Five questions, with no notice. This week, Michael asks Sean and Adam about their spending habits - what they'll happily pay extra for, where they draw the line, and the things people will fork out for, that mystify the rest of us.

Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/ [https://fearandgreed.com.au/]

See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Five Questions: We'll happily pay extra for these things

The biggest changes in the federal budget, a massive week for Australia's top 10 companies, the most powerful people in the world meet, and great news for beer and wine drinkers.

Sean Aylmer and Michael Thompson go head to head on the top business stories of the week, with Adam Lang picking a winner in a fierce debate.

Join our free daily newsletter here [https://www.google.com/url?q=https://fearandgreed.com.au/newsletter-signup&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1779279846474036&usg=AOvVaw1Oxc3YPsxVrqMhva4VCf4I].

Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/ [https://fearandgreed.com.au/]

See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Saturday Edition | 16 May 2026

This is the Fear & Greed [https://fearandgreed.com.au/] Afternoon Report - everything you need to know about what happened in the markets, economy and world of business today, in just a few minutes.

 1. ASX slips

 2. MinRes tumbles on Ellison sale

 3. Neo-Nazi group banned

 4. Union endorses teacher pay deal

 5. Trump says China agrees to buy Boeing jets

Join our free daily newsletter here [https://fearandgreed.com.au/newsletter-signup].

Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/ [https://fearandgreed.com.au/]

See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Afternoon Report | ASX off 1.3pc for week

Friday 15 May 2026

Coles found to have used sham discount offers to trick customers. 

 * Xi Jinping and Donald Trump meet in Beijing and Taiwan immediately becomes the focal point
 * Angus Taylor outlines the Coalition’s budget response
 * Qantas targets travel to New Zealand
 * Why Harvard University wants to cut the number of high grades it gives out

Hit follow on the podcast so you don’t miss the latest news

Join our free daily newsletter here [https://fearandgreed.com.au/newsletter-signup]

And don’t miss the latest episode of How Do They Afford That? [https://fearandgreed.com.au/how-do-they-afford-that-sugar-mamma-canna-campbell/] - what happens if you change your savings by just $100 a week. Get the episode from APPLE [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/how-do-they-afford-that/id1644255235], SPOTIFY [https://open.spotify.com/show/1EW5WRlRh7MovSBNkk6dG8?si=b2203ec2fa934a14], or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/ [https://fearandgreed.com.au/]

See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Coles tricked customers; Taiwan hotspot at XI-Trump meet, Qantas targets NZ

Kogan.com was one of the original disruptors in Australian retail. Sean Aylmer speaks with founder and CEO Ruslan Kogan about the company’s 20-year journey, from importing TVs from factories to becoming one of Australia’s best-known online retailers.

Ruslan reflects on the highs of the COVID boom, the inventory mistakes that followed, how the business reinvented itself - and what he learned from his immigrant parents.

Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/ [https://fearandgreed.com.au/]

See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Q+A: Kogan.com at 20: what Ruslan Kogan learned from the highs and lows

This is the Fear & Greed [https://fearandgreed.com.au/] Afternoon Report - everything you need to know about what happened in the markets, economy and world of business today, in just a few minutes.

 1. ASX up as miners, banks climb

 2. ASX Ltd appoints new boss

 3. Xero’s US acquisition weighs on results

 4. Bapcor results show war impact

 5. UK leadership pressure

Join our free daily newsletter here [https://fearandgreed.com.au/newsletter-signup].

Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/ [https://fearandgreed.com.au/]

See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Afternoon Report | ASX up as miners, banks climb

Thursday 14 May 2026

The federal budget accelerated the disparity between BHP and CBA's market values, with the miner now 20pc larger.

 * The federal government defends Tuesday night’s budget following a flood of criticism over capital gains tax and negative gearing changes
 * The economic downturn is helping Australia’s biggest gaming manufacturer
 * Wages growth slows
 * A painting stolen by the Nazis from a Jewish art collector is discovered hanging in a suburban home. 

Hit follow on the podcast so you don’t miss the latest news

Join our free daily newsletter here [https://fearandgreed.com.au/newsletter-signup]

And don’t miss the latest episode of How Do They Afford That? [https://fearandgreed.com.au/how-do-they-afford-that-sugar-mamma-canna-campbell/] - what happens if you change your savings by just $100 a week. Get the episode from APPLE [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/how-do-they-afford-that/id1644255235], SPOTIFY [https://open.spotify.com/show/1EW5WRlRh7MovSBNkk6dG8?si=b2203ec2fa934a14], or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/ [https://fearandgreed.com.au/]

See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

BHP surges as CBA collapses; Chalmers defends budget; Nazi stolen art reclaimed

Employment Hero has grown into one of Australia’s biggest startup success stories, with software used by more than 300,000 businesses across 180 countries.

Sean Aylmer speaks with co-founder and CEO Ben Thompson about how AI is reshaping hiring, HR and employment itself. Ben also explains why small businesses struggle with employment, how AI is changing the economics of work, and why Employment Hero is evolving beyond software into “employment as a service”.

Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/ [https://fearandgreed.com.au/]

See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Q+A: Why Employment Hero now wants to become the employer

This is the Fear & Greed [https://fearandgreed.com.au/] Afternoon Report - everything you need to know about what happened in the markets, economy and world of business today, in just a few minutes.

 1. ASX closes lower

 2. Chalmers defends budget

 3. T&W tumbles

 4. Zip Co can’t use "Zip"

 5. US inflation rises

Join our free daily newsletter here [https://fearandgreed.com.au/newsletter-signup].

Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/ [https://fearandgreed.com.au/]

See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Afternoon Report | CBA tumbles, BHP record

Wednesday 13 May 2026

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers last night handed down what he called the most important and ambitious budget in decades 

 * BHP passes $300b
 * Biz conditions, sentiment tumbles
 * ASIC investigates DroneShield
 * Trump to meet Xi

Hit follow on the podcast so you don’t miss the latest news

Join our free daily newsletter here [https://fearandgreed.com.au/newsletter-signup]

And don’t miss the latest episode of How Do They Afford That? [https://fearandgreed.com.au/how-do-they-afford-that-sugar-mamma-canna-campbell/] - what happens if you change your savings by just $100 a week. Get the episode from APPLE [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/how-do-they-afford-that/id1644255235], SPOTIFY [https://open.spotify.com/show/1EW5WRlRh7MovSBNkk6dG8?si=b2203ec2fa934a14], or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/ [https://fearandgreed.com.au/]

See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Negative gearing dumped; ASIC investigates DroneShield; Trump to meet Xi

Fear and Greed is Australia's most popular business podcast. All the business news you need to know, every day, with business journalist Sean Aylmer and Michael Thompson.

 

Michael Thompson

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