- Updated
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israel strikes Lebanon as Hezbollah launches rockets, drones
The heavy exchange of fire threatened to trigger an all-out war that could draw in the United States, Iran and militant groups across the region.
Chalmers could visit China within weeks
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles won’t confirm reports but says the government continues to try to normalise relations with China.
Auction clearances hold steady ahead of spring flood
As the volume of auctions rises through spring, clearance rates are expected to fall in Sydney and Melbourne, putting pressure on prices.
- Exclusive
- Retail
Wesfarmers wants slice of retail media boom for Bunnings, Officeworks
The hardware and stationery giants have plans to enter the novel sector, joining Woolworths and Coles.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
The number that should scare all Australians
You couldn’t blame Australia’s large cap fund managers for booking a post-reporting season trip to China to see the steel situation for themselves.
ASX inches closer to record as Fed’s Powell releases the bulls
A global sharemarket rally is set to spill over to Australian stocks on Monday, lifting the ASX to within striking distance of its all-time high.
Bain Capital a ‘motivated’ buyer of Permira-owned I-MED
A “limited” amount of new information has been shared with a handful of bidders in the past week to help familiarise them with the business.
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How to work less, help the kids and do the job you always wanted
A transition to retirement pension offers opportunities to revamp your lifestyle, pay down debt or gift a home deposit. Here’s how to take advantage.
The tools showing retirees they have more to spend than they thought
Retirement income modelling is advancing rapidly, giving people an unprecedented ability to plan their own financial futures.
- Opinion
- Inflation
Lower inflation could pressure RBA to cut rates
Very low inflation readings in the coming months will change the interest rate debate, writes Christopher Joye.
- Opinion
- Financial planning
This wealth book has great advice – so why do I dislike it?
Scott Galloway is a superstar when it comes to wealth creation. The problem is, he knows it.
With $3.2m super, this couple wants a transition to retirement
Where one person is already retired and the other is still working full-time, what is the best way to manage retirement savings?
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Companies
Power squeeze worries linger despite Eraring extension
Delays in renewable energy zones and rising electricity demand from data centres means concerns about power supply reliability haven’t gone away.
CBA business bank won’t ‘step on same landmines’ as home lending
Assaults on CBA’s position in the business banking market from Macquarie and other challengers are falling flat, claims executive Mike Vacy-Lyle.
Olam bid for Namoi Cotton doomed, says former competition boss
Former Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Allan Fels sees no way Olam can get approval for a takeover of Namoi Cotton.
APRA slaps ANZ with tougher capital charge, board warning
The regulator has forced an extra $250 million capital charge on the bank as the bond trading and workplace culture scandals take a toll on the company.
Native title stoush stands in the way of BHP’s SA copper dream
SA Supreme Court will next week hear a battle for control of the native title group that holds the key to BHP’s dream of expanding its Australian copper mines.
The big names to watch as craft beer stages a comeback
Comedians, UFC fighters, an ex-NAB chief executive and an NRL superstar are among those backing craft brewers in tough times. There’s plenty of fight left in the industry, with diversification into ready-to-drink spirits one of the weapons.
Blundy’s Accent Group misses lofty expectations
After a tough 2023-24 when sales rose just 2.4 per cent and earnings fell, the new year began slower than investors expected, pushing shares down 16 per cent.
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Markets
Former Nvidia bulls sell down ahead of next week’s result
The AI darling has consistently smashed analysts’ expectations, but some fund managers warn the days of massive beats could be over.
Jackson Hole gathering reveals fresh concern for central bankers
Officials from three of the world’s major central banks have signalled they are on course to lower interest rates emerging weakness in labour markets and growth become the chief threat for policymakers.
‘Time has come’: Powell says Fed must cut rates
Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said “the direction of travel is clear” and markets leapt anticipating an interest rate cut next month.
S&P 500, $A, bitcoin rally after Powell cements rate pivot
US stocks were higher after the Federal Reserve boss said the time “has come” to cut interest rates. $A nears US68¢. Bitcoin tops $US64,000. Tesla, Nvidia pace tech.
Wall Street sees strong case for quarter-point cut
For the Federal Reserve to cut rates by 50 basis points, most economists and strategists think August’s jobs report will have to be a major disappointment.
Opinion
NT wipeout should spark real ‘closing the gap’ discussion
Ideally, the prominent role Indigenous policy will play in two critical NT federal seats would prompt much-needed discussion of Noel Pearson’s responsibility agenda.
Editorial
The astonishing metamorphosis of Kamala Harris
Her shift from indifferent vice president to source of Obama-scale enthusiasm has caught many unaware. Yet Democratic talk of victory is dangerously premature.
Columnist
Labor’s workplace laws make work harder for business
The new maze of regulations adding to an already cumbersome system will act as dead weight for many businesses keeping their heads above water.
Business representative
Health insurance shouldn’t be private hospitals’ field of dreams
Instead of protecting private hospitals from predatory insurers, an obsolete contract framework protects operators from full accountability for inefficiencies and misjudgments.
Contributor
CFMEU’s administration orders biggest event in construction since 1986
Many industry leaders believe the CFMEU being out into administration has the potential to radically reshape the construction industry.
Workplace correspondent
Democrats put Donald Trump on notice
Vice President Kamala Harris has been miraculously reborn as the candidate of change, of a new generation, of hope and light against the old, dark, divisive past.
