BUSINESS

McDonald's Corp. shares rose modestly in early Wednesday trading, climbing to around $309 as investors responded positively to the fast-food giant's aggressive value menu push aimed at reigniting traffic in a high-inflation environment that has kept budget-conscious diners away.

SYDNEY — Jetstar has temporarily cut more than 10% of its scheduled flights between Australia and New Zealand as soaring jet fuel prices triggered by the Middle East conflict bite into demand and raise operating costs for the Qantas-owned low-cost carrier.

SYDNEY — Hundreds of petrol stations across Australia have run out of diesel or unleaded fuel amid a worsening supply crunch triggered by the escalating conflict in the Middle East, prompting the federal government to temporarily lower diesel standards for six months and release emergency reserves to ease shortages.

LONDON — The FTSE 100 climbed more than 1% in early trading Wednesday as investors weighed signs of potential de-escalation in the Middle East conflict against lingering geopolitical risks and steady UK inflation data. The blue-chip index rose as high as 10,077.21 points before pulling back slightly, trading around 10,069.49, up 104.33 points or 1.05% from Tuesday's close of 9,965.16.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Shares of 4DMedical Ltd. (ASX: 4DX) exploded higher Wednesday, closing at A$6.23 after surging as much as 34.56% on record trading volume exceeding 30 million shares, as the medical imaging company announced more than US$100 million in new funding to accelerate its U.S. commercial rollout of revolutionary lung imaging software.

SYDNEY — Australia's vast trucking industry, the backbone of the nation's freight, mining and agricultural supply chains, is confronting a looming AdBlue crisis that could force thousands of modern diesel trucks into "limp mode" or off the road entirely within 30 days, as global disruptions from the US-Iran war tighten supplies of urea, the key ingredient in the emissions-control fluid.

The ongoing US-Iran war has exposed Australia's precarious fuel security, with stockpiles dipping to roughly 30-36 days for key products and petrol prices surging toward A$2.20 per litre, but the crisis is also fast-tracking the nation's shift to sovereign green hydrogen production as policymakers and industry leaders seize the moment to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Shares of Shift4 Payments Inc. (NYSE: FOUR) rocketed nearly 19 percent on Tuesday, closing at $52.50 after touching an intraday high of $55.46, as the payment technology company rebounded sharply from recent 52-week lows and drew renewed investor attention following a period of pressure tied to cautious 2026 guidance.

SYDNEY — The S&P/ASX 200 index has suffered a punishing sell-off since the US-Iran war erupted on Feb. 28, with more than $300 billion erased from the value of Australian equities as markets increasingly brace for a prolonged conflict that threatens global oil supplies and stokes domestic inflation fears.

SYDNEY — The S&P/ASX 200 index surged more than 1.8% on Wednesday, closing at approximately 8,538 points after climbing as high as 8,564, as investors welcomed signs of de-escalation in the US-Iran conflict and a strong rebound in mining and energy stocks.

SYDNEY — Australia is absorbing significant economic losses from the ongoing US-Iran war, with petrol prices hitting record highs near A$2.20 per litre, inflation forecasts revised upward by as much as 1.25 percentage points and more than A$300 billion wiped from the share market since fighting erupted in late February 2026, even as the nation's role as an energy exporter provides some offsetting gains in commodity revenues.

SYDNEY - More than 2,000 journalists, producers and technical staff at Australia's national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, walked off the job Wednesday for a 24-hour strike

Intel Corp. shares closed modestly higher Tuesday, trading around $44.06 after a session that saw the stock fluctuate between $43.20 and $44.31, as investors weighed ongoing foundry advancements, strong demand for AI-related products and persistent challenges from competitors in the semiconductor sector.

Nike Inc. shares rose more than 2% in midday trading Wednesday, trading around $53.80, as investors eyed the athletic giant's upcoming quarterly results and signs of progress in CEO Elliott Hill's multiyear turnaround plan.

