1. Aussies are becoming stock market punters like never before

The Coronavirus has taken share buying viral, as younger and novice stock players have stampeded into the share market. That was a huge conclusion as the CBA announced a fall in profit of 10.8% to a six month return of $3.9 billion. Yep, it was a fall but it was miles better than was expected six months ago, as we grappled with the worst recession since the Great Depression. And while we might have been worried about the virus, our jobs and our businesses, through its CommSec operation, the bank saw 230,000 new accounts opened in only six months! And the value of share trades processed through Commsec doubled from $55 billion in the second half-year of 2019 compared to $110 billion in the last six months of 2020. When you add this share buying (on steroids) to record house prices, this was the weirdest recession ever!

2. Crown’s directors exit and Packer takes a bottom line hit

The scathing report into the behaviour of casino operator Crown has seen directors heading for the exit doors, while James Packer has copped a hit to his hip pocket. The casino at Sydney’s Barangaroo was to be operated by Crown but an inquiry into the business, which found money laundering and links to groups such as the Triads, has delayed its opening. The Bergin Report suggested that a number of directors resign and that the influence of James Packer, the company’s major shareholder, be reduced. Yesterday two directors linked to Mr Packer’s private business resigned and these actions reduced the company’s share price fall but the question remains: will other directors fall on their swords and could Mr Packer take further steps to de-Packerize the business or even sell it? The AFR says this fall from grace and the share price slide for Crown could knock Mr Packer out of the AFR’s top 20 richest list.

3. Majority says compulsory super should be raised to 12%

A UMR survey of 1,092 people came up with the conclusion that 71% thought the Morrison Government should go ahead with the plan to raise our compulsory super from 9.5% of our pay to 12% by 2025. And that’s despite half of those surveyed saying they’d rather take the extra super as more take-home-pay. Now that sounds like faulty maths, with 71% supporting the ‘more super’ option but 50% wanting it as more take home pay. Well, it’s not. It’s more a case of this: though half want more take home pay, they see it as more responsible to have more super. Those surveyed who were younger and didn’t own a property probably preferred the money now!

4. All of the world's coronavirus particles would fit in a Coke can

British mathematician Kit Yates from Bath University has calculated that all of the coronavirus particles in the world would fit inside one Coke can. Yates calculated that there are about two quintillion (two billion billion) particles in the world at any one time measuring an average diameter of 100 nanometres (about 1,000 times thinner than human hair).

5. Dow reaches record close as other indexes dip

The Dow Jones closed at a new record high of 31,437.80 on Wednesday after rising 61.97 points or 0.20% during the session. Meanwhile the S&P 500 fell by 1.35 points or 0.04% to 3,909.88 and the Nasdaq dropped 35.16 points or 0.25% 13,972.53.