Shares in Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC) hit a fresh 12-month low on Thursday, but to discern why, you need to look beyond the company’s announcements.

Indeed, the company didn’t release any news to the ASX on Thursday, raising the question of what has driven the shares down more than 6%.

Key personnel jumping ship

The answer likely lies in the loss of two senior executives across both the company’s broadcast and print journalism divisions.

Firstly, Amanda Laing, who oversaw the company’s streaming and broadcast division, is leaving just 18 months after taking on the role.

Ms Laing is a seasoned executive, having worked at Foxtel, ACP Magazines, and formerly as general counsel for Nine.

The Australian Financial Review (AFR) is reporting that Ms Laing’s role will no longer exist going forward.

Separately, the Editor-In-Chief of the AFR, James Chessell, has jumped ship to former AFR journalist Joe Aston’s start-up Rampart.

Rampart said:

As well as leading Rampart’s growing editorial team, James will write a regular column and co-host Rampart’s new weekly news vodcast with Joe, launching in early 2027.

Launched by Aston about 18 months ago, Rampart produces regular long-form business articles as well as podcast interviews.

Aston revealed last month that Rampart had accepted $2.3 million in investment from five partners, including former Nine Chief Executive Officer David Gyngell and Ellerston Capital Executive Chair Ashok Jacob.

The deal values the company at $28.75 million.

Aston said further:

Rampart didn’t need external capital to continue on its already steep trajectory as one of Australia’s fastest growing media brands. The company was profitable in financial 2025, profitable again in financial 2026, even after the rapid growth in our headcount in recent months, and would’ve been profitable in 2027. But with our business model now well-proven, I decided there is no time like the present to turbocharge investment in Rampart’s journalism (which in turn will boost our audience and revenue growth); to establish an external market valuation for the company; and to advance our next phase with an incredibly high-quality group of equity partners.

Nine forecasting profit growth

For its part, Nine reported revenue of $2.19 billion in FY26, up 3%, and net profit of $147.2 million, up 11%.

On the outlook, the company said:

The change to our portfolio mix, implemented over the past 12 months, has resulted in Nine’s growth assets (Streaming – Stan and 9Now, Outdoor and Digital Publishing) expected to contribute more than 60% of Revenue and c70% of EBITDA in FY27. As a result, Nine expects to report another year of pro forma revenue and EBITDA growth in FY27. Driving this performance, will be further growth from Nine’s subscription businesses of Stan and Digital Publishing, as well as Outdoor (QMS).   

Nine Entertainment shares on Thursday hit a 12-month low of 66 cents before recovering slightly to be 6.2% lower at 68 cents.

The company is valued at $1.15 billion.

The post Why did Nine Entertainment shares hit a 12-month low today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nine Entertainment. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The latest jobs figures are out, and the result wasn’t quite what economists had expected.

While unemployment has climbed again, the economy is still adding jobs, giving the RBA plenty to consider ahead of next week’s interest rate decision.

The central bank has already lifted rates three times this year, with another increase widely expected on Tuesday.

So, could today’s jobs data give the RBA a reason to hold off?

More jobs, but unemployment keeps climbing

According to the ABS release, the unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in August, up from 4.5% in July.

The number of unemployed Australians increased by 28,200 to approximately 722,900, despite the economy adding 39,500 jobs during the month.

The increase in employment came entirely from part-time work, which jumped by 45,800 positions. Full-time employment fell by 6,300.

The participation rate also climbed from 66.9% to 67.1%, meaning more Australians were either working or actively looking for a job.

There were some encouraging signs, though, with total hours worked increasing 0.7% and the underemployment rate easing slightly to 6.2%.

Will the RBA change its mind?

With the cash rate currently at 4.35%, another 25-basis-point increase on Tuesday would take it to 4.60%.

Speaking at a CEDA event earlier this week, RBA Governor Michele Bullock said unemployment between 4.5% and 5% would probably help ease inflation pressures.

However, Bullock wasn’t giving anything away about next week’s decision.

She also pointed to elevated oil prices, excess demand and inflation expectations as continuing concerns for the central bank.

At the same time, financial markets were pricing in a 95% chance of another rate hike ahead of today’s employment report.

The RBA has also acknowledged that previous interest rate increases are yet to have their full effect on the economy. It said it expects unemployment to continue rising gradually.

What happens next?

The RBA will have to make Tuesday’s decision without another inflation reading.

August’s consumer price index isn’t due until Wednesday, 30 September, a day after the board meets. The next jobs report won’t arrive until 15 October.

In its August forecasts, the RBA expected unemployment to reach 4.6% by June 2027 and 4.8% by mid 2028.

It also expects inflation to return to the midpoint of its target range in early 2028.

With unemployment climbing, I think the RBA has more reason to leave rates at 4.35%. However, another increase wouldn’t surprise me given its ongoing concerns about inflation.

We’ll find out at 2.30pm AEST on Tuesday, 29 September.

The post Unemployment hits 4.6%. Could the RBA hold off on another rate hike? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Myer Holdings Ltd (ASX: MYR) shares have fallen around 2% to a multi-year low of 17 cents a piece, at the time of writing.

This is the lowest price the stock has traded at since April 2020.

The shares are now down 64% year to date and 63% lower than 12 months ago.

It’s been a pretty consistent tumble, too.

The shares hovered around an annual high of 49 cents between October last year and January. But then they fell by around 53% into late May. There was a brief rebound through June before the share price resumed its downward trend.

What has happened to Myer shares?

The company faced operational issues and profitability headwinds in late 2025. And investor confidence only fell further this year.

As a fashion retail stock, Myer shares have been heavily affected by key 2026 themes of market volatility, high inflation, and interest rate fears. A higher cost-of-living has meant Australians have been tightening their purse strings and are spending less on discretionary items.

The retailer posted solid first-half financial results in March, suggesting that the business has its operating costs under control and that its strategic initiatives are gaining traction. But investors weren’t convinced.

In an update to the market in late July, the company confirmed that cost-of-living pressures and challenging trading conditions had flowed through to its bottom line. Myer reported total sales for the financial year to the end of June of $4.089 billion, up 11.3%.

At the time, the company said that it expects to report operating gross profit for the full year in the range of $1.601 to $1.607 billion.

Myer posted its FY26 results yesterday, confirming that operating gross profit came within the guided range at $1.603 billion for the 12 months to the 25th of July. Reported total sales climbed 0.7% to $4.09 billion, from FY 2025 on a comparable basis.

But management also announced a 7% decline in its underlying EBIT on an actual basis, and 23.5% lower on a pro forma basis. The store also reported a 2.9% drop in underlying NPAT on an actual basis, and a 32.1% decline on a pro forma basis.

The board also decided not to pay shareholders a final dividend for FY26.

Myer shares initially leapt higher immediately following the results announcement, but closed the day flat. 

Today, more investors have sold up their holdings.

Can the shares rebound from here?

Despite the strong headwinds this year, experts seem confident that Myer shares can recover some of their losses over the next 12 months.

TradingView data shows the majority (four out of five) brokers have a strong buy rating on the consumer discretionary shares. Another one has a hold rating.

They all agree there will be some element of upside ahead. The average 38.5-cent target price implies a 119% potential upside over the next 12 months at the time of writing. And some more bullish brokers think the shares have the potential to rebound 214% to 55 cents a piece. 

The post Down 64%: Has the market lost interest in Myer shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Myer. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.