Senate deal close on income tax cuts
The government is closing in on a deal with the Senate crossbench to pass its full package of income tax cuts.
What the rate cut means for you
Whether you're a borrower, investor or retiree, lower rates will require a rethink. We outline potential risks, advantages and what to look out for.
Birmingham's trade plea to US, China
G20 trade ministers will attempt to lock down reforms to the World Trade Organisation amid ongoing tensions between China and the US.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
How R&D is the secret to success for three big players
The founders of Huawei, Atlassian and Xero know the importance of consistent R&D investment, which has underpinned their success.
Coca-Cola Amatil boss stares down sugar, plastic threats
The soft drink company has only hit its targets twice in five years, but CEO Alison Watkins is standing firm. "I don’t think about retiring at all."
The week China got mad
China and the US are scoring spectacular own goals against their domestic economies and that has grave implications for all who trade in their shadows.
- Analysis
- Interest rates
Why the RBA isn't panicking about the economy
The central bank thinks a recession is unlikely unless a major economic shock arrives such as a significant escalation of the US-China trade and technology war.
Business
ANZ takes a hard lesson in interest rate game theory
While ANZ copped a bucketful this week, shareholders said the bank's decision to protect margins would hold it in good stead.
Jefferies raids CLSA for Australian equities business
Almost 30 bankers from CLSA resigned en masse on Friday to join Jefferies' new Australian venture.
Uber's Khosrowshahi consolidates power
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the ride hailing company's second-in-command and its chief marketing officer are leaving.
The rise and rise of the risk officers
Chief risk officers at Australian banks have become some of the most powerful executives in banking - but what do they actually do?
Rinehart seeks green light on new iron ore mine
Hancock Prospecting-owned Atlas Iron revives Corunna Downs project amid price spike.
Woolworths stake fires up Marley Spoon
Marley Spoon jumped by 82 per cent on the ASX after the arrival of Woolies, but it's still a long way from last year's IPO price.
BHP says two Australian dams may pose 'extreme risk'
The miner has no immediate concerns about the integrity of its dam fleet, but says dams in WA and SA would have an extreme impact if they ever failed.
Markets
Wall Street rallies on rate cut hopes
The S&P 500 recorded its biggest weekly gain since November on rising expectations that the Fed will cut rates.
'Check your airbags': Investors brace for creative destruction
The world of financial markets has grown only more extreme since the global financial crisis. How did we get here and what happens next?
Rate cut sets up ASX for record high
This week's rate cut, the first in almost three years, has lit a fire under the ASX; investors are looking at the sectors that could take it to a record high.
Markets point to even odds of a cut at RBA's Darwin meeting
Market pricing suggests roughly 50 per cent chance of a cut when the RBA meets next month in Darwin for the first time, but economists think August more likely.
Dovish central banks rescue ASX from sell-off
Australian shares recovered from a sell-off on Monday to close the week higher as the RBA and other global central banks turned dovish.
Opinion
Ministers are supposed to be in charge
Government ministers have been at pains to insist the raids had nothing to do with them. Except it has everything to do with them, if they oversee a regime that thinks such behaviour is acceptable, writes Laura Tingle.
Columnist
Ita Buttrose is no patsy. She's a journo's journo
The new ABC chair's strident defence of the profession was a breath of fresh air.
Political Editor
Coalition must fill in white spaces of productivity agenda
Voters rejected Labor’s anti-growth agenda of bigger government. But they elected a Coalition that failed to construct a genuine growth agenda.
Editorial
Sirtex settlement leaves double-digit growth mystery
The class action against Sirtex over guidance provided in 2016 may have changed the way ASX companies provide profit guidance.
Columnist
Politics
Spotlight on press freedom after police raids
Australian journalists operate in an environment that is becoming harder for the fair and free flow of information.
- Opinion
- Indigenous
Hope renewed for Australia's indigenous leaders
Behind the new minister's softly, softly approach, there is genuine hope a historic agreement will be reached.
No news is bad news for George Pell
Disgraced former Vatican treasurer George Pell could know next week if he will be free from jail, with the longer a decision takes the less likely he is to succeed, legal experts say.
Judge rules out Palmer's private resort prosecution
Clive Palmer has stumbled in an attempt to privately prosecute people for alleged Corporations Act breaches.
