Suncorp puts its $5b bank into play
The Queensland finance conglomerate is making a fresh push to spin-off or sell its banking unit and focus on its larger and arguably more valuable insurance arm, in a bid to boost returns for shareholders.
Shares set to surge after Wall St rebound
Falling bond yields and slightly pared back rate hike expectations sparked a Wall Street rally, which is expected to spillover into Australian shares on Monday.
Wage inflation ‘flashing red’, BIS warns
The international club of central banks has backed RBA boss Philip Lowe by warning of wage-price spiral risks and calling for “front-loaded” interest rate hikes.
NATO summit turns to global threat from China and Russia
Anthony Albanese’s presence at the NATO summit is part of an intensifying effort to range as many nations as possible against China and Russia, officials said.
- Exclusive
- Gas crisis
Forrest LNG venture to seek government help, says Squadron’s new CEO
Andrew Forrest’s LNG import venture in NSW will seek government support to bring customers on board, says Eva Hanly, the new CEO of his private energy company.
- Opinion
- Federal election
Liberals look for love in all the wrong places
The Liberal Party’s disastrous financial and political decline in Western Australia is just the most extreme example of its state-by-state fall from political grace, writes Jennifer Hewett.
- Opinion
- Investing
Bad news is ‘good’: investors welcome weaker US economy
The market is betting the darkening outlook for US economic growth will bring an abrupt end to the Fed’s tightening cycle. But doubts remain, writes Karen Maley.
Opinion: The country’s sharpest opinion, commentary and analysis. In your inbox on Sunday.
weekend reads
The week wage rises crashed into reality
Labor created a perception about higher pay to win the election. But that all changed in the last seven days, and now it must deal with the fallout.
DeSantis: The 43-year old putting Trump to the test
The governor of Florida has things that Trump doesn’t: youth and a real head of hair, a Harvard law degree, military service and a cool, calm head in heated debates.
- Explainer
- Travel
Travelling to Europe in summer? Here’s what you need to know
Australians are bound for the continent en masse over the next few months in what travel agents are dubbing the biggest offshore migration since COVID-19 first hit.
How to fix Australia’s broken visa system
A record 423,000 job vacancies and tens of thousands of unresolved visa applications have made the migration system an urgent political and economic problem for Labor.
Why we trust fraudsters
From Enron to Wirecard, elaborate scams can remain undetected long after the warning signs appear. What are investors missing?
smart investor
Blue-chip stocks provide little shelter in this market storm
Investors have come to rely on dividend income from banks and miners. But extreme volatility and rising interest rates mean it’s time to revisit cash and bonds.
- Analysis
- Home loans
How property lenders keep turning the screws on borrowers
Tougher income checks, closer scrutiny of spending, bigger deposits and tougher loan conditions are being used as rates further rise.
- Analysis
- Managed funds
The best managed funds for income investors
Using listed or unlisted funds for yield, and reviewing portfolio asset allocations to ensure sufficient diversification, is a better strategy than picking stocks.
- Opinion
- NSW budget
NSW is degenerating into one of the worst run states in Australia
NSW promised to spend $15 billion on infrastructure and debt repayments that it is instead gambling on global financial markets.
- Opinion
- Superannuation
What to know about super contributions before June 30
If you’re trying to work out the maximum you can contribute right now, then follow these steps.
Companies
- Opinion
- Monday fundie
Oaktree’s Makam calls out the credit market’s hidden risks
The message from the US veteran portfolio manager to Australian institutions piling into private debt is that the returns don’t always reflect the risks.
Generators increase supply after NEM restart but coal outages persist
Generators have lifted offers of supply after the National Electricity Market restarted, but coal outages continue to dent recovery from energy crunch.
Suncorp puts its $5b bank into play
The ‘bancassurer’ group is making a fresh push to spin off or sell its banking unit in an attempt to boost returns for shareholders.
