BUSINESS

Australian shares extended their recovery, with the S&P/ASX 200 rising 0.57% as property stocks and miners advanced despite sharply weaker consumer confidence following the RBA's rate hike.

Inter&Co shares rose 26% to $6.89 on heavy volume, with no new company announcement explaining the move. The stock remains below analysts' average price target.

XP shares climbed 33% to a 52-week high after Flávio Bolsonaro exceeded polling expectations in Brazil's first presidential round, intensifying investor optimism but leaving markets exposed to runoff uncertainty.

Chipotle shares fell nearly 4% after JPMorgan lowered its price target and an unconfirmed deal rumour surfaced, with investors focused on weak traffic, margins and the upcoming earnings report.

Coca-Cola Consolidated shares rose 0.4% to $192.81 as investors assessed strong first-half volume and sales growth, debt reduction and pressure from higher aluminium costs before third-quarter results.

Tesla shares rose for a second consecutive session after quarterly vehicle deliveries exceeded analyst forecasts, while investors turned their focus to earnings, margins, energy storage and autonomous-driving plans.

Nvidia shares climbed as the company said OpenAI's faster GPT-6 Astra Ultrafast service runs on Blackwell processors, while investors weighed inference demand against regulatory and competitive risks.

GameStop shares have risen about 30% in a month as CEO Ryan Cohen and other insiders buy stock, while stronger profits and options activity fuel investor optimism.

PTC shares jumped more than 35% after Schneider Electric agreed to acquire the industrial software maker for $22.6 billion, expanding its industrial AI business.

Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.4% after its worst week since April, supported by mining shares and weaker-than-expected US jobs data that reduced expectations of a Federal Reserve rate rise.

Vaxcyte shares surged after its experimental VAX-31 pneumococcal vaccine met the main goals of a late-stage trial, though regulatory approval and commercial manufacturing remain years away.

Novig reported sharp increases in trading volume, new depositors and app downloads after Sydney Sweeney's ad launched, but the figures do not separate its impact from the NFL season.

Elon Musk says he plans to rename SpaceXAI SpaceXSI after backing Donald Trump's "Super Intelligence" terminology, but no company statement or filing has confirmed the change.

Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 2.4% and briefly topped 70,000 as weaker US jobs data eased Federal Reserve rate-rise expectations and lifted semiconductor and AI-related shares.

GenusPlus shares climbed 5.4% after conditions were cleared for work on Atmos Renewables' Parron Maam Marang substation, adding to the contractor's growing renewable-energy backlog.

The RBA is widely expected to raise rates to 4.60%, pushing mortgage repayments higher, reducing borrowing capacity and intensifying financial pressure on Australian households.

PepsiCo says it will continue spending about A$150 million annually on Australian-grown crops, supporting local manufacturing while its Smith's brands face rising private-label competition.

KPMG Australia is considering a $100 million credit facility from KPMG International as client losses, regulatory scrutiny and restructuring pressures intensify after a whistleblower scandal.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will visit Japan for more than 20 meetings focused on attracting investment in artificial intelligence, renewable energy and critical minerals while reinforcing bilateral economic ties.

Capital Haus is pursuing a broader institutional model, combining investment, research, technology, education and international expertise while assessing growth through capability, cultural fit and long-term client value.

Nvidia has increased the Shield TV Pro's price to $299.99, citing higher memory and component costs, despite the seven-year-old streaming box receiving no hardware refresh.

CXMT shares fell 1.4% before China's National Day break, but remain far above their IPO price as investors assess DRAM production, expansion costs and valuation risks.

ChipMOS shares rose nearly 10% to NT$127 on heavy volume, extending a sharp rally as investors focused on recovering margins, stronger memory demand and planned capacity expansion.

ON Semiconductor shares climbed after it replaced its proposed all-stock Synaptics acquisition with a $5.7 billion cash offer, reducing consideration and avoiding shareholder dilution.

Investors are looking beyond major technology companies for potential beneficiaries of AI spending, with 10 stocks spanning memory chips, infrastructure, networking and services.

US employers added 29,000 jobs in September, well below forecasts, while unemployment rose to 4.2%, prompting investors to reduce expectations of another Federal Reserve rate rise.

DailyPay users reported problems accessing the earned-wage app on Friday, according to Downdetector, with the company yet to explain the disruption or its potential impact.

Synaptics shares surged after onsemi agreed to acquire the chipmaker for about $5.7 billion in cash, replacing an earlier all-stock deal amid interest from an unnamed bidder.

Macmahon Holdings shares fell 9.91% to A$1 on Friday, despite record annual results and a contract pipeline worth more than A$5 billion.