Shares fall and gold, oil surge after reports of attack on Iran
Shares and commodities are whipsawing this afternoon, after reports of a missile attack on Iran sent ripples through global markets.
- Live
- Markets Live
Shares, $A sink; gold, oil, bonds jump on Israeli strikes
Reports of Israeli airstrikes in Iran prompt investors to dump shares, buy gold, oil, bonds. Japan inflation falls to 2.7pc. US equity futures turn lower. Follow here.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Meet the Aussie who built a Wall Street infrastructure giant
Stonepeak founder Mike Dorrell learnt the infrastructure game at Macquarie and Blackstone before striking out on his own. Now he’s readying for a new infrastructure boom.
- Live
- Need to Know
Travellers advised security situation could deteriorate quickly
US media report Israeli missile attack on Iran; explosions appear to be limited and targeted; Australian government officials and their dependants posted in Iran have been directed not to travel outside of Tehran. Follow live here.
- Updated
- Manufacturing
Electric vehicle charging company Tritium collapses
The company had been cited by the PM as a “lost opportunity” that could have been kept in Australia with more government support, but it failed in the US.
Star Entertainment is eating itself alive
How far will the regulator push the company? How much damage have squabbling executives done? An inquiry into the Sydney casino operator is getting ugly.
- Updated
- Courts
Macquarie pays $10m fine after failing to catch fraudulent withdrawals
A Federal Court judge said certain systems implemented by the financial services provider had “little or no ability” to protect customers from fraud.
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review
Why India’s confidence is growing
Narendra Modi’s reign as prime minister is producing a less liberal but more assured nation that is predicated on the idea of Hindu supremacy.
How not to be bored when you have to wait
A writer went on a quest to wait less. Then he discovered how to care less about waiting.
Russia’s spy network takes a deadly turn
The country’s intelligence services have been put on a war footing and begun operating at a level of aggressiveness reminiscent of the Stalin era.
How Amazon wasted a decade trying to reinvent the supermarket
The online shopping behemoth simply failed to make the technology cheaper than a conventional store.
- Opinion
- Wall Street
Look out graduates, Wall Street banks don’t need you any more
Accenture estimated that artificial intelligence could replace or supplement nearly three-quarters of employees’ working hours.
the age of ai
New legal AI tools target partners, dealmakers
Two new artificial intelligence tools have entered the increasingly crowded legal market, as in-house counsel push firms to pass on the cost savings being made though AI.
- Analysis
- The Breakdown
Is this one word the shortcut to detecting AI-written work?
The word ‘delve’ has taken off in medical research papers, but the Aussie academic behind the finding says using AI is nothing to be ashamed of.
Booming AI demand threatens global electricity supply
Tech chiefs warn that power-hungry data centres are a bottleneck in developing artificial intelligence. Some of them are looking at developing their own electricity supply.
Don’t want your kid to end up as a deepfake? Keep their face offline
The rise of AI has created new anxieties about how an innocent photo could be manipulated, so “sharenting” is out and privacy is in.
- Opinion
- AI
World’s first AI consumer gadget panned by everyone
Humane’s Ai Pin flop shouldn’t mean the end of experimentation in this new era of artificial intelligence gadgets.
Get the latest business news on the go with the AFR’s new iOS app.
Companies
- Updated
- Energy
Woodside chief says her climate plan is ‘honest’, unlike some rivals
Ahead of a tense shareholder meeting next week, Meg O’Neill urged investors to support the emissions plan and back the re-election of chairman Richard Goyder.
Pilbara Minerals expects ‘fairly material’ uptick in lithium prices
Chief executive Dale Henderson has encouraged investors to look past a down quarter in lithium prices, pointing to a rally in the past 60 days.
$650 for RM’s? ‘People want handcrafted,’ says Nicola Forrest
Nicola Forrest says people are tiring of throwaway fast fashion as the iconic company she co-owns lifts capacity to tap into a fast-growing market for women’s boots.
