What the Flux - podcast cover

What the Flux

Bite-sized business news. 5 minute breakdown of the top 3 Australian or global business stories of the day. Tailor made for busy humans. Hosted by Brett Joffe and Justin Joffe, co-founders of Flux.

Episodes

Biggest acquisition ever for Aus clean energy | China: cuts restrictions to grow economy | Loving Earth saved by customers

Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest has finalised the biggest acquisition in the history of Australia’s clean energy industry… by buying a company for more than $4 billion. China is scrapping some significant covid restrictions, as the economic impact of its lockdowns start to really hurt its own economy. Loving Earth, the Aussie plant-based chocolate maker, has raised money from its own customers to give it the chance of survival post pandemic --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team wi...

Dec 08, 20226 min

Misleading: Uber Aus cops $21m fine | Electric loans rocket at NAB | US, NZ keen to copy Aus media laws for big tech

Uber Australia will pay a $21 million fine after it admitted that its estimated fares were incorrect and it misled its customers with possible cancellations. NAB has seen demand rocket for electric vehicles loans and solar panels loans as the enormous energy costs start to hurt consumers and businesses. The US and New Zealand are the latest countries to consider introducing a law that will require big tech companies to pay media companies for their content. --- Test your financial literacy skill...

Dec 07, 20226 min

Airfares hit 15-year high | Champagne drought hits Aus | New chatbot to destroy jobs?

Domestic airfares have reached a 15-year high… and so, the big, bad bustling ACCC has put Aussie airlines on notice. A new AI chatbot called ChatGPT has been created released, and some believe it could put us all out of a job pretty soon. Australia is in the midst of a champagne shortage after an explosion in demand during COVID lockdowns and reduced supply. --- Test your financial literacy skills to see how you performed against other Australians: https://fluxsurvey.typeform.com/to/Bzp1ucOe Bui...

Dec 06, 20226 min

$31B gone at NBN | Maccas' future of drive-thru | Netflix 'Preview Club' gets serious

NBN Co, the government-owned company behind our NBN internet, will write off at least $31 billion that will allow it to cut wholesale internet prices in the future. Maccas reckons it has the formula for the future of drive thru and it has just gone live with its first real-world experiment. Netflix Is expanding Its ‘Preview Club’ to let more people watch upcoming shows and movies early. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork Download the free ...

Dec 05, 20226 min

Telstra Energy: ON HOLD | Airbnb sub-leases are here! | CommBank's fights Square & NAB at once

Telstra is putting the launch of its new retail energy business on hold until at least the middle of 2023. Airbnb is partnering with landlords and renters to boost the supply of available Airbnb apartments. CommBank is coming out swinging and is taking on both payment companies and big banks with its brand spankin' new payment product. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork Download the free app (App Store): http://bit.ly/FluxAppStore Download...

Dec 04, 20226 min

Domino's is buying...Domino's | Spotify has us all Wrapped in 2022 | DoorDash drops 1250 staff

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, the company behind Domino’s Pizza in Aus, is raising up to $165m to take full ownership over its pizza business... in Germany! Doordash has laid off 1,250 staff - including Australian employees - as another big food delivery company feels the burn. Spotify has released its Wrapped campaign for 2022 and it’s got the internet wagging its fingers… posting left, right and centre. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork D...

Dec 01, 20226 min

Bad weather belts Bunnings | Balenciaga's celeb anger | Amazon 'rescues' retailers

Bunnings is facing major warehousing costs after sales for its outdoor category and gardening have been struggling due to poor weather. Balenciaga, the luxury fashion house, has copped major heat from customers and celebs for its controversial ad campaign that showed children alongside very inappropriate objects. Amazon will draw on its retail expertise to help other retailers boost sales… if they use Amazon Web Services. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://...

Nov 30, 20226 min

OUT: Strandbags. IN: 'Strand' | $800m: Aus co's loving cyber insurance | Aussie regulatory startup scores $23m

Aussie retailer Strandbags is flicking its 95-year-old brand identity, and they’re doing it ‘for the next generation’. Australian companies that are spending on cyber insurance could rise by 70% to more than $800 million in the next two years as companies seeking protection against hackers. Aussie tech start-up FrankieOne has scored $23 million in funding from major crypto investors for their regulatory tech. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxat...

Nov 29, 20226 min

Mars Australia goes green | Aussie beauty retailer seeks last-min funding | Economy-sapping lockdowns for China

Mars Wrigley, the makers of Snickers, Mars, and Maltesers is transitioning to paper-based packaging in 2023. Beauty retailer BWX has delayed releasing their financial accounts and is seeking additional debt funding to keep itself afloat. China’s daily Covid infections reached an all-time high and another economy-sapping lockdown could be on the cards again. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork Download the free app (App Store): http://bit.ly...

Nov 28, 20226 min

Aus replacing China with India for trade | ~$6.2B on Black Friday/Cyber Monday | World Cup sponsors stick fat

Australia has signed a chunky new trade deal with India - in the hope that Australia can reduce its dependency on China for trade. The Australian Retailers Association reckons consumers have spent around $6.2 billion over the Black Friday / Cyber Monday shopping bonanza! As the World Cup rolls into its second week, host Qatar continues to create more controversy…but sponsors are still sticking fat (for now). --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatw...

