Hello hello hello. It’s Friday.

1. News content returned to Facebook in Australia this morning, a week after the platform banned journalism from being shared on its platform. That means you can follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook – and why not, quite frankly? No skin off your back. Throw us a bone, will you.

2. Afterpay and Zip reported their first-half results on Thursday, with both buy now, pay later companies recording rising losses. It comes as both refocus their efforts on North America for growth, with the market now representing around 65% of Afterpay’s customers and 56% of Zip’s. To that end, Afterpay will increase its stake in its US operation to 93%, announcing a $1.25 billion raise.

3. Victoria has recorded two new local COVID-19 cases, both in primary close contacts. The Department of Health said both cases were primary contacts of pre-existing cases and have been quarantining. It comes as the Andrews government plans to wind back restrictions.

4. Job listings continue to spike in the new year, says employment portal Indeed. The company reports there were 14.7% more job postings on February 12, 2021 than there were on February 1 last year. The figures are promising for Australia’s economic recovery, but new ABS stats, also released Thursday, raise new questions about the unemployment rate.

5. The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) estimates a Brisbane Olympics would cost just $4.5 billion to host. While AOC President John Coates believes the Games can ‘break even’, the costs involved nearly always blow out, with most Olympics running at a substantial loss – including Sydney 2000. Here’s our look.

6. Australian influencers are signing more deals with international and domestic brands as Australia has lifted the harshest COVID-19 restrictions. Influencer agency Cape’s Dr Brent Coker said creators are free to work with companies to create content, unencumbered by lockdowns or fearing a backlash for ignoring public health measures.

7. The median price for a house at auction in Sydney has reached a record high of $1.68 million. Clearance rates are also set to break levels not seen since 2015. For those living in Australia’s most expensive capital, it seems not even a global pandemic could really rattle soaring prices.

8. Crypto exchange Coinbase on Thursday released its documents for going public through a direct listing. In the filing, the trading platform cites pseudonymous bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity as a risk factor. The creator’s cache of bitcoins could wreak havoc on the market if Nakamoto sold their collection, the filing suggests. Coinbase actually listed Nakamoto as one of the recipients of the public filing.

9. Twitter is jumping on the content monetisation game. The company on Thursday revealed a new feature called “Super Follow” at an analyst event, which will allow users on the platform to pay creators for access to tweets, newsletters and groups. The service will likely compete with platforms using a similar model, like Patreon and OnlyFans.

10. Short sellers lost $US664 million on Wednesday as GameStop shares spiked 104% in the final 30 minutes of trading, S3 Partners said. The stock’s 84% intraday gain on Thursday fuelled another $US1.19 billion in mark-to-market losses. Reddit traders revived the GameStop rally this week on new hopes the company can reinvent itself.

BONUS ITEM

Posted without comment.

Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.