The apartment trap: why a unit may no longer get you a house
The accepted wisdom that an apartment is a stepping stone to buying a house is being called into question as the gap between unit and house prices hits a record high.
Labor, Libs make final pitch to voters as polls open in byelection
A federal byelection fought on cost of living and local crime has both Labor and the Liberals tempering expectations of victory.
It’s war - Meta pulls out of news deal
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese blasted Facebook owner Meta’s announcement it would stop paying news publishers, saying it was “not the Australian way”.
Have we just laid out a plan to kill the traditional university?
The universities accord says that the number of university students needs to double by 2050. That raises the question of what we actually want from our universities.
‘Commercial negotiation’ behind Rozelle Interchange traffic meters
The operational agreement behind “ramp meters” that slow cars passing through Sydney’s controversial $4 billion Rozelle Interchange will not be made public.
US to airdrop Gaza aid amid humanitarian crisis
President Joe Biden said the US will be joining other nations in a bid to relieve increasingly dire conditions wrought by the Israel-Hamas war.
- Exclusive
- Foreign relations
Albanese woos South-East Asia as he seeks hedge against China
Australia is poised to boost ties with Vietnam as South-East Asian leaders prepare to arrive in force in Melbourne for a key summit.
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Edition
AFR Magazine – innovation issue
How the $8.8b Chemist Warehouse deal was done | Crypto investor reveals his rare car collection | Why a Rolex is about to get easier to buy
weekend reads
- Analysis
- Political leadership
The battle for middle Australia: why Dunkley is a crucial test
Its closeness to the next federal election, the way it came about, and demographics mean the byelection is set to be the most important in years - and the most hard fought.
I have anorexia: this is what it’s like
To have a meaningful conversation about eating disorders, we need to first strip away the myths.
Have we just laid out a plan to kill the traditional university?
The universities accord says that the number of university students needs to double by 2050. That raises the question of what we actually want from our universities.
Is smartphone addiction dooming a generation of girls?
Parents and grandparents have always fretted about the state of today’s youth. But this time, the research points to good reasons for concern.
Out of ideas in China: Xi tinkers as economy stagnates
Ideology will overshadow China’s economic realities at next week’s gathering which Xi Jinping will chair, even though the economy hasn’t bounced back since COVID and needs more help.
smart investor
Rate cuts are coming. Here’s what retiree investors can do
Once interest rates start to fall, the cash and term deposits that make up large portions of Australian retirees’ portfolios will deliver a little less. Here’s what to think about.
‘Investments of passion’: Why I spent $15,000 on wine in three years
Tim Baker was bitten by the wine bug in France.
The sum you need to make it into the top 1pc in Australia
Joining the top 1 per cent of wealthy Australians became easier last year as the country’s rich were hit with a weaker Aussie dollar and slowing economic growth.
- Opinion
- Super Q&A
How much cash can my parents pump into superannuation?
This strategy could allow a couple to contribute $940,000 to super.
- Opinion
- Income tax
Talented people make nations pay for high taxes
The best and brightest minds globally are fleeing high-tax regimes for jurisdictions offering financial incentives.
Get the latest business news on the go with the AFR’s new iOS app.
Companies
- Updated
- Earnings season
Life360 shares surge almost 40pc as it unveils advertising strategy
The ASX-listed, San Francisco-based family tracking app provider reported higher revenues and said it would monetise its significant user base.
Buy now, pay later is pulling off the improbable – a comeback
Block and Zip valuations are rising as peak interest rates pass. Klarna is considering listing in the United States. Is the sector’s winter finally over?
Eraring closure ‘tall order’ as plant underpins supply in heat spike
The country’s largest coal power generator is scheduled to shut in 18 months as negotiations between its owner, Origin Energy, and the NSW government drag on.
Mortgage stress rates hit fastest pace in at least two years
Some non-bank lenders say they are allocating more investor loans, where delinquencies are lower, into their residential mortgage-backed securities issues.
