US, Australia pursue rare earths foil to China
The joint development of rare earths and other critical mineral deposits, which are vital to national security, will be high on the agenda for the visit to Australia this week by US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
- Opinion
- Monetary policy
Why the RBA mustn't touch the QE button
Trying the most ineffective option first simply means that better policies will come along too late, writes Stephen Grenville.
ASX advances 1.1pc in two-session winning streak
Australian shares rose for a second straight session, with heavyweight banks and miners helping pull the market higher.
Trump's Syria withdrawal leaves Canberra scrambling
More than 60 Australian women and children are trapped in the camps, set up by Kurdish forces to house foreign fighters and their families. These include those who took up arms for Islamic State.
China bonds drive a 'tectonic' shift in global markets
Hayden Briscoe, head of Asia Pacific fixed income at UBS Asset Management, says the growth in China's bond market will require a radical rethink of asset allocation.
WeWork's IPO-killer gives his Afterpay verdict
NYU professor Scott Galloway slammed WeWork's float and is now targeting the buy now, pay later sector, one with smart businesses and one big problem.
Big four partners 'overestimate' worth' when leaving
High-end consultants think they'll easily find lucrative new roles such as directorships, but many are lacking digital and cultural skills.
Companies
Court rejects 'first in, first served' claim for AMP class action
An AMP class action appeal finds there is no first-mover advantage.
Spark accuses energy regulator of stifling investment
Spark says it will not be able to invest sufficiently in its electricity networks after the energy regulator knocked back its revenue request.
Siemens has hydrogen hopes for powering Asia
Siemens and Hydrogen Renewables Australia have teamed up to set up a new, large-scale "green hydrogen" project in Western Australia.
ANZ profit takes fresh compensation hit
ANZ has revealed its total customer remediation bill now exceeds $1.1 billion after ASIC took issue with its compensation methodology.
Ex Bluescope exec charged with obstructing ACCC
ACCC chairman Rod Sims says it's the first time any individual has been charged with inciting the obstruction of officials in an ACCC investigation.
SeaLink eyes offshore push with Transit Systems
The $635m acquisition of bus group Transit Systems gives SeaLink a springboard for international expansion, and delivers bigger scale locally.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Westpac's big AUSTRAC dilemma
Based on its past actions, the financial intelligence regulator will take Westpac to court for breaches of anti-money laundering laws instead of going straight to a pragmatic settlement.
Markets
Fed right to resist pressure from Trump, markets on monetary policy
Ares Management, a $210 billion global credit manager, backed the Federal Reserve's interest rate cuts but questioned if quantitative easing generates growth.
‘Sober’ markets temper Uber, Lyft, WeWork hubris
The private market hype around Uber, Lyft and WeWork has been hit hard by public markets this year, says RBC's Mark Mahaney.
- Live
- Markets Live
ASX closes higher; Chinese data disappoints
The local sharemarket closes higher; ANZ flags a $651 million profit; Hong Kong Exchanges drops its LSE bid and RBC's Mark Mahaney on this year's IPO flops.
Business conditions, jobs index improve: NAB
The all important employment index, which the Reserve Bank of Australia monitors closely, edged up in September and is now above average.
Hong Kong exchange drops $58b LSE bid
Hong Kong's bourse said on Tuesday it has dropped its bid to take over London Stock Exchange Group, saying it had been unable to bring the takeover target's management on board with its unsolicited approach.
Opinion
Why ScoMo is beating up on business
A recent speech by Ben Morton, one of Scott Morrison's closest advisers, reveals a telling analysis of how the government judges the meaning of the election, writes Jennifer Hewett.
Columnist
EU, too, needs to flex its muscles
The EU once dreamt the whole world would move towards a law-based system, but a world order, shaped by Xi Jinping’s China and Trump’s America, will be based on power rather than rules.
Columnist
Defence spending in the new great power era
Investing in Australia's defence capability will help ensure we never have to respond to coercion
Editorial
More VCs are becoming impact investors
When Square Peg invested in Amber Electric this month, it chose to highlight the company's mission, not the founders or the scalability of the business.
Contributor
Do we want to be a little Australia?
Prime Minister Scott Morrison's speech railing against the international order offered no proof of the case he made against 'evil globalism'.
Contributor
What happens to the nation in a time of nationalism?
The nation-state never went away. Scott Morrison has been thinking about how to adapt it to the new age of nationalism and populism.
Contributor
Politics
QE 'effective' with broader fiscal policies
In a landmark international report RBA governor Philip Lowe says any buying of financial assets, or a move to negative interest rates must be supported by the government and prudential regulator.
