- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Telstra readies keys to $32b treasure chest
When Telstra lifted the veil on the profitability of its mobile towers and fixed-line infrastructure it opened the market's eyes to the potential for capital returns on top of its reliable 5 per cent dividend yield.
- Live
- Markets Live
ASX falls; Telstra jumps on shake-up; Charter Hall lifts guidance; Seek hits record
The Australian sharemarket is lower as banks and miners offset gains in Telstra and Wesfarmers. Telstra restructures into three businesses. Wesfarmers reports "significant" growth at Bunnings. Xero reports net profit of $NZ34.5 million. Nine first half earnings to rise 30 per cent.
Special investigator to examine alleged war crimes; Fresh case in NZ; QT to go virtual
NZ sees first case in three months not linked to border; Scott Morrison says he will be the first foreign leader to visit new Japanese PM Yoshihide next week and he will undergo two weeks quarantine when he returns. Follow the latest.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Is Catch Group Wesfarmers' 10-bagger?
Wesfarmers is seeing strong e-commerce growth across its retail businesses, but online marketplace Catch Group is a standout.
- Updated
- China relations
China bans Victorian timber as trade tensions mount
The latest escalation in trade tensions with China comes as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has warned the federal government against ripping up the state's Belt & Road deal and called for greater "respect and mutual understanding".
- Live
- US votes 2020
COVID-19 and climate change: Biden calls Asia
Joe Biden has told Scott Morrison he looks forward to 'confronting climate change' together as the President-elect reaffirmed his commitment to regional alliances and multilateralism in a series of phone calls. Follow live updates here.
- Updated
- Telecommunications
Telstra splits itself up as potential NBN sale looms
A new internal structure of Telstra's assets is designed to give it 'optionality' as the NBN is completed, as it also investigates becoming an energy provider.
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
Why managers struggle to step up to the board
The transition from an executive role to a non-executive position involves a mindset change from operations to oversight and strategy.
Every company should spend $1000 per worker on innovation
Australian universities have stepped up their capabilities to teach innovation, which is building a nation of workers able to challenge the status quo.
The 2020 crises heaping pressure on directors
Public policy is a core competency for board members and formal courses help decision-makers in acquiring a deep understanding of it.
Why climate change is keeping directors awake
Australian boards are on notice: address climate change or bear the brunt of economic consequences.
Directors need to get into the weeds on cybersecurity
It is not enough for businesses to leave cyber threats and their management to IT teams.
Companies
Woolworths chairman calls for simpler wage awards
Woolworths chairman Gordon Cairns said Woolworths' $500 million wage underpayment scandal 'should never have happened' but partly blames the complex awards system.
Xero's fast growth slows, but profits surge
Xero's revenue growth slowed to 21 per cent in the first six months of the year, but the business is now more profitable than ever.
APRA waters down banker bonus overhaul
The prudential regulator backflips on a proposal it had strongly defended despite industry resistance and an endorsement from royal commissioner Kenneth Hayne.
Seven 'love the cricket' but will hold Cricket Australia 'accountable'
The broadcaster has been at loggerheads with Cricket Australia over the value of its $450 million broadcast deal amid changes to the 2020-21 summer of cricket.
Bunnings sales jump 25pc as Wesfarmers' online sales soar
Wesfarmers has started the financial year with a bang after sales at its largest business, Bunnings jumped and online sales across the group, excluding Catch Group, soared 166 per cent.
North West Shelf output 'could decline 30pc'
One or two LNG trains at the North West Shelf venture could be shut down in the next five years unless deals are done to bring in third-party gas.
Nine forecasts first-half rebound, flags $230m cost-cutting drive
The media company is predicting earnings in the first half to rise by 30 per cent, excluding significant items, compared with the same time last year.
Markets
NextDC board rolled by 'zeroed out' shareholders
Major NextDC shareholders have delivered the board a salutary lesson.
- Opinion
- Oil
Oil producers have more than a pandemic to worry about
The factors counting against a substantial long-term recovery in oil have been quietly stacking up. Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential election is just the latest among many blow for oil bulls.
Why the world's biggest float is on ice
A stand-off between China's powerful financial regulators and the country's highest-profile businessman, Jack Ma, has put a cloud over the future of the Ant Group IPO.
Economy bounces out of recession
Further stimulus and a plunge in bank loan deferrals have underpinned the sharpest recovery in consumer confidence and property buying intentions on record.
Why US tech stocks are still a buy
Big tech names have faltered this week but a fundie who has good form in picking trends says we are only at the start of a multi-decade digital transformation.
Opinion
Getting Trump to concede is just the start of Biden's challenges
Joe Biden is determined to "keep calm and carry on" as President-elect. But it's not just Donald Trump making the usual transition to a new administration as hard and as ugly as possible.
Columnist
Shareholder democracy requires transparent counting of the AGM votes
The conduct of tight votes at company meetings should be regulated by the same checks, balances and independent scrutiny that applies at political elections.
Contributor
Centrist Joe is precisely the president America needs
The economic security that Americans want to regain was built by postwar centrists, not radicals of left or right.
