What lower US rates means for property
The Federal Reserve's new dovish stance makes Australian rate cuts - and a smoother introduction to negative gearing changes - more likely, SQM Research says.
Four stock tips for volatile markets
Fund managers see opportunities in the technology, mining, and industrial sectors, as large companies battle sluggish growth.
Private health changes could spark a year of confusion
Changes designed to make private health insurance simpler could have the opposite effect, at least for 12 months.
- Live
- Markets Live
ASX rallies 30pts in final hour of trade
Australian shares have rallied late in the final 30 minutes of trade, as some of the index heavyweights gave up their earlier losses.
Officeworks' latest Amazon defence
Officeworks is defending its turf from Amazon by expanding products and services, many of which are on display at the world's biggest office supplies store.
Mortgage delinquencies to rise
The surge in interest-only loans written five years ago at the height of the boom are now rolling, with borrowers facing higher monthly repayments.
- Analysis
- Bonds
Bonds head deep into uncharted territory
Bond traders are now pricing in an increased probability that the Reserve Bank will lower the cash rate at least once before the end of the year.
Business
Heron Resources battles CIMIC's Sedgman over cost blow-outs
CIMIC's Sedgman subsidiary is making clients unhappy with large claims for additional costs on projects.
Brickworks predicts re-run of 1980s
Australia's largest brickmaker is bracing for a sharper downturn in May and June as tighter credit bites, and is very fearful of Labor's housing policy.
BGH to sign $2.3b Navitas deal
Melbourne-based BGH Capital has struck the largest ever buyout by an Australian-based private equity firm.
Twiggy adds to oil drill hostility
Andrew Forrest has taken his campaign against the oil exploration drilling planned by Norway's Equinor in the Great Australian Bight plan to Norway.
Long-term value investing takes skill
Souls Patts boss Todd Barlow says he's not surprised investors "get very scared about deploying capital at the bottom of the cycle".
SMBs suffer under bank credit squeeze
Adelaide Bank is the latest to toughen terms for small business borrowers.
NSW Labor junks Santos gas vow
NSW Labor insists Santos' assurances it would sell all the gas from its controversial Narrabri gas project to domestic customers can't be believed.
Markets
- Live
- Markets Live
ASX rallies 30pts in final hour of trade
Australian shares have rallied late in the final 30 minutes of trade, as some of the index heavyweights gave up their earlier losses.
Fed kills global monetary policy reset
The Fed decision to put monetary policy on ice means central banks around the world, from the RBA to the ECB, now have almost no room to normalise rates.
Jobless rate falls to 4.9pc
The Australian economy created 4600 new jobs in February, helping to push the jobless rate down to 4.9 per cent.
- Analysis
- Monetary policy
Fed’s caution surprises government bond market
Global equities have gained 12 per cent in 2019 — the best start to a year in two decades. Yet global government bond yields have drooped lower.
Why James Baillieu doesn't believe in the Updater unicorn
After controversially de-listing from the ASX to pursue other funding options, the relocation services company's capital raising may be derailed by one frustrated investor.
Opinion
Property at the heart of the remaking of Brickworks
While Brickworks maintains the rage over Australian manufacturing, it is quietly building a huge industrial property business.
Chanticleer Columnist
Is this the man shifting the Fed's stance?
Jerome Powell is the boss, but it might be Federal Reserve vice-chairman Richard Clarida who's setting the central bank's language and framework.
Chanticleer Columnist
NSW Coalition deserves to finish job it started
The Coalition has succeeded where the last Labor government failed. Nothing has really changed, writes The AFR View.
Editorial
Powell boxes Fed into a corner
Cowed by the president and market jitters, Jerome Powell’s laudable efforts to wean the world’s biggest economy off easy money have been exhausted.
United States Correspondent
Politics
PM says Turkish president has moderated his views
Scott Morrison wants to work constructively with Turkey after Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed comments Australians would come home in coffins were out of context.
Migration cuts won't harm economy
Scott Morrison says capping the annual permanent migrant intake at 160,000 will not slow economic growth, but experts and business groups disagree.
Chris Bowen explains his franking plan
"Reform is difficult" says the member for McMahon, in Sydney's west, and "you can't talk about inequality and then do nothing about it".
NSW election descends into a battle of the videos
Scott Yung got the call on Wednesday morning. The Liberal Party needed an Asian, stat. The party, which plans to slash immigration, hoped to capitalise on Labor's claim that Asian PhDs were taking local jobs.
