Has Netanyahu reached the end of the road?
He is the great survivor of Israeli politics but the killing of seven aid workers in an airstrike this week has drawn heavy flak from normally staunch allies.
- Analysis
- Biden's White House
Who is winning the US and China ‘chip war’?
President Biden is committed to victory over China when it comes to semiconductors. But it’s not a straightforward process.
- Opinion
- Sharemarket
Why investors should ignore the sell-off and stay in the game
While the equity rally may have stalled after a blistering first quarter, the market is just starting a new up-cycle which should be measured in years rather than weeks or months, writes Jun Bei Liu.
Yellen calls China meetings ‘productive’, seeks level playing field
Janet Yellen said she had “productive conversations” with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on the bilateral economic relationship after two days of meetings in China.
New governor-general Sam Mostyn and the battle for relevance
She will want to avoid the fate of Michael Jeffery - known as ‘Mr 2 per cent’ after a particularly brutal survey found just 2 per cent of the population knew who he was.
Seven paid for Lehrmann’s story. Now it is the story
The television network’s pursuit of an interview with the accused rapist has put its tactics on trial.
British petrol station billionaires face Australian nightmare
Mohsin and Zuber Issa spent $1.7 billion to buy hundreds of Australian petrol stations in 2018 - but are now looking to sell.
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smart investor weekend
Is it worth getting a Qantas home loan for the points?
It’s no good getting a ‘free’ one-way ticket to France but having no money to buy yourself a decent pain au chocolat.
What if my late wife’s pension pushes my super above $3 million?
Reversionary pension law gives surviving spouses time to sort out their super.
- Opinion
- SMSFs
What SMSFs need to know as ATO cracks down on illegal access to super
More than $630 million has been accessed illegally from SMSFs. Here’s what you need to know to stay on the right side of the law.
- Opinion
- Inflation
Next US inflation print could make or break 2024
Investors in aggressively long equities, real estate, junk bonds and private debt have been fervently punting on the likelihood of deep rate cuts this year to bail them out of a heavy procyclical slump.
Small caps are ripe for a comeback. Here’s how to pick winners
The life-changing capital gains on offer make the small-cap sector attractive to investors, but success stories are rare among the thousands of companies that bite the dust.
weekend reads
How to make money being Paul Keating
Thank god for writing royalties, says Jonathan Biggins, who reckons politics is stuck on repeat and the new puritanism is hard to poke fun at.
Higgins memoir on ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ parties at Parliament House
Pages from Brittany Higgins’ unpublished memoir, which have been tendered in a defamation trial, reveal more grubby behaviour at the top of politics.
- Analysis
- Middle East tensions
On NATO’s 75th birthday, old certainties are gone
For Washington and all its allies, the anniversary should involve difficult thinking about ends and means.
It’s Hanwha against the hawks in race for shipbuilder Austal
The Korean conglomerate has made the news plenty of times before and not always in a positive light. Now it wants Australia’s largest defence group.
The corporate cost of the Yes campaign
In some circles, there is now a perception that corporate alignment with a cause can alienate more voters than it persuades.
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Companies
- Exclusive
- Investment banking
Lendlease calls in banks as it mulls structural change
The global property developer is facing calls from its major shareholders to carve off its international division. Its advisers are now exploring its options.
Inside the battle for Armaguard and the future of cash
The high-stakes negotiations over the financial future for the cash transit monopoly reached a crescendo over Easter, and became clearer this week.
Police investigated sexual assault allegation against PwC employee
A woman is suing PwC Australia under workplace laws. Both parties agreed on Friday to attend mediation.
Santos pursues environmentalists that bankrolled Barossa gas protest
The gas producer wants four activist groups to hand over documents that could show who funded litigation against its offshore project north of Darwin.
