The search is on for the 2025 Best Places to Work.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Solly Lew’s ‘toughest year in 61 years’ a chance to really shake things up
Few chairmen are pulling strategic levers like Australia’s shrewdest retailer. Where is it all headed?
Albanese confirms negative gearing and CGT options under review
The prime minister says Treasury is looking at ways to curb their use, but refused to say whether it is at the federal government’s request.
Inflation hits three-year low of 2.7pc, but rate cuts remain distant
Inflation temporarily plummeted in August as millions of households received $75 electricity bill rebates, but Michele Bullock says rate cuts aren’t on the agenda.
- Live
- Markets Live
ASX flat as mining rotation churns; Premier Investments sinks
Inflation falls within RBA’s target for first time in 3 years. Investors shift money from banks to miners. Aussie dollar hits 18-month high. Follow updates here.
ACCC call on Sigma, Chemist Warehouse $8.8b deal looms
Merger plans are tracking in line with expectations, with the competition watchdog to make a final decision on October 24 after a previous delay.
- Opinion
- Inflation
Government spending blowout is the size of the mining boom
Like the mining investment boom of the early 2000s, the economic shock from higher government spending will have implications for inflation, productivity and interest rates, writes John Kehoe.
- Live
- Need to Know
‘Not unusual’: Chalmers says Treasury examining negative gearing
Jim Chalmers downplays Treasury examining negative gearing; Angus Taylor doesn’t support negative gearing change; Retail billionaire criticises Labor’s economic strategy. Follow live updates.
The best of travel, fashion, cars and more, straight to your inbox every Saturday.
POWER LIST
Australia’s 10 most powerful business leaders in 2024
The strongest voices for corporate Australia in a year when cost-of-living pressures have ripped through the most vulnerable parts of the economy.
Australia’s top five powerbrokers in the law for 2024
It was a momentous year for the High Court, the competition regulator and outspoken judges. Here are the people setting the agenda in legal circles.
Power list reveals diminished influence of Australia’s corporate sector
This year’s list reflects the fading voice of CEOs and the growing size, scale and power of the superannuation sector.
The five most powerful Australian tech leaders in 2024
The biggest deal of the year, the end of an era at Atlassian and the rising influence of super funds helped to shape the list of technology’s most powerful in 2024.
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.
The best of travel, fashion, cars and more, straight to your inbox every Saturday.
Companies
- Updated
- Investment banking
Macquarie fined after failing to catch dodgy energy transactions
The corporate regulator says the bank was warned a dozen times that there were suspicious futures transactions in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Qantas pilots to vote on pay freeze offer (worth 30pc more)
Short-haul pilots are the last group of the airline’s employees to vote on enterprise agreements since the pandemic, when wages were frozen across all entities.
Premier Investments delays Smiggle spin-off
A merger of its apparel brands with Myer is the priority for Solomon Lew’s group, with a January target for the separation of its stationery chain now scrapped.
Apple, Google respond to payment cost heat by backing eftpos
The US tech giants will enable “least-cost routing” for new cards on their smartphones to try to help merchants save costs by avoiding Visa and Mastercard.
- Exclusive
- Superannuation
The country’s two mega funds now attract half of all new super
But the growth of AustralianSuper and Australian Retirement Trust beyond all their other peers could be a “double-edged sword” according to some analysts.
Will the Rightmove ‘fortress’ fall to REA’s siege?
Rightmove so dominates the UK market that its own CEO calls it ‘unassailable’. REA is hoping to seize the keys to the castle, but without tarnishing the prize.
Investors quit Woodside as shares languish
Dissatisfied investors say a share buyback would have been a better use of its capital than two US acquisitions.
Companies in the News
Search companies
View stories and data from an ASX listed company
Markets
China ‘terminates’ ASX bank rally as money piles into miners
Traders are scrambling after China’s latest effort to boost its economy prompted investors to rapidly pull money from the big four banks and pile into the mining sector.
Meta stock bulls look for next rally catalyst
Meta’s annual Connect conference kicks off this week, with industry buzz around the latest technology reveal and updated by chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.
Traders up bets on RBA December rate cut, ignoring Bullock
The bond market is sticking with its prediction of some rate relief by Christmas, despite governor Michele Bullock saying that inflation remains “too high”.
Markets cheer China stimulus, but pundits warn it’s no ‘bazooka’
Iron ore futures surged 6 per cent, triggering a rally in ASX mining stocks, but China’s latest support package may not have a lasting impact on commodity prices.
What happened overnight? Nvidia paced the Nasdaq higher
Australian shares were set to edge up. Iron ore, oil and gold lifted on China stimulus efforts. US-listed shares of BHP and Rio leapt. Bitcoin topped $US64,000.
Opinion
Government spending blowout is the size of the mining boom
Like the mining investment boom of the early 2000s, the economic shock from higher government spending will have implications for inflation, productivity and interest rates.
Economics editor
Why Hezbollah is everyone’s problem
The world is now in the opening stages of yet another contest between the free and unfree. It’s a conflict reaching far and wide, and will last for decades.
Contributor
Why there will be no relief on rates
Jim Chalmers claims “welcome and encouraging progress” in the fight against inflation. The Reserve Bank disagrees, writes Jennifer Hewett.
Columnist
Why is Australia stuck in the slow lane on driverless cars?
Australian regulations put a far higher bar on robot drivers than human ones. That makes little sense when it’s likely that the tech is already safer.
