Fear grips Wall Street as tariff hikes loom
Wall Street has finally awoken to the lop-sided risk that this week's tariff war brinkmanship leads to all out conflict between the US and China.
Corbyn's water plans could spell huge losses for Aussie super funds
UK Labour may spend $27bn to nationalise the water industry - just one-third of a 2018 estimate of what the companies are worth.
- Live
- Markets Live
Automotive Holdings backs higher AP Eagers offer
S&P/ASX 200 has slipped nearly 52 points on opening to 6244 with CSL, BHP, and Treasury Wine dragging.
- Exclusive
- Trump diplomacy
Joe Hockey to pull the pin on US
Joe Hockey won't be sticking around as ambassador to Washington much beyond this year, even if the Coalition pulls off a surprise win next week.
- Live
- Federal election
Shorten attacks media reports on mum
Bill Shorten has opened today with a blitz against The Daily Telegraph, and Joe Hockey looks set to end his tenure as US ambassador next year. Follow live here.
Canberra boom gives developers a leg up at top end of the market
Canberra's developers and builders are dominating the city's top-end house sales for good reason.
We can withstand a global downturn: Frydenberg
A combination of income tax cuts, infrastructure investment and skills training will be enough to keep the domestic economy growing in the event of a sharper than expected global downturn.
Federal Election
ScoMo's Jedi moment
The Liberals are the first major party to take out a YouTube homepage advertisement this federal election campaign.
- Analysis
- Federal election
Betting markets and polls confuse election predictions
National voter surveys don't reveal the big differences in how the election campaign is playing out in different states.
Morrison's $158b tax cut faces Senate block
The Coalition will face an uphill battle to legislate its long-term income tax cuts should it win the election.
Glenn Barnes would make democracy fit for purpose
We ask leading Australians what they would do if they were prime minister. Patrick Durkin talks to the chairman of Ansell.
Josh Frydenberg is not afraid of a big Australia
This is an edited extract of an interview with the Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, by the AFR's political editor Phillip Coorey, Matthew Cranston and John Kehoe.
Business
AHG gives green light to higher AP Eagers offer
AP Eagers ups its takeover bid to get the AHG board's all-clear, creating a $2.3 billion entity with 12 per cent of the new car dealership market.
Afterpay rival Flexigroup inks deals with Myer, IKEA, health groups
Flexigroup's new buy-now, pay-later product Humm signs up new sellers as it hunts customers looking to make bigger purchases.
- Opinion
- Mining
Rio's smart trucks book their own sickies
The driverless yellow giants at Rio’s next-gen Koodaidari iron ore project will be loaded with technology enough to chart a path of unhuman cost-saving efficiency.
Super funds are not beholden to activist agendas: Ian Silk
“We will be more demanding, we will be more vocal, we will call out poor performers and deficiencies in the system,” Mr Silk will tell an Australian Council of Superannuation Investors conference in Melbourne.
'Love the customers you've got,' says British retailer
Keeping existing customers loyal is more lucrative than wooing new ones, says former Waitrose boss.
Bank risk strategies 'like hitting a nail with a cucumber'
Consultants peddling risk management strategies have been slammed for selling snake oil to embattled banks.
Hawking ban strengthens case for Suncorp demerger
The Hayne royal commission ban on hawking could undermine Suncorp's ability to cross-sell its banking and insurance products, strengthening the case to demerge.
Markets
What happened in markets before the bell
Australian shares are poised to drop sharply at the open amid a broad and brutal sell-off in New York.
US equity rally hits a snag
Seven days into May, and while the stock market's 2019 miracle remains intact, it's starting to show cracks.
Codelco's copper output falls to lowest since 2008
Chile's Codelco churned out 370,900 tonness in the first quarter of 2019, down 27 per cent from the previous three months and the lowest since the second quarter of 2008.
Lyft signals no end to spending spree
In its first financial report since going public, Lyft projected second-quarter revenue higher than expectations, at a slower than expected growth rate.
RBA sets jobless test for rate cut
The RBA has signalled that it could cut interest rates if the unemployment rate does not fall below 5 per cent this year.
Opinion
Danger signs in audited accounts
Finding the dodgy numbers in audited accounts is not easy but it is possible to learn from the past.
Columnist
A day of reckoning for those paid to predict the RBA
The aftermath of Tuesday's rates decision left half of the economic forecasting community with bruised reputations and many traders nursing steep losses.
Columnist
Rate call was quintessential Phil Lowe
The RBA governor ignored the cacophony in the market place – and the strident calls of bankers and economists.
