In Australia, the humble shed is more than just a spot to stash tools or knock together a DIY project — it’s practically sacred ground.

Traditionally, it’s been a place to escape the family chaos, but these days the shed’s potential stretches way beyond that. The old-school “man cave” has levelled up: now a steel shed can morph into a high-tech sports sanctuary. Forget just plonking a telly in the corner — this is about creating a proper setup that captures the atmosphere of the best sports bars.

Inspiration — Royal Reels Sports Bar

Royal Reels Australia, tucked away in suburban Sydney, has built a rep for its cracking atmosphere around live sport. It’s not just a bar, it’s a proper footy hub where the vibe hits as soon as you walk in.

Inside, dark timber mixes with soft leather, and the couches feel like you’ve scored a seat in a stadium VIP box. The polished concrete bar glows with LED strips, giving the place a slick, modern edge.

One of the big drawcards is the “History Zone” — plasma screens looping legendary sporting moments between live matches. It’s the kind of setup that gets punters reminiscing while waiting for the next kick-off. Lighting is zoned smartly: warm and cosy over the bar, pitch-black in the viewing area so the game takes centre stage.

The venue screens a wide mix — rugby league, cricket, international football, tennis, even Formula 1. Anyone can wander in off the street, but there’s also a booking system through a mobile app. Tables and prime viewing spots can be reserved ahead of time, especially for the big-ticket events.

This mix of atmosphere, tech, and organisation has turned Royalreels into a benchmark for sports spaces. More about the venue can be found at Royal Reesl. In discussions of modern fan spaces, Royalereels is frequently highlighted as a model of innovation in layout and presentation.

Shaping Your Own Space

Before you start swinging a hammer, nail down the vision. Is your shed going to be a shrine to one sport — say rugby league or cricket — or a multi-sport arena covering everything from Formula 1 to the Aussie Open?

Going all-in on one sport lets you deck the place out with rare posters, signed jerseys, or autographed balls. But versatility has its perks too. Either way, this isn’t about making a buck — it’s about creating a magnet for mates who love the tactics and beauty of the game. It’s a lifestyle, not just a hangout.

Tech Fit-Out — From Insulation to Screens

Turning a bare steel shed into a comfy sports den means tackling three biggies: climate control, lighting, and the screen.

• Insulation & Climate: Aussie weather doesn’t muck around — sheds roast in summer and freeze in winter. Layer up with foil sarking plus 50–75 mm of mineral wool. Rubber tiles or carpet on the floor add soundproofing and comfort. A split-system air con will keep temps and humidity sweet.
• Lighting: Rule number one — no daggy ceiling chandeliers. Keep the screen zone dark. Use wall-mounted spotlights or LED strips with dimmers around the ceiling. Over the bar or chill zone, go for pendant lights with a warm glow.
• Screens: The heart of the sanctuary. For smaller sheds, a 65–75 inch TV does the trick. Bigger sheds call for an 85-inch monster or even a laser projector blasting out 120 inches of sporting action.

Once those three pillars are sorted — climate, lighting, and the screen — the place already feels like a proper sports den. The trick is mixing comfort with atmosphere, so the shed shifts from workshop vibes to stadium lounge energy. From there it’s easy to stack on the extras: sound that rattles the walls, décor that shows off the passion, and a bar to keep the cold ones handy.

Budget & Planning

Building your sports nook is scalable — start small and upgrade as you go. Here’s a quick comparison:

Category	Entry Level (~$3,300 AUD)	Premium (~$21,000 AUD)
Display	65″ 4K LED TV (TCL/Hisense) — A$1,200	98″ QLED or Laser Projector + Screen — A$8,000
Sound	Soundbar + Subwoofer — A$400	5.1 Surround (Dolby Atmos) — A$2,500
Insulation	DIY mineral wool + OSB — A$700	Pro soundproofing + finish — A$3,000
Climate	Fan + heater — A$200	Inverter split-system — A$1,500
Furniture	2–3 chairs (IKEA/Kmart) + table — A$500	4 motorised cinema recliners — A$3,000
Décor/Bar	Mini fridge + posters — A$300	Full bar, neon, keg fridge — A$3,000

The transformation shows how a simple shed can turn into a proper fan zone where sport takes centre stage.