Nov 27, 20226 min

Harvey Norman = Malaysian master | Amazon to make cinema great again | Zoom growing at turtle speed

Harvey Norman has revealed its sales have actually jumped nearly 7% in the first four months of this financial year and so, it plans to go big in Malaysia now. Amazon plans to invest $1.5 billion a year into movies that will go directly to cinemas, rather than its own streaming service. Zoom has announced its revenue has slowed to just 5% year over year so now, it’s focused on larger enterprises rather than consumers for its moula. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work...

Nov 24, 20226 min

Qantas on target for record profit | Coles enters fast delivery game | Disney sacks CEO for old CEO

Qantas has increased its profit forecast as massive demand for flights continues to make Qantas great again. Coles has launched its own one hour click and collect and says DoorDash and Uber will help it succeed in the space. Disney has put the knife to its CEO and is welcoming back its previous CEO… in a back to the future move that saw its shares jump. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork Download the free app (App Store): http://bit.ly/Flu...

Nov 23, 20226 min

Aussie crypto firm defaults on $163m | $2.2b book merger scrapped by regulator | $1b for climate fund at Morgan Stanley

Iris Energy, a massive Australian-born bitcoin miner, has defaulted on $163m worth of debts on its crypto mining equipment. Penguin Random House and its rival Simon and Schuster have scrapped their $2.2 billion USD merger after a judge ruled it would reduce competition. Morgan Stanley, the global investment bank, has launched a $1 billion private equity fund for the climate space. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork Download the free app (A...

Nov 22, 20226 min

Stan, Netflix & co cop Aussie content quota | NIB claims Medibank's customers | Gap scared of the next 12 months

Five major streaming services are upping their spend on Aussie content to attract new subscribers as the government announces a new content quota for the industry. NIB, the health insurer, has seen its profits rise off the back of angry Medibank customers making the big switch. Gap, the giant retailer, has beaten profit estimates and has seen its share price rise by over 8%, but it’s not looking pretty for the next 12 months. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: http...

Nov 21, 20226 min

Webjet's 180 degree turnaround | Aussie beef prices to keep rising | BHP spends $9.6B on Oz Minerals

Webjet achieved a $4 million profit for the six months to September, which is quite the 180 from its $60 million loss at the same time last year. Australia’s biggest producer of wagyu beef says it will ‘keep pushing’ its prices up… regardless of where cost of living goes. Aussie mining behemoth BHP has reached deal to buy another giant Aussie company, Oz Minerals, for $9.6B. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork Download the free app (App Sto...

Nov 20, 20226 min

David Jones resurrected with 55% jump | $2.8B from Estee Lauder for Tom Ford | Airbnb doubles down on hosts for 2023

David Jones’ South African owners have celebrated a 55% increase in sales this financial year so far. Estee Lauder has acquired the Tom Ford brand for a whopping $2.8 billion after taking a particular interest in the company. Airbnb is turning its attention to improving the experience for hosts as it looks to build up the supply of accommodation on the platform. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork Download the free app (App Store): http://b...

Nov 17, 20226 min

Deliveroo Australia's sudden death | Oatly's revenue: not so tasty | $4.1B for Warren Buffett's new chipmaker

Deliveroo Australia has been placed in administration and the food delivery platform in the country will be turned off. Oatly, the oat-milk maker, has warned that its revenue isn’t looking so tasty pretty because consumers are reigning in their spending. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has announced a $4.1 billion USD investment in a Taiwanese chipmaker and its shared jumped 8% on the news. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork Download t...

Nov 16, 20226 min

CBA enjoys bad debt improvement | crypto.com's 'bank run' | Unilever's big reason for big price increases

CBA has reported very solid financial results for the September quarter as bad debts drop (even as interest rates have gone up)! Following FTX’s downfall, investors have started pulling funds from fellow crypto exchanges like Crypto.com. Unilever, the global manufacturing giant, has raised the prices of their products much faster than rivals P&G and Nestle over the past year and there is one big fat key reason why. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit...

Nov 15, 20226 min

Adore Beauty sales slide 29% | Amazon's first cuts: Team Alexa | Bumble dumped by zillennials

Adore Beauty has seen a 29% slide in its first quarter revenue as shoppers transitioned back from online shopping to the stores-of-old. Amazon is looking to cut costs after it lost $3 billion USD this year... and the first team on the chopping block is Team Alexa. Bumble has seen its growth slow down because zillennials have cut back on paid app-features and are getting thrifty with dates. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork Download the fr...

Nov 14, 20226 min

Westfield booming again | Nintendo emulates Disney | Vanguard launches superfund

Westfield shopping centres are finally flying again after two long and painful years. Nintendo is expanding its product universe, and even its industry universe, in a highly creative new way. Vanguard, the global investment giant, has launched its own superannuation product in Australia, rolling out a new fund that it claims is one of the market’s cheapest. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork Download the free app (App Store): http://bit.ly...