Morrison warns against 'binary choices' in trade war
Scott Morrison has warned against forcing countries to choose a side in the trade war, while Josh Frydenberg has said it is possible to work with both the US and China.
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World
Trump heralds deal with Mexico, tariff war averted
US President Donald Trump said Mexico's government had reached a deal with the US to contain migration of mostly Central Americans crossing the southern US border.
US economy adds 75,000 jobs in May
US job growth slowed sharply in May and wages rose less than expected, raising fears of a loss of momentum in economic activity.
Fed watchers see rate cut in July
The weak US May jobs report pushes the Federal Reserve closer to cutting interest rates, though maybe not all the way just yet.
May exits, defeated by Brexit
Britain's Conservative party leadership race is heating up as Prime Minister Theresa May steps down as leader of the party, her career scuppered by Brexit.
- Analysis
- Foreign relations
US-China tech war overshadows meat pie diplomacy
The Morrison government faces a tough balancing act if it wants to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of the Sino-US trade war and the fallout over Huawei.
Real Estate
The post-election housing euphoria is starting to go flat
When you take a can a Coke, and shake it, it explodes and then starts to flatten out - that analogy is quite appropriate now: agents
No end to housing construction downturn
The housing construction industry has proved largely immune to recent good news rewriting expectations for a sooner-than-expected pickup in the residential market.
- Exclusive
- Property prices
Chinese property player swoops on Elias Jreissati penthouse for $16m
Developer and winemaker Elias Jreissati and wife Colleen have sold their Port Melbourne penthouse for $16 million,
Vicinity's regional malls take a hit in value
Improved valuations at Vicinity Centre's trophy assets, such as Chadstone shopping centre, have not fully offset falling values in its regional malls.
Chatswood's Zenith Centre sets new price record
A set of two office buildings in Sydney’s north shore suburb of Chatswood has set a new benchmark in commercial property after selling for a record price for an office building outside of the CBD.
Personal Finance
Accountants' tax time warning: lodge early at your peril
Taxpayers who move quickly to file their annual return with the ATO risk extra complexity in 2019.
KIS Capital shuts down, to return $260m to investors
The Sydney-based hedge fund has made the 'surprise' decision to close after 10 years, citing 'disappointing' returns.
Buy, hold, sell: IRESS, Netwealth, Ansell
Jeremy Hook from TMS Capital talks with Sam Granger from Totus Capital and Jun Bei Liu from Tribeca about stocks with good margins and returns.
Technology
- Opinion
- Streaming
A eulogy for iTunes, the app that changed everything
iTunes was a core piece of what I call the Middle Internet – the period between the Wild West days of Napster and the hypercentralised era of Facebook and YouTube.
Jack Ma interview makes AFR journo famous
After an interview with Alibaba's Jack Ma, correspondent Michael Smith discovered fame and the power of social media for businesses in China.
How road tech will help you commute
Transurban technology boss Lisa Tobin dreams of the day when vehicles will communicate with each other as well as the roads they use.
Leadership
How one journo's interview with Jack Ma went big in China
After an interview with Alibaba's Jack Ma, correspondent Michael Smith discovered fame and the power of social media for businesses in China.
From SA premier to olive oil maker
Mike Rann, one of the ALP's most successful politicians, offers tips on winning elections, retiring from politics and reinventing yourself.
Lifestyle
Give us a break from superheroes
The Sydney Film Festival is a bracing reminder of how impoverished mainstream film culture has become, with global box offices dominated by action flicks, sentimental junk and children’s movies.
The sublime, trashy appeal of Luciano Pavarotti
Domingo is the consummate professional but it was Luciano Pavarotti who brought us to the secret, beating heart of opera.
Looking back at Monkeemania before 'likely' last tour
The Monkees were dismissed as "a manufactured, American, TV rip-off of the Beatles" but John Lennon was a fan and more than 50 years on, they're still touring.
The problem with costume dramas
The BBC’s latest offering, Sally Wainwright’s Gentleman Jack, reveals everything that is wrong with colour-by-numbers costume dramas – because it isn’t one.
What to see at Dark Mofo this year
This year's event includes an inflatable slaughterhouse, poetry on spikes and a flaming artist.