Columnist
Reports
Higher Education Awards
The Higher Education Awards highlight the tremendous contribution that the Higher Education sector makes to Australian capability, prosperity and society.
Politics
If the NT shows one thing, it’s that incumbency can be a curse
“We got done from the right and the left,” confided a senior member of the Albanese government after the Northern Territory Labor government was swept from power, writes Phillip Coorey.
Policing deal to squeeze out China on agenda for Pacific Islands talks
Anthony Albanese, UN chief Antonio Guterres and other regional leaders will gather in Tonga this week, where security and climate will dominate.
High Court asks: If a judge punched a lawyer, could anyone be sued?
The question of what a judge has to do in order to be sued was at the heart of a High Court hearing that pondered a $300,000 payout against a judge for wrongly jailing a family law litigant.
Coalition not convinced on RBA board split
Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor is hosing down expectations of a deal on the government’s stalled reforms to the central bank.
Domestic violence calls for help going unanswered: report
Crisis support services are so stretched that some victims never receive a response, an expert review has told the government.
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World
Manslaughter, negligence investigation in Lynch yacht sinking
Authorities in Sicily have opened a manslaughter and negligent shipwreck probe into the August 19 sinking of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s yacht.
‘Phoning it in’: Trump allies try to energise struggling candidate
After weeks of complaining as Kamala Harris dominated the news, campaign events last week showed Donald Trump resisting all attempts to focus his message.
US universities brace for next round of Gaza protests as students return
Institutions including New York University have resolved to enforce sanctions on students judged in violation of their codes of conduct during disruptive demonstrations.
Kennedy’s withdrawal hurts Harris more than Trump
Donald Trump had the most to lose from independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy jnr, and now he has the most to gain, an analysis of the past 10 major polls indicates.
Google agreed to pay millions for California news. Journalists call it a bad deal
The agreement will direct tens of millions of dollars of public and private funds to keep local news organisations afloat.
Property
- Exclusive
- Luxury property
Paul Holmes à Court sells two Perth homes for $24m
Winemaker and cattle baron Paul Holmes à Court and wife Zara have sold their second home in Perth’s salubrious Peppermint Grove for $14.5m.
Swedish pension fund looking to offload $50m of WA farms
Forsta AP-fonden, which manages $68 billion of assets, is downsizing its Australian farmland holdings by selling its WA cropping farms.
- Exclusive
- Off-the-plan market
NRL superstar tackles developer over off-the-plan homes letdown
Tom Trbojevic, known as Tommy Turbo, said he was devastated that his parents were now priced out of their dream home because of a loophole in conveyancing laws.
How Sydney Metro’s architects made train stations people actually like
The “cathedrals of the 21st century” have united Sydney’s tastemakers and commuters, who marvelled at their new Metro line this week.
Queen’s Wharf opening to revive Brisbane – and Star Entertainment
After years under construction and a stream of opening delays, Brisbane’s mega $3.6 billion resort and casino complex will finally fling open its doors next week.
Wealth
Can I get a mortgage without a credit score?
Credit scores are a shortcut used by credit providers to assess your history in repaying debt. But what happens if you don’t have one?
How to work less, help the kids and do the job you always wanted
A transition to retirement pension offers opportunities to revamp your lifestyle, pay down debt or gift a home deposit. Here’s how to take advantage.
The tools showing retirees they have more to spend than they thought
Retirement income modelling is advancing rapidly, giving people an unprecedented ability to plan their own financial futures.
Technology
Forrest scores win in US Facebook scam ads case
Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest will now get chance to examine internal Meta documents and its AI software in his bid to prove Facebook helps scammers create fake ads featuring him.
Credit and payments fintech Shift raises $35m
The Funded blog is the home for news on the tech deals that are done in Australia, as soon as we hear about them.
Uber targets car rentals after Carshare failure
Uber has blamed a blow-out in operational costs for the failure of its Carshare service, which will cease business from September 12.
Work & Careers
Miners forced to the table for industry’s first multi-employer deal
The Fair Work Commission has sided with mining unions in a precedent ruling for Labor’s multi-employer bargaining laws, raising the prospect of mass mine shutdowns.
Right to disconnect is ‘silly’ and will cost businesses extra
The new workplace entitlement gives most employees the right to ignore contact from their bosses outside normal working hours, unless doing so is unreasonable.
Life & Luxury
This off-grid Himalayan walk will re-boot you from $1225 a day
Crawling not running towards the end of the year? Book this six-day trek in remote north-eastern India for a reality check, and a nature-fuelled recharge.
Sharing a $6.40 birthday cake with star Sarah Brightman
The world-famous performer is not too grand to enjoy a treat from Woolies as she promotes her role in Sunset Boulevard.
Blink Twice film review – billionaires behaving badly
Zoe Kravitz’s directorial debut stars Channing Tatum as a tech bro with dark predilections.
When you go to work are you demure and mindful?
A viral video of advice on how to dress for the office has sparked a social media storm and turned its creator into a hot property.
Why we are surrounded by kidults
In rich countries there has been a dramatic fall in the share of people who, by the age of 30, have attained the traditional markers of adulthood: leaving home, becoming financially independent, getting married, having a child.