Creating the Perfect Space

Transforming a shed into a sports sanctuary isn’t just a reno job — it’s about crafting a place where sport comes alive. The shed turns into a spot where mates pile in not for background chatter, but for the pure buzz of the game. It’s a fair-dinkum fan’s hideaway, knocked together with grit, passion, and a dash of creativity.

Asian stocks opened higher after a rally in technology shares lifted Wall Street benchmarks, tempering concern about the disruptive effects of artificial intelligence that had rattled markets for weeks.

Shares opened higher in Japan, South Korea and Australia, helping the MSCI Asia Pacific Index extend its advance to a third day. A rebound in the battered software stocks drove the Nasdaq 100 up 1.1%, while the S&P 500 also advanced, ahead of the key earnings from Nvidia Corp. on Wednesday. Advanced Micro Devices Inc.’s deal with Meta Platforms Inc. also boosted sentiment.

A Bloomberg gauge of the dollar was steady ahead of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address late in Washington Tuesday. Treasuries were a touch lower with the yield on the benchmark 10-year rising almost one basis point to 4.04%. Gold pared some losses from the prior session, while Bitcoin headed for its worst month since crypto’s collapse of June 2022.

The disruptive potential of artificial intelligence has roiled stocks across sectors for weeks in what’s become known as the AI scare trade. Tuesday’s rebound followed comments from Anthropic PBC, which said it plans to build partnerships — easing concerns that its Claude chatbot technology will integrate with, rather than displace, existing businesses.

“This ‘we’re here to help, not hurt’ message from Anthropic is helping to trigger a fairly healthy rebound rally in software,” said Adam Crisafulli at Vital Knowledge.

Before Tuesday’s recovery, investors had been skittish for weeks on AI-related selloffs targeting a range of industries such as software, insurance brokerage, wealth management and cybersecurity, among others.
Earlier this week, concerns over tariffs and geopolitics coupled with a report by Citrini Research and worries about the potential disruption caused by another tool from Anthropic were enough to send the stock market careening.While US stocks have been volatile, Asian markets have outperformed their global peers and largely avoided the tech volatility. The standout gainer was South Korea, which advanced as much as 1.2% to a record on Wednesday.

South Korea’s Kospi Index has gained about 43% this year and is the world’s best-performing stock market.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, saw its shares close at $311.69 on Monday, February 23, 2026, down 1.02% from the previous session but remaining resilient in a volatile tech sector. The stock has traded in a range of roughly $302 to $344 so far in 2026, reflecting investor confidence in the company’s AI investments despite broader market pressures from tariffs and economic uncertainty.

Alphabet’s Class C shares (GOOG) and Class A shares (GOOGL) have gained more than 75% over the past 52 weeks, driven by strong performance in core businesses like Search, YouTube, and Google Cloud. The company’s market capitalization stands at approximately $3.77 trillion, making it one of the world’s most valuable firms. Recent analyst upgrades and earnings momentum continue to support the stock, even as capital expenditure forecasts raise questions about near-term profitability.

The latest catalyst came February 23 when Wells Fargo upgraded Alphabet from Equal-Weight to Overweight, raising its 12-month price target to $387 from $353. Analyst Ken Gawrelski cited Alphabet’s aggressive AI infrastructure expansion — from 15 gigawatts to 35 gigawatts by 2028 — as a key driver, positioning the company to outpace rivals in compute capacity. The upgrade implies about 22-24% upside from current levels, with Wall Street consensus around $338-340 per share.

Alphabet’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings, reported February 4, 2026, beat expectations with revenue of $113.83 billion (up 18% year-over-year) and earnings per share of $2.82 (versus $2.59 expected). Google Services grew 14% to $95.9 billion, led by Search and YouTube, while Google Cloud surged 48% to $17.7 billion, driven by enterprise AI demand. Annual revenue topped $400 billion for the first time, a milestone shared with peers like Apple and Amazon.

Management guided capital expenditures for 2026 at $175 billion to $185 billion — potentially doubling prior levels — to fuel AI data centers, servers, and networking. CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted momentum in Gemini models, with the Gemini App reaching over 750 million monthly active users and first-party models processing more than 10 billion tokens per minute via API. YouTube crossed $60 billion in annual revenue across ads and subscriptions, underscoring diversified growth.

