Join investors and regulators as they take a deep dive into cryptocurrency and digital assets.
Bitcoin bros could swing US election: Scaramucci
The former communications director for the Trump presidency said 2 million voters could swing on the candidates’ differing digital asset policies.
- Updated
- Supermarkets
ACCC alleges Woolies, Coles faked discounts on everyday goods
The regulator is suing the country’s two biggest supermarkets, claiming they told customers prices were falling when they were actually higher than before.
Australia’s most powerful deal makers in 2024
If investors step up and hit the bid on those valuations, the market will see real momentum. If not, it will be the same painful conversation about dry powder next year.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Troubled Fletcher gets its quick cash, but problems don’t disappear
It’s good that companies can raise equity quickly. But it is also a long road back.
- Live
- Markets Live
ASX falls as Coles, Woolies hit the skids
Shares fall; Austal nabs US Navy deal; REA makes third bid for Britain’s Rightmove; Telix buys RLS USA for $338m; Healius sells Lumus. Follow updates here.
- Live
- Need to Know
PM announces ‘exposure draft’ into grocery code
Anthony Albanese says major supermarket’s conduct is “completely unacceptable” if ACCC’s allegations are found true; Labor MP says he sees an opportunity in blockchain at AFR Crypto Summit. Follow live updates.
‘Greens are out of control’: RBA reform dead as Labor rejects demands
Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ plan to create a specialist monetary policy board at the Reserve Bank is dead after the government ruled out working with the Greens.
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
Fletcher warns of construction slump as it purses $641m raising
The building materials giant says it expects volumes to slide by as much as 15 per cent this financial year, and the Auckland-based company will cut more costs.
- Exclusive
- Hotels
Hospitality empire on brink as Adelphi Hotel put in administration
Virtical group, which exploded on the Sydney and Melbourne pub scene last year, has lost control of its two biggest assets.
Rightmove shareholders want British giant to reject REA’s third offer
News Corp’s real estate platform increased its offer to almost $12 billion, but it was swiftly rejected by the board of the UK’s biggest property portal,
- Exclusive
- Carbon challenge
Shell says ‘dysfunctional’ rules putting energy transition at risk
The London-listed group’s local chairwoman, Cecile Wake, says high hurdles for its gas projects are now emerging in its big renewable generation portfolio.
- Exclusive
- Telecommunications
AusSuper’s mobile towers empire slumps deep into the red
The country’s largest superannuation investor was already at odds with its partner, Singtel-owned Optus, over a delay in rolling out network infrastructure.
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.
George Alex’s boast: I’m untouchable because CFMEU ‘need money’
The organised crime boss bragged that the union deemed his firms “untouchable” on building sites because union officials needed their “kickers”, according to police surveillance.
Companies in the News
Search companies
View stories and data from an ASX listed company
Markets
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.
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.
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, writes Jonathan Shapiro.
Opinion
China’s had deflation before. This is what it needs to do this time
Balance sheet issues were central to the contraction in previous deflationary episodes, and the resolution of these was key. Policymakers should focus on that.
Strategic thinker
Liberals desperately need to end the Pesutto-Deeming drama
A climb down by both sides in this libel case would better for the Victorian Liberals than a damning Federal Court judgment.
Policy consultant
Why it’s dangerous to ignore Kim Jong-un
As he watches the Americans spew vitriol at one another in the coming months, North Korea’s leader could decide that the US is distracted, and set his peninsula on fire.
Contributor
Suddenly the RBA seems very isolated
Australia’s central bank looks neither hawk nor dove on monetary policy. 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
Israel and Iran must stay away from the brink
Outside Hamas, nobody in the Middle East has much to gain from an all-out war. But that does not make the off-ramps from conflict any easier to find.
Editorial
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
- Exclusive
- Aviation
Voters want more action to cut airfares, open to Qantas-Jetstar split
The results of The Australian Financial Review/Freshwater Strategy poll will give succour to Coalition transport spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie.
Dutton argues the case for nuclear energy, but cost still unknown
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says nuclear power plants will outlast renewable electricity sources, as he seeks to use Labor’s attacks to his advantage.
RBA overhaul on life support after Greens demand rate cuts
The Greens will not support the creation of a specialist monetary policy board until the RBA cuts interest rates, potentially killing treasurer Jim Chalmers’ signature reform.
Drop in spending gives Labor cost-of-living flexibility
Ahead of an election campaign expected to start as early as March, departments have been told the mid-year budget will focus on consumer issues.
- Exclusive
- Technology & democracy
China and Russia want to rule the Web. The West is trying to stop them
In backrooms at the UN in New York, a battle is quietly being fought between liberal democracies and authoritarian governments over who rules the internet.
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World
- Analysis
- Monetary policy
Did central banks get the inflation crisis right?
Rate-cutting cycles in recent decades – such as in the early 2000s, or during the financial crisis of 2007 – have tended to be associated with steep economic downturns.
Trying to make sense of the US election? Spare a thought for our diplomats
Australian policymakers have an apprehensive wait to see whether they will be dealing with a Trump or Harris administration.
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.
US warns Israel against full-scale war with Hezbollah
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby warned Israel that there were “better ways” to ensure Israeli citizens could return to evacuated homes in the north.
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.
Property
- Exclusive
- Luxury property
Myer family’s Toorak mansion set to break $100m barrier
The Cranlana estate on Clendon Road, which the family has owned since 1921, is the first Melbourne home with a $100 million price tag.
Sell in the first two weeks, or wait? They sold, for $2.35m
There were many people looking, but few buying. When the vendor of this Sydney home secured two potential buyers, they acted. Quickly.
Buyer’s market appears to have arrived, but it may not last long
A deceased estate in Sydney that sold for $325,000 above reserve has bucked the trend of falling auction clearance rates as homes flood onto the market.
Where sellers scored a $600,000 profit flipping houses
Houses around the country sold within two to four years of purchase rewarded sellers with handy solid profits, according to CoreLogic.
The $660k home that has no heating or cooling costs
Higher thermal standards make homes more comfortable and cheaper to run. And they don’t have to be that much more expensive to build.
Wealth
The $1 rule, and 43 other easy ways to be better with money
Not everything about money has to be hard. We asked experts for their top tips on how to be better at saving, budgeting and investing.
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.
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
- Opinion
- Flexible working
WFH is hugely more productive than CEOs admit
Demands for workers to return to the office full-time have a rose-tinted view of in-person work.
$30k for honours degree makes switching careers an expensive choice
Older generations are being lumbered with more student debt and for longer as students try to negotiate an irrational and unfair system.
Life & Luxury
Do non-alcoholic beverages really limit your booze intake?
For some, consuming zero-alcohol products only sparks increased cravings for the real thing.
- Analysis
- Fitness
I used to joke about arthritic hips – until I got a pair myself
Losing hip mobility is no fun. It affects your every move, right down to putting on shoes and socks, and it threatened to separate me from one of my true loves – surfing.
Teenagers slam dancing to 1990s heroes Spiderbait? It happened here
The rock veterans from Finley, NSW still play like a band thirty years their junior - and attracted many fans that age to the Enmore Theatre on Saturday night.
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.
- 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.
From the gallery
The Australian Financial Review Magazine
Australia’s most powerful deal makers in 2024
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