Allan Gray will disregard proxy advice and back Goyder at Woodside
The investment firm is a big shareholder in the oil and gas giant. It is supporting its climate strategy in the face of opposition from environmentalists.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Rise of the corporate farmer changes the supermarket game
Who is growing our food? An influx of institutional capital into farmers and growers suggest the game has changed.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Richard Goyder’s plight is worth watching
It’s a surprise to see a proxy adviser take on Woodside Energy chairman Richard Goyder. But it is another timely reminder of the way capital markets are headed.
Companies in the News
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Markets
Wall St extends rally after stronger-than-expected jobs data
All three US benchmarks closed higher as traders opted to focus on the economy’s strength, rather than the fading probability of a June rate cut.
Why Wall Street banks have got it wrong on lithium
Sydney fund manager Ethical Partners says their own modelling shows the battery metal has moved “rapidly back” into balance after last year’s collapse, that will continue to support prices (and the sharemarket).
‘Unequivocal failure’: Activist fund tries to unseat Larry Fink
Bluebell Capital Partners is proposing to oust the BlackRock founder as chairman of the world’s largest asset manager.
BHP, Rio weigh on ASX shares; oil jumps, GQG gains on rising FUM
Shares pare losses. Middle East spooks investors. GQG lifts FUM. Ripple plans stablecoin launch. APM finds new suitor. Dow drops on Kashkari rates cloud.
Iron ore to end 2024 near $US100 a tonne: Capital Economics
Global steel prices are on “shaky ground” and there’s little reason to expect an increase in demand, according to the London-based firm.
Opinion
Israel must listen to its friends, not defy them
Israel has to show that it is better than the terrorists of Hamas. That means being accountable for its own behaviour.
Editorial
Australia must uphold international law, starting with Israel
We have been too quick to make excuses for Israel, and too slow to push the first principle of adherence to the law.
Columnist
Next US inflation print could make or break 2024
Investors in aggressively long equities, real estate, junk bonds and private debt have been fervently punting on the likelihood of deep rate cuts this year to bail them out of a heavy procyclical slump.
Columnist
Tax review to avoid an ‘intergenerational tragedy’
Incremental change is a waste of time. Ken Henry says someone has to grab this thing and get on with it.
Editorial
Are we on the brink of an Asian currency war?
As tensions over China’s push into high-tech manufacturing flare, analysts warn that it’s only a matter of time before China follows Japan’s lead in competitive currency devaluations.
Columnist
Reports of China’s demise are exaggerated
The popular theory of “peak China” is based on a misreading of data. And many of its problems are more cyclical than analysts are allowing for.
Columnist
Reports
AI’s brave new world
Artificial intelligence is being used by hackers to create ever more convincing fakes, but the technology is also giving our leading companies an edge.
Politics
Israeli officers fired over ‘bungled’ strike that killed aid workers
The Albanese government is unsatisfied with information provided by Israel after a probe into the drone strike that killed Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom.
Home insurance premiums are up 56pc, but insurers are making a loss
Insurers have made no money on home insurance policies in four years, and the industry warns premiums will continue to soar as natural disasters become more frequent.
Chalmers reassures on cash supplies after Armaguard meeting
The government wants Armaguard, together with the banks and major retailers, to deal with the challenging economics of the cash distribution industry.
The plan to build the next Who Gives a Crap
Businesses helping deliver social good in the community will get extra help finding critical capital investment, the federal government says.
- Exclusive
- Environmental protection
Internal Labor group chides Plibersek on nature-positive ‘vacuum’
A Labor green group says reforms to environmental laws are an Albanese “election commitment” on an issue Labor members have campaigned for nearly a decade.
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World
US military on alert for Iran to strike back at Israel
US officials in Washington and the Middle East said that they were bracing for possible Iranian retaliation for the Israeli airstrike in Damascus, Syria.
US jobs roar again, probability of June rate cut falls
Nonfarm payrolls advanced 303,000 in March, the most in nearly a year, led by faster hiring in health care, construction, as well as leisure and hospitality.
