If your business is turning inspiration into innovation, it’s time to be recognised.
- Exclusive
- Foreign relations
‘No concerns’ with South Korean takeover bid for Austal: Marles
Defence Minister Richard Marles has given a fillip to Hanwha’s bid to buy Perth shipbuilder Austal, despite the deal raising security concerns.
ASX down 1.2pc as all sectors sell off; Qantas shares fall
Shares decline at the closing bell after US data spooks Wall Street; Rabobank expects two RBA rises this year; Qantas app breached, airline investigating cause. Follow here for more
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Down markets draw out the year’s biggest share trades
Big block trades are flying this week, which only ramps up the chase for the next big trade.
Ex-Bapcor boss braces for the worst after CEO no-show
“I should have sold a long time ago,” says former Bapcor CEO Darryl Abotomey, adding that it is disappointing to see the company go through more turmoil.
New York police storm Columbia University, arrest dozens
Police moved in to arrest pro-Palestinian protesters at the Ivy League university, which has been struggling to balance freedom of speech with antisemitism concerns.
Fed, RBA to talk tough on inflation and rates
The central banks are expected to take harsher tone on tackling inflation at their upcoming policy meetings, further tempering rate cut hopes that have underpinned equities this year.
Workers clash during CFMEU strike at building site
A brawl has erupted between construction workers at Brisbane’s Cross River Rail project as a picket line blocked employees from entering the site during a CFMEU strike.
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best places to work
Why these companies are Australia’s best places to work
An intensive and “confronting” two-year leadership program underpinned the decision to award online recruitment firm Seek the 2024 AFR BOSS Best Place to Work – Large Organisation.
This company pays you for your commute with extra days off
This fintech has taken a different approach to getting people back into the office and the results are paying dividends for diversity, too.
How a weekly Shark Tank challenge turned The Royals family around
Suffering high turnover and low engagement, creative agency The Royals decided to carve out a day each week dedicated to one pitch. It worked.
- Analysis
- Best places to work
How we picked the award winners
The AFR BOSS Best Places to Work ranks the best workplaces in Australia and New Zealand across nine different industries.
- Opinion
- Best places to work
Employees want more autonomy, so it’s in bosses’ interest to listen
Convinced that happier workers are also more productive, Australia’s most progressive employers are giving staff greater freedom and choice, writes Euan Black.
Get the latest business news on the go with the AFR’s new iOS app.
Companies
- Analysis
- Mergers & acquisitions
How BHP’s ‘Meticulous Mike’ prepared for Anglo American rebuff
Dubbed “Meticulous Mike” by the Australian media, the Canadian executive must have carefully planned his move for Anglo, down to the inevitable initial rejection.
Qantas says it’s aware app isn’t fixed after saying it was
The Flying Kangaroo is investigating a system malfunction that gives passengers access to other Qantas customers’ data.
AVZ flags delisting, shareholders face $2.8 billion wealth wipeout
The lithium explorer will delist on May 13 as more than 21,000 shareholders remain trapped in a company that joined the S&P/ASX 200 in 2022.
Woolworths shareholders to pocket proceeds from Endeavour sale
The supermarket giant offloaded a 5 per cent stake in the owner of Dan Murphy’s, realising $468 million for its shares.
- Exclusive
- Payments
Airwallex’s local outpost reverses to loss
The local outpost of one of Australia’s largest technology start-ups tripped to a deep loss after a big increase in costs.
‘The future is the future’: Anglo American won’t rule out a merger
Chairman Stuart Chambers told the miner’s AGM that his job in coming weeks was to see if major shareholders backed the board’s rejection of BHP’s $60 billion bid.
ASIC chairman ‘very disturbed’ about CBA’s bonus move
Joe Longo said he had raised concerns about CBA’s breach of bonus caps directly with the bank’s chairman Paul O’Malley and urged the bank to reconsider.
Companies in the News
Search companies
View stories and data from an ASX listed company
Markets
Fed, RBA to talk tough on inflation and rates
The central banks are expected to take harsher tone on tackling inflation at their upcoming policy meetings, further tempering rate cut hopes that have underpinned equities this year.
ASX uranium boom lures secretive Canadian hedge fund
A flurry of retail interest and quick capital raisings in the sector has drawn the increasing attention of one Toronto-based hedge fund.
BHP Anglo deal could create headache for ASX investors
The mining giant is already one of the largest companies on the ASX 200. A successful buyout bid of Anglo American could add to the heavy concentration of resource stocks on the index.
What will central banks do in a cashless world?
The development puts new pressure on such institutions to reimagine their role and become more innovative.
What happened overnight? Hot US labour data sank Wall Street, oil fell
Australian shares were set to fall after US stocks took a sharp turn towards a monthly loss on hotter than expected employment cost figures.
Opinion
Bullock must now warn that interest rates may rise again
When the RBA board meets next week, the key question governor Michele Bullock will be grappling with is the future pace of disinflation.
Economics editor
Modi mania comes at a price
Revelations that Indian spies were kicked out of Australia is a reminder of the need to be wary when it comes to dealing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Foreign affairs, defence correspondent
PM must pick his winners with more care
The Prime Minister has never seen a hi-viz project he didn’t like. But industry policy must be far more discriminating in a labour-short economy.
Economist
Quantum a better bet than burning a billion on solar panels
But even if this is the right place to deploy such a huge sum, we know too little about whether this was the best way to spend it.
Editorial
Are we returning to the late ’90s high interest rate era?
