Next Week At A Glance 16-20 Mar 2026

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This story features L1 GROUP LIMITED, and other companies.
For more info SHARE ANALYSIS: L1G
The company is included in ALL-ORDS

A brief look at important company events and economic data releases next week.

For a more comprehensive preview of next week’s events, please refer to “The Monday Report”, published each Monday morning. For all economic data release dates, ex-div dates and times and other relevant information, please refer to the FNArena Calendar.

The week that was in Australian finance:

-“For now, the dominant transmission channel remains brutally simple. Oil pushes yields higher. Higher yields empower the dollar. A stronger dollar leans on risk assets. That cross-asset feedback loop will likely overpower traditional macro fundamentals until investors gain clarity on one question that currently has no answer. How long will the Strait remain under threat, and how much economic damage will the energy shock inflict before the guns finally fall silent?” (Stephen Innes, SPI Asset Management)

-After February’s stellar performance, what seems to be a seasonal “what can go wrong, will go wrong” period, think covid and the lead up to Liberation Day, the start of a war in the Middle East has seen the ASX200 decline by -745 points or -8.1% into Monday’s 8457.2 low from its high (9,202.9) on February 26. 

-Over the last five days the ASX200 is down over -2.5% and -11% over the last 52 weeks as Brent oil prices have surged over US$100/bbl.

-Tony Sycamore (IG) pointed to this week’s jump in consumer inflation expectations, now at multi-year highs, alongside hawkish commentary from RBA Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser, has triggered an aggressive repricing in Australian rates markets towards additional tightening.

-The Australian rates market is now pricing in around 19 basis points of hikes for next week’s Board meeting (March 17), equating to roughly a 75% probability of a 25 basis point increase that would lift the cash rate from its current to 4.10% from 3.85%.

-Looking further out, the curve embeds approximately 69 basis points of cumulative tightening by the end of 2026. This aligns closely with expectations for three 25 basis point hikes in total, which would push the cash rate to 4.60% by year-end, its highest level since October 2011.

-The Australian share market is being impacted by both the specter of rising interest rates and higher oil prices (higher pump prices) at the bowser. The selling has been a one-way affair, ex the energy sector, which rose around 2.4% over the last five days.

-Information Technology copped over an -8% sell-off, with materials, industrials, and real estate all falling more than -4%, and healthcare down over -5%.

-Consumer discretionary, staples and utilities fell more than -2%, and investors remained sanguine on financials, the sector is barely down -1%, no doubt hoping net interest margins are boosted by higher rates offsetting any softness in credit demand.

-In private credit markets, concerns are rumbling across the sector, with Morgan Stanley the latest US asset manager to cap withdrawals from a private credit fund, following similar limits by Blue Owl and BlackRock. Although experts do not view the sector as a systemic risk event, opaque markets and a lack of liquidity can have implications for public markets if investors need to raise cash.

-Next week is the all-important RBA cash rate decision and probably more importantly, Governor Bullock’s press conference at 3.30pm, followed by February employment data on March 19. The US FOMC decision is slated for March 18 (Wednesday EST), and the US January PCE data (inflation) release is due on Friday 13th.

-Any easing of the tensions or war in Middle East would clearly become a risk on event for equity markets.

The team at FNArena wishes everyone a great weekend

Corporate news in the week that was:

-Koala IPO is seeking to raise $68m with a $300m market cap

-Grant Thornton Australia is in advanced discussions to sell the business to its American counterpart

-L1 capital ((L1G)) is aiming to raise between $300m-$400m for its new precious metals listed investment company

-FDC Construction & Fitout has appointed investment banks to start the IPO process targeted for June, with a market capitalisation of over $1bn

-The Lowy family has taken a substantial shareholding in Magellan Financial Group ((MFG))

-Richard White-backed Vinyl Group has acquired around 50 media outlets as part of a rapid expansion strategy across digital publishing assets

-Oaktree Capital is marketing to US investors ahead of a potential exit from wealth advisory platform AZ NGA

-Coles Group ((COL)) says it was unaware security guards employed by contractor MA Services were allegedly underpaid, while the United Workers Union is calling for a wider industry review

-Santos ((STO)) has launched its $6bn Barossa LNG project after years of regulatory and environmental hurdles

-Pro Medicus ((PME)) secures $40m in US contract renewals

-Koala is preparing for an IPO valued at around 10.5x FY26 earnings, with institutional bids due Wednesday and the retail offer opening March 24

