Optional pay rise with ‘flexible’ super
The Morrison government has opened the door to allowing workers to dip into retirement savings for housing and other expenses, in a possible trade-off for increasing the superannuation guarantee to 12 per cent.
The survival guide to income investing
In a world of near-zero cash rates, minuscule bond yields and government hyper-stimulus, we highlight yield opportunities you may not have thought of.
Australia will pay the price for not joining the climate club
Australian trade partners are gearing up for a low-carbon economy, and with a new EU impost looming, our biggest exports could be left out in the cold.
Bond yields take wrecking ball to equity markets
A sharp rise in bond yields ignited a dramatic swing in risk sentiment on Friday, with a sell-off in global equities that toppled the Aussie from its three-year high.
Cabinet minister accused of rape
The Australian Federal Police and police in South Australia and NSW have been told about historical allegations of rape against a member of cabinet in the federal government.
How Facebook and Australia became friends again
Remembering the tortuous dealings of the National Energy Guarantee, Josh Frydenberg was determined to reach a better outcome in his negotiations with Mark Zuckerberg. But it came down to the wire.
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Junk politics break the surface once more
After a year when government outperformed, the loss of majority and distracting scandals are obscuring what is important.
The untold story of how two university friends hatched the perfect crime only to be undone by the desire for more.
Companies
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
AGL faces an existential crisis
Winning in the Australian energy market used to be about matching consumers to coal and gas-fired power. AGL Energy shareholders are making the painful discovery it is all about alternative technologies.
LNG players shrug off carbon threat with $15b spend
Australia’s LNG producers are well aware of proposed carbon tariffs but still see a robust outlook for gas underpinning their large new projects.
Takeover suitors circle salmon farmer Huon
Huon Aquaculture has appointed advisers as part of a strategic review after fielding unsolicited takeover offers.
De Ferrari left with AMP’s ‘rump’
AMP chief executive says calling it the ‘rump’ undersells the company’s unloved superannuation, wealth and banking divisions, and pledges heavy lifting to overhaul what’s left of the 172-year-old-company.
- Exclusive
- Broadcast rights
Seven requests removal of expert in cricket rights feud
Seven West Media has fired off a letter to the Chamber of Arbitrators asking for the removal of the independent expert appointed to decide the fate of the network’s dispute with Cricket Australia over television rights.
It rained dividends but bold investments on the back foot
Earnings season has shown many companies doing better than expected in the pandemic recovery. However, there’s still a view that this isn’t the moment to spend big or shift strategies because of the opportunities.
Buy now, pay later sentiment sours on concerns about costs, valuations
Sentiment sank on buy now, pay later stocks on Friday, with Afterpay shares plunging 10 per cent when they came back on to the market after a $1.5 billion cap raising.
Markets
- Opinion
- Bonds
Worst bond bloodbath since 1994
A critical question is why Australians are being battered by interest rate movements more than anyone else, writes Christopher Joye.
Tech stocks rebound, bond yields reverse
A tech stock rally, albeit one that faded into the close, helped the Nasdaq end the week on a positive note, as panic selling in US bonds abated, and yields fell.
China’s oil reserves are close to reaching storage capacity
The build-up follows a push by Beijing to buy crude for its reserves last year when prices crashed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The bond market’s GameStop moment, in reverse
Investors betting on a speedy global recovery have triggered a sell off in bonds that market watchers likened to the GameStop rally in reverse.
Copper crunch set to ease with more supply heading to China
The amount of concentrate expected to reach China in March could be 60pc greater than February, one analyst forecasts.
Opinion
The dark irony in Scott Morrison’s letter
It’s a very black irony that in a building full of lawmakers, the police have to write to those lawmakers to point out that if a crime has been committed, they need to report it.
Columnist
Junk politics break the surface once more
After a year when government outperformed, the loss of majority and distracting scandals are obscuring what is important.
Editorial
Political pile-ons could get in the way of vaccine rollout
The point-scoring over vaccination bungles risks undermining confidence in the program we are relying on to get the economy back to normal.
Political editor
Slogan-led strategy isn’t working
Australia’s tough line on China could be easily undermined by Beijing - and by our own allies, too.
Contributor
Alan Joyce looks up, up and away
The Qantas chief is trying to persuade state and federal governments that the vaccine rollout means it is time to keep state borders open and plan for international travel by October. Will it work?
Columnist
Coates shows why he is the master of Olympic politics
A lifetime of plotting, scheming and flattery by the Australian Olympic Committee president has paid off.
Senior correspondent
Politics
Why Australia’s medical regulator is happy to have the AstraZeneca jab
Against a background of debate suggesting the Pfizer vaccine is superior, John Skerritt explains why he’s happy to be getting the AstraZeneca jab.
Pratt draws on tax break for recycling boost
Anthony Pratt will tap the $27 billion accelerated depreciation scheme to kick-start a $2 billion investment in domestic recycling over the next decade.
