Join us as we debate fresh perspectives on how Asia is transforming Australia’s future.
AirTrunk’s $23.5b AI pay day
Blackstone emerged as the winning bidder in the year’s biggest merger and acquisition deal, netting its founder Robin Khuda a $1 billion payday.
ASX to drop, Nvidia sell-off paces Wall St slide, oil plunges
Australian shares are set to plunge more than 1pc amid heavy selling in New York as manufacturing weakness renewed outlook worries. Volatility spikes.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
AirTrunk isn’t just a deal. It’s a moment
From artificial intelligence and private capital to property and energy, AirTrunk’s sale to Blackstone is a deal that brings together so many strands of Australia’s economy and society.
I’ll tell it as it is on the economy: Chalmers
Jim Chalmers says his first duty is to level with voters, as he comes under fire for saying the RBA was smashing the economy with rate rises.
CFMEU ban to deny Labor millions in election cash
Party figures expect rival unions including the United Workers Union and the conservative Shoppies to fill a funding void left by the CFMEU’s administration.
- Opinion
- South China Sea
Why the Philippines is the new China flashpoint
Most people have never heard of the Sabina Shoal, but it’s become the latest global testing ground for confrontation with China. Will it trigger broader conflict, asks Jennifer Hewett.
Vintage Cellars to disappear under Coles’ bottle shop rebrand
Coles is trialling an enlarged Liquorland footprint as its best chance of catching up to rival retailer Dan Murphy’s.
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asia summit
Want to do business in Asia? Beware your unconscious bias: Lynas boss
Amanda Lacaze, the managing director of Lynas Rare Earths, narrates how she set aside a full day for cultural awareness during her trip to Malaysia.
Deterrence key to preventing war with China: Rudd
It needs to be made clear to Beijing that military adventurism comes at a high price, the Australian ambassador to the US told the AFR Asia Summit.
Economic challenge looms for Australia regardless of Trump or Harris win
The race for the White House has implications for Australia irrespective of who wins the presidency.
Foreign investors want clarity on retooled FIRB
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ safeguards for higher-risk foreign investment proposals have been met with confusion overseas.
Be bold on Asia or miss out, business leaders warned
Australian businesses’ narrow focus on China and North Asia means they are struggling to keep pace with the billions of investment dollars pouring into South-East Asia.
The best of travel, fashion, cars and more, straight to your inbox every Saturday.
Companies
Vintage Cellars to disappear under Coles’ bottle shop rebrand
Coles is trialling an enlarged Liquorland footprint as its best chance of catching up to rival retailer Dan Murphy’s.
The only profitable lithium mine in Australia revealed
Every Australian lithium mine is losing money except for the famously low-cost Greenbushes, which could withstand a deeper commodity price rout.
- Exclusive
- Healthcare
‘Bupa is bleeding us dry’: Healthscope CEO steps up insurer attacks
Australia’s second-biggest hospital group will launch an advertising campaign on Wednesday accusing insurers of under-funding healthcare.
Mystery investor raises questions about Northern Minerals divestment
Labor forced the miner’s largest investor, a China-linked fund, to sell its shares. A Hong Kong-registered firm with almost no corporate history bought up.
Cuscal considers IPO plans after recording a surge in earnings
The payments processor owned by mutual banks and credit unions is lining up meetings with prospective investors as it attempts to hit the ASX before Christmas.
Want to do business in Asia? Beware your unconscious bias: Lynas boss
Amanda Lacaze, the managing director of Lynas Rare Earths, narrates how she set aside a full day for cultural awareness during her trip to Malaysia.
- Exclusive
- Retail
Sass & Bide stores to close as new Myer chief clears the decks
Olivia Wirth has moved quickly to axe most the storied fashion chain’s standalone retail outlets ahead of a proposed merger with Premier Investments brands.
Companies in the News
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Markets
Brokers tip these stocks in an already hot sharemarket
Equities strategists and fund managers are working out how to navigate a market that has been on a bull run, creating increasingly stretched valuations.
ASX slips as Mineral Resources tumbles
Shares slip; CBA resets all-time high; EML completes Sentenial sale; Coles, Woolworths, Wesfarmers trade ex-dividend; Fonterra to build $138m cream plant in NZ. Follow updates here.
Iron ore slides below $US100 a tonne as stock sits on Chinese docks
Strategists are warning that the commodity, one of Australia’s key exports, would continue to sink amid depressed demand for steel in China this year.
Hybrids make stealthy return in Scentre vision
A $750 million hybrid security issue entertained by Scentre may encourage more corporations to turn to the Australian debt market to bolster their balance sheets.
‘Winner takes all’ cycle dashes hopes of ASX small-cap revival
Blue-chip stocks asserted their dominance throughout the August reporting period, but analysts warn that has left valuations stretched.
Opinion
Be bold on Asia or miss out, business leaders warned
Australian businesses’ narrow focus on China and North Asia means they are struggling to keep pace with the billions of investment dollars pouring into South-East Asia.
Why the Philippines is the new China flashpoint
Most people have never heard of the Sabina Shoal, but it’s become the latest global testing ground for confrontation with China. Will it trigger broader conflict?
Columnist
Australia’s going backwards in the fastest growing region
Asian investment isn’t just good business, it’s good security as well.
Editorial
Chalmers is smashing Labor’s economic legacy
If only the treasurer focused a little less on managing political expectations and a little more on managing inflation expectations we might have avoided this mess in the first place.
