No one in charge of Victoria's hotel quarantine
The lawyer leading the inquiry into Victoria's hotel quarantine debacle has 180,000-plus pages of documents but still has no idea who was in charge of what. There were "multiple and potentially overlapping" areas of responsibility.
Kerr Neilson exits Platinum but not the market
The legendary investor is still going to trade in his own time and gold is where his interest lies: "You have to have gold," he says, "all these despotic places have been adding to their gold."
Mayfair's IPO Wealth marketing spend probed
Mayfair 101 managing director James Mawhinney said the fund relied on third party e-mail lists to spread the word about his controversial investments.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
What we learnt: COVID-19 clouds property outlook
BlueScope says it can win from COVID-related shifts in residential construction. GWA is bracing for housing weakness. It's a puzzle for investors to solve.
Fury mounts over Australia's travel bans
Thousands of Australians remain stranded overseas; Victoria's second wave likely escaped hotel quarantine; Gladys Berejiklian says sorry for the Ruby Princess breach. Follow updates here.
HomeBuilder drives 400pc surge in Qld land sales
Land sales in south-east Queensland surged 400 per cent in June, its strongest monthly result in five years albeit from a low base, as home buyers rushed to take advantage of the HomeBuilder scheme
- Analysis
- Coronavirus pandemic
Berejiklian makes the right call backing staff
When governments make mistakes, none more so that cost lives, the public demands accountability, usually in the form of heads. The NSW Premier refused to give them one.
EARNINGS SEASON
Bendigo Bank leans into virus challenge
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has pledged to keep lending to Victorians battered by the second outbreak despite deferring the dividend for the same reason.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Delayed downturn to test quality of JB Hi-Fi and Kogan
Strong results from JB Hi-Fi and Kogan.com helped justify their surging share prices. But the delayed downturn in spending will test them.
Argo boss says 2021 could be even worse for banks
Jason Beddow is worried that financial markets are factoring in only a short coronavirus pandemic.
COVID compounds Lendlease's engineering hit
Global builder, developer and investor has crunched its final dividend to 3.3¢, compared with the 30¢ declared a year earlier.
JB Hi-Fi rides COVID-19's retail revolution
JB Hi-Fi is trying to get hold of more stock as the surge in demand for computers and appliances from consumers forced to spend more time at home during the pandemic shows no signs of easing.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
Japara rocked in Victoria's deadliest day
The listed aged care provider has been swept into Victoria's aged care crisis after staff and residents at two facilities were infected with COVID-19.
Victoria's second wave came from overseas travellers
All of Victoria's second wave of COVID-19 cases came from overseas cases that arrived in Victoria after May 8, the Hotel Quarantine Inquiry has been told.
'Absolute garbage': fury mounts over Australia's travel bans
Health Minister Greg Hunt says moves to lift the cap on Australians returning home might have to wait until Melbourne is on top of the virus.
Undetected cases a concern as NSW clamps down on schools
Playing wind instruments is among a range of activities to be curbed in NSW schools as Premier Gladys Berejiklian remains anxious about undetected coronavirus cases.
- Opinion
- Coronavirus pandemic
We can't cure the virus by making the economy sick
The economy is a mass activity of individuals living their lives. When it does not work properly, people also suffer and die.
Companies
Anglo coal boss defends safety record after mine explosion
Anglo American metallurgical coal chief executive Tyler Mitchelson said high gas readings had been a problem at the Grosvenor mine.
- Exclusive
- Hayne fallout
ASIC refuses to release secret CBA board report
A report into the conflicting recollections of directors of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia cannot be made public because it would undermine ASIC's ability to regulate, according to an official response to a freedom of information request.
Rebel Virgin pitch dealt court blow
Justice John Middleton dismissed calls to ensure the carrier's 10,000 creditors owed $6.8 billion could vote on which entity they wanted to take over.
Cochlear settles legal, interest costs in patent infringement case
Cochlear will pay $US75 million to two US organisations if the US Supreme Court upholds the damages awarded against it in a patent infringement case.
