- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Taxpayers hand Ampol two huge victories
The government deal to keep Ampol’s Lytton refinery open is a cracker for investors that can lead to bigger returns and a path through the energy transition.
- Live
- Markets Live
ASX rises; Nuix tumbles after investigative report
The Australian sharemarket is trading higher; iron ore prices fall back below $US210 a tonne; Crown rejects Blackstone bid, requests more information on Star merger proposal. Follow the latest here.
Crown rejects Blackstone offer
Crown Resorts has formally rejected Blackstone’s takeover offer but is still considering The Star’s merger proposal.
- Live
- Need to Know
‘Be ambitious on reopening’: Berejiklian
Scott Morrison says returning cricketers had no special treatment, taxpayers will pay oil refineries up to $2.3 billion to stay open; public health experts want a border plan.
- Opinion
- Coronavirus pandemic
Don’t open the border until we are 80pc vaccinated
New COVID-19 strains are far more infections. Higher vaccination levels with a longer quarantine buffer is a proportionate response, writes Elmer Funke Kupper.
- Exclusive
- Business investment
lAdobe to double Australia and New Zealand operation in two years
Adobe ANZ boss Suzanne Steele wants more Antipodeans to see the software company as an employer of choice for launching a technology career.
- Exclusive
- Fintech
Square doubles down on Australia, but not bitcoin, as growth surges
Jack Dorsey’s payments firm will go on a local hiring spree with remote working, meaning staff can live anywhere, but the company will not increase its bitcoin stash.
Companies
- Investigation
- Fintech
The infighting behind the $2.7b Nuix meltdown
It was last year’s hottest float, before missed forecasts sent its stock into a rapid plunge. But the company’s chequered history serves a reality check.
Ampol, Viva to keep refineries open after subsidy deal
The future of the country’s two remaining oil refineries, in Brisbane and Victoria, has been secured for at least six years thanks to a $2.3 billion government package.
BWX expands direct to consumer unit snapping up vegan platform
The maker of skincare brand Sukin will purchase the ethical online retailer, Flora & Fauna, for between $27.9 million to $30.8 million.
Refineries get $2b handout to stay open
The taxpayer will pay the owners of two remaining oil refineries up to $2.3 billion to stop them closing down and leaving Australia entirely reliant on imported fuel.
- Analysis
- Airports
How Britain’s Aussie-owned airports aim to ride out the turbulence
It will take at least a few years for IFM, AMP and Macquarie to fully shake off the pandemic’s pinch, and then there is the net-zero headwinds yet to come.
- Analysis
- Due diligence
Can Macquarie keep the chaos going?
An increasing share of Macquarie Group’s earnings has come from profiting from volatility and dislocation across global markets. But analysts are wondering whether the wild ride will continue?
- Exclusive
- Ethical investing
Wealth firm eyes $250b Islamic finance market gap
Hejaz Financial Services is seeking a banking licence as it builds a vertically integrated wealth shop for Australia’s growing and under-banked Muslim community.
Markets
The fundie winning big in the commodity supercycle
Paragon’s John Deniz has been chasing such periods for years, but he believes the current environment for copper is the best he’s ever seen.
Bedlam behind penny stock’s 7500pc rise and fall
WA-based miner Mindax Ltd shocked traders on Friday by rising 15-fold over the morning, before giving back 84 per cent in the afternoon.
- Opinion
- Bonds
Why investors can’t help worrying about inflation
The spectre of inflation is again haunting financial markets, causing investors to question whether central bankers will honour their pledge not to tighten prematurely.
JPMorgan hires Westpac banker to run FIG
JPMorgan has recruited Westpac Banking Corp head of M&A Adam Penny to work in its Australian investment banking team.
How markets were looking before the bell
Australian shares are poised to start the week higher, bolstered by the resilience of buy-the-dip investors, who paced a rebound in New York.
Opinion
‘Dry’ advice on deficit, debt needed again
It’s not quite the same situation as in the 1980s, says one of the original Liberal ‘dries’ from that era, John Hyde. But backbench MPs need to speak out.
Contributor
Listed gym giant Viva Leisure’s looming legal stoush
One of the country’s biggest gym and health club group’s has become embroiled in a fight with franchisees amid allegations of unconscionable conduct.
Investigative journalist and columnist
Victoria’s tax grab
The Victorian tax grab underlines the importance of building fiscal buffers before a crisis. But it is also a lesson about the failure to reform the tax system.
Editorial
Follow health advice to escape the gilded cage
As health experts now warn, breaking out of Australia’s gilded COVID-safe cage will depend on accepting the need to live with the virus when new cases inevitably appear.
Editorial
Western pressure on Iran best strategy for Middle East peace
Instead of the so-called nuclear deal, the Biden administration should maintain the sanctions on the autocratic theocracy to make it clear that promoting conflict throughout the region is unacceptable.
Columnist
Australia’s state of suspended animation on borders
The idea of learning to live with the virus under a policy of suppression rather than elimination is polite political fiction. That means Australia’s borders will remain closed indefinitely.
