ASX to rally as traders write off chances of December rate rise
The ASX is headed for a strong start at the opening bell as traders conclude that interest rates in Australia and overseas have reached their peak.
Rolling three-year prison sentences for high risk non-citizens
The bill will face a stoush in the Senate as the Coalition says it does not go far enough and the Greens have labelled it ‘knee-jerk hysteria policymaking’.
Chalmers, Plibersek aim private capital at government priorities
The treasurer and environment minister are both reaching deep into the business community to urge investment into key policy areas.
- Opinion
- Hydrogen
Less hype, more hard work needed to realise hydrogen hopes
Hydrogen offers three big opportunities that should be grasped now, and realising them without undue hope or excessive long-term subsidies requires focused analysis and clear policies.
- Exclusive
- Superannuation
Improve retirement products, Jim Chalmers warns super funds
The Treasurer said uncertainty about expenses, particularly in the latter part of retirement, including aged care, lead to many retirees retain more money than needed.
- Opinion
- Energy transition
Keating attack on Origin bid ties big super to petrostate of old
A better focus for the ex PM would be the short-term performance test benchmarks that penalise the super industry for investments in future facing, low carbon industries, writes Tim Buckley.
Tough times at Pemba Capital’s NDIS services business Oncall
Sources said, should the situation worsen, Deloitte’s restructuring team would be well-placed to land an advisory role.
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smart investor
Vanguard’s biggest bond ETF becomes first to break $151b
The highest yields in years have made fixed-income more appealing, while exchange traded funds have consistently stolen market share from their more expensive mutual fund brethren.
- Opinion
- Investing
What Charlie Munger taught me about life, love and money
Munger compiled a list of 25 common cognitive biases that afflict us, and it makes for a handy guide of mistakes for investors to avoid.
- Opinion
- Inflation
New-look RBA will be a stronger inflation-fighter
Appointing an outsider to the RBA’s second-most important job will help bring about much-needed cultural change at the central bank.
- Opinion
- SMSFs
Accountants the ‘big omission’ from financial advice overhaul
Accountants represent a pool of specialists ideally placed to fill the crucial financial advice gap, but they have been largely ignored.
- Opinion
- Flat Chat
Up the garden path with dodgy developers
What’s missing from the new strata laws is any reference to the scandal of embedded networks or, indeed, any duty of care by strata managers.
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Companies
Why it’s so hard to make money from blood tests
There’s restructuring ahead at the No. 2 pathology provider Healius, which despite its activist ructions, has yielded a 30 per cent return since its 2023 low.
Altium’s board shuffle raises eyebrows
Altium has long been run like a family business. But with the resignation of its chairman, will the design software company level up?
Canadian rail giant approves CEO’s BHP coupling
Canadian National directors joined BHP’s board in giving their blessing to a romantic relationship between chief executives Tracy Robinson and Mike Henry.
- Exclusive
- Board shake-up
Mathieson Group says Endeavour chairman’s days are numbered
With tensions unresolved, the Mathieson camp says it is prepared to call an extraordinary general meeting if Peter Hearl does not step down.
Woodside signs up to COP pledge on methane
The energy giant got behind an initiative to cut flaring by 2030. Activists were dubious that it had moved the goalposts.
Online shopping hasn’t killed the mall – it just changed it
In 2025, David Jones will hand back plenty of space at Westfield Bondi Junction. The silver lining is an opportunity to find new ways of enticing shoppers.
Lew’s Premier Investments posts record Black Friday sales
The billionaire told Premier’s AGM a review into a possible demerger confirmed “significant” future growth options available to each of its brands.
Companies in the News
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Markets
- Analysis
- Sharemarket
Will Newmont’s secondary listing work? History says it will be hard
Navigating investor apathy and keeping management’s attention on local shareholders is not easy, as Singtel and Janus Henderson have found.
- Opinion
- Hedge funds
Behind the $2b bet against the ASX’s favourite lithium stock
It’s retail investors and the nation’s largest super funds versus the hedge funds in a multibillion-dollar wager on the future of the coveted metal.
- Opinion
- Opinion
‘We’ve reached a turning point’: What 2023 taught this CIO
The preconditions for a rebound in economic growth are firmly in place, with significantly looser liquidity expected to bolster asset prices in 2024.
London’s sharemarket is ‘structurally broken’, warns broker
Britain’s market for small and medium-sized stocks is rapidly shrinking, undermining London’s reputation as a global hub.
Lithium price fall tests anxious investors
Hopes that lithium could one day supplant iron ore as the bedrock of the Australian economy are being tested by a sharp price crash. But we’ve been here before.
Opinion
A permanent ceasefire would be just another temporary truce
Supporters of a genuine peace process should hope Israel can finish the job of protecting itself from Hamas as quickly as possible.
Editorial
Less hype, more hard work needed to realise hydrogen hopes
Hydrogen offers three big opportunities that should be grasped now, and realising them without undue hope or excessive long-term subsidies requires focused analysis and clear policies.
What Kissinger would have advised on Israel-Hamas
The Australian government has been trying to balance domestic opinion, rather than articulate clear and simple objectives.
Columnist
Why Ray Dalio should not be venerated
He created the world’s biggest hedge fund at Bridgewater Associates. But the business operated a cult-like psychodrama under his leadership.
Senior correspondent
Investor love affair with US bonds restarts after rocky times
The market consensus has flipped once again, now to a widespread expectation that rates are easing.
