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On Monday, Star entered a binding term sheet with Bally’s; the investment takes the form of a multi-tranche convertible note and subordinated debt interest.

Bally’s will provide Star with $100 million on or before Wednesday, April 9, then follow this up with an additional $200M pending a shareholder vote to approve the transaction and regulatory approvals; alternatively, the second tranche will be paid in two parts: $100M to be paid to Star after shareholders have approved, and another $100M after regulatory approvals being received.

In terms of the latter, the million-dollar payment would be received no later than October 7, should regulatory approvals be outstanding.

Also in the works is a discussion with Investment Holdings Pty Ltd – Star’s biggest shareholder, which is controlled by the Mathieson family – to consider whether it could provide up to $100M of the investment.

Any decision on that front would then reduce Bally’s contribution to $200M.

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Star’s board unanimously recommended support for the Bally buy among shareholders, with a meeting to be held in late June to vote for this.

Star shares last traded at 11 cents before halting some weeks ago.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about Star Entertainment and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

Fear of losing money and the pursuit of profit are common emotions in investing. Understanding how these affect decisions is key to managing reactions in fluctuating markets.

Your beliefs about money often stem from childhood experiences. These ‘money stories’ can shape how you handle financial decisions throughout your life.

Social media often creates unrealistic financial comparisons. It’s better to focus on your own progress rather than comparing yourself to others’ curated images of success.

Overconfidence, particularly among younger investors, can lead to poor decision making. Staying objective is crucial for long-term success in investing.

Removing emotions from financial decisions and focusing on a structured plan is vital for building long-term wealth.

For more Info about Money and Investing you can go to the podcast; The Wealth Playbook: Your Ultimate Guide to Financial Security; and, The Wealth Playbook on Audible.

Disclaimer: Wealth Magnet Pty Ltd (ABN 52 618 868 830) trading as Australian Investment Education is a Corporate Authorised Representative (CAR no. 1255231) of Grange Financial Services Pty Ltd (AFSL No. 488609).

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

And offering a critical backdrop, there is the ongoing reality of geopolitical instability and tensions, as well as news flow from critical economies such as China, which have driven rallies but also demanded a closer inspection to predict where commodity prices may go in the future.

One of the most talked about of these commodities is of course, lithium, which hit an all-time high of 5750,000 Chinese yuan per tonne (CNY/t) in December 2022 before slumping and showing volatility ever since; it’s trading now at 72,500 CNY/t.

This year has been a particularly bad one for the critical metal, with it falling 24,000 CNY/t since the start of 2024, based on trading on a contract for difference (CFD) which follows lithium’s benchmark market.

Reflecting on these patterns, Saxo Bank’s Head of Commodity Strategy Ole Hansen said the lithium market appeared to have reached its lowest point, but a move up again could take time.

“The lithium market remains challenged by the overproduction capacity built up during and after the 2022 surge and subsequent collapse,” he said.

“With the current price starting to make some projects uneconomical, it’s our view that the race to the bottom has ended – however, for the price to recover, demand has to improve, and this may take longer to achieve given the slowdown in EV rollouts.”

Despite being highly watched and newsworthy, the market for electric vehicles (EVs) is definitely on a slow track, as evidenced by Ernst & Young’s fifth annual Global Mobility Index, which showed demand levelling off, with buyers expressing concern about the infrastructure for charging.

Released in September, the report included 19,000 respondents across 28 countries, and indicated that interest in purchasing an EV was still present – rising from 55% to 58% since the previous year – but still sluggish, with demand shifting from 30% to 55% between 2020 and 2023.

For most respondents (27%), their key issue was lack of charging infrastructure, while 25% said they were concerned about EV range, and 18% saying that the length of time taken to charge the vehicles was also on their minds.

A new question in the survey – on the cost of battery replacements – returned a 26% expression of concern about this issue.

But this reflects only one part of a wider story, which Mr Hansen said was a move by investors away from stocks connected to the green energy transition.

“I see very little enthusiasm for green transformation metals and the companies involved – reflected in the steep losses the related stocks have witnessed in the past 18 months,” he said.

