Helped by high tide and tug boats the 400m long container ship that has been blocking the Suez canal for almost a week in afloat and moving slowly. The obstruction has created a massive traffic jam in the vital passage, holding up $12 billion each day in global trade and straining supply chains already burdened by the coronavirus pandemic. The traffic jam of hundreds of ships will take days to clear.
2. Brisbane enters three-day lockdown days before Easter
QLD and NSW health authorities are scrambling to contain the new outbreak of the UK variant of the coronavirus. The lockdown comes as JobKeeper ends causing concern for tourism operators as Australians cancel their Easter holiday trips to QLD. This is an unbelievable blow for the industry,” Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind told The Australian Financial Review. “There is no doubt we will see a reduction in arrivals, not just to Brisbane but other parts of Queensland.”
3. Scott Morrison's approval ratings take a hit from female voters
Scott Morrison’s standing with female voters has taken a hit as the political crisis triggered by the mishandling of Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation. The prime minister’s approval rating are down 10 points in a fortnight, and disapproval up by 10%. While Morrison’s approval with women voters is now down 16 points since the Higgins story broke in February, the prime minister’s standing with male voters has remained unchanged through the fracas, with only a minor uptick in disapproval recorded within the poll’s margin of error, which is plus or minus three points.
4. Volkswagen set to change name to 'Voltswagen'
Volkswagen is planning to change the name of its US operations to 'Voltswagen' in an effort to promote electric vehicles according to a leaked press release on the automaker's website. "The new name and branding symbolize the highly-charged forward momentum Voltswagen has put in motion, pursuing a goal of moving all people point-to-point with EVs," the press release said.
5. Dow hits new record as S&P 500 and Nasdaq fall
The Dow Jones reached a new record-high close of 33,171.37 on Monday after rising 98.49 points or 0.30% during the first trading session of the week. The S&P 500 fell 3.45 points or 0.09% to 3,971.09 and the Nasdaq dropped 79.8 points or 0.60% to 13,059.65. CNBC noted that both the Dow and S&P 500 are up for the month of March, with rises of 7.2% and 4.2% respectively, while the Nasdaq is down 1%.