Despite the positive earnings, shares have pulled back about 7% month-to-date amid concerns over AI spending sustainability. Investor Michael Burry questioned the scale of hyperscaler capex in a February 21 X post, estimating significant depreciation impacts and potential free cash flow declines for companies like Alphabet. Some analysts project Alphabet’s free cash flow could drop sharply in 2026 as investments ramp up, though others view the spending as essential to maintain AI leadership against Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta.

Institutional activity remains robust. Stevens Capital Management increased its stake by 401% in Q3 2025, while major funds like Norges Bank, JPMorgan, and Vanguard adjusted positions. Insider sales occurred, including CAO Amie Thuener O’Toole disposing of shares in early February, but overall ownership stays strong.

The stock’s valuation trades at a forward P/E around 22-24, considered reasonable given growth prospects. AI Overviews and AI Mode in Search are expanding usage, while Cloud’s $240 billion backlog signals sustained demand. Challenges include regulatory scrutiny, competition in AI, and macroeconomic factors like tariffs that could raise costs.

As Alphabet navigates 2026, its dual focus on core advertising strength and AI/cloud acceleration positions it well. The next earnings report is expected in late April, with analysts forecasting EPS around $2.67 for Q1 2026.

With upgrades and AI tailwinds, Alphabet remains a cornerstone of tech portfolios, balancing short-term caution with long-term optimism.

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Thailand has officially entered a state of technical deflation, marked by ten straight months of declining inflation rates.

Key Takeaways on Thailand’s Technical Deflation

• Definition & Context
  • Thailand has entered technical deflation, defined as a sustained decline in prices for more than six months.
  • Inflation has been negative for 10 consecutive months, averaging -0.13% in 2025.
• Economic Risks
  • Deflation often signals weak demand: households consume less, businesses cut investments, and margins shrink.
  • Thailand’s growth slowed to 2.4% in 2025, raising concerns about a deflationary spiral similar to Japan’s post-1990 stagnation.
  • Deflation can cause consumers and businesses to delay spending and investment, worsening recessionary pressures.
• Nuances in Thailand’s Case
  • Household consumption remains weak but still positive.
  • The Bank of Thailand emphasizes that underlying inflation (excluding energy) is still positive, framing this as “negative inflation” rather than full deflation.
  • Authorities expect recovery through tourism rebound and household consumption growth.

The statistics of the kingdom have shown for 10 months inflation results lower than the experts’ statistical forecasts (these being on average negative for the whole of 2025 with -0.13% annual average) according to Thanavath Phonvichai (the associate professor and president of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Economic and Trade Forecast Center) in technical deflation.

Although the growth forecasts for 2026 suggest a simultaneous recovery in inflation, it appears to show no signs of slowing down, which could have adverse effects on the Thai economy.

If Europe and the world are much more aware of the dangers of inflation, the opposite phenomenon remains rare since Covid and the recent global geopolitical crises are rather synonymous with rising raw material costs.

Price deflation is a general and long-lasting corollary, often indicative of a marked weakening in demand and economic activity. It reflects a deep slowdown: households consume less, businesses reduce their investments and margins contract.

The Thai case, however, appears more nuanced. The growth and consumption of households in the kingdom are certainly at half-mast but appear positive. Experts define a «technical deflation» as a lasting decrease in prices for more than 6 months due, according to Phonvichai, to the general decrease in fuel costs and agricultural prices.

Government measures also pushed global prices down, the consumer price index (CPI) dropped by -0.66% at the beginning of 2026 compared to the same month last year, more than expected.

Nevertheless, Bank of Thailand reassures and talks more about negative inflation, highlighting that the figures for underlying inflation (excluding energy costs) remain positive.  Under the vigilance of the kingdom’s economic institutions, the financial system remains. More than a classic deflationary episode, Thailand would go through a cyclical adjustment, prelude to an upturn due to the increase in household consumption and the recovery of tourism, planned by those same authorities.

The possibility of a return to deflation cannot be ruled out, says Thanavath Phonvichai. Indeed, the weak growth that the country is experiencing (2.4% in 2025) may, if monetary and budgetary policies to restart the kingdom’s growth can degenerate into a deflationary spiral.

A scenario feared by the economic authorities of the country of smiles, given the consequences it had on Japan after the crash of 1990. Deflation indeed pushes consumers and all economic actors to wait: they postpone their investments in anticipation of lower prices, demand collapses, companies suffer revenue losses, cut jobs creating a loop in which the economy sinks into a deeper recession.