I’m starting to wonder whether high interest rates might last a lot longer than many people, including me, have been predicting.
Contributor
Only quantum physics can explain an investment this weird
The federal government has replaced sports rorts with a quantum rort that will not make real revolutions like AI go any faster.
Scientist
Politics
Women to get $5000 in new emergency support payments
A snap meeting of national cabinet called after nearly 30 deaths of women at the hands of men this year – also agreed to trial new measures to extreme online misogyny.
Global crises making it hard for ethical investors: Gareth Evans
The former foreign minister nominated Israel’s “disproportionate” response to the Hamas attacks and Narendra Modi’s leadership of India as challenges for investors.
Judge in Lehrmann case slams Ten lawyer’s ‘misleading’ interviews
Justice Michael Lee criticises Ten’s lawyer as he determines how much Bruce Lehrmann should pay in costs; Albanese pledges almost $1 billion for domestic violence victims. Here’s how the day unfolded.
New gas supplies ‘needed’ says Bowen as Gippsland wind takes off
Energy Minister Chris Bowen believes Australia has no option but to seek new supplies of gas even as he green-lights six potential offshore Gippsland wind projects.
Bail rules and offender tracking to lead national cabinet talks
High-risk violent offenders face closer tracking in the community, part of a push by state premiers for tough and immediate new responses to domestic violence.
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World
New York police storm Columbia University, arrest dozens
Police moved in to arrest pro-Palestinian protesters at the Ivy League university, which has been struggling to balance freedom of speech with antisemitism concerns.
Trump threatened with jail, fined for contempt of court
The former president was ordered to pay the fine by the end of the week, and he deleted, as ordered, the offending posts from his Truth Social account.
Moguls circle as Telegraph, Spectator go up for sale again
Rupert Murdoch could launch a bid for the Spectator magazine, after an Abu Dhabi-backed consortium threw in the towel.
Tesla fires Supercharger team, raising doubts about expansion
The abrupt dismissal of the Supercharger team caught many people off-guard, and suggested that Elon Musk had changed his mind about the company’s strategy.
Our world is already ravaged by nuclear war
Annie Jacobsen’s new book, written in the style of a techno-thriller, sets out what might happen if that fateful button is pushed.
Property
John Symond set to break Australia’s property record with $200m sale
The Aussie Home Loans founder’s just-listed Point Piper mansion, Wingadal, is expected to become the nation’s most expensive deal when it sells.
Qantas Super puts $200m into farms backed by Costa family
The superannuation fund will invest most of the money in two horticultural aggregations that will be expanded by Costa family-backed investment manager goFARM.
- Exclusive
- Commercial real estate
Addenbrooke sells site meant for controversial land swap deal
The property developer has sold the Sydney site that sparked a reshuffle of the A2B board, ending an almost three-year saga.
‘Bullet-proof’ house prices to keep rising despite higher rates
Chronic housing supply shortage would shield prices from sharp downturn if interest rates increase further, or stay higher for longer, experts say.
Lendlease needs ‘wholesale change’ now: Allan Gray boss
Allan Gray boss Simon Mawhinney says change that would restore shareholder confidence in the property developer should come immediately.
Wealth
- Opinion
- Melbourne house prices
Melbourne property market is due for a comeback
Oxford Economics predicts the median Melbourne house price will grow 21 per cent over the next three years, outpacing Sydney’s forecast 18 per cent expected growth.
We retired overseas but came back. What should we do with our money?
This couple may not be able to reopen their super accounts, but there are other tax-effective opportunities.
- Opinion
- Investing
How to sleep easy with your investment decisions
If your portfolio is inconsistent with your risk tolerance, you’re more likely to lose sleep and make poor decisions driven by emotions.
Technology
Amazon posts strong cloud unit sales on rising AI demand
The e-commerce company’s operating income more than tripled as Amazon Web Services and adverts provided a boost.
‘Country mile ahead’: How PsiQuantum won a $1b investment
Chief scientist Cathy Foley said US-based PsiQuantum showed it was a “country mile” ahead of other Aussie companies in trying to build a world-first quantum computer.
- Analysis
- Quantum Computing
Quantum computing explained and what’s different about PsiQuantum
The Australian-invented machine uses light particles, which could be a fast way to build a quantum computer but might use too much power.
Work & Careers
Blaming students for housing crisis ‘simplistic’, universities say
A new report finds that conflating international students with the housing shortage is opportunistic and could have profound ramifications on the economy.
- Opinion
- Work/life balance
Americans have more money, Europeans more time. Which is better?
Life expectancy, happiness, sustainability and innovation are among the factors shaping work attitudes. But money matters most to many.
Life & Luxury
I hesitantly went vegan to improve my heart health. Here’s how it went
In the second week, I tried some plant-based cheese, and the bottom fell out of my soul – but by the end of the month, I had some surprising news.
At this luxe Belmond hotel in Oxfordshire, food is the real star
Four decades on, Raymond Blanc has more planned for his exclusive Michelin-starred gourmet retreat, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.
Adults become lonelier from age 50, say scientists
An analysis of nine long-term studies of nearly 130,000 people from Western countries found a striking “U-shaped” pattern of loneliness throughout life.
How this founder built a $7.7b fortune by banning kids
Torstein Hagen created Viking Cruises with a focus on wealthy holiday makers travelling without kids. It’s now set to bring him a fortune.
There hasn’t been a series this complex – and funny – in a long time
Dichotomies and seeing things from both sides are at the heart of “The Sympathizer”, an adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2015 novel.
