Business
(VIDEO) Antarctic Cold Front to Bring Hail, Snow and Damaging Winds to Four Australian States Starting
SYDNEY — Millions of Australians across the country’s southeast are being warned to brace for a blast of icy weather in the coming days, as a powerful low-pressure system currently sitting near Antarctica tracks toward the mainland, threatening to bring hail, snow, damaging winds and heavy rain to at least four states.
According to weather service Weatherzone, the low-pressure system is expected to travel more than 4,000 kilometers between Wednesday and Saturday, passing to the south of Australia over the weekend as it drags a large mass of polar air across the Southern Ocean toward the mainland. The severe weather is forecast to affect Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and southern Queensland, according to the outlook.
A Two-Stage Weather Event
Forecasters say the system will unfold in two distinct phases. Wind and rain are expected to increase across southeastern Australia from Saturday into Sunday, as northerly winds strengthen ahead of the approaching cold front. That initial pre-frontal air is expected to remain relatively warm, meaning most of the precipitation during this early stage will fall as rain rather than snow, with the exception of higher terrain in the Alps.
The more severe, bitterly cold conditions are expected to arrive from late Sunday into Monday, as the cold air mass spreads across New South Wales, Victoria, southern Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory, before reaching Tasmania on Monday. During this stage, forecasters are warning of blustery winds, rain, hail, thunderstorms and snow across southeastern Australia, conditions that could include damaging to destructive wind gusts and flooding rain.
Destructive Winds and Blizzard Conditions Possible
Damaging wind gusts are considered likely to develop across parts of Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT, with forecasters saying those conditions may also extend into Tasmania. In the highest terrain, particularly across the Australian Alps, the system is expected to bring destructive wind gusts alongside blizzard conditions. Rain is forecast to be widespread across the country’s southeastern states on Sunday and Monday, with the heaviest rainfall totals expected along the ranges of central and northeastern Victoria and southern New South Wales.
Bureau of Meteorology Tracks the System’s Path
David Crock, a meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology, said a cloud band was expected to continue streaming over inland Western Australia and parts of South Australia on Friday, ahead of the more severe conditions forecast for the weekend. Describing what would follow, Crock said a strong cold front would reach southwest Western Australia later Friday before continuing across South Australia over the course of the weekend. He added that elsewhere in the country, the dry season remains in full swing across northern Australia, with only a few light showers expected along parts of the Queensland coast.
Crock also noted that cloud and showers are likely to persist Friday around Australia’s southern states, as the broader system continues developing ahead of the more intense wintry conditions expected to arrive over the following days.
A Boost for Ski Resorts
While the system is expected to bring disruptive and potentially hazardous conditions to populated areas, it is also likely to deliver a significant benefit to Australia’s alpine ski resorts. Forecasters say it is extremely likely that the natural snow depth at Spencers Creek, a key benchmark measurement site in the Snowy Mountains, will be well over a meter by the same time next week, with the majority of lifts across the country’s ski resorts expected to be operating as a result of the fresh snowfall. Thredbo, one of the region’s largest ski resorts, became the first Australian ski area to operate at full capacity in 2026 earlier this week, with all 15 of its lifts running.
A Pattern of Severe Winter Weather
The approaching system fits within a broader pattern of significant cold outbreaks that have periodically struck southeastern Australia during winter months in recent years, driven by low-pressure systems tracking north from the Antarctic region. Similar events in past years have brought rare snowfall to lower-elevation areas not typically accustomed to significant winter weather, along with widespread disruption including road closures, flight cancellations and, in some cases, livestock losses on farms caught in the path of the coldest conditions.
Authorities Urge Caution
With the more severe phase of the system expected to bring a combination of flooding rain, damaging winds and hazardous alpine conditions, residents across the affected states are being urged to stay updated on official weather warnings as the system continues to develop over the coming days. Authorities have reiterated standard guidance that anyone facing a life-threatening situation as a result of the severe weather should contact emergency services immediately.
What to Expect in Each State
For Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT, the greatest risks are expected to center on damaging wind gusts, heavy rainfall and potential flooding, particularly across higher terrain and along the ranges of central and northeastern Victoria and southern New South Wales. Tasmania is expected to see the cold front’s most intense conditions arrive slightly later, on Monday, with blizzard conditions possible in elevated alpine areas. Southern Queensland is also included in the areas expected to experience the cold air mass, extending the reach of the wintry system further north than is typical for this type of weather event.
With the low-pressure system still tracking toward the Australian mainland as of Thursday, forecasters are continuing to refine their projections for exact rainfall totals, wind speeds and snowfall accumulations as the weekend approaches. Given the system’s scale and the multiple hazards it is expected to bring, including hail, thunderstorms, flooding rain and potentially blizzard conditions in alpine regions, authorities across the affected states are likely to continue issuing updated warnings and advisories in the lead-up to the system’s peak impact late Sunday and into Monday.