After early bungles, vaccine rollout set to gain pace
More than 120 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine were destroyed in Victoria on Friday, after private operator Aspen Health could not verify if the vials had been kept at the correct temperature.
Don’t expect Melbourne to snap back, Premier warns
Major Melbourne corporates are urging their employees back to the office from Monday, after Premier Daniel Andrews lifted office capacity to 75 per cent and removed a requirement to wear masks.
Fraudster Caddick’s death may make it easier to recover stolen funds
The decomposed remains of missing fraudster Melissa Caddick have been found on a NSW south coast beach three months after she vanished following a police raid on her home.
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World
Forget politics – foreign investors are flocking to China
Foreign capital is pouring into China at record rates as investors ignore geopolitical tensions in their search for yield, bolstering Beijing’s plans to become a financial superpower.
J&J’s one-shot vaccine receives FDA advisers’ backing
Experts advising the US Food and Drug Administration voted 22-0, with no abstentions, that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh its risks in adults 18 and older.
Saudi crown prince approved operation to capture or kill Khashoggi
The crown prince approved of the plan that led to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, according to a declassified US intelligence assessment.
- Opinion
- Middle East tensions
Biden’s first military attack should wake up Iran
President Joe Biden has now demonstrated that he can walk and chew gum at the same time.
Iceberg larger than New York City breaks off the Brunt Ice Shelf
The iceberg is large, about 20 times the size of Manhattan, but not as huge as the iceberg that in 2017 calved from the Larsen C Ice Shelf.
Property
- Opinion
- Flat Chat
Dogged determination leads to pet-friendly strata laws
Owners corporations in NSW will not be able to unreasonably deny permission for residents to have pets – just as soon as MPs have agreed on the definition of “unreasonable”.
Lang Walker presses ‘go’ on $3b Adelaide housing estate
The launch of the 12,000-house Riverlea estate, potentially South Australia’s largest ever-such housing project, comes amid a broader wave of post-COVID-19 investment in the economy.
Sydney median auction house price hits record high
It’s reached $1.68 million in stunning activity across the city amid fierce buyer competition during a record month of clearance rates.
Roc Private Equity makes higher offer for Vitalharvest Trust
Roc Private Equity has offered $1.08 per unit to acquire all the units of the berry and citrus trust or $314.8 million to buy all the assets - both higher offers than the Macquarie’s proposal.
Housing boom lifts homemaker centre landlord Aventus
Visits to homemaker centres owned and operated by Aventus hit a record high of 44 million in 2020, benefiting tenants like Bunnings, Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi.
Wealth
How to make a knock-out bid before auction
A big spike in pre-auction sales means buyers need to be ready to make an offer the vendor can’t refuse. Experts give their tips on how to seal a deal.
- Opinion
- Sharemarket
Sony valuation ‘undemanding’ even after share gains
The multinational conglomerate is focusing on higher-margin and recurring sources of revenue, with content – music, movies and games – as the key driver.
- Opinion
- Flat Chat
Dogged determination leads to pet-friendly strata laws
Owners corporations in NSW will not be able to unreasonably deny permission for residents to have pets – just as soon as MPs have agreed on the definition of “unreasonable”.
Technology
Made in Melbourne customer data platform raises $33.5m
Lexer’s clients include Optus and Billabong, but it’s eyeing offshore growth.
Twitter’s new feature could earn you money
The subscription option could attract more influencers, who have become accustomed to earning revenue from their content on other platforms.
The massive challenge of regulating Big Tech
As countries take on the growing political and economic power of the tech giants, the focus is moving beyond breaking them up to tougher rules around privacy protection and ownership of data.
Work & Careers
To avoid parental guilt, make a plan to ‘do something’ one-on-one
The key to spending quality time with your kids is breaking free of the daily routines – and ditching their siblings, if you can.
The 150-year making of Netwealth
The Heine family has a long history of exploiting the zeitgeist. Now, they are in pole position to profit from the wealth management industry’s royal commission reckoning.
Life & Luxury
The many lives of Cold War double agent George Blake
I was beguiled when I met the notorious British spy in Moscow, but the charm wore off fast when I considered the man’s life.
‘Someone who looks like me should be on screen’: Netflix’s local content boss
Que Minh Luu’s appointment is a sign of the streamer’s desire for more Australian content – and her lunch request for a specific type of journalist signals an intent to shake up a white-bread media.
Could there be life under the seas of Saturn’s largest moon?
The eyes of humanity might be focused on Mars right now, but many scientists believe that life could exist beneath the methane oceans of Titan.
Final secret of Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’ revealed
A barely legible phrase scribbled on a modern masterpiece gives new insight into the private thoughts of one of the world’s great painters.
Car makers obsess over detail for top 1pc
The attention to detail at the top of the car market can be astounding, as technicians chase that last edge in refinement, style or personalisation.
