1. Pre-Budget leak: retirees to get super boost

It’s pre-Budget leak time and the latest is about retirees getting a superannuation boost. It’s one more sleep before Treasurer Josh Frydenberg reveals the Budget for the 2021-22 and the news is self-funded retirees will be able to put more into super by ending the work test that stopped those between 67 and 74 building up their super nest egg. This will also be a great vote-catcher for the Government.

2. Crown Resorts share price set to rise

Expect the share price of Crown Resorts to rise with its rival casino and hotel business talking about a $12 billion merger. The SMH says the merger proposal, set to be made public in an ASX announcement this morning, pits The Star against US investment giant Blackstone for the casino group once heavily controlled by James Packer, that has recently fallen foul of the regulator for crimes such as ignoring money laundering and other actions that threaten its very licence to operate.

3. 194,000 new homes to be built by July 1!

It’s good news for anyone hoping to buy a new home, with the peak builder group predicting 194,000 homes will be built this year. The fact that house prices are rising so quickly and many Aussies can’t even buy a home is because there’s a supply problem. Well, forecasts released by the Master Builders Australia reveal residential construction will soar to 194,257 homes by July 1, reflecting the success of the Morrison government’s HomeBuilder scheme, which has driven a 12.4% increase in major home renovations. This is great news for homebuyers and job creation but it will mean getting a tradesman to show up to do a job could be a nightmare.

4. Bees trained to detect COVID-19

Dutch researchers have trained more than 150 bees to be able to detect the coronavirus via smell. The bees were given sugar water as a reward for recognising COVID-19, and through repeated conditioning, the bees now stick out their tongue when presented with a positive sample of the virus. The researchers said the test could be used in low-income countries.

5. Dow and S&P 500 end week at record highs

Both the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 rose to new record-high closes on Friday and ended the week firmly in the green. On a weekly basis, the Dow was up 2.67% to 34,777.76 and the S&P 500 was up 1.23% to 4,232.60, while the Nasdaq was down 1.51% to 13,752.24. Locally, the S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.78% for the week to 7,080.80.