“For that to change, the fundamental outlook needs to improve, followed by hedge funds abandoning long held and very profitable short positions across the green transformation and energy storage sectors.”

Mr Hansen also pointed to economic news coming out of China as an underpinning factor in the performance of lithium and other metals.

“China has yet to address their overriding problem, which is low consumer confidence, and an oversupply of housing funded by underfunded banks and local governments,” he said.

“With that in mind, a recovery will be bumpy, but overall, the electrification of China is ongoing at a rapid pace and that will continue to underpin demand for copper and lithium while other products like steel and iron ore may struggle.”

The red metal has – in contrast to lithium – experienced a very good year indeed, reaching an all-time high of US$5.20 per pound (lb) in May, with an overall rise of 0.45 USD/lb or 11.60% since the start of 2024. (Currently trading at US$4.33/lb.)

“Copper continues to receive a great deal of focus from investors looking for higher prices amid strong and rising demand driven by the green transformation,” Mr Hansen said.

“However, the rallies seen this year have been unsupported by fundamentals, as China’s housing sector has struggled and inventories monitored by the major futures exchanges have stayed elevated.”

He added investors might be cautiously looking at conditional factors in the short term but maintained that copper would be on solid ground in the long-term.

“We maintain a bullish outlook for copper but for now, the upside is limited due to an overhang of supply and worries about the economic outlook,” Mr Hansen said.

“The electrification of the world is real and, in the coming year, the combination of robust demand towards grid upgrades and electrical appliances will likely be met with tight supply from miners struggling to increase production.”

An even stronger performer this year has been of course, gold – which reached an all-time high of US$2,790 per Troy ounce on Wednesday (October 30), with an overall rise of US$721.72/t oz, or 34.99% since the start of 2024.

Given the proximity of this recent leap to the U.S. election next Tuesday, one could be forgiven for thinking this was the key factor to keep in mind. Mr Hansen said it was certainly relevant, but added that a long list of other political and economic concerns were also keeping this commodity strong.

“I see limited signs of exhaustion in the gold market,” he said.

“The metal has rallied by more than 30% this year as investors around the world seek protection against multiple uncertainties, all pointing to an unsettled world.

“The main drivers of this bullish phase include concerns over fiscal instability, safe-haven demand, geopolitical tensions, de-dollarisation driving strong demand from central banks, Chinese investors turning to gold amid record low savings rates and property market fears, and increased uncertainty surrounding the US presidential election.

“Additionally, rate cuts – by the US Fed and other central banks – are reducing the cost of holding non-interest-bearing assets like gold and silver. This environment is already spurring renewed interest in gold-backed ETFs, particularly from Western asset managers who have been net sellers since May 2024.”

When it comes to the link between the Trump-Harris race and trends in the gold price, Mr Hansen outlined a theory of how fears about a Republican-dominated political scene were pushing investors towards the safe haven of this metal.

“Given how the geopolitical risk premium has deflated in crude oil (which slumped the most in two years on Monday), we conclude that the latest strength in gold is increasingly being seen as a hedge against a potential ‘Red Sweep’ in the US election, where one political party (in this case, the Republicans) controls both the White House and Congress,” he said.

“This scenario raises concerns about excessive government spending, pushing the debt-to-GDP ratio higher, while fuelling inflation fears through tariffs on imports and geopolitical risks.

“Investors are turning to precious metals as protection, even as expectations for lower rates and easier financial conditions fade, as the FOMC may end up being forced to pause the current rate-cutting phase.”

At this stage, the race is still very tight, with a CNN report on Wednesday indicating Harris maintains a tiny edge over Trump in two of three key states and is tied with him on the third.

Michigan voters appear to favour Kamala Harris by 48% compared to Trump’s 43%, while in Wisconsin the difference is 51% in her favour, against 45% for Trump. In Pennsylvania, voters have shown 48% support for each candidate.

Upon news of the result next week, Hansen added, the situation for gold might change.

“Nothing ever goes in a straight line and, having rallied as much as it has, gold can still run into a deep correction after November 5 if a ‘sweep’ scenario does not ensue,” he said.

“But as long as the above-mentioned reasons for holding gold do not go away, the prospect for even higher prices remains.”