Platinum punished by big tech stocks, but cost controls push up shares
New chief executive Jeff Peters says all options are on the table to fix the battling group that has failed to match the returns of a surging market.
Australia Post CEO faces political backlash over closures
Chief executive Paul Graham warned that despite the first “green shoots” of last year’s postal shake-up, more branches needed to shut to avoid future losses.
Global lithium producer signals price rout has ended
Chinese appetite for electric vehicles has outstripped expectations, boosting optimism of a lithium price rebound and spurring bets from investors.
Companies in the News
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Markets
Nasdaq, S&P 500 reset record highs
Shares rallied in New York with Dell, NetApp and Nvidia ensuring that the fast start to 2024 would extend into a third month. Gold rises.
Fed will not cut rates in 2024: Apollo’s Slok
“The reality is that the US economy is simply not slowing down,” Apollo Global’s chief economist Torsten Slok said.
ASX charts wildest ever earnings season as traders scramble
The sharemarket might have ended February largely where it began, but beneath the hood, short sellers and asset allocators were scrambling to shift money.
ASX hits record high; Dubber says up to $26.6m missing, stock halted
Shares add 0.5pc. NAB’s McEwan to join BHP. Life360 hits 61.4m users. Govt names green bond banks. Wall St gains, bond yields ease on US inflation data. Bitcoin jumps. Follow here.
Traders bet on June rate cut as US inflation slows
Investors raised bets the US Federal Reserve will kick off its first interest rate cut mid-year amid further evidence inflation in the world’s biggest economy is cooling.
Opinion
Meta opts to fight the type of journalism it once lauded
The company behind Facebook and Instagram had its best quarter in Australia ever. It’s decided to put more value in the latest viral meme than quality content.
Media and marketing reporter
Philippines partners Australia on peace, stability and success in Asia
President Marcos’s speech is in keeping with the tightening network of Asian nations who are keen to keep the US engaged and are suspicious of Beijing’s intentions.
Editorial
No productivity revolution coming from the couch
Working from home to get through an emergency is not the same as the concerted drive for growth and productivity Australia desperately needs.
Editorial
Voters tuned out by Voice harder to fix than first thought
Should Labor suffer a large swing against it, or worse in Dunkley, it will be a serious setback. Equally, Peter Dutton needs a win in Victoria.
Political editor
Dutton’s Dunkley plan is crime and utes, not cost of living
The opposition wants to talk about everything except the hip-pocket pain that voters are most exercised about.
Columnist
Talented people make nations pay for high taxes
The best and brightest minds globally are fleeing high-tax regimes for jurisdictions offering financial incentives.
Columnist
Reports
Wealth: Turbocharging your retirement
This series of articles looks at the options for retirement income, the best asset mix heading into retirement, and what you need to know to retire overseas.
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by Australian Retirement TrustPolitics
A defeat in Dunkley won’t be the end for Labor: Albanese
Anthony Albanese has cited a crushing 2001 byelection defeat for the Howard government to counsel against a possible loss in Dunkley.
Think you can set interest rates better than the RBA? Dust off your CV
Treasury has started the process of recruiting RBA board members despite the Coalition’s outright opposition to any new appointments.
Perfect homes to revive Sydney’s ‘missing middle’ and pacify NIMBYs
NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully has a medium-density vision for parts of Sydney. He’s also making headway with a raft of councils on lifting new home targets.
Authorities raid pharmacy, plan off-brand Ozempic ban
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is cracking down on the supply of the wildly popular weight loss and diabetes medication.
PM backs spy chief’s refusal to name turncoat ex-MP
Anthony Albanese retains confidence in ASIO boss Mike Burgess, who is under pressure to reveal the identity of a former politician cultivated by foreign spies.
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World
US to airdrop Gaza aid amid humanitarian crisis
President Joe Biden said the US will be joining other nations in a bid to relieve increasingly dire conditions wrought by the Israel-Hamas war.