Contributor
Drawing a line under a toxic surge of prejudice
Turning societies overseas into echo chambers of prejudice and conflict in the Middle East is not helping the cause of a settlement
Editorial
Reports
The Fast Lists 2023
The AFR Fast 100 and Fast Starters lists include a tech firm with its eye on the moon and consultants with 3500 per cent revenue growth.
Politics
Reform the NDIS, but don’t expect states to pick up cost: Minns
NSW Premier Chris Minns says state services cannot be expected to pick up people removed from the NDIS.
- Exclusive
- Superannuation
Improve retirement products, Jim Chalmers warns super funds
The Treasurer said uncertainty about expenses, particularly in the latter part of retirement, including aged care, lead to many retirees retain more money than needed.
Talk builds about Frydenberg political return
Josh Frydenberg and his supporters have commissioned a poll of voters in his former seat of Kooyong, fuelling speculation about his return to federal politics.
- Exclusive
- AUKUS
The biggest risk that could set off China-US conflict: ex-army chief
Sir Mark Carleton-Smith also says Ukraine’s war with Russia could last for as long as another five years.
Merger crackdown risks VC funding going overseas
The tech industry has warned that the federal government’s proposed tougher merger laws would make it harder for founders to sell their businesses, stymying start-up returns.
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World
Israel wants buffer zone inside Gaza
A senior adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister denied that the “security envelope” around Gaza to stop Palestinians from crossing the border was a land grab.
China sonar incident sparks AUKUS acceleration
Defence Minister Richard Marles says the latest AUKUS initiatives were crucial in light of the incident involving a Chinese navy destroyer.
Woodside signs up to COP pledge on methane
The energy giant got behind an initiative to cut flaring by 2030. Activists were dubious that it had moved the goalposts.
Australia seeks to play good cop at climate summit
The COP28 climate summit has bowled up a plethora of pledges on renewable energy, health and agriculture, and Australia has signed up to all the biggies.
- Opinion
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Why Israel should call for a permanent ceasefire
Wiping out Hamas is an unattainable goal, and getting stuck in Gaza would be a disaster, writes Thomas Friedman.
Property
High land prices stalling office developments: Hines
Land values have yet to adjust to rising cost and the price of debt, the developer and fund manager says.
Record migration fuels Britain’s rental crisis
The boss of real estate portal Zoopla has blamed record migration for further increasing sky-high UK rents, up 8.4 per cent in the year to October.
Signa’s lofty property valuations point to brutal pain to come
The gap between book values and what buyers are willing to pay for a Berlin trophy tower is further evidence of commercial property’s price reckoning.
Private equity boss’ $15.2m Mosman mansion sells for a loss
Potentia Capital’s Andy Gray and wife Emma have sold their Federation mansion for almost $2 million less than the $17 million they paid for the Federation mansion last year.
FOMO returns amid high migration and supply shortage
The potential to make strong capital gains due to lack of supply and swelling demand is fuelling fear of missing out among investors.
Wealth
- Exclusive
- Executive pay
Revealed: Australia’s 50 highest-paid CEOs in 2023
Despite topping the pay ranks, Macquarie Group’s Shemara Wikramanayake is just one of two women on the list.
- Opinion
- Investing
What Charlie Munger taught me about life, love and money
Munger compiled a list of 25 common cognitive biases that afflict us, and it makes for a handy guide of mistakes for investors to avoid, writes Jonathan Shapiro.
Jets, yachts and a $380 steak: this state is booming again
The strong iron ore price is tipping billions into government coffers, and bolstering profits for the big miners, helping the top end of town to continue splashing cash.
Technology
What robot dogs, Yoko Ono and a $1m potato reveal about humanity
The theme of artificial intelligence and its impact on art and society runs deeply through the NGV’s Triennial exhibition opening this weekend.
Law start-up survives near-death to build $31m company
The Funded blog is the home for news on the tech deals that are done in Australia, as soon as we hear about them.
Phone calls have become an intergenerational minefield
Younger people don’t like unsolicited ringing – even from their parents. Here’s why.
Work & Careers
- Exclusive
- International students
Foreign uni enrolments rise again amid visa crackdown
Universities say demand from overseas students is “going through the roof”, but a clampdown on non-genuine students will dampen temporary migrant numbers.
- Exclusive
- International students
Coalition considered, then rejected ‘envy tax’ on foreign students
The idea to place a levy on international students did the rounds under the Coalition, but was scrapped. Now it’s on the cards again.
Life & Luxury
Is the very rich Robert De Niro being a hypocrite?
Like the rest of us, most celebrities mellow as they age and become less hung up on themselves. But this wealthy Hollywood icon is taking on Republicans.
STC loses subscribers after scarf display
A former STC patron whose open letter to the company went viral estimates that hundreds of people are cancelling or holding off on their 2024 subscriptions.
Nadal to return in Brisbane’s Australian Open warm-up
The Spanish great declared on social media that ‘after a year away from competition it’s time to come back’.
‘The more fun, the better he plays’: Golf’s rising star Min Woo Lee
The golf industry has tried for decades to attract more young people to play. A West Australian-born golfer is helping to move the dial.
The watch dynasty primed for the billion-dollar club
Richard Mille is set for a new era in the hands of the next generation, and you can expect the impact to reach our shores.