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on Australia’s largest stock forum and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

The flood of inexperienced buyers agents who rely on little more than desktop valuations is making it difficult for unsuspecting investors to find experienced and professional buyers agents.  

Today on Realty Talk today, we discuss this with a property investment veteran who’s amassed a $3M real estate portfolio. 

Also in the show, we tackle a very serious topic.

We look at how domestic violence in Australia can impact landlords and tenancy agreements. 

We discuss the built-in protections that exist, as we speak to Kieran Kannan from Odyssey Property Concierge in Brisbane.  

Disclaimer: The information provided by Property Hub does not constitute personal financial/product/investment advice.

The information provided is of a general nature only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. It should not be used, relied upon, or treated as a substitute for specific professional advice.

Property Hub recommends that you obtain your own independent professional advice before making any decision in relation to your particular requirements or circumstances. Past performance of any product discussed is not indicative of future performance.

We may at times refer to third parties. Details of these third parties have been provided solely for you to obtain further information about other relevant products and entities in the market.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

Given that, when a property professional suggests interest rates need to go upbefore they go down, we’re going to sit up and listen! Australia’s cash interest rate sits at 4.35%.

Robert Mandanici from Paddington Realty in WA says inflation is not falling fast enough.

“Interest rates need to go up further if the Government does nothing,” he said.

“The tax cut is inflationary, now I’m not against tax cuts, you take tax cuts, you couple that with energy credits, couple it with all these other false stimuli the Government’s putting out there and it does nothing, it does nothing but fuel inflation.

“Do I want to see families slugged with another 25 point rate rise? Absolutely not.

“But if the Government doesn’t ship up and really stop spending, then the RBA only has one lever with monetary policy.”

He talks about skills shortages affecting Australia, but says we shouldn’t be bringing people into Australia if we don’t have homes for them.

Fifty years ago the majority of Aussie families lived in 3 bedroom, 1 living, 1 bathroom homes on 1000 square metre-quarter acre blocks in the suburbs.

Today the predominant housing type is twice the house onhalf the block size.

We talk with property investor Aman Sethi, who has amassed a $10M portfolio in 4 years.

He said strengthened relations between Australia and India, and, Australia and China had seen more migrants coming from there, along with more people coming from Vietnam, Philippines and Thailand. Australia remained attractive to those from the US and UK.

“We came here as migrants many years ago now and we were renting initially in an apartment,” he said.

“What were looking for was something that was convenient, something with good public transport into the city for the work opportunities, something where we had things like an Indian shop near by and some sort of Indian community there.

“Cost is a big thing, so for most migrants getting that $2-3 million home as your first property purchase is something out of the budget, and they’re looking at more the $500,000 to $1.5 million maximum.

“You need to go out of the CBD to get a house with land and 4-5 bedrooms otherwise you’re looking for a 2-3 bedder apartment that’s more central and conveniently located, and I think people are going more towards that direction.”

Disclaimer: The information provided by Property Hub does not constitute personal financial/product/investment advice.

The information provided is of a general nature only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs.

It should not be used, relied upon, or treated as a substitute for specific professional advice.

Property Hub recommends that you obtain your own independent professional advice before making any decision in relation to your particular requirements or circumstances.

Past performance of any product discussed is not indicative of future performance.

We may at times refer to third parties. Details of these third parties have been provided solely for you to obtain further information about other relevant products and entities in the market.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

In this episode of Realty Talk, John shares insights around how many hard-working Aussie investors fail to realise that just working hard and putting money into super is likely not going to be enough when they retire.

Property manager Aaron Emery then discusses the impact of evolving tenant expectations on investors and he provides practical advice on how to can adapt to these changes.

Disclaimer: The information provided by Property Hub does not constitute personal financial/product/investment advice. The information provided is of a general nature only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. It should not be used, relied upon, or treated as a substitute for specific professional advice.

Property Hub recommends that you obtain your own independent professional advice before making any decision in relation to your particular requirements or circumstances. Past performance of any product discussed is not indicative of future performance. We may at times refer to third parties. Details of these third parties have been provided solely for you to obtain further information about other relevant products and entities in the market.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.