Business
Japan set for third quarter of growth on solid domestic demand: Reuters poll

Japan set for third quarter of growth on solid domestic demand: Reuters poll
Business
It’s just not cricket, miners up stumps
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Business
Lime Stock: Q2 Earnings Results Add To Post-IPO Rally
Lime stock jumped in Wednesday trading following second-quarter results from the company, which is incorporated as Neutron Holdings (LIME). The rally adds to a strong start following Lime’s initial public offering last month. In results published late Tuesday, Lime reported a 24% year-over-year rise in revenue to $304 million for the June-ended quarter. Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation…
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Business
Figma Stock Plunges 18% Despite 48% Revenue Growth as Cautious Q3 Outlook Spooks Investors Once Again
Shares of Figma tumbled Thursday, falling 17.64%, or $4.97, to $23.18, after the design software company’s second-quarter earnings report showed accelerating revenue growth and a raised full-year outlook, but a more cautious forecast for the current quarter proved enough to send investors heading for the exits.
The decline extends a brutal stretch for Figma’s stock since its blockbuster initial public offering last year, with shares now trading well below their post-IPO highs as investors continue to weigh the company’s strong underlying growth against persistent concerns about competition from AI-native design tools and questions about the sustainability of its premium valuation.
Strong Quarter, Muted Reaction
Figma reported second-quarter revenue of $370.08 million, up 48% from the same period a year earlier and comfortably ahead of the $351.56 million analysts had expected. Adjusted earnings came in at 8 cents per share, doubling the 4-cent consensus estimate. The quarter marked Figma’s third consecutive period of accelerating revenue growth, and the company generated $60.9 million in net cash from operations and $53.2 million in free cash flow during the period.
Figma Chief Executive Dylan Field framed the results as validation of the company’s broader strategic direction, saying in a statement that the second quarter marked Figma’s third straight quarter of accelerated revenue growth, and that as code gets commoditized and value moves up the stack, the opportunity ahead of the company has only grown.
Guidance Fails to Match the Enthusiasm
Despite the strong headline numbers, Figma’s forecast for the third quarter fell short of what investors needed to see to sustain the stock’s momentum. The company’s guidance implies roughly 36% year-over-year revenue growth at the midpoint for the current quarter, a meaningful deceleration from the 48% growth rate posted in the second quarter. That sequential slowdown in projected growth, even alongside an increase to full-year guidance, was enough to trigger a sharp selloff in after-hours and premarket trading.
Following the results, Figma raised its full-year 2026 revenue guidance by $40 million to approximately $1.47 billion, reflecting continued confidence in the company’s underlying demand trends. However, analysts noted that Figma’s lofty valuation, trading at multiples well above the broader software sector even after months of declines, left little room for anything short of an unambiguous beat-and-raise across every metric, and the company’s more conservative sequential outlook was interpreted by some investors as an early signal that its recent acceleration could be leveling off.
Margin Pressure Adds to the Concerns
Beyond the guidance itself, analysts flagged softer GAAP profit margins and a substantial stock-based compensation burden as additional factors weighing on sentiment. Figma’s operating cash flow was reported as nearly flat year over year, with its margin contracting even as overall revenue continued to expand, a dynamic that some analysts said raises important questions about the company’s ability to convert its rapid top-line growth into durable profitability over time.
Analysts covering the stock also pressed company executives during the earnings call on competitive differentiation and the trajectory of gross margins going forward, questions that drew confident responses from Field and Chief Financial Officer Praveer Melwani, who pointed to Figma’s professional-grade design canvas and its expanding suite of AI-powered creative tools as evidence the company remains well positioned as the broader design software market consolidates.
An Insider Lockup Adds to the Pressure
Adding further uncertainty to the stock’s near-term trajectory is a significant insider share lockup expiration scheduled for August 2026, which is expected to release more than $6 billion worth of low-cost-basis shares onto the market. That looming supply overhang has been cited by analysts as a persistent risk factor for the stock independent of the company’s underlying operating performance, since a wave of newly tradable shares from early investors and employees can weigh on a stock’s price even when the company’s fundamentals remain strong.
A Volatile Year Already
Thursday’s decline extends what has already been an extraordinarily turbulent year for Figma’s stock. Shares fell 44% during the first half of 2026 even as the company’s core business continued growing rapidly, driven largely by investor fears surrounding AI-native design competitors, including Anthropic’s Claude Design, which have raised questions about whether traditional collaborative design software could eventually be displaced by generative AI tools capable of producing design work directly from prompts. Figma’s stock fell more than 20% in June alone amid that competitive anxiety, even after a strong first-quarter report in May that initially sent shares higher.
At various points earlier this year, Figma shares traded as low as $16.60, down roughly 80% from their 52-week high of $142.92, before staging a partial recovery in recent months that has now been interrupted by Thursday’s post-earnings decline.
AI Monetization Remains an Early-Stage Story
Much of the market’s ongoing skepticism toward Figma centers on how quickly the company can turn growing customer adoption of its AI-powered tools into durable, monetized revenue. Company executives have said usage of Figma’s AI credit system is broad among its larger customers, but the second quarter represented only the first full quarter in which that monetization effort was fully underway, leaving investors with limited data to judge whether the trend can be sustained at scale.
Wall Street sentiment toward the stock has remained relatively mixed even before Thursday’s decline, with analyst ratings split between buy and hold recommendations rather than showing broad conviction in either direction, reflecting the market’s ongoing uncertainty about how the competitive landscape for AI-assisted design tools will ultimately evolve.