Energy crunch starkly illustrates Origin’s ‘tale of two businesses’
Origin is raking in cash at its Australia Pacific LNG export venture, but its utilities business is a drag amid the ongoing power crisis.
Media ownership royal commission ‘not warranted’: Rowland
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland says the Albanese government does not believe a royal commission into media ownership in Australia is warranted, putting the government at odds with Kevin Rudd.
Bell Potter stitches up equity raising for battling BWX
Stockbroker Bell Potter Securities is lining up investors for cut-priced shares in skin and hair products company BWX Ltd.
Elanor mall fund to delist as stock flounders
The Elanor Retail Property Fund has traded below its offer price since listing in 2016 and remains at a substantial discount to the value of its net tangible assets.
Companies in the News
Search companies
View stories and data from an ASX listed company
Markets
Shares set to surge on Monday after Wall St rebound
Falling bond yields and slightly pared back rate hike expectations sparked a Wall Street rally, which is expected to spillover into Australian shares on Monday.
Energy crunch starkly illustrates Origin’s ‘tale of two businesses’
Origin is raking in cash at its Australia Pacific LNG export venture, but its utilities business is a drag amid the ongoing power crisis.
Oaktree’s Howard Marks is on an aggressive hunt for bargains
‘I think the idea of waiting for the bottom is a terrible idea,’ the billionaire investor says in an interview that delves into investor psychology.
- Opinion
- Investing
Depth of recession hinges on wage control
The combination of a bear market and an economic downturn has historically been ugly. Avoiding recession might come down to wage pressures.
S&P 500 poised to rally up to 7pc next week: JPMorgan
Rebalancing by sophisticated investors could be the catalyst for a melt-up, which could extend through the second half of this year.
Opinion
Labor should back RBA’s ‘narrow path’ to lower inflation
As The Australian Financial Review has urged, the Labor government needs to more clearly back the central bank’s call for negotiated wage rises to be kept to around 3.5 per cent.
Editorial
A wage-price spiral is a ticket to revisiting the 1970s
Without price stability or productivity improvements, generous wage, fiscal, or monetary policies will represent nothing but false promises.
Columnist
Albanese’s trip to Europe no distraction from Asia-Pacific focus
Mindful of the chatter that he is already abroad too much, the prime minister will be at pains to extract the relevance of his European trip to Australia’s interests in Asia.
Historian
Liberals look for love in all the wrong places
The Liberal Party’s disastrous financial and political decline in Western Australia is just the most extreme example of its state-by-state fall from political grace.
Columnist
Why we shouldn’t expect work to fulfil our emotional needs
This quest for fulfilment primarily through our jobs has led to the language of family overtaking the world of work.
Contributor
Busting the myths about teaching
Teaching comes in for a bad rap. But it is an intellectually challenging, creative and absorbing career that changes lives.
Contributor
Politics
NATO summit turns to global threat from China and Russia
Anthony Albanese’s presence at the NATO summit is part of an intensifying effort to range as many nations as possible against China and Russia, officials said.
Chalmers wants RBA board ‘diversity’
The Treasurer wants to shake up the business-dominated board to ensure its diversity is representative of industries, workers, geography and gender.
Census data to offer COVID-19 national snapshot
Tuesday’s release of 2021 census data will provide the first look at new data on long-term health conditions, Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh says.
Don’t touch 2-3pc inflation target, shadow treasurer warns
The Coalition’s Angus Taylor says the long-standing inflation target of 2-3 per cent should not be adjusted by the Albanese government’s review of the RBA.
Crossbench cuts could delay ICAC bill: Haines
Independent MP Helen Haines has warned that proposed staffing cuts for crossbenchers could delay the establishment of a federal anti-corruption commission
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World
Russia strikes Kyiv as troops consolidate gains in the east
Before Sunday’s early morning attack, Kyiv had not faced any such Russian airstrikes since June 5.
Xi Jinping shores up power ahead of Hong Kong visit
China’s president is further cementing his power with a security reshuffle and another corruption crackdown ahead of the party congress later this year.
