1. 38% of voters approve the federal government's pandemic response

The number of Australian voters who believe the federal governments response to the COVID-19 pandemic was 'good or very good' fell to 38% in July, down from 56% in February this year and 66% in July last year according to the True Issue survey by JWS research published in the AFR today. WA had the highest state approval rating of 80%, while Queensland had the lowest with 47%.

2. Westpac hints at potential share buyback

Westpac has indicated it may follow the other three major banks by offering a share buyback later this year. "Given excess capital and franking credits, the Board will consider a return of capital, with an update expected at our FY21 results," the bank said in a regulatory update. Westpac will report its final results on November 1.

3. Could the ASX reach 8,000 by the end of the year?

After a record-high of 7,628.90 reached by the ASX 200 last Friday, some fund managers are predicting the index will crack 8,000 in 2020 despite the current lockdowns. James Gerrish from Shaw and Partners said 8,000 could be achieved before Christmas based on recent market movements, while Russel Chesler from VanEck noted that he expects it will be reached so long as NSW and Victoria leave lockdown "sooner rather than later" according to the AFR.

4. 10-year-old Perth boy co-authors scientific paper

Rehan Somaweera, a year five student from Perth, has become one of the youngest Australians ever to author a scientific paper. He worked with his dad to publish research about the behaviour of the West Australian common octopus in a CSIRO journal, and told the ABC that he dreams of one day becoming a scientist.

5. Fifth consecutive record highs for the Dow and S&P 500

The Dow Jones and S&P 500 both closed at new record-high levels for the fifth day in a row on Monday. The Dow moved up 110.02 points or 0.31% to 35,625.40 and the S&P 500 gained 11.71 points or 0.26% to 4,479.71, while the Nasdaq closed down 29.13 points or 0.20% to 14,793.76.