With Figma’s stock now trading well below its earlier highs despite continued strong revenue growth, investors are likely to focus closely on the pace of AI-driven monetization in coming quarters, along with any further developments tied to the looming insider lockup expiration, as key factors that will determine whether the stock can stabilize. The company’s ability to demonstrate that its more conservative third-quarter guidance reflects prudent caution rather than a genuine slowdown in demand is expected to remain the central question shaping investor sentiment toward the stock in the weeks ahead.
Business
Tokmanni Q2 revenue rises 3.3% but falls short of estimates

Tokmanni Q2 revenue rises 3.3% but falls short of estimates
Business
Federal data centre power play sparks constitutional tussle
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Business
Ouster, Inc. (OUST) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Operator
Hello, and welcome to Ouster’s Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] The call today is being recorded, and a replay of the call will be available on the Ouster Investor Relations website an hour after the completion of this call.
I’d now like to turn the conference over to Chen Geng, Senior Vice President and Strategic Finance, Treasurer. Please go ahead.
Chen Geng
Senior VP of Strategic Finance & Treasurer
Thank you, operator, and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining our second quarter 2026 earnings call. Today on the call, we have Chief Executive Officer, Angus Pacala; and Chief Financial Officer, Ken Gianella. As a reminder, after the market closed today, Ouster issued its financial news release, which was also furnished on a Form 8-K and is posted in the Investor Relations section of the Ouster website. Today’s conference call will be available for webcast replay in the Investor Relations section of our website.
I want to remind everyone that on this call, we will make certain forward-looking statements. These include all statements about our competitive position, product advantages and growth opportunities, anticipated industry trends, our business and strategic priorities, our operating expense targets, the impact of our recent acquisitions, the development and expansion of our products, our products’ capabilities and performance, and our revenue guidance for
Business
LIC gains 3% after Q1 earnings. Here’s what Morgan Stanley and Motilal Oswal recommend
The company had posted a profit of Rs 10,986 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. Net premium income grew 7% YoY to Rs 1.27 lakh crore during the quarter.
According to IRDAI data, LIC retained its leadership in the domestic life insurance market with an overall 60.1% share of first-year premium income. During the quarter, it held a 38.89% market share in the individual business and 70.9% in the group business.
Premium growth was driven by both segments. Individual business premium increased 6% to Rs 75,416 crore from Rs 71,474 crore a year ago, while group business premium rose 9% to Rs 51,834 crore from Rs 47,726 crore.
LIC sold 31.02 lakh individual policies during the June quarter, up 2% from 30.40 lakh policies in the year-ago period. On an annualised premium equivalent (APE) basis, total premium stood at Rs 13,692 crore in Q1FY27, with the individual business contributing Rs 7,532 crore (55%) and the group business accounting for Rs 6,160 crore (45%).
Also read: How LIC minted Rs 21,000 crore in mark-to-market gains by betting against AI panic in 3 top IT stocks
The insurer also reported a sharp improvement in profitability. Value of new business (VNB) jumped 61% YoY to Rs 3,136 crore from Rs 1,944 crore, while the VNB margin expanded by 750 basis points to 22.9% from 15.4% a year earlier.
LIC shares: Buy, sell or hold?
Goldman Sachs maintained its ‘Neutral’ rating on LIC with a target price of Rs 475, implying an upside of around 22.5% from the current market price. While the brokerage noted that annualised premium equivalent (APE) growth fell short of its expectations, it said stronger-than-expected value of new business (VNB) growth and a sharp expansion in VNB margins, supported by a favourable product mix, prompted it to raise its FY27-FY29 EPS estimates.
Emkay Global reiterated its ‘Buy’ rating on LIC and retained a target price of Rs 550, implying an upside of around 42%. The brokerage highlighted better-than-expected margin performance, with the VNB margin expanding to 22.9% and VNB rising 61% YoY. It also raised its FY27-FY29 VNB margin estimates and earnings forecasts, citing an improving product mix, higher profitability and a stronger capital position.
Read more: LIC OFS opens for retail investors: Should you apply in insurance behemoth’s offer?
Motilal Oswal maintained its ‘Buy’ rating on LIC with a target price of Rs 480, implying an upside of around 24% from the current market price. The brokerage pointed to the 61% YoY growth in VNB and the expansion in the VNB margin to 22.9%, driven by a richer non-par product mix. It also raised its FY27-FY28 VNB margin estimates, supported by improving profitability, robust growth in the protection business and a stronger solvency position.
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
Business
Stocks To Watch: Raymond James, Tapestry Lead As Market Rallies
Bank Of America (BAC), Garmin (GRMN), Glaukos (GKOS) and others on the Investor’s Business Daily Breakout Stocks Index have climbed out of buy range. But several stocks to watch — including Raymond James Financial (RJF), Viking (VIK) and Tapestry (TPR) — remain in or near buy range. So, as market indexes rally, this screen provides a string of names to…
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Business
Insight Enterprises, Inc. 2026 Q2 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation (NASDAQ:NSIT) 2026-08-07
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