Accenture boss accused of ‘shaming’ executive with ADHD
The global boss of Accenture has been accused of publicly “shaming” an ousted senior executive, who has alleged that the firm discriminated against him.
Rupert Murdoch relists NYC penthouse at lower price
The triplex in New York’s Flatiron district is priced at $58.5 million, almost 38 per cent lower than when it was first put up for sale in 2022.
New York area hit by biggest quake in 140 years
The preliminary 4.8 magnitude temblor was the strongest in the area since 1884. It occurred near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.
Property
- Exclusive
- Luxury property
Billionaire Smorgon family to sell family farm Benwerrin
The Toorak-based Smorgons have listed a long-held family farm complete with five-bedroom luxury residence.
- Exclusive
- Property development
The big plan to stop the Sydney exodus
The Minns government will push its zoning reforms, with or without councils’ blessing, as over 70,000 Sydney workers have left for more affordable pastures.
- Exclusive
- Luxury property
Wallabies great snaps up rural retreat in impulse buy
The former Wallabies captain and his wife, Julie, have emerged as the buyers of a luxury rural retreat in the NSW Central West town of Orange.
- Exclusive
- Luxury property
Eastern suburbs’ elite sell their trophy mansions
Investors Mutual CEO Damon Hambly and wife Philippa Haydon have listed their Bellevue Hill home for $23 million, while Sue Ingham is downsizing in Darling Point.
- Exclusive
- Build-to-rent
Japanese giant to partner on $1.2b build-to-rent portfolio
Cedar Pacific and Sumitomo Forestry will join forces on a $1.2 billion portfolio of build-to-rent towers that will use plenty of timber in their construction.
Wealth
Small caps are ripe for a comeback. Here’s how to pick winners
The life-changing capital gains on offer make the small-cap sector attractive to investors, but success stories are rare among the thousands of companies that bite the dust.
The questions real estate agents avoid (but buyers must ask)
Be aware of the many hidden costs associated with buying a new home.
- Opinion
- SMSFs
What SMSFs need to know as ATO cracks down on illegal access to super
More than $630 million has been accessed illegally from SMSFs. Here’s what you need to know to stay on the right side of the law.
Technology
Musk denies axing entry-level Tesla in pursuit of a robotaxi
The promise of a fully autonomous vehicle has long been key to Tesla’s lofty valuation, which has tumbled more than one third so far this calendar year.
Canva millionaires made as $US1.6b share sale completes
The design software giant has finalised the first tranche of a share sale it has signalled will reach $3.6 billion, with rich rewards for early staff and investors.
Uber and GoCatch stagger out for round two of court case
Nobody expected a clean fight when GoCatch called out Uber for huge damages, but startling details in the first week of the trial have left both sides wounded.
Work & Careers
Australians lead the world in business-leisure trips
Aussies are taking business trips nearly twice the length of the global average and Melbourne boss and golfer Jon Kerr is all for it.
Why this boss wants to help pay for childcare
In an Australian first, u&u Recruitment Partners will subsidise the costs of childcare up to ease the financial burden of returning to work.
Life & Luxury
Forget sex, drugs and rock’n’roll: kale and kombucha take over touring
Frontier Touring has a new-look team, but it’s not the only thing in the music biz that has changed.
As prostate cancer surges, Australia breaks new ground
As low and middle-income countries await a surge in prostate cancer, Australia is driving ahead with cutting-edge treatments and new ways of solving old problems.
How to make money being Paul Keating
Thank god for writing royalties, says Jonathan Biggins, who reckons politics is stuck on repeat and the new puritanism is hard to poke fun at.
Think you know this week’s news? Answer these 10 questions
Have you been paying attention this week? Test your knowledge across politics, business and world news.
The strange Chinese murder behind Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’
The billionaire with the film rights to the cult sci-fi novel was killed in a plot “as bizarre as a Hollywood blockbuster”.