Columnist
Shorten looks dangerously relaxed and comfortable
After a shakier than expected start against an aggressive campaigner in Scott Morrison, Bill Shorten’s confidence is clearly rising.
Columnist
Politics
- Exclusive
- Leader interviews
No change to inflation target: Frydenberg
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has rejected calls from some economists for the Reserve Bank of Australia's inflation target to be lowered.
'They don't like people like Dutton'
Marginal seat campaigning in South Australia has come down to one seat: the Liberal-held electorate of Boothby.
Calls for a review as a million vote early
Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison are split over whether to be concerned about the record number of people voting early.
Woman charged after egging attempt on Scott Morrison
Scott Morrison has dismissed an attempted egging in Albury, as he fights to protect former health minister Sussan Ley in her safe seat.
High Court rules against Clive Palmer
Clive Palmer's case against the Electoral Commission over two-party preferred counts has been quickly rejected.
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World
- Opinion
- World politics
The theory that (possibly) explains Trump's trade war
The short-term damage caused by Trump's trade negotiations could actually be a source of strength. Here's why.
US reiterates China 5G warnings
Paul Keating's comments about security agency "nutters" taking over Australia's foreign policy haven't gone unnoticed in Washington.
Turkey calls new Istanbul election after President's party loses
The Turkish lira has lost more than 10 per cent of its value since a week before the March voting, which has now been annulled.
- Analysis
- Trade wars
Beijing stays cool as Trump rattles investors
In China, Trump is being portrayed on social media as a super-villain with the power to wipe out half the universe. But China's leaders are playing it cool.
Anadarko accepts Occidental's sweetened bid
Chevron now has four days to either boost its offer or walk away from the oil industry's biggest deal in at least four years.
Real Estate
Jobs suffer as activity drops anew
While home-building was little changed, persistent weakness is now hitting jobs, a key industry survey shows.
No slip in Cedar Woods pre-sales in Victoria and SA
The developer saw its pre-sales rise at the end of the third quarter of 2019 to $249 million, higher than $230 million at the same time last year.
Melbourne's Shark Fin House snapped up for $14.5m
The four-storey building at 131-135 Little Bourke Street, which has been a Shark Fin restaurant since 1989, last changing hands for $7.5 million in June 2016.
Residential property listings fall over April
An impending election combined with a slew of public holidays have resulted in residential property listings falling in every capital city.
- Exclusive
- NSW residential property
Altis turns to residential investment
Private equity real estate investment group Altis Property Partners has scooped up 61 apartments in Sydney's northwest that failed to sell off-the plan.
Personal Finance
Fancy aged care that's like a 'land-based cruise ship'?
Village operators are teaming up with property developers to build "one stop shops" where you can stay put when you need more care and the financing is simpler.
- Opinion
- How to invest
Services are the new battleground for Apple
The technology giant can expect to generate good returns on its investment because its huge and growing base can act as a Trojan horse for its services.
There's opportunity where regulators tiptoe
Without acres of red tape, disruptors like Afterpay can build bigger profits for risk-aware shareholders than their more traditional counterparts.
Technology
MyWave scores deal with SAP to integrate its AI tech
NAB director Geraldine McBride rose through the ranks of SAP before leaving to start her own artificial intelligence start-up MyWave.
Google set to launch tools for tracking
Under the proposed changes, Chrome users would get more info on how they're being tracked by cookies and how to block them, the Wall Street Journal reports.
- Exclusive
- Enterprise IT
Digital push to create 35,000 jobs
A comprehensive study of Australian business digital initiatives shows a rise in demand for workers, but a worrying lack of tech savvy among some top executives.
Leadership
- Exclusive
- Accounting
Accounting body pushes to expand scope of auditors
Chartered Accountants ANZ is using a survey that shows public support for increasing the scope of auditors' work to push for greatly expanding their role.
UBS Australia co-head of equities heads for exit
UBS Australia's co-head of equities and former head of research Chris Williams is leaving the bank.
Lifestyle
Marseille flaunts a Mediterranean medley of cool and cachet
Once considered down at heel, the French port city's metamorphosis is creating a buzz. Here's where to go with 36 hours.
All aboard the Chanel Express
Karl Lagerfeld's right-hand woman stepped into his illustrious shoes with a cruise collection that keeps his legacy alive.
Celebrity chef to open on Russell St
Top chef Andrew McConnell has put his foot on a venue for his next venture, a block down from from the Paris end of Collins Street.
4 nutrients vegans are likely to miss
Here’s how to make sure you’re getting enough of these vitamins and minerals while following a vegan diet.
Rival winemakers battle it out
Diners will decide the victor in a standoff between two friendly rivals at the Feast High Country Festival.
