Welcome to Markets Desk, your midday read on what's moving and why.
Asian and Australian equity markets are pushing higher this Monday, tracking Friday's Wall Street gains into the new week. The S&P/ASX two hundred swung from early losses into solid mid-session gains, while broader Asian indices followed suit, with optimism around a potential US-Iran peace framework adding a geopolitical tailwind to the risk-on mood.
Shifting to the advertising technology space, the debate between The Trade Desk and Magnite is sharpening heading into two thousand twenty six. The Trade Desk holds a commanding position on the buy side of programmatic advertising, backed by double-digit revenue growth and genuine profitability — a combination that remains rare in the sector and continues to attract institutional attention.
And on the dividend front, Costco is drawing renewed focus as a long-duration income holding. The warehouse retailer has raised its dividend every single year for more than two decades, most recently delivering a roughly thirteen percent increase last month. For investors looking at a ten-year horizon, that kind of compounding consistency is difficult to dismiss.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
