China's economy grows at fastest pace in two years
China powered to a 6.5 per cent year-on-year expansion in the fourth quarter, beating economist estimates for 6.2 per cent growth in the world's second-largest economy, which is good news for Australia.
- Exclusive
- Rich listers
Forrest's COVID-19 ordeal - from Uzbekistan to Switzerland
Australia's richest man and Fortescue Metals Group chairman Andrew Forrest battled the virus while touring the world in search of renewable energy projects as part of his vision for the iron ore miner's future.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Bad luck dogs Xinja Bank's Dubai agent
Michael Gale, the colourful adviser who lined up a failed $433 million investment in Xinja by Dubai’s World Investments, is no stranger to big promises being made by wealthy Middle Eastern families and not delivered.
- Exclusive
- Panama Papers
Panama Papers tax haul tops $143 million
One of the largest leaks of confidential financial information in history has led to 500 audits and reviews by the Tax Office.
- Live
- Need to Know
EU seeks to vaccinate 70pc of population by June 21
Global deaths from COVID-19 are expected to top 100,000 per week very soon, the World Health Organisation says. Follow updates here.
- Live
- US election
Can Trump's shambolic empire make a comeback?
The lame duck president plans a party for himself on Inauguration Day; Mike Pompeo is scrambling to secure his political future. Follow updates here.
CPE Capital leaves porch light on for Bingo's Tartaks
The private equity firm has kept the door open for the waste management company's founding family to join its consortium as part of a planned $2.5 billion-odd buyout.
Companies
- Exclusive
- Mergers & acquisitions
Private equity group eyes $2.5b clean-up of Bingo
CPE Capital, previously known as CHAMP, first dipped its toe into rubbish in September 2019 with a $50m asset bought from Bingo.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Curtain comes down on retail’s most dynamic duo
After Solomon Lew rescued Mark McInnes from corporate purgatory in 2011, the pair became one of the best double acts in Australia’s corporate sector. But all good things must end.
- Exclusive
- Funding
AgriWebb raises $30 million for sustainable livestock drive
AgriWebb's platform now monitors 15 per cent of the nation's cattle and sheep stock. With its latest cash injection, it intends to go global.
Vic power unit outages leave market unfazed
Electricity demand from the grid reached a new January low on Sunday, meaning prices went negative despite unexpected plant outages at coal power generators.
McInnes to leave Premier on a high note
After a decade in the top job, Mark McInnes says he is leaving Premier to spend more time with his family.
German 'kingmaker' backs Amaysim mobile sale
Amaysim Australia investor TGV will throw its near 20 per cent stake in the company behind the $250 million sale of its mobile assets to Optus.
ASIC boss Shipton loses $200k since stepping aside
James Shipton has lost almost $200,000 in forgone wages since he stood aside as ASIC chairman, contradicting Clive Palmer's claims that Shipton is on '$850,000 gardening leave'.
Markets
Cancer biotech Chimeric soars 50pc on debut
Champagne corks popped for investors in emerging cancer therapy company Chimeric Therapeutics, whose shares soared more than 60 per cent in opening trade.
- Exclusive
- Jobs
The hidden jobs shift during COVID-19
An analysis of detailed labour force data by The Australian Financial Review shows the wide-ranging disparity in the employment market and how the COVID-19 recession is reshaping the economy.
Don't rely on higher house prices for growth, economists warn
Economists warned policy makers can't simply rely on debt-fuelled house price appreciation to grow the economy after the COVID-19 recession and that governments must also embark on structural reforms.
Banned bitcoin trader alleges bank discrimination
Cryptocurrency trader alleging emotional distress and damage to his reputation seeks $250,000 from Westpac and ANZ.
- Analysis
- Australia's China challenge
Why China's growth is heading below 6pc
China's recovery has been impressive but Beijing's top brass will renew their focus on the quality of growth – not quantity.
Opinion
Go ahead with Australian Open – and open all borders too
The real issue that has again been highlighted by the Australian Open controversy is the inconsistencies of Australia’s open-closed state border chaos.
Editorial
Is Biden's unity call another big lie?
The new president needs to govern for the whole spectrum of America, not just those sectors that Silicon Valley approves of.
Contributor
For the first time, Qantas faces disciplined competition
The airline's CEO, Alan Joyce, says one of its two domestic rivals will not survive. What makes him think he is on such strong ground?
Contributor
Australia gets the biggest cost cut of our lifetimes
The country is saving the equivalent of an NBN each year as the cost of sustaining our ballooning debt plummets.
Contributor
Free speech is not a free pass
The right to freedom of expression cannot be interpreted as a right to incite crime or violence.
Columnist
Wall Street’s new sheriff is on a mission
Given that US capital markets are the broadest and deepest in the world, the SEC chairman is not only the most important regulator for America but also, arguably, for the wider world. The good news is that Gary Gensler is the right man for the job.
Contributor
Politics
Morrison to renew push for states to harmonise border rules
Back from holidays, Prime Minister Scott Morrison will speak to fellow world leaders on Monday night about their vaccine rollout.
