FEAR & GREED | Business News ASX hits three month low; ASIC’s social media warning; Trump threatens NATO
Mar 16, 2026
Pan Koutlakis, co-founder and CEO of Eat Club, a hospitality-tech startup focused on last-minute dining and payments. He talks about spotting a niche and building a global business. He describes real-time restaurant offers and removing voucher friction. He outlines the move from last-minute deals to AI forecasting for demand, staffing and revenue.
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ASX Rewrites Its Top Stocks After Energy Surge
- The ASX hit a three-month low as miners and gold stocks fell while energy stocks surged 25% year-to-date.
- Top 20 composition shifted: big four banks and BHP dominate, Woodside entered top 10, no tech stocks in top 20, Linus Rare Earths tripled to $21bn.
Geopolitics Trigger Fuel Panic Despite Assurances
- Middle East tensions are driving consumer behaviour: petrol demand spiked 35–40% in places as people panic-buy fuel despite official supply assurances.
- South Korea capped refinery exports (21% of Australia's supply), tightening the cushion on fuel availability.
RBA Hike Priced In But Economists Call For A Controlled Downturn
- Markets expect an RBA rate rise with bond markets pricing ~75% chance and big banks forecasting a 25bp hike at 2:30pm.
- HSBC's Paul Bloxham argues Australia needs a controlled downturn to return inflation to target, not a repeat of past recession.