- Exclusive
- Rail
Labor commits to build fast train
Labor will lock in its commitment to build a fast train from Melbourne to Brisbane by promising to start buying the land corridor if elected.
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World
Past quarter was one of worst in UBS history
The Swiss bank is deepening cost cuts by $US300 billion and slowing down new hires as it confronts uncertain European trading conditions.
- Opinion
- International affairs
Beware the Middle East's falling pillars
A new Middle East is being born– but not necessarily the flourishing one that people imagined in the 1990s.
Adviser sees chance of US, N Korea compromise
A senior adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in says any hope of progress in US-North Korean nuclear talks now hinge on Donald Trump's domestic political agenda.
May climbs back onto her Brexit bulldozer
British Prime Minister Theresa May looks ready to shrink parliament's choice to her deal or a March 29 no-deal Brexit - and EU impatience might work in her favour.
Pilot who hitched a ride saved Lion Air 737 day before deadly crash
The extra pilot, who was seated in the cockpit jumpseat, correctly diagnosed the problem and told the crew how to disable the malfunctioning system.
Real Estate
The Sydney enclave where property royalty live
This harbour-front enclave in Vaucluse is home to a select group who have made their money almost exclusively from property in one form or another.
Property prices may fall 12pc under Labor
Labor's planned negative gearing and capital gains tax changes would push housing prices down as much as 12 per cent and push rents up 15 per cent, SQM says.
New record for highest office rent in Sydney
Sydney's newest office building has set the record for the most expensive office rents
How negative gearing leads to 'lazy' investment
Australia allocates too much capital to property. But would curbing negative gearing end that?
'It's time for a bit of caution': ISPT boss Daryl Browning
"We're still a buyer, but we're more cautious about where we put capital in this point in the cycle," he said.
Personal Finance
- Opinion
- Consumer rights
How to spot a perfectly managed apartment block
The obvious answer is to avoid the bad ones. To do that, look for clear signs that the building isn’t being properly looked after.
- Opinion
- Retirement living
If you don't know what you want from aged care, you'll pay
The key to maintaining choice and control is to plan ahead. Decide what is important to you and understand what this may cost.
Retail property faces earnings pressure on several fronts
Overseas' competition, online retail and weaker consumer demand mean an era of easy earnings and capital growth from retail property are over, according to Grant MacKenzie, a portfolio manager for Freehold Investment Management, which has about $500 million under management.
Technology
Why James Baillieu doesn't believe in the Updater unicorn
After controversially de-listing from the ASX to pursue other funding options, the relocation services company's capital raising may be derailed by one frustrated investor.
- Exclusive
- Funding
Skedulo closes $US28m raise
Skedulo has closed a $US28 million capital raise led by Microsoft's M12 venture-capital fund as the company aims for enterprise software leadership.
Telcos caught in social media crackdown
Internet providers will join the likes of Facebook and Twitter in a meeting with government to discuss better policing of violent content, as Telstra, Optus and Vodafone moved to block some sites.
Leadership
Books: how to write a great speech, and Asia rising
New books reveal the secrets of speechwriting, why Asia is reshaping the world order, and the life of Arabs in the US.
Talent Gap to recruit solely women candidates
Talent Gap is the first agency to be awarded an anti-discrimination exemption from the New South Wales government to recruit solely for candidates who are women.
Lifestyle
Film review: Destroyer keeps you guessing
Nicole Kidman is barely recognisable as a cop with a dark past in this tale of revenge.
The latest trends in watches at the fairs
What's seen on wrists at recent watch fairs in Geneva and Basel points to the next big things in horological circles.
It seems there is a market for an $80,000 Mercedes ute
There's plenty of room to run the kids to school. But the big tough X350d is a pretty harsh ride round the city.
To avoid cancer, add milk to your coffee
A new study has found consuming drinks at above 60C is 'consistently associated' with developing the deadly disease.
The future shape of shoes may be bad news for you
The trend forecasters at the Milan shoe fair have got some advice for you: you may want to get rid of those velvet loafers.
Most Viewed
Exclusive enclave of Hermit Bay in Vaucluse home to rich property crowd
Property prices may fall 12pc under Labor
Odds blow out in favour of Coalition in NSW election
Labor commits to build fast train from Melbourne to Brisbane
$100b of lease liabilities headed for balance sheets
The drink that stole the show at the Australian Open