Netflix smashes user expectations after reducing shared accounts
The company posted its best start to the year since 2020 thanks to a strong slate of original programs and a crackdown on password sharing.
Mathieson buys more Star shares as inquiry fallout spreads
The independent inquiry into the casino group heard from more current and former executives about dysfunction within the business.
Transurban’s WestConnex traffic jumps 10pc in a year
The first update from the motorway operator since the controversial Rozelle Interchange opened shows a surge in traffic in the 33-kilometre tunnel network.
Gina Rinehart goes big on copper with $186m Ecuador play
The deal for the Linderos development takes the iron ore billionaire’s outlay on mining projects in the South American nation to almost $500 million
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Markets
Commodity markets perplexed why gold keeps going up
The precious metal’s decoupling from the traditional drivers of prices has analysts divided on its outlook.
Private equity risks leaving ASX behind, RBA warns
The Australian assets of buyout funds have grown 75 per cent in four years, but the ASX 200 has shrunk by roughly $6 billion this year.
What happened overnight? Rate cut hopes faded further
US jobless figures held steady, adding to the week’s positive reports on the health of the world’s biggest economy.
Sharemarket doesn’t need rate cuts for life support
Australia’s jobless rate rose less than expected as the labour force remains tight, reinforcing the case for the Reserve Bank to stay on hold.
This fundie says Visa trumps Mastercard – and it’s cheaper
Claremont Global’s Bob Desmond thinks the market is too conservative on the global payments company, and is confident that Microsoft has AI upside.
Opinion
Delay to environment reforms shows what WA wants, WA gets
The decision to delay reform of federal environmental laws underscores the stranglehold the resources states have on the next election.
Political editor
Australia must pay the price for defence and deterrence
A generation of politicians who grew up with a post-Cold War peace dividend are now struggling to switch from welfare to warfare.
Editorial
Business bankruptcies are at a 25-year high and that’s very bad news
In total 1131 businesses went bust in the month, which was the largest number since ASIC started collecting these statistics in 1999, writes Christopher Joye.
Columnist
Musk wants $87b. Tesla’s Aussie chair is defying a court to help him
Robyn Denholm is asking investors to over-rule a judge who cancelled the biggest pay package in history for an AWOL chief executive.
Senior correspondent
The Senate’s mock outrage games shame all
Threatening corporate leaders with jail time over an accounting contrivance is part of trend where the national parliament is becoming a theatre for showboating and mock outrage, writes Tom Burton.
Government editor
New Malthusians are wrong: a rich world will need less energy
We will need to generate only half the energy we do now to replace today’s electricity use, lift the global South, and feed all those data centres. So rejoice.
Global economy commentator
Politics
- Exclusive
- Class action
Business slams class action lawfare firms
Business groups warn shareholders could be hit with billions of dollars in lawsuits backed by deep pocketed hedge fund investors under the Albanese government’s free-for-all class action setting.
- Analysis
- Competition
Five practical ways to turbocharge competition
Former productivity commission chairman Peter Harris suggests that supermarkets, banks and qualifications are some of the areas to focus on.
Taxing judges’ pensions bad for independence, women
A former Federal Court chief justice says the reforms were likely unconstitutional and would stymie efforts to improve the number of women on the bench.
China’s iron ore demand may have peaked, RBA warns
The country’s shrinking population is posing a multi-decade headwind for mining industry profits and government revenue.
PM slammed for labelling Gary Banks a flat earther
Anthony Albanese hit back at criticism of the Made in Australia policy, but economists say many share the concerns of former productivity commissioner Gary Banks.
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World
- Exclusive
- Russia-Ukraine war
On the front line with Ukraine’s youngest commander
Kharkiv’s improbable resistance, led by General Sergei Melnik, faces growing threats from Russia and political stalemate in the US.
