Markets on tenterhooks as French politicians jostle for power
France’s left-wing parties are scrambling for a way to break the political impasse created by President Emmanuel Macron’s snap parliamentary election.
ASX to rise, Nvidia and Apple pace Nasdaq higher
Australian shares are set to open higher. US equities traded in a narrow range with earnings in focus. Apple nears $US3.5 trillion market valuation.
- Exclusive
- Sales
Rivers of gold from Surfers Paradise towers flow to ex-Evergrande exec
A local real estate developer with extensive links to the collapsed Chinese property giant says it has more than $500 million in unsold units on the Gold Coast.
Angry Biden launches offensive to hold on to job
The US president has dared his critics to “challenge me at the convention” if they want him out of the presidential race.
Allan snubs Melbourne Airport rail for SRL
Premier Jacinta Allan says Melbourne Airport Rail faces at least a four-year delay before construction begins and has instead prioritised the Suburban Rail Loop.
Private credit jumps 45pc in five years and is threatening banks: Citi
Risk-averse major lenders have created a “structural” change in the market by staying away from indebted companies and commercial real estate, analysis says.
South Africa open to deals – it’s all in the approach
South Africa’s government will do deals, like the ones BHP would need to acquire Anglo American, but they need to be done discreetly.
- Digital Life With John Davidson
- Digital Life
We went from hate to love in no time flat with this electric scooter
Wealth Generation: News and views to help aspirational investors grow their wealth. In your inbox every Wednesday.
TUESDAY TECH
- Exclusive
- Start-ups
Mega VC deals are back - but new founders face a big problem
After an 18-month lull, funding is flowing back into start-ups, but in a two-speed sector, some are struggling to meet investors’ high expectations.
What to expect from Samsung’s biggest launch of the year
An outdoorsy Galaxy Watch Ultra could be the biggest news at this week’s Unpacked, alongside the usual artificial intelligence announcements.
- Analysis
- The Breakdown
Mark Zuckerberg shows he is, like a teen, desperate to be cool
The man who has everything is still stung by criticism and anxious for validation online, proving his critics right about Meta’s effects on mental health.
- Exclusive
- Start-ups
Start-up ditches carbon credits supplier after Zimbabwean fiasco
Sendle’s CEO says it has found new suppliers to stay carbon neutral as it faces a wave of discontent from former staff.
Movie stars to narrate audiobooks from beyond the grave with AI
The estates of Judy Garland, James Dean, Sir Laurence Olivier and Burt Reynolds have sold the rights to their famous voices to be used by an AI gimmick reader app.
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Companies
- Investigation
- Property investment
NDIS housing scheme firm forced to refund fees for ‘lack of service’
ASR Wealth had aggressively marketed double-digit “government backed” returns and raised millions from retirees and other retail investors from NDIS properties.
Mediaweek publisher to ‘step back’ amid workplace misconduct claims
Formal complaints about alleged behaviour of Trent Thomas, owner of the trade media publication, lodged by two people and investigated by external firms.
Network Ten owner sold to ‘Top Gun’ billionaires
The billionaire family behind Oracle Corporation along with ‘Mission Impossible’ and ‘Top Gun’ films will take control of the network in a complex deal.
HMC Capital chooses battery storage for first climate investment
David Di Pilla’s asset manager will pay up to $50 million for a controlling stake in StorEnergy, which is headed by a former Spark Infrastructure executive.
Copper boss in swipe at BHP after $393m Indonesian-led takeover bid
Indonesia’s billionaire Salim family has swooped on Australia’s biggest fully permitted copper project.
- Investigation
- Property development
Investors ‘hung out to dry’ as NDIS housing schemes fail
Investors had been pitched double-digit “government-backed” returns. But there are no signs of those and, without tenants, there is little choice but to liquidate.
EnergyConnect woes could hit SA gas plant closure
The closure of an AGL Energy gas plant near Adelaide is at risk as delays hit a key $2.3 billion electricity cable.
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Markets
Why Morgan Stanley says this ASX 200 ETF is the best
Exchange-traded funds that track a major index continue to grow in popularity among investors, but which one is better?
Why the Aussie dollar rally could just be getting started
It’s a good time for Australians to be heading overseas, with the currency’s surge to a six-month high likely to extend into the second half of this year.
Copper a better bet than iron ore and lithium
UBS is tipping copper over other commodities after prices climbed nearly 4 per cent in a week, amid signs of a tighter market for the industrial metal.
Some of the Gulf’s most influential investors? They’re Australians
The region’s state-owned investment funds that account for more than $US3 trillion ($4.44 trillion) in capital – increasingly deployed into Australian companies.
ASX slips as iron ore sell-off extends; BHP, Rio Tinto fall
Australian shares edge lower. Core Lithium rallies as other lithium miners fall. Iron ore extends Friday drop.
Opinion
For anyone but Trump, US needs anyone but Biden
It’s likely Joe Biden will stumble again on the campaign trail, giving Americans more reason to make the Hobson’s choice of voting for the morally-unfit Donald Trump.
Editorial
The one reason swing states are turning back to Trump
Joe Biden is still betting big he can move key swing states his way, but Arizona was shifting back to Trump well before that debate.
Columnist
This is the new normal of office life
Flexible working patterns in a decent place that makes it easy to do the job you’re paid for is a basic recipe for success in a post-pandemic world.
Columnist
Economic logic always trumps junk politics
Brexit, MAGA trade policies, and the Coalition’s nuclear power push will fail because they make no economic sense.