Contributor
Biden offers just a glimmer of hope for liberal democracy
The right response to Biden’s election is hope without naivety. Trump has tested to destruction the idea that a solipsistic superpower determined to disrupt the global order will do much more than destroy its reputation.
Columnist
Labor's civil war hides Coalition's power failures
The climate wars are now pulling Labor apart. Yet the price of the Coalition’s new political edge on climate change is an incoherent energy policy that undermines investment in cheaper, cleaner and more reliable power supplies.
Editorial
How Australia and China can begin the great defrost
Multilateral work together on virus relief, trade and regional debt could be a circuit-breaker for a diplomatic chill.
Politics
'Souped-up Eskies': The challenges of distributing a vaccine
Not knowing which COVID-19 vaccines will become available means planning for all eventualities.
Axing of responsible lending laws in doubt
The government's plan to scrap the responsible lending law for banks faces an uphill battle in the Senate.
What the inquiry into audit quality recommended
A jargon-free guide to the 10 recommendations in the final parliamentary report into audit quality.
- Exclusive
- Regulation
ASIC shells out $1.5m on leadership gurus
The amount, spent over two years, went to consultants to provide coaching and organisational psychologists for top regulators, as well as assessments and advice.
Labor's unrest: There's no clear alternative to Albanese
While there is broad agreement that Anthony Albanese needs to lift, there is no consensus as to who would replace him
SPONSORED
World
Hong Kong pro-democracy politicians resign from parliament en masse
Hong Kong's rubber stamp parliament is now made up entirely of Beijing appointees following the latest crackdown on the pro-democracy movement by China.
- Opinion
- Coronavirus pandemic
Economy needs more than a vaccine to fix it
It may be tempting for lawmakers to shelve major fiscal relief efforts if a coronavirus vaccine is on the way. That would be a mistake.
Britain mobilises medical profession for COVID vaccination blitz
Convention centres and sports facilities will be commandeered and the army drafted, as GPs are told to be ready to go 'any time' next month.
Global uncertainty fails to curb China's online shopping spree
Two of China's biggest e-commerce giants reported a combined $119 billion in online sales during the early phase of the world's biggest shopping festival.
Remembrance Day bomb attack in Saudi Arabia wounds several
France has condemned the cowardly attack in the city of Jeddah, in which four people were reportedly slightly injured.
Property
- Opinion
- Property investment
Why the next wave of housing investors will be different
Housing investors who have been off the radar will return, writes Robert Harley. But things are going to be different.
- Exclusive
- Retail
Collins Street's home of Louis Vuitton in new hands
The four-storey building is thought to have sold about the $65 million mark, well in excess of initial expectations of about $50 million.
Shareholders thwart Unibail equity raising
Activist investors get seats on the board as Europe's debt-stricken mall giant grapples with the legacy of buying Westfield.
Housing sentiment bounces back to pre-COVID-19 levels
Homeowners are now less worried about the state of the property market, says the ME Quarterly Property Sentiment Report.
'Hold on to investment property', the students will come back
An analysis predicts student numbers will exceed their 2019 peak once international borders reopen.
Wealth
- Opinion
- Superannuation
Why turning 60 doesn't always mean you can raid your super
Your retirement savings may be tax-free once you hit 60 but you'll fall foul of the ATO if you don't follow the rules on when you can access them.
Inheritance capital gains tax quirks
There can be CGT payable by beneficiaries even if assets were bought pre-1985, writes John Wasiliev who answers your questions.
Sharemarket poised to rally into year end
Positive news of a vaccine on top of the US presidential election result has analysts hopeful of a much firmer outlook.
Technology
COVID-19 proves to be a tailwind for Nearmap
While some of Nearmap's customers have been affected, overall chief executive Rob Newman says the shift to remote working has benefited the company.
This 18-year-old AI whiz could be the next Elon Musk
Katie Stevo had a plan for everything, but this year challenged her in ways she never expected.
Electric vehicle taxes expected across Australia
South Australia's move to tax electric vehicle users for each kilometre they drive has caught many in the industry off-guard.
Work & Careers
McKinsey helps Defence assess costs
Defence will pay McKinsey $1.2 million for the three-month project, while consulting firm Nous Group is advising the north Queensland flood response agency.
Why jobs of the future will make you happy
Ever wish you could be paid for your morning run, your next Netflix binge marathon or dinner at your favourite haunt? Welcome to jobs of the future.
Life & Luxury
- Opinion
- PCs & laptops
How to get a better computer than everyone else
The machine you dream of is at your fingertips – not to mention greater knowledge of technology and your own brain's shortcomings.
Buyer of $36m pink diamond could still make a profit
Jewellery expert Benoit Repellin, who led the sale, said it set a record for a diamond graded fancy vivid purple pink sold at auction.
Sidney Nolan's Ned-head template among affordable lots on sale
Among the 124 items are works with surprisingly low estimates for an artist of this calibre, as well as several that are particularly notable.
Battered hotels pitch themselves as remote workspaces
Eager to get guests back in their empty rooms, hotels and resorts are pitching themselves as remote workspaces.
Pop star lists Toorak home for $7m
Singer-songwriter Tina Arena bought the grand residence in the exclusive Melbourne suburb for $5,733,000 in 2017, records show.