- Analysis
- Trade wars
China’s cheap exports threaten to blow up Biden’s agenda
The US president is increasingly hitting back with tariffs and other measures meant to restrict imports of China’s green and other goods, raising tensions with Beijing.
Iran warns West of changes to its nuclear rules
A general from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards issued the warning as the US, UK and EU announced new sanctions against the regime.
Columbia University calls in police to arrest pro-Palestine protesters
The university’s clampdown on “disruptive” demonstrations leads to more than 100 arrests as US campus tensions intensify over the Israel-Hamas war.
Donald Trump’s legal woes are ‘his problem’, says wife Melania Trump
She may support her husband, but she is bound to see headlines involving the presidential hopeful and Stormy Daniels that could reopen old wounds.
Property
My strange journey into the doomsday bunkers of the super-rich
The first season of Amazon’s ‘Fallout’ has captured the reality of some of the places that I had actually visited in “meatspace”.
‘It’s going to take time’: Bondi mourns as retail goes into limbo
Westfield Bondi Junction was silent on Thursday as its doors opened to the public for the first time, five days after a stabbing attack that killed six people.
David Droga plans new home for Tamarama headland site
The owners and designer Luigi Rosselli aim to create a house on the landmark Sydney site that better reflects its location and the environment.
Singapore’s $192,000-a-month retreats are latest luxury for new mums
High-end post-birth care centres are booming, especially in Singapore where the super-rich from mainland China have been flocking.
Tenants race for top towers as B-grade buildings empty
The divide between prime buildings and secondary ones is most stark in Sydney. B-grade buildings will get left behind by tenants and lenders, experts say.
Wealth
- Opinion
- Investing
The curse of market concentration is spreading
Concentration risk has tended to be predominantly confined to the Australian market but as investors diversify overseas, they face a similar problem in the United States.
- Opinion
- SMSFs
New superannuation tax may hit venture capital
SMSFs will shy away from investing in start-ups for fear of being slugged with big tax bills on unrealised gains.
- Opinion
- Super Q&A
How do I calculate my tax-free super pension limit?
The transfer balance cap has increased twice since its inception to reach $1.9 million. Calculating how to stay within it can be tricky.
Technology
OpenAI’s model all but matches doctors in assessing eye problems
Ophthalmology has been a big focus of efforts to put AI to clinical use and fix obstacles to take-up, such as the tendency of models to ‘hallucinate’ by creating fictitious data.
How Amazon wasted a decade trying to reinvent the supermarket
The online shopping behemoth simply failed to make the technology cheaper than a conventional store.
This tiny tweak made WhatsApp users furious
People began to notice the minor alteration last week, prompting outrage from users across social media.
Work & Careers
The advice that’s helped Loudon navigate the boardroom
Bridget Loudon says some wise words from her mum have stuck with her as she’s navigated life as the director of a blue-chip giant.
Why this CEO keeps Fridays for thinking
Claire Rogers has co-founded a technology start-up that draws on her experience as a former ANZ executive and World Vision CEO.
Life & Luxury
This former tennis champ is chasing unicorns and dancing pantless
Dylan Alcott has a dizzying list of achievements from 15 tennis Grand Slams to being Australian of the Year. Now, he’s chasing start-ups and performing with Jason Donovan.
Why this exec wants to ride with Elon Musk in WA
Cash Converters boss Sam Budiselik loves cycling, but only in his home state. He’s also a fan of the world’s third-richest man.
Ozempic ‘oops’ babies spark debate as users fall pregnant
Some women on weight-loss drugs who have struggled with fertility issues are now expecting children, leading to questions about the safety of such medications.
What happens when farmers and chefs partner in R&D
Mark Foletta and Stephen Nairn met over a box of foraged mushrooms in 2011. Thus began their endeavours to surprise and delight your tastebuds.
This week’s edit of lovely little luxuries
From chic wool slides to cosy corner lamps and retro golf gear, we have inspired suggestions for you.