Former Labor minister and economist
Vested interests at play in the chronic disease explosion
A search for good nutrition opened a Pandora’s box of snake oil salesmen and crackpot solutions. It also provided clues to the surging levels of chronic disease.
Contributor
Our larrikin egalitarianism is more appealing than tribalism
This is another critical time for this nation’s multiculturalism. Anthony Albanese must lead the case against sectarian identity politics that might unsettle it.
Columnist
Reports
Law partnership survey
After a period of caution following a pandemic-era peak our Law Partnership Survey shows firms have roared back, with growth near its COVID-era record.
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UK results signal Labor threat from Muslim Vote
Labor believes the war in Gaza will boost independents and the Greens, including in the Melbourne electorate of Wills.
More RBA rate rises ‘unwarranted’ as non-migrant jobs growth tumbles
Yarra Capital chief economist Tim Toohey has cut his economic growth forecast from 2.25 per cent to 1.75 per cent in 2024-25, well below the RBA’s 2.1 per cent.
No backward step cutting off money flow to criminals: Dreyfus
The strong words from the attorney-general will come hours after the international body tasked with co-ordinating global AML/CTF efforts slams Australia’s performance.
Australia pours millions into Pacific banks to counter China influence
The worry among the national security establishment is some Pacific Island countries will be forced to rely on Chinese financial institutions, which are pushing into the region.
Against a gloomy security outlook, leaders gather for NATO summit
Australia will have a diminished presence as the summit grapples with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea working together to upend the global order.
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World
‘I was trying to cover my baby’: Kyiv children’s hospital bombed
Russia launched a missile attack across five cities in Ukraine, striking a children’s hospital and apartment buildings and killing at least 31 people.
On Wall St, 100-hour weeks return for junior bankers
As transactions pick up, some young staff are lying about their work hours to save themselves a little free time.
Singapore turns against the foreigners who helped make it rich
The city state’s new immigration rules preference locals for entry-level and mid-career jobs.
House Democrats join calls for Biden to step aside
More Democrats in Congress are expected to voice their concerns that the president step aside, but others are mounting efforts to stand by him and refocus.
The untold story of the most chaotic NATO summit ever
Donald Trump’s hijacking of the 2018 NATO summit marked the biggest turning point in the history of the alliance that has guaranteed European security since 1949.
Property
Foreign land buyers take class action against Victorian surcharge
It’s the latest step in a debate between those who argue taxation based on nationality is discriminatory and state governments that say it’s about revenue.
Home loan size hits record $626,055 as Perth, Brisbane power up
Owner-occupiers are, on average, taking out larger loans than ever before despite the fact the cash rate is sitting at a 12-year-high.
One-bed unit, no car park – the price? Almost $1m
There were not many takers for this nice, but expensive, property. But one buyer valued it differently – and was prepared to pay for that.
Redcape sells trio of pubs for $136m to meet priority redemptions
Redcape managing director Chris Unger said the group will pay out priority redemptions and provide $40 million of liquidity over the next year.
Winter chill, school holidays cut auction volumes
Buyers and sellers are cautious about the interest-rate outlook, but are still willing to pay strong prices for good homes – when they can find them.
Wealth
How to navigate the greatest risk to your portfolio
If inflation is sticky and volatile, many holdings may be more dangerous than you think. Here’s how to drive around the potholes.
Super fund savings will ride out ‘year of elections’: CIOs
But investment chiefs warn that the rise of populism or an increase in US-China tensions could flow through to short-term returns.
Time to buy into tech stocks has passed, says UniSuper
Soaring technology stocks helped increase the retirement savings of the fund’s customers last financial year, but it’s hitting the pause button on further investment.
Technology
- Exclusive
- Start-ups
Aussie tech’s climate crisis as start-ups face capital crunch
At least 100 Australian climate tech start-ups need to raise capital in the next nine months to avoid going bust, but say the bar for investment is sky-high.
- Exclusive
- Start-ups
Start-up ditches carbon credits supplier after Zimbabwean fiasco
Sendle’s CEO says it has found new suppliers to stay carbon neutral as it faces a wave of discontent from former staff.
Mt Gox repays ‘forced’ bitcoin holders years after its collapse
Japanese bankruptcy lawyers have begun repaying thousands of creditors of collapsed crypto exchange Mt Gox, including some Australians.
Work & Careers
Scyne hires from public service, new KPMG role for former OECD exec
Public sector consulting firm Scyne has appointed its first new managing director, while KPMG has brought on former Labor minister David Bradbury as a partner.
- Exclusive
- Gender equality
Even in the C-suite, some women feel disrespected
Culture Amp research suggests that while all men in C-suite positions believe their opinions are valued, 10 per cent of C-suite women don’t.
Life & Luxury
The Olympic city puts pop-up before pomp
Its peerless architecture is being called into service for the Games. Will hosting Olympic events at iconic venues showcase Paris, or sully it?
The all-in-one physical, mental and emotional workout
Kimbali Harding began learning piano as a toddler. The hobby has not just guided her career choice – she can’t imagine her life without it.
- Driving With Tony Davis
- Motoring
The upgraded Tesla that’s cheaper than its predecessor
The new Model 3 Performance delivers a power boost and driving modes that range from Chill to Insane.
The secret to ageing may lie in AP-1
Australian researchers appear to have uncovered a crucial master controller that governs the activity of human genes as we develop and age.
Why you probably need to rethink your bucket list
Rather than grand plans, small actions every day are the key to achieving happiness and a sense of worth.