-Gas buyers have declined Origin Energy’s ((ORG)) discounted LNG offer as weak demand and policy uncertainty continue to weigh on purchasing decisions

-Pornhub has been blocked in Australia after failing to comply with new age verification requirements, triggering a surge in VPN downloads as users attempt to bypass the restriction

-Glencore is considering a secondary listing on the ASX following the collapse of its proposed merger with Rio Tinto ((RIO)), in an effort to improve its valuation and broaden investor access

-The new US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief has called for stronger data sharing and improved public trust to prevent a repeat of mistakes made during the COVID-19 pandemic

-AirTrunk has secured a $1.7bn loan in Tokyo and continues to pursue expansion in the Middle East despite escalating regional tensions

-Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC is targeting additional Australian real estate investments through new joint ventures after its $4bn National Storage transaction

-Regal Partners ((RPL)) is pursuing M&A opportunities and is targeting Roc Partners’ private credit unit

-I Squared Capital has appointed Azure Capital to run a sale process for Octa

-Brookfield is seeking buyers for Ausco Modular, a business generating about $500m in annual revenue, as it looks to reduce debt at the parent level

-Wesfarmers ((WES)) has been accused of blocking the sale of Infinity Pharmacy Group, which has pushed the business into receivership

-Imugene ((IMU)) has raised $20m to support development of its donor-derived CAR-T therapy, azer-cel

-Short interest increased in Wagners Holding ((WGN)) ahead of a sell-down by the Wagner family

-Mercer has decided not to pursue Colonial First State as the wealth manager explores a sale worth more than $5bn

-SGH Ltd ((SGH)) is targeting Bingo Industries, highlighting potential synergies with Boral

-UBS is testing private equity interest in imaging provider Qscan ahead of a potential $1bn sale process expected in about six months, which could overlap with the planned $3bn IPO of I-Med

-Bingo CEO tells staff there is no fire sale, noting Macquarie Asset Management ((MQG)) is under no pressure to sell

-Better Beer is raising between $10m-$15m with a secondary sale possible for another $15m

-Blackstone is exploring a sale of Real Pet Food Co as shareholders push for a higher valuation

-Bendigo Bank ((BEN)) missed some client payments after a technology outage, adding to operational challenges following recent scandals

-Cygnus Metals ((CYG)) and Emperor Energy ((EMP)) have both launched equity raisings as difficult market conditions weigh on funding

-Estia Health is preparing for an IPO as owner Stonepeak moves ahead with plans to exit the aged care provider

-Longreach has provided a $40m funding facility to Melbourne fintech Co.Credit to help expand its loan book at lower cost

-AustralianSuper is pushing for regulatory changes that would allow pension funds to borrow and issue bonds to increase liquidity and investment capacity

-Blackstone views artificial intelligence as a pricing issue rather than a structural threat as it considers its acquisition of financial software firm Iress ((IRE)) amid uncertain markets

-South32 ((S32)) has emerged as the leading bidder for BHP Group’s ((BHP)) West Musgrave copper-nickel project as rising copper demand collides with high development costs

-TPG Telecom ((TPG)) is preparing to sell entertainment group Funlab, owner of Strike Bowling and Holey Moley

-Around $200m worth of TPG Telecom ((TPG)) shares are being offered for sale as investors monitor potential moves by major shareholder Washington H. Soul Pattinson ((SOL))

-Private equity firm KKR has joined Bain Capital in the sale process for education provider UP Education, with the business expected to fetch more than $1bn

-Payments platform Pay.com.au is planning an $850m ASX IPO targeted for April

-FDC Construction, valued at more than $1bn, has begun investor meetings ahead of a planned ASX listing

-Data centre operator NextDC ((NXT)) has launched a $500m bond roadshow despite concerns about the company’s credit rating outlook

-TasFoods has entered administration after its Nichols Poultry division struggled with oversupply and heavy discounting pressures

-Coles Group ((COL)) has shut down its Swaggle online pet care business less than two years after launching the venture

-Janison Education Group ((JAN)) reported technology failures that disrupted exams for about 1,300 accounting candidates and affected NAPLAN testing

-Atlasssian is cutting 1600 jobs in the AI shift and enterprise growth

Next week’s Corporate Calendar

For a calendar of upcoming events, see FNArena’s Corporate Calendar:

https://fnarena.com/index.php/financial-news/calendar/

For a calendar of earnings result releases and a summary of earnings results to date, refer to FNArena’s Corporate Results Monitor (https://www.fnarena.com/index.php/reporting_season/)

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