Economist
Chalmers is more in touch with the economy than the RBA
It’s easy enough to understand the treasurer’s criticism of the RBA in political terms. But the inflation target that is good for the central bank as an institution is not so good for the economy.
Economist
Why Albanese is talking big in WA
The Albanese cabinet is trying to prop up its electoral standing in Western Australia with the promise of new jobs and economic opportunities. The resources sector is highly sceptical of Labor’s agenda.
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
EnergyAustralia a big winner under Labor’s renewables guarantee
EnergyAustralia boss Mark Collette warned Labor’s flagship Capacity Investment Scheme could fund projects that would never be built. Months later EA is the big winner.
- Investigation
- Building Bad
‘I love a cunning plan’: A crime boss, the CFMEU and tax-dodging deals
Secret police recordings of more than 1000 calls made from prison helped unravel George Alex’s sprawling and corrupt labour hire empire.
Feds launch takeover of dysfunctional NSW Liberal division
The NSW Liberal Party will be placed under control of party elders amid fears its ineptitude could cost Peter Dutton dearly at the federal election.
Miners sense ‘notable shift’ from Albanese during trip west
West Australian miners say Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s 23rd visit to Perth has coincided with a major shift in attitude towards the state’s biggest industry.
Peta Credlin had hand in Higgins’ statement, trial told
Sky News political commentator Peta Credlin helped Brittany Higgins draft a statement outlining the former staffer’s plan to reform how parliament handled sexual harassment, a trial has been told.
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World
Economic challenge looms for Australia regardless of Trump or Harris win
The race for the White House has implications for Australia irrespective of who wins the presidency.
Iran summons Australian ambassador over Instagram post
The Australian embassy had posted an Instagram message about supporting LGBTQIA youth and the Iranian government complained it “promoted homosexuality”.
New Zealand nearly triples fees for foreign tourists
Like many popular international travel destinations, New Zealand has struggled with the impact of visitors on the natural environment and local infrastructure.
How China’s coast guard is ‘trying to occupy the ocean’
In most countries, coast guards are there to do just that: guard domestic coasts and territorial waters. China’s, however, is more like a second navy.
- Opinion
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The 5 things university students should be protesting about
Here are some alternative focal points for outrage and protest, particularly for morally energetic university students.
Property
- Exclusive
- Property market
NSW valuer general takes half its 2.7 million valuations inhouse
The move will save time and money, but there are bigger changes afoot in the valuation sector, with artificial intelligence offering to turbocharge efficiency.
Apartments boost housing approvals – but not enough
Australia’s home-building activity remains well below target to meet the government’s 1.2 million target. The slowdown is hitting all types of housing.
- Exclusive
- Commercial real estate
‘Great assets’: Nick Politis pays $50m for Porsche dealerships
Sydney Roosters chairman Nick Politis has added two Melbourne Porsche dealerships to his 28pc stake in ASX-listed Eagers Automotive.
A $1.4m sale plays the Brisbane and Melbourne markets – and wins
It wasn’t on purpose, but a young couple bought and sold in two capital city markets at just the right time.
The ultrarich are buying up big, and using shell companies to hide it
Across the country, the wealthy are increasingly creating schemes to shield real estate transactions from view. And with it, creating a whole new industry.
Wealth
Why the family farm has become a huge inheritance challenge
Succession planning can be extremely difficult, but it doesn’t have to be if you start talking early and come up with a workable strategy.
- Opinion
- Commercial real estate
How investors can profit from the commercial property cycle
It’s important to recognise and understand the four phases in the cycle – recovery, expansion, hyper-supply and recession – to enable better decisions.
- Opinion
- Investing
How Australia’s ‘magnificent 10’ contributed to returns over 20 years
How costly was failing to pick the ASX’s 10 top performers over the past two decades? Vanguard did the sums
Technology
Canva triples prices citing the need to pay for new AI design tools
The increase in the cost of its popular software ahead of an IPO may lead some smaller customers to abandon the company for cheaper rivals, analysts warn.
Why ex-Google chief Eric Schmidt warns we may have to pull plug on AI
The former Google chief executive and chairman said Western democracies had to regain lost ground in industrial policy to counter China.
Farquhar’s Atlassian era passes without a grand farewell
Co-founders Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes spent their final day of as co-CEOs working from home. Venture capitalists say Farquhar’s influence goes beyond Atlassian.
Work & Careers
Sacked CFMEU leader goes to High Court to fight takeover
The CFMEU’s ousted leadership has sworn to keep fighting for years just as other unions disband branches or threaten administration over misconduct claims.
Extra 21,000 childcare workers needed now: report
Low pay, excessive overtime, lack of career progression and high levels of burnout are contributing to high attrition rates in the childcare sector.
Life & Luxury
If you’re leaving Disneyland while it’s light, you’re doing it wrong
The world’s best-known theme park inspires awe and delight during the day, but after dark Walt’s $280 billion vision truly comes to life.
I didn’t love my hair, until I lost it
AFR journalist Lauren Sams hoped losing her hair might feel empowering, but it just made her sad – and cross at anybody who takes their tresses for granted.
Where to buy crease-free travel clothing
Don’t bother with the hotel iron – pack these comfortable and stylish threads instead.
Why is hiking is so good for you
Tour company founder Marnie Ogg usually walks alone, with sometimes unexpected companions.
This coffee machine could become a cult classic
Breville has come up with an excellent espresso maker that just needs a tweak to allow user-generated brew profiles.