Infrastructure and transport expert
Retail politics of ACCC Coles and Woolies case are bad for business
The investor reaction underlines challenges facing the business community which has tried to push back against the populist anti-big business bashing in Canberra.
Editorial
The National Party must help to fix up the farm that is Australia
Labor is only adding to sense of regression and decline in Australia. The Nationals can’t restore the country if they succumb to populism themselves.
Former Nationals leader
Reports
Technology - Valuation shift
This special report looks at shifting valuations for tech companies in public and private markets, plus how AI will change work.
Politics
‘NATO of critical minerals’ deal to hit China dominance
Local mining and processing projects could be funded by more than a dozen like-minded nations as part of a new joint financing body agreed to by 14 countries.
Inflation to hit three-year low, but don’t expect a rate cut: Bullock
Michele Bullock says she will ignore data on Wednesday that is likely to show inflation back in target band, warning government energy rebates will not bring forward a rate cut.
RBA explores Plan B shake-up on managing ‘big risks’
RBA governor Michele Bullock is developing a back-up plan to manage “big operational risks” such as cybersecurity in the likelihood that the proposed shake-up of the central bank’s board fails.
Woolworths, Coles price manipulation claims come at tough time for BCA
Liberal and Labor MPs say that the claims against the supermarkets undermine corporate Australia’s efforts to position itself as a critical plank of prosperity.
Hostplus CEO David Elia’s personal plea for peace in the Middle East
If the region remains wedded to the past, it is impossible to see how it can reconcile and move forward, says the CEO of the $115 billion super fund.
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World
Israel kills Hezbollah commander in Beirut, vows more airstrikes
Israel’s military said the airstrike on the Lebanese capital killed Ibrahim Qubaisi, who it said was the commander of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket force.
Starmer calls for return of ‘sausages’ from Gaza in conference gaffe
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer misread his script – which called for the return of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 last year.
- Opinion
- UK politics
Keir Starmer’s honeymoon hardly got started
The UK prime minister already has a marginally lower approval rating than the recently deposed Rishi Sunak. Even by modern standards, the fall has been swift.
Trump pledges to take jobs and factories from allies, China
The former president promised a “manufacturing renaissance” as the centrepiece of his plan, saying he would offer foreign firms low taxes and little regulation.
Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire after Lebanon suffers 500 killed
As thousands of people fled southern Lebanon, Israel’s military says it would do “whatever is necessary” to push Hezbollah away from Lebanon’s border with Israel.
Property
RBA decision to hold on rates won’t help home buyers: experts
The housing market won’t get much of a boost from the RBA’s decision to keep rates steady, although some investors may be willing to jump in early.
- Exclusive
- Retail
Knives out as Victor Churchill threatens to quit blue-blood suburb
The butcher has been an institution in the wealthy Sydney enclave of Woollahra since 1876. Now a stoush with its landlord could send it packing.
- Exclusive
- Construction
Retail legend invests $100m in Ray White private credit push
Sanity Entertainment owner Ray Itaoui has joined the push by high-net-worth investors, family offices and institutions into private real estate credit.
Ex-Brookfield CFO seeks $50m for equity push into housing projects
Andrew McVeigh says he has investors lining up to commit to a new equity fund that will invest in a portfolio of development projects.
‘I saw the home working sham exposed on a Mediterranean holiday’
There has been a drift back to the office, but some studies have found that workers who are in the office full-time are no more productive than hybrid workers.
Wealth
- Opinion
- Cybersecurity
SMSFs are a $1trn honeypot for hackers
The success of the retirement savings system has become an irresistible target for global cybercriminals.
Perks, points and fees: How to choose the right credit card
Understanding the four credit card types will help you make smart choices.
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.
Technology
How a Caramello Koala helped catch Coles and Woolies out
As consumers’ belts tightened, price-sensitive shoppers vented their frustrations online on Reddit, TikTok and X. The ACCC, it seems, was listening.
Will AI be a bust? A Wall Street sceptic rings the alarm
Jim Covello, Goldman Sachs’ head of stock research, warns that building too much of what the world doesn’t need “typically ends badly”.
Inside Elon Musk’s mushrooming security apparatus
The world’s richest man has long cultivated a devil-may-care persona. But in private, he has increasingly barricaded himself behind a growing phalanx of armed bodyguards.
Work & Careers
The two trends making Gen Z tech grads less ‘job ready’
Employers remain satisfied with the quality of today’s graduates. But they believe two forces are working against them.
PwC revenue slumps $820m after tax leaks scandal
Takings fell by more than a quarter to $2.35 billion in 2023-24, making it PwC Australia’s worst decrease ever, as the fallout from the crisis continues.
Life & Luxury
- Driving With Tony Davis
- Motoring
This is one of the quietest cars we’ve ever driven
The Volvo EX90 electric SUV combines safety with size and silence – or superior sounds via its 25 speakers, if you choose.
Travel is the key to staying young, says this new study
Academics at Edith Cowan University have discovered that, as well as the mental and physical benefits, tourism can keep people looking younger.
Dolce&Gabbana CEO in Australia to party and sell the dream
The Italian fashion powerhouse is moving boldly into skincare, homewares – even dog fragrances.
Margot Robbie’s ‘My Old Ass’ is a bummer
This lame coming-of-age story, produced by the megastar, is no Barbie. Meanwhile, 85-year-old Ian McKellen hams it up megalomaniacally in The Critic.
- Opinion
- Literature
The rise and rise of the self-help book
For as long as there have been selves, they have needed help – and books have offered it. As the genre has grown, so have its claims.
