The ASX is poised to open higher after softer US jobs data eased worries that the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates any time soon.The Dow hit a record high, climbing 1.1 per cent. However, the Nasdaq slipped, as semiconductor stocks came under selling pressure. Follow the day's financial news and insights from our specialist business reporters on our live blog.Disclaimer: this blog is not intended as investment advice.PinnedFri 3 Jul 2026 at 7:37amFri 3 Jul 2026 at 7:37amMarket snapshotBy Lin LinASX 200 futures: +0.5% at 8754Australian dollar: steady at 69.2 US cents Wall Street: Dow Jones (+1.1%), S&P 500 (steady), Nasdaq (-0.79%)Europe: FTSE (+1.7%), Stoxx 600 (+1.4%) Spot gold: +1.3% to $US4,135/ounce Oil (Brent crude): steady at $US71.59/barrel Iron ore: +0.9% to $US98.5/tonne Bitcoin: -0.09% to $US61,459Prices current around 7.30AM AESTThis article contains content that is not available.Collapse all postsFilter PostsAll5Key Events1Market snapshot1Sydney1Key EventFri 3 Jul 2026 at 8:01amFri 3 Jul 2026 at 8:01amJoel Thickins keeps his job as TPG Asia co-headBy Lin LinTPG Capital has decided to keep Joel Thickins as the co-head of TPG Asia, following his guilty plea to drink-driving related offences. In a statement, the private equity giant said it appointed law firm Debevoise & Plimpton to conduct an independent investigation after the June 1 crash and separate allegations involving Mr Thickins and one of the firm’s portfolio companies, Novotech.The firm said the investigation had now concluded. It found the allegations relating to Novotech were “unsubstantiated and meritless”, after interviews with relevant parties and a review of tens of thousands of documents found no evidence to support the claims. No further details were provided about what these allegations were in relation to.TPG said the findings of that investigation, together with Mr Thickins’ acceptance of responsibility for the driving offences, his cooperation throughout the investigation, and his previously clean disciplinary record, led the firm to retain him in his role. It said it had also taken “appropriate disciplinary action”, but did not disclose what that involved.The results of Debevoise’s investigation, combined with Joel’s accountability for his actions, his cooperation throughout the investigation, and his lack of prior infractions and disciplinary record at TPG, have led the firm to conclude that Joel will continue in his role. In addition to his court-mandated penalties, TPG has imposed appropriate disciplinary action.Earlier this week, Mr Thickins pleaded guilty to negligent driving while under the influence of alcohol and refusing an alcohol-detecting breath test after he crashed his BMW into five cars in Sydney's east, before refusing two alcohol-detecting breath tests on June 1.Mr Thickins was served two fines and disqualified from driving for nine months.Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 7:55amFri 3 Jul 2026 at 7:55amAmpol CEO says fuel shortage shows why Australia's last refineries matterBy Lin LinCan Australia keep the fuel flowing if another global crisis hits?Ampol's CEO Matthew Halliday says the Iran conflict exposed Australia's vulnerabilities and argues the country’s last two oil refineries have become more important than ever.He spoke to Alan Kohler on the That's Business podcast.You can read my article summary in the link below and the podcast episode will be out later today. Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 7:46amFri 3 Jul 2026 at 7:46amICYMI: Thursday finance with David ChauBy Lin LinTo get a recap of finance news, check out the finance report by my colleague David Chau.He covers why KPMG economists found that the current generation of home owners and borrowers are experiencing a harder time with their mortgage repayments, even though interest rates now are much lower than they were during 1990s recession, when rates surged as high as 17.5 per cent.Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 6:55amFri 3 Jul 2026 at 6:55amASX poised to rise, Wall Street mixedBy Lin LinGood morning and welcome to another day on the ABC's business and finance blog.Lin here to take you through the morning business news. Hope you have had a lovely week.The ASX is set to rise this morning with futures pointing to a 0.5 per cent gain to 8754.Overnight, signs of a cooling US labour market helped lift many stocks on Wall Street, as investors grew more confident I suppose that the Federal Reserve is more likely to hold interest rates steady (rather than raise interest rates). The Dow hit all-time highs but semiconductor stocks came under pretty heavy selling pressure.S&P 500 basically flat, falling 0.06%Dow Jones rose 1.1%Nasdaq Composite fell 0.87%In the meantime, grab a coffee, tea and some breaky. I’ll have more updates for you very soon.