a 4.7% rise in policyholder growth from July to the end of October, which helped drive a […]
OZ Minerals recommends BHP’s takeover offer, Endeavour Group’s national gambling operator faces 62 charges and ASX scraps blockchain project
OZ Minerals (ASX: OZL) has announced its board plans to recommend the latest revised takeover offer from mining giant BHP Group (ASX: BHP) of $28.25 per share, valuing OZ Minerals at $9.6 billion. The offer beats BHP’s previous offer of $25 per share tabled 15 weeks ago, which OZ deemed too low. However, after renewed […]
Australia’s major banks settle class actions, Core Lithium’s shares surge and AGL board defeated
Three of Australia’s major banks have announced the settlement of separate class action lawsuits totalling $126 million with compensation and class action law firm Slater and Gordon. Slater and Gordon first took the banks to court two years ago over the sale of credit insurance products. The law firm filed the suits against the Commonwealth […]
Nine extends tennis rights, Rio Tinto’s Turquoise Hill purchase stalled and Sandfire gains new CEO
Nine Entertainment (ASX: NEC) has extended its partnership with Tennis Australia, which will see the television giant hold the rights until 2029, under a new deal worth more than $425 million. The new five-year deal sees Nine continue as Australia’s home of tennis, after it took over the rights from competitor Seven West Media (ASX: […]
Brookfield Asset Management leads fresh $18b bid for Origin Energy
Brookfield Asset Management and its affiliates have launched another takeover bid for Origin Energy (ASX: ORG), with this latest offer now worth more than $18 billion and would see Origin split into separate gas export and electricity businesses. The latest takeover offer of $9 cash per share is significantly greater than the consortium’s previously tabled […]
Coronado ends merger discussions with Peabody, Suncorp flooded with claims and Medibank remains calm despite threat
Queensland-based Coronado Global Resources (ASX: CRN) has ceased merger discussions with global coal giant Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE: BTU). Both parties jointly agreed to end talks over a deal that was estimated to be worth more than $9 billion. Following the collapse in negotiations, Coronado’s share price tumbled around 5% at the start of the […]
Australia’s major banks raise rates, Flight Centre reopens 35 stores and Perpetual rejects $1.7b takeover
Australia’s four major banks, Commonwealth Bank (ASX: CBA), National Australia Bank (ASX: NAB), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ASX: ANZ), and Westpac (ASX: WBC) have announced increases to home loan rates by 25 basis points this month. The move follows the Reserve Bank of Australia’s hike, seventh in as many months, which raised the […]