Albanese says 45pc target was a 'mistake'
The Labor leader says that while the party wants "ambitious" targets, the policy taken to last year's election was developed in 2015 and should have been reviewed.
Joe Hockey 'was just himself', says Trump chief of staff
Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mick Mulvaney paid a heart-felt tribute to outgoing US ambassador Joe Hockey, declaring him one of few friends he has made in Washington.
The path to zero emissions is expensive - but not impossible
Don't despair – we have the technology to beat climate change without turning out the lights or giving up our lifestyle.
Capital city markets start 'very strong'
While bushfire-affected rural areas will suffer a dearth of buyers, early signs are that the largest metropolitan markets are already stirring. Sydney agents said the market is "very strong".
Prince Harry and Meghan give up their royal titles
The Duke and Duchess will no longer use HRH titles after quitting royal duties and will pay back some money for their house renovations.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
How the Chook fund beat the pack again
The year 2019 will go down as one of the seven best in the near 30-year history of compulsory superannuation. Here's how the Chanticleer managed super fund performed.
How to deal with retirement anxiety
Super savers with a large share exposure are enjoying strong gains but retirees with more conservative assets will struggle to make their nest egg last.
Companies
CSL enters ranks of world's biggest biotechs
In the last year CSL went from fifth to third in the rankings of the world's largest biotechs and its momentum is yet to slow in 2020.
After the fire, vineyards are open for business
Days before Christmas, the Adelaide Hills wine region was ravaged by fire. Rebuilding has begun but the full extent of the damage is not yet known.
Fitch cuts Boeing's credit rating on doubts over return of 737 MAX
The airline was lashed again, as the global rating agency cut Boeing's long-term credit to A- from A, citing regulatory risks.
- Exclusive
- Capital raising
Neobank Volt raises $70m, eyes 2020 IPO
The oversubscribed equity raise is a sign of market bullishness on challenger banks as the big four turn inward in the aftermath of the Hayne royal commission.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Banks can't do tech transformations
Banks have been great at giving customers the latest tech but over the past decade digital transformation programs have led to investor disappointment. Now, tech is seen as a mechanism for cost cutting.
Drought and competition shrivel Nufarm earnings
The herbicide and special seeds company has "been in a perfect storm on a number of fronts," analyst says.
Couche-Tard mulls next Caltex move
Caltex's Canadian bidder would have a smoother ride with the competition watchdog than some of its rivals.
Markets
Profit downgrades reveal share risks
Analysts fear that expectations for the earnings season ahead are too bold, relative to the performance of share prices.
Mercer's top ranked Australian funds
Sydney-based Selector's High Conviction Equity Fund topped both the overall Mercer fund manager rankings and the "long-only" category with a 39.2 per cent return before fees over 2019.
Wall Street hits new highs in strongest week since August
All three main US indexes closed at record highs on Friday in New York with the S&P 500 rising 1.96 per cent on the week.
Timing is key to Liberum's bear call on iron ore miners
Investors shouldn't confuse iron ore's latest price resurgence as a buy signal, London's Liberum Capital said.
- Analysis
- Superannuation
The equities delivering most for super investors
Superannuation returns were strong across the board in 2019, but older investors in "lifecycle" products, designed to minimise risk, got less.
Opinion
A perfect storm of political hopelessness
While Morrison government ministers handed out grants to small projects around the country last year, there appeared to be no time to heed the warnings that this year’s fire season was going to be really, really bad, writes Laura Tingle
Columnist
Bushfires must bring a rational end to climate wars
The cost of doing nothing on climate is high. But the price tag of acting has to be recognised as well.
Editorial
Conflicted advice loophole could sink Frydenberg
The war over conflicted selling fees could determine the fate of the advice industry and the Treasurer's political career, writes Christopher Joye.
Columnist
Morrison can't fly above the energy storm
We are being faced with a simple choice in energy policy: deindustrialise, or invest to decarbonise.
Contributor
Australia's risky mission at the world’s energy choke-point
This country's commitment in the Strait of Hormuz is relatively small but potentially dangerous.
Senior Writer
'We're on the edge of a fundamental reshaping of finance'
BlackRock's move to put climate change centre stage won't be a huge shock to Australian companies, which are used to industry super funds flexing their muscles.
Columnist
Politics
Drought and fires converge to slow recovery
The deep drought extending over the entirety of NSW not only contributed to the disastrous fire conditions this bushfire season, but also may slow rebuilding from the blazes, experts say.
