ASX to drop from record as traders brace for more RBA hawkishness
Futures indicate the ASX 200 will drop 0.8 per cent at the opening bell on Monday after a week of optimism. Markets in the US closed slightly lower on Friday.
Bankers begin the task of unravelling the Rex empire with asset sales
Almost two months after Regional Express called in administrators, the regional airline’s assets is being broken up and sold off.
The critical US swing states explained in four charts
US elections are won in a few hotly contested states that alternate between Democrats and Republicans. This year’s result is set to be tighter than ever.
Israel, Hezbollah launch bombing blitz as region ‘on the brink’
Israel’s military says it struck around 290 targets in Lebanon, while Hezbollah targeted a key Israeli airbase, in the most intense bombardment in almost a year.
Ophir’s prediction for the ASX’s next 10-bagger
Shares in a2 Milk, Afterpay and Northern Star earned the coveted status for Ophir and its co-founder Andrew Mitchell. He predicts Life360 will be next.
Critical mineral exporters edge closer to US breakthrough
Anthony Albanese pushes Joe Biden to classify Australia’s critical minerals as “American made” to win favourable treatment, as allies counter China’s grip on the sector.
- Opinion
- China relations
Quad on shaky ground as US election nears
Leaders including Anthony Albanese insist the security dialogue will survive once Joe Biden leaves office, but the weekend’s outcomes suggest otherwise, writes Matthew Cranston.
The best of travel, fashion, cars and more, straight to your inbox every Saturday.
The best of travel, fashion, cars and more, straight to your inbox every Saturday.
Companies
Britain’s Rightmove knocks back REA’s sweetened $11.5b takeover offer
The largest property listings platform in the UK still believes a takeover bid from the News Corp-backed real estate giant undervalues its business.
Is private equity unhealthy for our hospitals?
Billions of dollars have poured into healthcare assets over the past decade. Some warn that style of investing is incompatible with essential services.
- Exclusive
- Property investment
Republic Hotel goes into administration as financiers chase $90m
Financiers have given embattled hospitality group Virtical one month to pay $90 million in loans.
Myer investors grow impatient over new strategy as growth stalls
The mid-market department store was expected to outline its growth plans next month. That has been delayed as it considers buying up well-known fashion brands.
- Updated
- Mining
ASX-listed lithium giant Arcadium turns its back on Australia
The company had flagged aggressively expanding domestically. Now it says it may sell its Mt Cattlin operation and will prioritise its Canadian and Argentine assets.
Bitcoin is going mainstream. Can Australia join the party?
Twenty-thousand crypto believers descended on Singapore this week – and the companies they represented may surprise you.
The five pharma stocks exciting investors
Risky but with rewards, Australian pharmaceutical companies developing treatments for rare diseases are competing for investor attention.
Companies in the News
Search companies
View stories and data from an ASX listed company
Markets
How this billionaire ran his hedge fund like a baseball team
Steve Cohen’s decision to step back from trading and focus on running Point72 underlines a redemption since an insider trading scandal.
- Opinion
- Cryptocurrencies
Blockchain revolution won’t wait for Labor to catch up
Blockchain needs to be regulated properly before more investors take the plunge. Yet, the Albanese government is still missing despite its earlier pledges.
- Opinion
- Investing
Want a roll-up play that actually works? Try software, for now
Two billionaires and their companies – Canada’s Constellation and ASX-listed WiseTech – have soared in the past decade. Others worry things are about to turn.
- Opinion
- Interest rates
Don’t expect a victory speech from Michele Bullock any time soon
Rate cuts have begun and the Federal Reserve estimates the US cash rate closer to 3 per cent next year. But where does that leave Australia?
How investors should play the first rate cut
Australian market participants are all-in on the immaculate soft landing narrative. But history says they need to tread carefully as interest rates come down.
Opinion
Suddenly the RBA seems very isolated
Australia’s central bank looks neither hawk nor dove. It seems more of a shag on a rock in a sea of interest rate cuts.
Economist
Quad on shaky ground as US election nears
Leaders including Anthony Albanese insist the security dialogue will survive once Joe Biden leaves office, but the weekend’s outcomes suggest otherwise.
United States correspondent
Want a roll-up play that actually works? Try software, for now
Two billionaires and their companies – Canada’s Constellation and ASX-listed WiseTech – have soared in the past decade. Others worry things are about to turn.
Senior reporter
Why ‘free’ childcare is bad for working parents
Further childcare subsidies will likely require an explicit new tax rise to fund it. Billions of dollars of more debt can’t be added to the national credit card.
Economics editor
Rate cuts herald risky new regime
Financial markets have entered a dangerous new economic environment defined by unusually elevated uncertainty after the US Federal Reserve’s pivot this week.
Columnist
Senate standoff shows politics and policy are a long way from perfect
The complexity of the housing challenge requires a level of cooperation between governments and politicians that feels a long way from the debate we are having.
Columnist
Reports
Executive Education - lifelong learning
This special report looks at lifelong learning, focusing on the impact and efficacy of leadership courses designed for top-tier managers and business leaders.
Politics
Out in the cold: Why housing is just one problem for Labor
Unless Labor can dig its way out of its parliamentary quagmire, it faces the real possibility of ending up in minority government – or worse.