Vaccine rollout might not be enough to restart international travel
Health Department boss Brendan Murphy says tough international border closures and hotel quarantine rules could be needed until 2022.
Sydney red zones downgraded - except for western suburbs
Sydneysiders, other than from the western suburbs, can now enter Victoria, enabling trapped Victorians to return ahead of the school year beginning.
Call to review submarine program over tensions
Taxpayers have already spent $1.7 billion on the future submarine project despite a rocky relationship with the French designer.
Berejiklian floats no jab, no pint for NSW
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the state government is considering whether to allow venue operators to require patrons to be vaccinated for the coronavirus before serving them.
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World
Emptied villages, locked campuses: China battles virus resurgence
Beijing authorities are fearful of COVID-19 spreading before the upcoming Spring Festival, when hundreds of millions of Chinese crisscross the country to go home each year.
Revealed: Trump's exit plan before Biden's party
Close aides and supporters are being invited to a ceremony for farewell Donald Trump that will avoid the inauguration; Trump is set to pardon 100 people on his last day in office. All the day's news here.
FBI screens US troops for possible insider threats
The screening comes after a number of pro-Trump rioters involved in storming the US Capitol on January 6 were found to have military ties.
Prospect of pardons in final days fuels market in access to Trump
The brisk market for pardons reflects the access peddling that has defined Donald Trump's presidency as well as his unorthodox approach to exercising unchecked presidential clemency powers.
Suga vows to press ahead with Olympics despite virus surge
Close to 80 per cent of the Japanese believe the Olympics, already postponed by a year because of the pandemic, should be delayed again or cancelled entirely.
Property
Steakhouse king shuns CBDs for cult burger chain launch
Seagrass Hospitality boss Bradley Michael will open the country's first Five Guys burger and fries restaurant in Penrith, more than 50 kilometres from the Sydney CBD.
Japanese-owned Icon steps up on development pipeline
The developer has flagged plans for an $80 million office tower in trendy Cremorne, in Melbourne's inner-east, through a joint venture with site owner Zagame Group.
Are robot-made buildings a solution to San Francisco housing crisis?
A California company is using additive manufacturing technology to create products on a giant scale.
Cashed-up buyers back in action early
Early indications are the housing market is maintaining momentum after capital city prices rose 2 per cent overall across last year.
Office rents near the bottom
Office rents fell 11 per cent in Sydney and 12 per cent in Melbourne during 2020, according to new figures from Cushman & Wakefield.
Wealth
- Opinion
- Shares
Overcoming the natural instinct to sell in 2021
While there will be many challenges, equity markets will likely find a way to finish the year at higher levels.
- Opinion
- Quantitative easing
Housing, inflation and paying for our debt
Calling the turning point at which inflation risk is no longer tolerated by markets will likely be the biggest call for investors over the next few years.
- Opinion
- Investing
How the pandemic highlights the perks of staying invested
Lessons from 2020 include ignoring short-term noise if you're happy with your risk tolerance, keeping a watch on costs and not to be surprised by volatility.
Technology
- Opinion
- Censorship
Amazon, not Twitter, is the bigger threat to the internet
The company whose cloud computing arm generates more profit than its entire retail division has an ominous power to shut you down.
Unions fight for big tech transparency on ethics
Unionising may seem at odds with the culture companies such as Google, Apple and Facebook have created, but ethics is the rallying cry for a collective push by staff.
Apple plans upgraded MacBook Pros with return of magnetic charging
As well as featuring MagSafe, these devices will also be the technology giant's first high-end laptops to move away from Intel components.
Work & Careers
New foodie options entice Melbourne workers back to the city
Slow but steady was the verdict of hospitality venues as Melbourne office workers made a cautious return on Monday.
Is remote work making us paranoid?
Working from home may exacerbate uncertainty about status and feeling out of the loop. But so-called organisational paranoia isn't always irrational.
Life & Luxury
How the FBI tracked Martin Luther King jnr for years
Extensive official monitoring of the black rights leader is revealed just when America is reeling from violence against black communities.
Why this CEO likes to have strings attached
For Cashrewards chief Bernard Wilson, happiness is having a guitar in his hands. Even better if he can belt out some Pearl Jam.
- Opinion
- Phones
Galaxy S21 v iPhone 12: Which is best?
Here's how the flagship smartphones from Samsung and Apple compare, from screen size and cameras to battery life and price.
Fiji's safe silver lining for Australian luxury resort owners
Fiji provides a textbook lesson in doing tourism in the COVID-19 era. Its 'Big 8' luxury resorts are ready to begin welcoming back holidaymakers, having lost thousands of dollars since March.
‘All Creatures Great and Small’ rehabilitates cows and soothes
An unlikely theme for a TV series – a rural veterinarian in Yorkshire in the 1930s – has turned into a long-running favourite.
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From the gallery
A look back at Australia’s most fabulous parties
- Matthew Drummond, Lauren Sams, Philippa Coates and Julie-anne Sprague