‘You weren’t afraid’: Mourners defy riot police at Navalny’s funeral
Hundreds of Russians braved riot police and the threat of arrest to attend the funeral of opposition leader Alexei Navalny after his death in a prison camp.
Elon Musk sues OpenAI, Altman for breaching founding mission
The lawsuit argues that OpenAI’s close relationship with Microsoft has undermined its original mission of creating open-source technology.
China home sales slide despite support from regulators
The property downturn remains a headwind for China’s economy, ratcheting up pressure on developers that are struggling to repay debts and complete projects.
Israeli forces ‘fire on Gaza crowds’ in deadly aid stampede
Health authorities said more than 100 Palestinians were shot dead as they waited for an aid delivery, but Israel said they were run over by aid trucks.
Property
- Exclusive
- Luxury property
Veteran fundie pays $18m for film producer’s Manly home
On Manly’s best street, Barry and Heather Henderson paid $18 million for an original-condition home owned by “Lion” producer Shahen Mekertician.
- Exclusive
- Luxury property
Stock picker, horse breeder spend big on trophy homes
Perpetual’s Anthony Aboud and wife Aleesha have paid $18 million for a contemporary Woollahra home, not far from the new digs of Newgate Stud’s Henry and Louise Field.
‘The cost of doing business’: A building sector at boiling point
After a series of alleged large-scale tax fraud in the construction sector, subcontractors in the building industry fear they can no longer compete as firms underquote.
- Exclusive
- Luxury property
Royale treatment for interior designer’s $16m home
Tanya Johnston, the interior designer daughter of Royale Construction boss Peter, has listed her Hawthorn home in Melbourne’s east for about $16 million.
House price growth gathers speed as sentiment improves
Home values re-accelerated in February bolstered by increasing optimism about potential interest rate cuts later this year amid falling inflation.
Wealth
‘Investments of passion’: Why I spent $15,000 on wine in three years
Tim Baker was bitten by the wine bug in France.
- Exclusive
- Pubs
Jon Adgemis in financial dispute over his grandmother’s estate
The businessman’s Public Hospitality Group has been struggling with cash flow problems and is saddled with high debts.
- Opinion
- Super Q&A
How much cash can my parents pump into superannuation?
This strategy could allow a couple to contribute $940,000 to super.
Technology
Did Apple just ditch its biggest ever Watch upgrade?
The world’s most popular watch manufacturer had been expected to make a huge overhaul to its Watch Ultra in 2024 or 2025.
‘Keeps me up at night’: How Australia’s government sees hacker threat
Home affairs Minister Clare O’Neil has warned of a growing threat of cyber sabotage to Australian power, telecommunications, health and water infrastructure.
- Exclusive
- AI
Labor minister says AI may be ‘humanity’s last invention’
Andrew Leigh’s concerns about the threat to people from computers adds to momentum to introduce restrictions on artificial intelligence.
Work & Careers
Have we just laid out a plan to kill the traditional university?
The universities accord says that the number of university students needs to double by 2050. That raises the question of what we actually want from our universities.
The 30 jobs earning surprise spots in the $100k club
Seek’s list is a mix of white-collar and blue-collar jobs, but a $100,000 salary is not what it used to be.
Life & Luxury
More than 40,000 seats to be filled at NRL’s big Las Vegas bet
The NRL is days away from an audacious play in Las Vegas. The Aussies have flocked in – but landing a new American fan base is the key.
AFL inclusion boss says Paul Keating was wrong on the Voice
Eight years into her role, and still recovering from the amputation of her lower right leg last year, Tanya Hosch keeps pushing on in a job where there is no finish line.
Surrealist arm candy and Lululemon trainers: What to buy this week
Whether it’s fitness, glamour or time out you’re after, we have inspired suggestions for you.
Show-stoppers, lots of sparkle and green dials: what’s new in watches
The year’s timepiece trends are already coming into focus and signs are if it’s not green, it’s got to have sheen.
Why death metal is feel-good music
Can some forms of music actually be bad you? That’s what Plato thought in 4th-century BC, and it has been a cause for moral panic ever since.