Sydney University boss Mark Scott admits he failed Jewish students
A fiery Senate hearing was told a leading university failed to ensure the safety of Jewish students, but university leaders denied that antisemitism was endemic on campuses.
Tax, not childcare fees, keeps women at home
The Productivity Commission and economists agree that fiddling with childcare subsidies will not increase women’s workforce participation.
- Exclusive
- Workplace
‘I would not recommend ASIC’: scathing assessment by staff
The results of a confidential cultural survey make for embarrassing reading on staff motivation, satisfaction and the regulator’s leadership team.
- Analysis
- Nuclear energy
Nuclear debate stalls as detail goes missing in action
The information vacuum includes the costings behind the Coalition’s nuclear vision and a realistic assessment from Labor about the problems in the way of 2030 climate targets.
SPONSORED
World
Macron appoints right-wing cabinet to end paralysis
The government still faces two challenges in the coming weeks: the risk of a no-confidence vote and a tight budget deadline.
- Analysis
- US Votes 2024
Trump is pledging ‘mind-boggling’ tax cuts he can’t deliver
Whether he is speaking to retirees, CEOs or tipped workers, the former president is promising tax cuts in swing states that could cost trillions.
Humiliated Hezbollah eyes new tactics in Israel war
The Iranian-backed militant group is under pressure to change its strategy after a series of devastating attacks.
- Analysis
- Brexit
Brits regret Brexit, but can the country turn back?
Boris Johnson ‘got Brexit done’, but most Brits now seem to wish he hadn’t. Polls show more people see it as a failure, and would even vote to rejoin the EU, writes Hans van Leeuwen.
Albanese visits Biden’s home to ‘tackle shared challenges’
The pair exchanged gifts and discussed rising violence in American politics during the first visit of a foreign leader to Biden’s personal residence.
Property
Auditors warn WeWork hubs face ‘uncertainty’
Even though the co-working giant’s US parent has emerged from bankruptcy with considerably less debt, its local loss-making operation faces “significant doubt”, its auditors say.
Holiday home rentals ‘not to blame’ for sky-high UK house prices
A global backlash against Airbnb properties has brewed in recent years, and some cities such as New York are severely restricting the company’s activity.
How Japanese temples and shrines became hot real estate
A surge in religious properties coming up for sale has authorities worried that prospective buyers are not interested in them for heavenly purposes.
Zombie construction sites are making German housing woes worse
Half-finished shells of would-be homes have become a regular sight across Germany. More than 1000 companies involved in real estate have collapsed since 2022.
What you need to earn to afford a home in a capital city
Home buying remains elevated despite the median income household only being able to afford 14 per cent of homes, suggesting most purchases are by the wealthy.
Wealth
Three ways the ASX has changed and what investors can do next
Finding yield, good value and diversification on the ASX is getting harder. We asked experts what investors can do to overcome the challenges.
- Opinion
- SMSFs
$1 trillion: Millennials drive SMSF ‘renaissance’
SMSFs are undergoing a renaissance thanks in part to interest from Millennials. But it’s not all good news because many operate without any expert guidance.
Can I access my super to save my business?
Using your superannuation for anything other than its intended purpose – your retirement – can be a legal minefield.
Technology
LinkedIn has (quietly) announced it scrapes your posts for AI
LinkedIn has quietly launched new policies outlining how it scrapes posts and personal data to train AI models. What you need to know (and how to turn it off).
They have 31m followers - but you’ve never heard of these YouTube superstars
Bounce Patrol has more followers than Beyonce, operates out of a quiet Melbourne street, and is helping YouTube transform from the home of DIY videos to a major TV broadcaster.
Microsoft’s climate hypocrisy on AI
The tech giant has marketed AI technology to ExxonMobil and Chevron as a powerful tool for finding and developing new oil and gas reserves.
Work & Careers
$30k degree makes career switch costly
Older generations are being lumbered with more student debt and for longer as students try to negotiate an irrational and unfair system.
AFL more important to Khuda than data centres, Swans chairman suspects
Andrew Pridham is vice chairman of asset manager MA Financial and chairman of Sydney Swans. AirTrunk founder Robin Khuda texts him before games.
Life & Luxury
The About Time Watch Weekend winds down
For two consecutive weekends, more than 1000 AFR subscribers and readers attended hourly appointments with 15 of the world’s finest watchmakers.
How Donna Hay changed the way we eat
Watching the cook perform her signature pasta twirl up close, one appreciates the elegantly simple approach to cooking which made her a household name.
- Driving With Tony Davis
- Motoring
The fastest car in the Mercedes-Benz line-up has arrived in Australia
The German maker’s exterior design director takes us on a close inspection of the new Mercedes-AMG GT.
Demi Moore gives performance of her life in shocking ‘The Substance’
There’s a self-referential note to the ’90s superstar’s role in Coralie Fargeat’s fable about ageism, making it doubly compelling.
‘We’re not Logos by the Sea’: How to make arts sponsorships work
Transfield’s exit from Sydney Biennale in 2014 started a torturous recent history for corporate support, but there are still successful exceptions.