GWA sees bleak times ahead for virus-hit housing market
Maker of Caroma toilets and Dorf tapfittings calls for changes to federal government HomeBuilder subsidy.
Sims commits to $50m Victorian plastics recycling plant
A $50 million metal recycling and gasification plant is to be built in Victoria, with the aim to convert leftover materials from metal recycling into plastic.
Altium growth slows to 10pc due to COVID-19
The pandemic caused Altium to miss its long-held goal of $US200 million in revenue by 2020, but its vision remains intact.
Markets
Investors left in the dark by guidance
The majority of earnings results have failed to provide any guidance, and when they do, the prognosis tends to be punished.
Why gold is the 'canary in the coal mine' for this fund manager
A capital injection from hedge fund legend Alan Howard has made Wheelhouse Partners assert itself as an income fund to watch.
- Live
- Markets Live
ASX closes lower as banks fall; JB Hi-Fi jumps
ASX lower; expectations sees Kogan fall as JB Hi-Fi rises; Credit Suisse upgrades Metcash on super withdrawals.
- Exclusive
- Online trading
'Social trading' fuels market speculation
The corporate regulator says social media accounts are fuelling market speculation and scams, as inexperienced investors pile into penny stocks.
Bulls praying for rain, bears say don't count on it
Bulls are telling investors to buy Incitec Pivot because it is showing green shoots of recovery, especially since the prospect of rain could encourage farmers to buy more fertiliser. But bears have cautioned investors against relying on the weather.
Opinion
Boom for some doesn't tell the real story
Some businesses like Kogan and JB Hi-Fi are booming but Australia's aggressive approach to managing the virus numbers is on a collision course with the economic numbers and the financial results for most businesses.
Columnist
Why childcare must be made free
Expensive childcare is an unfair levy on jobs. And early childhood education would improve life chances all round.
Contributor
The economy will still decide White House race
Even in a COVID-19 election, it’s still the economy (stupid) that is likely to determine who rules the White House after November.
Editorial
The coronavirus end game is no clearer
Victoria's numbers are coming down to general relief. But there's no agreed end game for the country when it comes to living with the virus. Most states disagree that the national strategy of suppression works for them.
Columnist
To end lockdowns, link taxpayer funding to the jobless rate
Cutting their budgets in line with rises in unemployment would make the ABC, SBS, and public servants think differently about shutting down the economy to fight COVID-19.
Columnist
Who's in charge of keeping the lights on?
The broken governance of National Electricity Market must be fixed to avoid the high costs of a return to central planning on an epic scale.
Contributor
Politics
Federal government poised to extend gas export conditions
The Morrison government is poised to extend conditions on gas exporters that it says will help push down contract gas prices on the east coast.
WA to have its day in Qld court in $30b Palmer battle
The Queensland Supreme Court will hear WA's case against registration and enforcement of Clive Palmer's arbitration wins.
Cross-border skills recognition could take years
After a previous attempt was killed off by the states in 2013, industry representatives are preparing for a long haul despite the Treasurer decreeing that a cross-state recognition scheme be ready to go by the start of next year.
Superannuation rise could be 'irresponsible'
The minister responsible for superannuation, Senator Jane Hume, is 'ambivalent' about compulsory super contributions increasing to 12 per cent of wages.
States to remove border barriers for tradies, teachers
Should the deal go as planned, the only barrier to cross-jurisdictional movement would be any remaining border bans still in place due to the coronavirus.
SPONSORED
World
Thai economy suffers biggest contraction since Asian financial crisis
South-east Asia's second-largest economy, which is heavily reliant on tourism and exports, shrank 12.2 per cent in the second quarter from a year earlier.
Japanese officials sought a Nissan-Honda merger
The suggestion to create a national champion was first made to the companies at the tail-end of 2019, amid fears Japan’s vast car-manufacturing base was losing its edge.
