Money

Hackers demand ransom from Latitude Financial

Published

3 years ago

April 11, 2023

ticker NEWS

Hackers demand ransom payment following cyber attack which left millions of Australians compromised

The hackers behind the massive Latitude Financial data breach in Australia have offIcially demanded a ransom payment.

The consumer lender believes a total of 14 million consumers have been impacted.

Latitude has not indicated how much is being demanded, or when the demand was made, but says it will not pay.

In a statement, the CEO says: “Latitude will not pay a ransom to criminals. Based on the evidence and advice, there is simply no guarantee that doing so would result in any customer data being destroyed, and it would only encourage further extortion attempts on Australian and New Zealand businesses in the future.”

Latitude says its priority remains on contacting every customer whose personal information was compromised and to support them through this process.

The stolen information includes the driver’s licence numbers of 7.9 million customers.

Latitude provides finance services to Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys and Apple, and also recently signed up David Jones.

The victims include current and former Latitude customers stretching back more than 10 years. #trending #featured

Money

U.S. stocks rally as AMD, Home Depot, and AI software lead gains

U.S. equities rose as AI disruption fears eased, with Home Depot, AMD, and DocuSign driving tech stock gains.

Published

20 hours ago

February 25, 2026

Harvey Vargas

U.S. equities rose as AI disruption fears eased, with Home Depot, AMD, and DocuSign driving tech stock gains.

U.S. tech stocks surged as investors’ fears over AI disruption eased. Advanced Micro Devices jumped 9% after Meta announced a multiyear deal to deploy AMD’s graphics processing units for AI data centres. The move highlights growing corporate confidence in AI infrastructure investments.

DocuSign also rose 3% following Anthropic’s confirmation that Claude Cowork can integrate with DocuSign, Google Drive, and Gmail, signalling stronger adoption of AI tools across industries.

The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF climbed 2% despite remaining over 30% below its 52-week high, showing tech stocks are recovering but still have room to run.

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Money

Stocks tumble amid AI concerns and Trump tariff update

Dow drops 800+ points as AI and trade worries hit tech and retail stocks; bonds rise amid market volatility.

Published

2 days ago

February 24, 2026

Harvey Vargas

Dow drops 800+ points as AI and trade worries hit tech and retail stocks; bonds rise amid market volatility.

Stocks plunged sharply as concerns over artificial intelligence and trade tensions rattled investors, sending the Dow down more than 800 points. Heavyweights like American Express, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan were key contributors to the drop.

Software companies were hit particularly hard after a report suggested AI could impact economic growth, triggering further losses across tech shares.

Trade-sensitive retailers including American Eagle Outfitters, Ralph Lauren, and Yeti Holdings also faced setbacks as market uncertainty spiked. Bonds, meanwhile, rallied as investors sought safety in a volatile market.

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Money

U.S. investors flee stock market for global opportunities

U.S. investors withdrew $75 billion from stocks in six months, fastest in 16 years, with $52 billion in 2026 alone.

Published

3 days ago

February 23, 2026

Harvey Vargas

U.S. investors withdrew $75 billion from stocks in six months, fastest in 16 years, with $52 billion in 2026 alone.

U.S. investors are withdrawing money from domestic stocks at the fastest rate in 16 years, with $75 billion leaving equity products over the past six months. The trend accelerated in 2026, with $52 billion pulled from Wall Street so far.

Concerns over AI risks and weaker performance at home are prompting investors to look abroad, even though a softer dollar makes foreign investments more expensive. Emerging markets are seeing inflows at the fastest pace in five years, according to Bank of America.

As global opportunities become more attractive, many U.S. investors are now evaluating overseas markets for growth potential.

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