• The ASX200 is trading 0.46% lower after lunchtime at 7350.40 points.
• SenSen signs a multi-year contract with London-based Hippodrome Casino.
• Apollo Tourism & Leisure proposes merger with Tourism Holdings Ltd.

The Australian market is following Wall Street’s lead to trade 0.46% lower at 7350.40 after lunchtime as energy and healthcare stocks experience a sharp sell-off.

China’s Evergrande Group has been declared ‘restricted default’ by Fitch Ratings as it battles to manage over A$420bn in debts, after missing Monday’s deadline to repay $82.5m in bond coupons.

The tech sector is trading more than 1.4% lower today so far, led by Afterpay tumbling 4% while NEXTDC, Nearmap, EML Payments and Tryo Payments each shed more than 2%.

Bitcoin is trading 2.66% lower over the last 24-hours at US$48,550.50 at 1:30pm AEDT.

Australian-based leading Sensor AI enterprise SenSen has signed a multi-year contract with Hippodrome Casino in London for the fitting of SenSen AI solutions on the casino’s gaming floors. The contract will generate both upfront and recurring revenues amounting to $430k over the initial 3-year term.

Making headlines, Apollo Tourism & Leisure is soaring more than 23% today after announcing a proposed merger with New Zealand based Tourism Holdings Ltd (thl) via a scheme of arrangement. The proposed transaction will see Apollo shareholders receive 1 fully paid share in thl for every 3.68 fully paid ordinary shares in Apollo, which will see Apollo shareholders own 25% thl shares on issue upon completion of the proposed transaction.

And two Aussie teens have gone viral on TikTok for a stunt in a shopping trolley going wrong when the pair became stuck and required Firefighters to cut them from the trolley.