This scenario also concerns and worries the Chinese neighbor, which has been observing a slowdown in its dynamic real estate sector and household consumption since 2023. 

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Mumbai: The SME platforms of India’s stock exchanges were built on aspiration – a stepping stone to the mainboard, where the biggest names in India Inc trade. For hundreds of companies that listed on this segment with lighter listing norms over the past decade, that promotion was part of the promise sold to investors.

But, for many of them, the upgrade remains elusive.

Prime Database’s data on companies that have moved from the SME platform to the mainboard in the past decade shows this migration has slowed down in the past five years.

The number of companies making this transition fell from the peak of 65 in 2021 to 62 companies in 2022 and to 38 in 2023. The count slipped further to 14 in 2024 and dropped to just three in 2025.

Between 2015 and 2025, of the 1,420 companies listed on the SME platforms of BSE and NSE, 336 – about 24% – eventually migrated to the mainboard.

Bankers said the shift of SME companies to the mainboard has slowed because of tighter rules. Both BSE and NSE have substantially raised the bar in recent years for SMEs seeking to migrate.
“The revised ‘quality-control’ measures by exchanges have effectively filtered out smaller players, leading to the observed decline in migration volume while aiming to protect the long-term integrity of the mainboard,” said Abhishek Sharma, Director, GYR Capital, an investment banker for SMEs. Effective January 2024, the minimum listing tenure required for SME companies to become eligible for mainboard migration increased from two years to three years.

“Consequently, this change is expected to impact migration trends for the transition period from SME to mainboard,” said Radha Kirthivasan, Head Listing & SME, BSE.

“Of the 693 companies currently listed on the BSE SME platform, 199 have migrated to the Mainboard, out of the eligible pool of approximately 410 companies, implying an effective migration rate of 50%.” In August 2025, BSE introduced another set of norms requiring an average market capitalisation of Rs 100 crore over six months (up from Rs 25 crore), average EBITDA of Rs 15 crore over three years with a minimum of Rs 10 crore annually, and at least 1,000 public shareholders — four times the earlier threshold of 250.

Migration is not automatic. Companies must proactively apply to the exchanges and meet not only financial thresholds but also extensive compliance checks, including cooling-off periods after surveillance actions, clean records on SCORES (Sebi’s investor grievance platform), and certifications from credit rating agencies on the utilisation of IPO proceeds. “In light of the maturing of the market, in March 2024, among other criteria, the minimum number of shareholders for companies desiring to migrate to the Main Board is set to 500, with a view to ensuring sustained liquidity and aligning the nature to a public limited company with a diversified shareholder base,” an NSE spokesperson said in an email to ET.

NSE’s May 2025 criteria are similarly demanding: paid-up capital of Rs 10 crore, average market cap of Rs 100 crore, revenue above Rs 100 crore in the last financial year, and net worth of Rs 75 crore. Companies must also maintain at least 20% promoter holding, with promoters not selling more than 50% of their listing-day holdings.

“The objective of regulators and exchanges to make criteria stringent is to ensure that SME companies of suitable size which are financially sound, matured, transparent and well governed move on to the main board and also to prevent companies from using SME platform as a short cut to gain easy access to the mainboard without genuinely meeting it’s standards,” said Uday Patil, Executive Director-Investment Banking, PL Capital, adding that stringent migration norms act as a quality filter. A few SME graduates have delivered strong returns post migration.

Manorama Industries launched its IPO on September 21, 2018, raising Rs 60.79 crore, and moved to the main board on July 20, 2021. Since then, the stock has delivered 295% returns as of February 24, 2026. Zota Health Care came out with its IPO on April 27, 2017, mobilising Rs 55.5 crore, and transitioned to the main board on August 19, 2019.

Post migration, the stock has surged 511%. Sarveshwar Foods opened its IPO on March 5, 2018, with an issue size of `52.2 crore, and shifted to the main board on December 8, 2022. Since then, the stock has gained 44%. Still, performance at the SME listing stage remains uneven. Out of 134 SME companies listed in the past year, only 30 delivered gains, while the rest generated negative returns.

Several companies did manage the transition in earlier years. MMP Industries Ltd launched its IPO on March 28, 2018, raising Rs 80.37 crore, and migrated to the main board in January 2020. Sirca Paints India opened its IPO in May 2018 with an issue size of Rs 74 crore, and moved to the main board in July 2019.