Pelosi to recall House for Postal Service vote
Democrats have accused Trump, who is trailing Biden in opinion polls, of trying to hamstring the cash-strapped Postal Service to suppress mail-in voting.
New Zealand delays election by a month
The election had been scheduled for September 19 but will now be held on October 17. Under New Zealand law, Jacinda Ardern had the option of delaying the election for up to about two months.
- Opinion
- Trade wars
US tariffs on whisky hard to swallow for go-it-alone UK
Carving out and resolving the UK part of an EU dispute is inevitably going to be tougher than a blanket agreement. This was always going to be the case following an agreement to leave the EU — something Scotland did not vote in favour of in the first place.
Property
Former healthcare chief lists $11m Tamarama house
Chris Rex has joined a busy prestige marketplace in the eastern Sydney suburb with Pavilion House, a Walter Barda-designed home they bought three years ago.
Charter Hall teams up with GIC on Ampol deal
ASX-listed Charter Hall Group has again showed its affinity for sale-and-leaseback deals, teaming up with Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC to acquire a 49 per cent stake in an Ampol petrol station property trust.
Cyber crowd on the move secures CBD sublease
A cyber security company has subleased its Sydney city offices after outgrowing the space and relocating to North Sydney.
Optus chief lists her $7.5m Vaucluse house
The listing comes amid talk that recently appointed chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin and her husband are planning to sell and trade up locally.
'Not an outright crash': Sydney pulls ahead as Melbourne shrinks
Auction results show Sydney booked a slightly higher clearance rate than last week's preliminary result, but lockdown lowered Melbourne's pool of listings.
Wealth
Meet the no-name execs winning big in the pandemic
A bunch of low-key executives and company founders have just made a tidy fortune as a pandemic sharemarket rally supercharges share prices.
- Opinion
- Sharemarket
Three uranium stocks that buy into the energy theme
The price recovery and an improving outlook have brought a cause for optimism in this maligned sector.
Rich Lister Brian Flannery thinks small with new investment
Best known for coal mines and power stations, the Flannery family office has doubled down on an orthopaedic surgery tool just 1.5 millimetres long.
Technology
- Exclusive
- Fintech
Neobank poised for ASX debut after record funding round
Douugh is due to begin trading on the ASX next week and has been boosted by a crowdfunding round selling out within an hour, as it works on it 'financial wellness' app.
'Afterpay for software' promises to cut upfront tech costs
One of the partners of CRM giant Salesforce has created SaasPay, a new installment service that will help fund business software and accompanying services.
- Exclusive
- Streaming
Streaming surge a sign of things to come
Netflix has grown to 5.4 million subscriptions, Stan has lifted to 2.1 million, Amazon Prime Video rose to 1.7 million and Disney+ grew to 1.1 million.
Work & Careers
Shanghai rankings distort the place of research in universities
The Shanghai rankings were designed to meet domestic educational needs in China and have distorted the way Australian universities spend precious dollars for higher education.
- Opinion
- First Person Pandemic
Why the Xero MD had to work from his car
Finding a spot to work from home when you're jostling for space with your teenage kids is just one of the many challenges the pandemic has brought, writes Trent Innes.
Life & Luxury
The 9/11 effect: how the virus will change travel forever
The travel industry can't survive without travel. Here are some ideas the sector is considering that might reduce the risk for future passengers.
Overwhelmed by choice? Call in a curator.
The affluent but time-poor are turning to cultural connoisseurs to pick them out the best books, films, designs and more.
Google's new travel booking tools account for pandemic
Along with the usual options, you'll also get real-time data on the number of COVID-19 cases along with how many flights and hotels have resumed service.
- Exclusive
- Food & drink
Cricket legend Ricky Ponting cracks a shot at wine
With names like 'Mowbray Boy' and 'The Pinnacle' - Ponting Wines hopes to eventually take the brand to the UK and even India.
The illustrious history of literary howlers
Novelist John Boyne's Google search may have left him red-faced, but many great authors have got it wrong.