Columnist
Politics
Property hit by $2.7b tax austerity plan in Victoria
The Andrews’ Labor government quietly revealed on Saturday that it plans to tax and fine its way out of last financial year’s $23.3 billion deficit.
- Opinion
- Federal budget
‘Dry’ advice on deficit, debt needed again
It’s not quite the same situation as in the 1980s, says one of the original Liberal ‘dries’ from that era, John Hyde. But backbench MPs need to speak out.
- Opinion
- Australia's China challenge
How Australia got badly out in front on China
Since 2016, Australia has embarked on a policy U-turn, opting to push back, call out and be out in front in needling and confronting China, writes Max Suich.
Diplomatic failures at risk of repeat
Australia has a 100-year history of unsubtle diplomacy in dealing with perceived threats in Asia – enthusiasts for calling out China seem largely unaware of it.
Medicos want border reopening plan
More medical experts are pressing for a national plan to gradually reopen the international border so Australians understand they will need to live with COVID-19 once vaccines are widely deployed.
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World
Bill Gates pursued women at Microsoft, witnesses say
Melinda French Gates had also voiced concerns about her husband’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and a harassment claim against Bill’s money manager.
- Opinion
- Cyber protection
Colonial Pipeline cyber attack warning of worse to come
Until the US, Russia and China set some rules, commercial, geopolitical and military competition will continue to bleed into the more mundane world of cyber security.
AT&T is preparing to merge media assets with Discovery
The Discovery deal could give the combined company enough programming to compete with Netflix and other streaming services in a global battle over the future of entertainment.
- Opinion
- Coronavirus pandemic
Getting trade policy right is key to global vaccination
Ensuring the free flow of necessary inputs within the supply chain is vital to fostering global vaccine production.
- Analysis
- Australia's China challenge
Why business blames Canberra for the China mess
Australians doing business with China are frustrated with Beijing’s trade coercion and terrified at the prospect of war, but many blame Scott Morrison and not Xi Jinping for the disintegration in relations.
Property
Youngest son of late Lady Fairfax buys $15m renovator in Vaucluse
Almost four years after the society queen’s death, Charles has upgraded his home, although it’s a far cry from the Fairwater estate in which he grew up.
Inside the $140m penthouse at One Sydney Harbour
The new luxury apartments on the waterfront reflect an investment in international design rarely seen in Australia outside the private property market.
Guy Pearce ekes out $100k price gain on Melbourne home after four years
Actor Guy Pearce made a $100,000 gain on his Melbourne home after four years of ownership in a housing market still playing catch-up from a year and a half of losses.
Victorian windfall tax will hit urban infill, developers say
The southern state’s plan to raise $40 million from uplift on rezoning land is a small part of the $2.7 billion it aims to make but will have big implications.
Diverging fortunes for local, sub-regional malls
Yields, which run inversely to value, have risen to to 7.5 percent for sub-regional malls, while for neighbourhood centres they have sharpened to around 6 percent, the largest gap in almost a decade.
Wealth
- Opinion
- Property prices
Luxury living hits the mark
Downsizers are seeking easily maintainable properties that are close to the city and offer services that can include a concierge, pool, gym, and even a chauffeur and chef.
- Opinion
- Investing
Semiconductors are the new oil
The electronic components of devices that we take for granted are an important long-term investment thematic.
Small super funds outperform on member satisfaction
CoreData research shows members of super funds with less than $20 billion in asserts have higher standards of living in retirement and customer service satisfaction than those in mega funds.
Technology
Chief scientist urges quantum focus to seize global opportunity
Dr Cathy Foley says quality quantum computing start-ups and university research needs to be better co-ordinated by government to seize a $4 billion opportunity.
NBN under fire as telcos rage about cancellations
NBN Co is holding crisis talks with internet providers as its bungled introduction of a new field operations model has seen hundreds of appointments for connections and faults cancelled.
Keypath set for ASX as online course demand soars
Keypath Education has been designing, delivering and managing online courses since 2014. Predictions for market growth are behind the company listing on the ASX.
Work & Careers
Humanities grads moving into cyber security roles
There are jobs in cyber security that don’t require a degree in software engineering or data science.
- Opinion
- International students
International students are being fed lollipops
State and federal governments are sending conflicting messages to international students, and there is a deafening lack of genuine consultation with those already here.
Life & Luxury
How a top kitesurfer invented the electric Fliteboard
A windless day inspired record-breaking kitesurfer David Trewern to create a company that has been capturing the imagination of watersport enthusiasts.
Richard Clapton wants 70-year-olds back on the streets
The “Girls On The Avenue” hitmaker hopes a new album of hippie-era covers will remind his generation of their ideals.
A swag of snags – where Aussie English came from
The convict author of Australia’s very first dictionary would be delighted to know many “flash” terms from his day still linger on in our everyday lexicon.
How to bag a bargain: live auctions of second-hand designer clothes
The resale economy is tipped to hit $US64 billion over the next five years, and Australian brands – big and small – are ready for it.
The word you don’t want Gen Z to call you
Millennials look out: Your younger siblings are taking aim at all you hold dear. If they label you or what you are doing ‘cheugy’, it doesn’t mean you’re cool.