Tourism banks on T20 World Cup
The federal government continues to work at repairing Australia's bushfire-affected international tourism image. Where better to focus than cricket?
- Analysis
- Bushfires
Inside the bushfires blame game
An under-siege Scott Morrison is trying to turn the screws on the states’ fire hazard management.
- Analysis
- Tourism
Fires are not the travel industry's biggest carbon problem
As the local tourism industry affected by fire start to rebuild, the wider impact of travel on the climate must also be considered.
No need for super to go up to 12 per cent: ANU academics
A leading academic has questioned the need to increase the compulsory super guarantee to 12 per cent because the existing rate of 9.5 per cent is "sufficient".
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World
Trump’s defence team slams ‘brazen’ impeachment charges
Donald Trump's lawyers rejected the case against him as illegitimate and described the effort to remove him as dangerous.
Prince Harry and Meghan give up their royal titles
The Duke and Duchess will no longer use HRH titles after quitting royal duties and will pay back some money for their house renovations.
ASEAN moves to tackle South China Sea tensions
No one is expecting a quick fix to China's expansion in the South China Sea but like-minded nations are moving to take a stronger stand in upholding international law.
Births in China fall to lowest level in nearly six decades
Despite the easing of the controversial one-child policy, births in China have fallen for a third consecutive year.
'You're a bunch of dopes and babies': Trump's tirade against generals
US military leaders hoped to widen Trump's view of the world. They failed, miserably, further deepening the president's mistrust of them.
Property
Capital city markets start 'very strong'
While bushfire-affected rural areas will suffer a dearth of buyers, early signs are that the largest metropolitan markets are already stirring. Sydney agents said the market is "very strong".
Rowe family puts South Australia's Wertaloona Station up for sale
The station is three times bigger than the area of greater metropolitan Adelaide and has only had three owners since 1850.
Rebound in new home sales ends 2-year buyers' drought
Despite more recent improvements, WA stands out as the only state to record a year of growth in new dwelling sales.
- Opinion
- Flat Chat
Strata issues to watch for in 2020
Problems as far-ranging as embedded networks, Airbnb and on-site management rights point to a bumpy ride this year.
Owner-occupier home loans surge in November
The 10 per cent jump in November from a year earlier was attributed to better access to credit and rising house prices across the eastern seaboard.
Wealth
- Opinion
- Portfolio management
Six investment tips for 2020 (and one way to relax)
Fund manager Stephen Hiscock outlines what to watch in 2020 and how he unwinds in Normandy.
CSIRO says laws should be published in code
A "rules as code" vision would reduce compliance costs and improve the take up of new technology, the government's science agency says.
- Opinion
- Ageing
Telltale signs that an elderly relative needs help
Taking steps to address danger signs early is not as traumatic as events that may play out following a dramatic change of circumstances, writes Bina Brown.
Technology
Privacy snafu as Optus posts man's licence
It appears Optus scraped the image of David Green's driver's licence from his blog and began using it on its own website.
- Exclusive
- Venture capital
Australia's latest tech unicorn revealed
Only a few months since passing the $100 million revenue run rate milestone, the hotel booking specialist is now Australia's next $1 billion-plus tech company.
Microsoft promises to erase its past carbon footprint
Microsoft has upped the ante among Fortune 500 companies in addressing climate change, pledging to remove as much carbon as it has emitted in its 45-year history.
Work & Careers
'It's interesting they chose a woman as manager'
Weaning fishermen off Facebook or engaging in "brutal" competition with the state – it all comes with the territory for Dian Siswarini, the woman running Indonesia's second-largest mobile company.
Why do men drift apart in midlife?
Male friendships often get trickier as they get older, as Nick Harding knows only too well.
Life & Luxury
When spin is more important than fact
Fox News supremo Roger Ailes’s deeds as a serial sexual harasser eventually brought him undone but the bigger issue in the film concerns the mechanics of power.
Opera Australia's psychological thriller Don Giovanni
Sir David McVicar’s production reveals the darkness in opera’s most compelling anti-hero.
- Exclusive
- Tourism
Operators lose $4.5b as overseas visitors cancel
International tourist forward bookings are already down by 10-20 per cent year-on-year due to the bushfires.
Feeling guilty about flying? Don't, says Ryanair boss
Michael O'Leary says passenger numbers are rising and emissions are falling. But there's also evidence that Europe's 'flight shame' is taking off.
Non-alcoholic drinks get serious
As the new sobriety takes hold, drinks makers are fizzing with ideas for creating sophisticated alternatives to alcohol.
