Today
- Opinion
- Opinion
Boral is ASX’s biggest cash box
The building materials group has given shareholders a roller-coaster ride over the past 30 years and made some look fondly at the golden years when Sir Eric Neal delivered 14 years of successive earnings increases.
- Tony Boyd
Yesterday
- Opinion
- Opinion
Why Westpac put Kiwi spin-off in the chilly bin
While Westpac saw some benefits in demerging its New Zealand arm, one big stumbling block killed off the idea.
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Opinion
Afterpay now lets customers shop at Amazon, but only in the US
By moving away from its “closed” network model in the US, Afterpay hopes to turbo-charge customer growth in a way that helps all its retailers.
- Updated
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Opinion
CBA’s high-tech road back to old-school business banking
The next stage of CBA’s push into business banking involves a shift away from just selling loans secured by property.
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Cryptocurrencies
Bankers cautious on digital cash
A new report on central bank digital currencies warns of the risks of ‘a vicious circle of entrenched market power and data concentration’.
- Tony Boyd
This Month
- Opinion
- Opinion
Sydney outbreak amplifies Woolworths’ CBD warning
The pandemic has weighed heavily on activity in Australia’s CBDs. Woolworths’ latest move suggests it’s not sure that pain is going away.
- Updated
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Opinion
Zoom CEO’s blunt message on the future of work
After a year of extraordinary growth, Zoom CEO and founder Eric Yuan says hybrid work is here to stay. Now he wants to tackle the challenges it brings.
- Updated
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Opinion
Crown royal commission smells blood
The issue of who knew what about Crown’s alleged underpayment of up to $270 million in taxes has become the centrepiece of Victoria’s royal commission.
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Opinion
Investors the winners in Soul Patts’ $4b transformation
The marriage of two of the country’s oldest investment houses should provide retail investors with access to assets available only to institutions.
- Tony Boyd
- Opinion
- Opinion
AustralianSuper shows power of mutuals
Australia’s capital markets were dominated by mutuals from the 1950s until the 1990s when they demutualised, a move that started a spiral into irrelevance.
- Tony Boyd
- Opinion
- Opinion
What we learnt when Macquarie’s CEO met SpaceX’s COO
In her interview with SpaceX’s chief operating officer, Macquarie chief Shemara Wikramanayake got to the secret of Elon Musk’s success: his outsider approach.
- Updated
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Opinion
Now Coonan is caught up in Crown’s tax mess
As the size of Crown Resorts’ potential tax rort grows, so too does the damage the explosive revelations in the royal commission are doing.
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Opinion
ACCC’s mobile attack backfires
The ACCC never liked the fact that a Federal Court judge approved the TPG merger with Vodafone. But its attempt at payback has backfired.
- Tony Boyd
- Opinion
- Opinion
Boral’s $2.9b US sale exposes Stokes’ lowball bid
The deal makes Seven Group’s nil-premium merger look like a blatant attempt to take control of Boral on the cheap.
- Updated
- Tony Boyd
- Opinion
- Opinion
End of CBA clean-up brings $5b capital return closer
The sale of Commonwealth Bank’s insurance unit means it can finally get on with big capital returns, starting with a potential buyback in August.
- Updated
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Opinion
How Accenture’s Sydney AI team of one went global
The fast-growing automation business at leading global consultancy Accenture started out with a tiny team in Sydney five years ago. It now has 800 people.
- Tony Boyd
- Opinion
- Opinion
PEP’s ESG revolution is all about returns
PEP will use aggressive incentives to drive better ESG performance in portfolio companies, as ESG success adds a bigger premium to valuations.
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Private equity
Battered Challenger promises growth
The company has reason to crow, but shareholders are wary after a year when it abandoned aggressive return on equity targets.
- Tony Boyd
- Opinion
- Opinion
No easy solutions to RBA’s business lament
Philip Lowe doesn’t seem to feel he’s getting much help from business on lifting investment and wages. But a real-life example shows solutions are difficult.
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Opinion
Coles spends up to slim down and grow
Steve Cain’s plan is to lift capital investment by 30 per cent to catch up to, and get ahead of, the big shifts in retail. But investors will take convincing.
- James Thomson