Water efficiency programs bankrolling private dams
Water Resources Minister David Littleproud says a new report on privately-owned dams winning taxpayer funding is without foundation.
Landmark ruling could chill IR class actions
A recent wave of class actions against employers over alleged underpayments has been dealt a blow with a ruling exposing litigation funders to costs if they lose.
How to fix the energy mess
The Grattan Institute has urged the states to dump their uncoordinated renewable policies and bypass the federal government to put in place a nationwide emissions reduction policy through state-based legislation.
PM courts 'Hansonites, fundamentalists': Rudd
Kevin Rudd says Scott Morrison is wrong in claiming unaccountable international institutions and bureaucrats are a threat to Australia's sovereignty.
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World
Trump's confounding Syria moves spur policy confusion - again
The US President's surprise announcement that US forces would stand aside if Turkey invaded Syria sowed chaos in his administration and drew criticism from his allies in Congress and left Kurdish fighters feeling betrayed.
WeWork's $3b refinancing deal hinges on SoftBank cash injection
The success of the talks with both SoftBank and Wall Street is essential if WeWork is going to survive in anything like its current form.
- Opinion
- Investment banking
HSBC not going far enough with job cuts
Considering the bank’s global headcount, the figure of 10,000 seems small. More layoffs should be focused on the global banking and markets division.
Scientists win Nobel Prize for learning how cells use oxygen
The discoveries by the trio illuminated what the Nobel Committee called "one of life's most essential adaptive processes".
Corbyn better for UK than no-deal Brexit
The benefit of Brexit likely being called off could outweigh the damage caused by a limited version of his radical policies, Citi says.
Property
REA Group, Singapore's 99.co start south-east Asian 'proptech' giant
Sequoia and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin have also backed the new JV by REA Group and Singapore property portal 99.co.
Why 'stubborn' Brisbane is attracting investors
Investors are banking on future growth in Brisbane and are also hard-pressed to find quality assets elsewhere.
Rare Portsea mansion hits the market for $22m
The founders of a furniture maker that fits out offices for some of the largest companies in Australia and Asia have listed their Portsea mansion for sale.
LandMark White auditor casts doubt on viability
Shares suffer 12 per cent fall after surging last week.
New cemetery to ease the squeeze on plots
Approval to build the second-largest necropolis in NSW will help address a looming crisis in the supply of graves in the state.
Wealth
- Opinion
- Interest rates
How to survive the SMSF rollercoaster
With interest rates falling, standing still with cash could be just as risky as exposure to growth assets if the markets turn down.
- Opinion
- Private equity
Private equity is gaining traction, but it carries risk
The low interest rate environment is a double tailwind for private equity: lower yields are encouraging investors to look elsewhere for a return boost and debt is cheap.
Slow the rise to 12pc super, says Keating economist
The economist who led Paul Keating's inquiry into compulsory superannuation said the Morrison government should slow the increase in the super guarantee to 12 per cent to boost the sluggish economy.
Technology
The next few months are critical for Huawei
Huawei's fate is central to the US-China trade war, making the next few months a possible turning point in whether the countries can reach a truce.
- Analysis
- Phones
Microsoft returns to phone fold with folding phone
Microsoft spent billions acquiring Nokia, only to abandon the mobile phone business four years later. Now it's trying its luck with an Android phone.
- Exclusive
- AI
Local start-up Akin helps NASA put human-like AI into space
Liesl Yearsley is one of the pioneers of AI technology in Australia, having sold her first AI business to IBM in 2014.
Work & Careers
Business wrestles with an identity crisis
Corporate Australia remains torn between its duty to shareholders and speaking up on environmental and social issues.
- Opinion
- Leadership lessons
How to run an important meeting well
Chairing a meeting effectively takes work, but it's a skill worth nurturing. Here's how to do it.
Life & Luxury
7 ways to live to a ripe old age
While researchers continue searching for a pill to extend life, you'll have to try these seven verified methods.
Paul Hogan on Trump, travelling and turning 80
Hoges has been selling Australia since he first slipped “a shrimp on the barbie” in 1984, but the 80-year-old calls Los Angeles home – for now.
Why this CEO says 'don't eat at the hotel'
Darrell Hardidge, founder of customer experience research and strategy company Saguity, answers our Traveller Q&A.
Why celebrities are flocking to Bird & Knoll scarves
The co-founder of this Australian fashion label is inspired by the slow and thoughtful design of Europe's artisan tradition.