Nov 13, 20226 min

$18 billion for Origin Energy | RM Williams = green machine | Meta cuts deep (ie 11,000 humans)

Origin Energy, one of Australia’s largest power and gas suppliers, has received an $18 billion takeover offer. RM Williams has seen its sales jump by 17% for the 12 months to June, and it plans to become a ‘greener’ company in the future. Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, is laying off 13% of its staff (or around 11,000 people) to withstand a downturn in the economy. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork Download the free app (App...

Nov 10, 20226 min

News Corp profit falls 75%, thanks pay TV | Disney loses $1.5B..with celebrations | Binance eats crypto nemesis FTX

News Corp, the media behemoth, has seen its income fall 75% in the last quarter after a major drop in its pay TV and publishing divisions. Disney celebrated growth in its streaming subscribers in the last quarter… but lost over $1.5 billion USD to get there. Binance, the largest crypto exchange in the world, has just announced a plan to take over FTX, the third largest crypto exchange, in one of the biggest pieces of crypto news…EVER! --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at W...

Nov 09, 20226 min

Westpac's disappointing $5.3B profit | Estee Lauder's 11% drop | $96M for social travel app

Westpac has announced a slight fall in its full-year cash profit but still managed to rake in $5.3 billion for the year. Estee Lauder’s most recent quarterly sales figures have dropped by 11% after a cut back in cosmetic spending. Travel app Hopper has raised $96 million to double down on social commerce after a big few months in the travel industry. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork Download the free app (App Store): http://bit.ly/FluxAp...

Nov 08, 20226 min

Coca-Cola v Glencore | Atlassian's largest fall ever | Coopers Brewery needs new products

Coca-Cola Amatil is in a battle for coal royalties worth $80 million with mining mammoth Glencore. Atlassian’s share price has plummeted over the past few days after some disappointing earnings and this was its largest one day share price fall ever. Coopers Brewery, the largest Australian-owned brewery, reckons new products and geographic expansion is the key to get it back on track after its sales took a hit last financial year. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: ...

Nov 07, 20226 min

Ralph Lauren, Fortnite launch virtual line | Aus Super tells govt: we need 'radically different' model | Maersk's revenue could sink soon

Ralph Lauren is launching a fashion collaboration with gaming platform Fortnite as retailers invest in digital partnerships to attract young shoppers. AustralianSuper believes the government needs come up a ‘radically different’ model for super retirees. Global shipping giant Maersk has reported blockbuster quarterly results, but if you look over the horizon, revenue could start to sink soon. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork Download the...

Nov 06, 20226 min

Sportsbet, Bet365 face AUSTRAC's wrath | Airbnb breaks record | Johnson & Johnson's $17B buy

Two of Australia’s biggest betting agencies, Sportsbet and Bet365, may face multimillion-dollar fines following after an audit authorised by Australia’s financial crime watchdog. Airbnb has broken one of its own financial records after a huge northern hemisphere summer… but now, investors are little more concerned about its prospects. Johnson & Johnson is buying a heart device maker named Abiomed for around $17B USD in its biggest deal in almost six years. --- Build the financial wellbeing o...

Nov 03, 20226 min

Free Amazon Music for Prime members | BNPL on the nose at Aus Treasury | Elon fires almost everyone at Twitter

Amazon Prime’s millions of members are getting access to a full music and podcast library. The Australian Treasury department is looking at buy now pay later again with an eye to require credit checks for ALL customers. Elon Musk has officially been Twitter’s owner for just under a week and he’s already making waves with sackings, hirings and reboots. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork Download the free app (App Store): http://bit.ly/FluxA...

Nov 02, 20226 min

$400m collab: big banks & Aus gov | MrBeast = Mr $1.5B | 40% crypto collapse for a16z

The Big 4 banks are considering a collab with the federal government to launch a 400m social impact investment bank in Australia. MrBeast, the hugely popular content creator, is trying to raise $150 million for his business, which would value the company at $1.5 billion USD. Andreesen Horowitz, the famous Silicon Valley venture capital fund, has seen a 40% drop in its crypto fund… but it’s telling the market to be patient. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https:/...

Nov 01, 20226 min

Westpac spends millions on NRL | Best IPO of the year | Apple hikes Music, TV prices...now?!

Westpac has committed to spending millions and millions on rugby league in order to attract banking customers and sell more loans. Self-driving car tech company Mobileye had it long-awaited IPO last week, and day 1 saw its shares soar 38% in the year’s strongest US IPO. Apple has hiked the prices of its music and TV+ services for the first time since they launched - and it comes at a very peculiar time. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: https://bit.ly/fluxatwork D...

Oct 30, 20226 min

Seven, NBCUniversal's new Aussie channel | ANZ: $6.5B in profit, thanks rate rises! | Meta's billions poured down the...metaverse

Seven West Media has found a new partner in content-crime with a new partnership with US giant NBCUniversal - so welcome 7Bravo. Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has announced some pretty crazy results with its revenue looking good.. and billions being poured into the metaverse... but no returns yet. ANZ has announced a full year cash profit up 5% to over $6.5 billion thanks to the Reserve Bank and its rapid cash rate rises. --- Build the financial wellbeing of your team with Flux at Work: http...

Oct 27, 20226 min