1. HomeBuilder grants exceed estimates

The number of HomeBuilder grants is expected to hit 40,000 by the end of the year, 50% more than the 27,000 that were anticipated according to figures obtained by The Australian. Since the launch of the scheme in July, when less than 20 grants were being approved per week, approvals have risen to nearly 500 per week.

2. OPEC+ agrees to increase oil production

Oil production is set to increase by 500,000 barrels per day beginning in January after the 23 member countries of OPEC+ reached an agreement to ease cuts introduced earlier this year. The group cut production by 9.7 million barrels per day in May, which was subsequently scaled back to 7.7 million barrels in August. Member countries will continue to meet each month to decide on future production increases.

3. Cinema streaming shake up

Warner Bros. has announced that all films scheduled to be released theatrically in 2021 will also be available via streaming on release date in the United States. "We know new content is the lifeblood of theatrical exhibition, but we have to balance this with the reality that most theaters in the U.S. will likely operate at reduced capacity throughout 2021," said WarnerMedia Chair and CEO Ann Sarnoff.

4. Oldest tropical reef fish found in WA

A midnight snapper caught by the federal government's Australian Institute of Marine Science at Rowley Shoals off the coast of Western Australia has been found to be the oldest tropical reef fish ever discovered. The 81-year-old fish broke the previous record by 20 years.

5. Mixed day on Wall Street

The S&P 500 ended Thursday down just 2.29 points or 0.06% to 3,666.72, while the Dow Jones was up 85.73 points or 0.29% to 29,969.52 and the Nasdaq rose by 27.82 points or 0.23% to 12,377.18.