Telstra's NBN woe made in Canberra
Telstra's Andy Penn insists bluntly it's not sustainable for an industry to continue to earn no money. Not that Telstra is ever going to get a lot of sympathy for claiming financial hardship.
We've moved on from 'slogans and fear', Shorten says
With government MPs buoyed by renewed focus on border protection, Bill Shorten says the country has moved on from 2001 when boat people debate became electorally potent.
What we learned from today's profits
If mum-and-dad investors needed any more proof that it is time to reassess those stocks they've trusted for so long, Thursday's blue-chip bludgeoning provided it.
SMSFs cry foul over 'second-class' status
Retirees with self-managed superannuation funds are bracing to become 'second-class investors' under Labor's franking credit policy, which will slash their incomes while sparing other categories of shareholder.
Weak earnings results push ASX lower
A bumper day of earnings pushed Australian shares lower on Thursday, as losses from AMP, Telstra and Suncorp Group pushed the market lower.
Goldman pushes out RBA hike
Goldman Sachs has downgraded its economic growth forecast and pushed out when it expects the Reserve Bank might hike interest rates.
Telstra reaches NBN turning point
Telstra's results reflect the squeeze on profit margins from NBN Co's wholesale broadband network and increased mobile phone competition.
TPG Capital looks to smaller deals
TPG Capital Australia boss Joel Thickins is looking to shed the firm's past practice of focusing on titanic deals and reveals it will be doing more deals, more often in Australia and the region.
Airbus to stop making struggling A380 superjumbo
European aviation giant Airbus said on Thursday it would stop making its superjumbo A380 in 2021 for lack of customers, abandoning the world's biggest passenger jet.
AMP investors in it for the long haul
AMP's long suffering investors are bracing themselves for another difficult year ahead as the new chief executive Francesco De Ferrari put growth on the back burner in the aftermath of the Hayne royal commission.
Oil Search under fire on growth goals
Oil and gas producers have been criticised for structuring remuneration for senior executives around growth in output and resources.
Olympic Dam gains 'major development status' from SA
The SA government has conferred ''major development'' status on a potential Olympic Dam expansion, but BHP won't make a decision until late 2020.
Telstra slide pushes ASX into the red
The Australian sharemarket closed lower on Thursday, weighed by losses from Telstra, AMP and Suncorp.
Cleanaway 'king of defensive stocks'
Cleanaway chief executive Vik Bansal says the big waste-management group is ideally positioned as a king of defensive stocks in an economic downturn.
No sign of SME credit crunch, says NAB
Business conditions and confidence for small and medium-sized enterprises declined in the fourth quarter of 2018 but credit conditions haven't changed for most SMEs, NAB says.
HSBC tips Aussie dollar to fall to US66¢
Strategists are busy revising down their forecasts for the Australian dollar, with Commonwealth Bank turning more negative and HSBC pencilling in a post-GFC low.
UniSuper backs NAB hybrid with massive cornerstone bid
Unisuper's John Pearce is back in the hybrid investment game.
Opinion
Hayne's shadow looms over Suncorp
Suncorp's battle to win over sceptics won't be made easier by Royal Commissioner Kenneth Hayne's shadow over interim results.
Coal-powered politics fires up
The frenzy over asylum seekers demonstrates how the political cycle always turns – but with repetitive echoes. These days it's banks rather than miners desperately fighting against the full weight of political and community opprobrium, for example.
Solving the mortgage broker problem
There is a simple solution to the mortgage broker commission problem that should satisfy both sides of the intense debate triggered by the recommendations of royal commissioner Kenneth Hayne.
Bill Shorten must play his cards carefully on boats
The Labor leader risks getting caught between elite supporters and a voter base alarmed by his retreat on borders.
AWU leak came from union watchdog, court told
Michaelia Cash's former chief of staff told federal police the former media adviser at the union watchdog tipped him off about police raids on the Australian Workers' Union, the court has heard.
'Nothing important was achieved without a fight'
Tina Tchen, former chief of staff to Michelle Obama and assistant to her husband Barack, saw her signature achievement in government shuttered by Donald Trump.
Why the crossbench will rule Canberra
Large and motley crossbenches are here to stay. Power will be with those who know how to negotiate, writes David Leyonhjelm .
Hanson staffer barred from Parliament
A controversial adviser to Pauline Hanson has been barred indefinitely from Parliament House after an altercation with One Nation defector Brian Burston.
PM retreats on 'big stick' energy threat
The government has mounted a temporary retreat over plans to forcibly divest energy companies.
US-China trade talks underway as Huawei tensions grow
Senior US and Chinese trade negotiators started high-level talks in Beijing on Thursday as both powers seek to end a trade war hurting both their economies.
Trump edges towards border deal to avert shutdown
President Donald Trump is eyeing a path to avoid another government shutdown where he would reluctantly accept the congressional border-security deal and attempt to tap other funds for his wall.
Spain hurtles toward new elections as PM loses supply
For Spain, and indeed all of Europe, a new round of political turbulence could hardly come at a worse time.
China trade stronger than expected in January
China's January trade data defied US trade tariff concerns, with exports rising 9.1 per cent and imports falling 1.5 per cent.
Japanese ‘attack’ exposes French unease over Ghosn
Renault sees a Japanese plot, but in Paris resentment against the imperious executive persists.
Personal Finance
Super Retail keeps dividend intact
Super Retail Group's $43 million wages scandal has not had as big an impact on December-half earnings as first feared.
How the Rich Invest: Dale Elphinstone
The mining services sector will hope Dale Elphinstone, the richest Tasmanian, is a canary in the coal mine after his business leasing earthmoving equipment increased profits 418 per cent last year.
New building laws need a shot of 'fair go'
Hats off to Matt Kean but there's a missing piece - we must remove the need for ordinary home owners to go to court just to get what they paid for.
ASIC makes modest return on BBSW
The public's attention was captured by the colourful characters and language but the return on investment was little more than an even money bet.
What Gates doesn't like about Trump
The tech titan turned powerful philanthropist says Congress should get credit for standing up to the administration.
The top firms on graduate wish lists
Deloitte took out the award for the company most in demand among university students looking for an internship or job.
The perils of dating the co-founder
Aleks Svetski and Chantelle de la Rey, co-founders of digital currency exchange Amber, observe a rule: they don't call each other babe at work.
Lifestyle
Van Gogh remains an enigma in At Eternity's Gate
With the maniacal gleam in his eye, his haggard, lean and hungry look, it's amazing that it's taken so long for Willem Dafoe to be cast as Vincent Van Gogh. He's even got a Dutch name, although he was born in Wisconsin.
