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    Featured Opinion

    Inflation helps government dodge interest rate bullet

    The June quarter figures were not good, but they also weren’t as bad as feared. That is likely to give the Reserve Bank breathing space to keep interest rates on hold next week.

    August reprieve but no interest rate relief yet

    Inflation remains sticky, well-above the 2 per cent to 3 per cent target band, and has basically moved sideways.

    The AFR View

    Editorial

    The AFR View

    Jabiluka was cancelled by edict from above

    The decision to mine the uranium deposit or not should have been taken by the parties involved, not through the high-handed intervention of an anti-nuclear government.

    Tony Grey

    Former miner

    Tony Grey

    Productivity is the key to taming inflation for good

    Either governments and business improve the supply side of the economy, or the RBA will have to keep squeezing demand indefinitely.

    Paul Brennan

    Contributor

    Paul Brennan

    Why the $3m super tax has turned into a mess

    It may seem hard to argue against making people with high superannuation balances pay more tax, but implementing it is a dog’s breakfast.

    John Kehoe

    Economics editor

    John Kehoe

    Inflation stays sticky, but it won’t force RBA rate rise

    The consumer price figures were not as bad as feared, but inflation remains persistent and higher-for-longer interest rates will be required.

    John Kehoe

    Economics editor

    John Kehoe

    Rex turmoil flies into airline competition confusion

    The Transport Minister seems too inclined to accept Australia’s two-airline syndrome, that a third player on the busiest routes will inevitably be trampled by Qantas.

    The AFR View

    Editorial

    The AFR View

    BHP’s energy transition truths

    The peaking of iron ore and coal and the need to shift to new sources of income has left the threadbare reform agenda exposed. In fact, it’s worse: it is going backwards.

    The AFR View

    Editorial

    The AFR View
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    Yesterday

    It isdealmakers at 10 paces in the battle for a below-the-radar small cap.

    The PE takeover battle that is like pulling teeth

    Once a board has decided a takeover isn’t about the highest price, it enters the deal-making twilight zone. This one is a doozy.

    • Anthony Macdonald
    JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon enjoys top billing among bank executives globally. When he talks, the local bank bosses are listening.

    Shadow of JPMorgan’s Dimon hangs over red-hot Aussie banks

    Huge share price runs are great for the banks. But they also create an unexpected problem for bank bosses.

    • Anthony Macdonald

    Investors should ignore CPI drama and focus on these five questions

    The inflation story for the ASX is largely unchanged: price pressures remain uncomfortably high, and the RBA has little scope to support a weakening economy.

    • James Thomson
    Residency rules are the big risk for self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) trustees who live overseas for an extended period.

    What to do to with your SMSF if you’re moving overseas

    The Tax Office requires trustees to pass three tests if they wish to maintain tax benefits.

    • Meg Heffron
    Jakob Stausholm has overseen a solid recovery in Rio since arriving in 2021.

    Spluttering China the big risk to Rio Tinto’s new growth era

    Rio boss Jakob Stausholm says the miner is at a growth inflection point and is relaxed about China’s apparent weakness. But sentiment towards resources is souring. 

    • James Thomson
    Advertisement
    Satya Nadella says AI demand is outstripping capacity.

    Microsoft’s $334b sell-off is a sign of healthy AI doubts

    Microsoft smashed analysts’ forecasts in the June quarter, but it still wasn’t enough to please a market that has bet too heavily on the AI revolution. 

    • James Thomson
    Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in 2019.

    The real danger that Trump would pose for Ukraine

    Agreeing to Russia’s demand for a neutral Ukraine, as a new Republican presidency might, could leave the country at the mercy of Vladimir Putin’s long-term ambitions.

    • Gideon Rachman
    Suncorp’s Steve Johnston and ANZ’s Shayne Elliott agreed a $4.9 billion deal way back in July 2022.

    743 days later, ANZ has little to cheer as Suncorp deal closes

    After more than two years, ANZ’s $4.9 billion acquisition of Suncorp is finally complete. But the mood inside the two companies is wildly different. 

    • James Thomson
    Lamborghini Revuelto.

    Meet the Lamborghini V12 hybrid Revuelto

    The brand’s new flagship is sure to trigger the emotions of its new owners, but that’s what you’d expect for a $1 million outlay.

    • Tony Davis

    July

    Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson says the airline would prefer that Rex was sustainable and able to serve the regional routes that were once its speciality.

    Why Qantas isn’t a big winner from Rex turmoil

    At first glance, Qantas looks the obvious winner from the turmoil at Rex. But the aviation sector’s comeback kid won’t be cheering this mess.  

    • James Thomson
    Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue was a stunningly good investment for some big backers.

    Fortescue plunge reveals huge shoes to fill

    Fortescue was fortunate to have such a sticky institutional backer for as long as it did. Now, it needs to find broader support.

    • Anthony Macdonald
    Peter Dutton has a fight on his hands to convince voters of his nuclear power plans.

    Look to Arizona for nuclear reality

    Reader letters on nuclear power; energy rebates; the CFMEU scandal; inheritance and adult children; and the NSW changes for landlords.

    New Ramsay Health Care boss Natalie Davis joins from Woolworths, where she runs its Australian supermarkets.

    Why Australia’s No.1 hospitals business poached a supermarkets boss

    Ramsay Health Care chairman David Thodey is trading in deep industry knowledge and expertise for a consultant’s mindset. Will it work?

    • Anthony Macdonald
    De-risking from Chinese supply chains would be costly and damaging to national security goals.

    Australia can’t afford for economic security to trump trade in Asia

    Economic diplomacy that builds interdependence with China in critical minerals and green energy will contribute to Australian prosperity and security, not detract from it.

    • Shiro Armstrong
    It’s very difficult to pick biotech winners.

    Three ASX companies jockeying to be the next biotech winners

    Clarity Pharmaceuticals reports it eliminated prostate cancer in a patient; LTR Pharma wants to sell nasal viagra; and Opthea has clinical trial results soon.

    • Tom Richardson
    Advertisement
    It’s time we stopped our pursuit of endless economic growth from a world with finite resources, without regard for the consequences.

    Why the Productivity Commission is wrong about green subsidies

    The independent government agency has an outdated neoliberal mandate that needs an ESG makeover.

    • Jeremy Cooper

    We need to clear the runway for new gas supply

    Growing acceptance from governments of the role of gas in the energy transition is yet to translate into actions to clear the backlog of projects stuck in regulatory approval purgatory.

    • Samantha McCulloch
    Mike Henry is back on the copper train, just weeks after being left at the altar by Anglo American.

    $3b deal shows how BHP dusted itself off and tried again

    Mike Henry was disappointed his $75 billion takeover bid for Anglo American failed. But his latest deal helps to show investors he has many other ways to play the copper bull story. 

    • James Thomson
    Louis Vuitton is by far the world’s biggest luxury brand.

    The luxury industry is falling from its elevated heights

    The broader fall in luxury consumption has come as a shock to an industry accustomed to attaining ever greater heights, apart from in its pandemic slump.

    • John Gapper

    Investors are asking the wrong questions on interest rates

    From the RBA to the BoJ to the Fed, the market’s obsession with interest rates will go into overdrive this week. But it may be leading investors down the wrong path. 

    • James Thomson