- Analysis
- Air travel
Fasten your seatbelts: chaos in Europe, US a warning to Aussie air travellers
Post-COVID-19 staff shortages and unrest are blighting airports and airlines on both sides of the Atlantic, turning many European and American air journeys into a wearying ordeal. Nor is Australia immune.
US Congress studies bill on AUKUS submarine training
The first significant piece of legislation on the road to AUKUS has entered the US Congress.
Global CEOs urge G7 leaders to step up climate action
More than a dozen heads of large corporations have pleaded for ambitious government climate policies ‘that offer the private sector clarity and stability’.
Property
Elanor mall fund to delist as stock flounders
The Elanor Retail Property Fund has traded below its offer price since listing in 2016 and remains at a substantial discount to the value of its net tangible assets.
Commercial rent collection falters in May as rising costs bite
The industrial real estate sector has been hit particularly hard as rising petrol prices forced up the cost of transport and the price of goods.
‘May have to defer rent’: avocado glut hits country’s biggest grower
After revenues plunged and the company sunk deep into the red, Simpsons Farms warned it may not be able to meet its lease obligations.
Rising fuel, fertiliser costs to crimp bumper farmland returns
Prime farmland delivered annual returns of 15 pc over the year to March, but increasing headwinds such as the rising cost of fuel could start to crimp them.
Nervous vendors retreat from auctions
In Sydney, 28 per cent of scheduled auctions were withdrawn, the highest rate since April 2020.
Wealth
- Analysis
- Home loans
How property lenders keep turning the screws on borrowers
Tougher income checks, closer scrutiny of spending, bigger deposits and tougher loan conditions are being used as rates further rise.
Record $15 trillion household wealth ‘as good as it gets’
Australian households increased their total affluence 1.2 per cent in the March quarter, and by 35 per cent since the start of the pandemic.
- Analysis
- Managed funds
The best managed funds for income investors
Using listed or unlisted funds for yield, and reviewing portfolio asset allocations to ensure sufficient diversification, is a better strategy than picking stocks.
Technology
The AI challenge must start in schools
Getting a hands-on experience with artificial intelligence will, hopefully, turn students on to a career in tech.
The start-up launching rockets for NASA from Arnhem Land
The rockets will only be visible to the local community and surrounding areas for seconds after liftoff.
Musk says new Tesla plants are ‘money furnaces’, losing billions
The comments offer new insight into Tesla’s operations in the days leading up to Musk’s decision to cut costs by laying off employees.
Work & Careers
- Exclusive
- Employment
Why bother with uni when there are jobs for the taking?
There are signs school-leavers are choosing work over university as companies make attractive offers to get their share of the employment pool.
- Opinion
- Workplace
Why we shouldn’t expect work to fulfil our emotional needs
This quest for fulfilment primarily through our jobs has led to the language of family overtaking the world of work.
Life & Luxury
- Analysis
- Air travel
Chaos in Europe, US a warning to Aussie air travellers
Post-COVID-19 staff shortages and unrest are blighting airports and airlines on both sides of the Atlantic, turning many European and American air journeys into a wearying ordeal. Australia is not immune, write Hans van Leeuwen and Matthew Cranston.
Inaugural Sydney to Rome flight takes off
The first Qantas Sydney-Perth-Rome service touched down at Rome slightly ahead of schedule, in a fast flight time of 15 hours and 30 minutes.
Award-winning Brisbane house redefines working from home
A home on a residential block in Samford Valley includes an office studio that allows the owners to completely separate their professional and domestic lives.
Aussie fashion is becoming more sustainable thanks to this man
Cue, RM WIlliams and MJ Bale are among the brands planning to use factory set up by an Australian-Vietnamese refugee to diversify manufacturing and boost green credentials.
Why is everyone so het up over a 62-year-old doing a nude scene?
English actor Emma Thompson has appeared fully naked on screen for the first time in her career. It has become the main topic of conversation about the film.