SYDNEY — As the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz drags into its fourth week, Australia's critically low fuel reserves — just 36 days of petrol, 32 days of diesel and 29 days of jet fuel — are coming under intense pressure, raising fears that a prolonged disruption could force rationing, empty regional bowsers and push unleaded prices toward or beyond $3 a litre.

SYDNEY — Australian investors are showing mixed but resilient interest in Bitcoin in early 2026, with many continuing to accumulate the cryptocurrency on price weakness through regulated exchange-traded funds and self-managed superannuation funds even as the digital asset trades near one-year lows around $69,000–$71,000.

SYDNEY — Australian motorists are bracing for another sharp rise in petrol prices as the ongoing US-Iran conflict and effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz threaten to send global oil benchmarks well above $100 a barrel, with some economists warning that unleaded fuel at the pump could exceed $3.00 a litre if disruptions persist into the second quarter of 2026.

SYDNEY — With escalating U.S.-Iran tensions threatening to disrupt 20% of global oil supply through the Strait of Hormuz, Australian investors are increasingly favoring physical gold and gold mining stocks over Bitcoin as a store of value, according to market participants and fund flow data on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

SYDNEY — The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.16% to close at 8,379.40 on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, clawing back some ground after a volatile start to the week as gains in mining and resources stocks offset weakness in financials and broader concerns over escalating tensions in the Middle East.

StubHub Holdings Inc. shares gained about 0.5% to around $6.85 in early trading Tuesday, March 24, 2026, extending a modest recovery after closing at $6.88 the previous session.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that has long served as the world's most vital energy chokepoint, finds itself at the center of escalating conflict in March 2026 as Iranian forces effectively restrict shipping and U.S. President Donald Trump issues repeated ultimatums to reopen the passage or face strikes on Iranian power plants.

Netflix Inc. shares rose modestly about 0.5% to around $93.40 in midday trading Tuesday, March 24, 2026, extending a recent recovery as the streaming giant prepares to report first-quarter results next month while continuing to expand its advertising business and invest heavily in content. The move followed a 1.7% gain the previous session that closed the stock at $93.38.

Nvidia Corp. shares dipped about 0.6% to around $174.50 in midday trading Tuesday, March 24, 2026, giving back a portion of the previous session's gains as investors digested ongoing momentum in artificial intelligence infrastructure spending despite broader market caution.

Tesla Inc. shares climbed about 0.8% to around $383.80 in midday trading Tuesday, March 24, 2026, extending gains from the previous session as investors reacted to signs of recovering demand in Europe and fresh details on CEO Elon Musk's ambitious plans for a massive new semiconductor manufacturing project dubbed "Terafab."

GameStop Corp. shares slipped about 1.9% to around $22.59 in midday trading Tuesday, March 24, 2026, as investors weighed whether to buy, sell or hold the meme-stock favorite on the eve of its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings release.

GameStop Corp. shares fell more than 1% to around $22.58 in midday trading Tuesday, March 24, 2026, as investors positioned themselves ahead of the video game retailer's fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings report due after the market close.

Alphabet Inc. shares fell more than 1.5% in early trading Tuesday, March 24, 2026, as investors weighed ongoing uncertainty from the U.S.-Iran conflict and broader concerns about elevated energy costs impacting artificial intelligence infrastructure spending.

MUMBAI, India — A U.S.-based consortium led by tech entrepreneur Kal Somani has purchased 100% ownership of the Rajasthan Royals for $1.63 billion, marking the most expensive franchise sale in Indian Premier League history and underscoring the soaring commercial value of cricket's premier T20 league.

Nasdaq futures pointed to a mixed open Tuesday, March 24, 2026, after the tech-heavy index posted a solid 1.38% gain the previous session on hopes of de-escalation in the U.S.-Iran conflict that briefly sent oil prices tumbling and lifted investor sentiment across Wall Street.