The search is on for the 2025 Best Places to Work.
Australians urged to take commercial flights out of Lebanon
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says an immediate ceasefire is required after Israel invaded southern Lebanon.
- Analysis
- Home loans
Buffer or blocker? Why APRA’s serviceability rule is so controversial
CBA boss Matt Comyn has defended APRA’s prudential settings from political attacks, saying housing policy must focus on supply.
Manager to pay $500k for stealing clients and mowing his phone
Craig Martin faces the rare damages order over his move to a rival firm after his phones were immersed in water or “met with the unhappy fate of being run over by a lawn mower”.
Debt hits seven-year low before decade of deficits
Federal government net debt has fallen to its lowest level since 2017, but economists say the coming decade of deficits will send borrowing levels higher.
Why Fed-obsessed US traders are ignoring China’s soaring sharemarket
The Asian giant’s stunning equity market surge has registered with US traders, underlining China’s limited role as an engine for America’s economy.
Sex work, yoga and cuddle therapy banned from NDIS spending
The list of approved and banned services for participants in the scheme comes into effect on Thursday, with a one-year transition period.
Bingo slashed to junk under heaving debt burden, cash burn
Woes at Macquarie Asset Management’s troubled waste management business are mounting as the company adds $100 million to an already heavy debt burden.
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The hotly anticipated lists of who wields the most overt, covert and cultural clout in Australia.
Companies
- Updated
- Aviation
Qatar Airways to buy 25pc of Virgin Australia, funding big expansion
The deal with Bain Capital will allow the Gulf carrier to effectively bypass government approvals for more flights, creating a formidable rival for Qantas.
- Updated
- Healthcare
Sigma shares surge as it offers concessions for Chemist Warehouse deal
The pharmacy retailer and wholesaler says its franchisees will be allowed to leave without being penalised if it secures the $8.8 billion merger.
- Analysis
- Home loans
Buffer or blocker? Why APRA’s serviceability rule is so controversial
CBA boss Matt Comyn has defended APRA’s prudential settings from political attacks, saying housing policy must focus on supply.
News Corp chief says higher Rightmove bid would have been ‘foolhardy’
The Murdoch family-controlled giant owns 61 per cent of REA, which had lobbed a $12 billion takeover bid for its British rival. But the offer was rebuffed.
Bingo slashed to junk under heaving debt burden, cash burn
Woes at Macquarie Asset Management’s troubled waste management business are mounting as the company adds $100 million to an already heavy debt burden.
What do we know about Qatar Airways?
The acquisitive operator started only two decades ago, and now flies to more countries than almost any other. But it has had its fair share of controversies.
- Exclusive
- Pubs
Paradise lost: Virtical pub empire’s problems have roots in Eden
Neil Rankin thought he would fund his retirement after selling a small-town pub to a company involving John Palasty. Instead, it turned into a lengthy legal battle.
Companies in the News
Search companies
View stories and data from an ASX listed company
Markets
ASX caught in China-fuelled short squeeze
Avoiding China and owning banks was an easy route to beating the market. Now those winning bets are crumbling.
Rio Tinto, REA, JB Hi-Fi sitting on franking credit war chest
Morgan Stanley has identified the companies with the highest level of franking credits on their balance sheets. Releasing them is not so easy.
Why Fed-obsessed US traders are ignoring China’s soaring sharemarket
The Asian giant’s stunning equity market surge has registered with US traders, underlining China’s limited role as an engine for America’s economy.
ASX falls; retail sales bounce, Sigma Healthcare rallies 20pc
Miners give back gains. Qantas slips on Qatar-Virgin deal. Powell tempers rate cut hopes. REA investors welcome Rightmove decision. Follow updates here.
ASX has best September quarter since 2013 amid worries it has peaked
More certainty of interest rate cuts and big economic stimulus sent the local sharemarket 6.5 per cent higher. But lower earnings growth is worrying investors.
Opinion
Where middle Australia meets the Middle East
Israel’s push into Lebanon ensures a greater fraying of any complacency about this country’s claims to enjoy enduring social cohesion over generations of immigrants.
Columnist
RBA must make rules of engagement explicit
The central bank should keep on talking to bankers, market economists, and politicians. But it needs transparent rules to guide it when it does.
Editorial
Rate cuts likely to save Albanese in 2025
The budget is back in the black and prices are easing. Interest rate relief in the lead-up to the election will complete the prime minister’s winning hand just as it hurt Scott Morrison in 2022.
Former Labor adviser
Qatar Airways deal can help Virgin escape Qantas’ flying wedge
Allowing an international state-owned carrier buy a stake in Australia’s second-biggest airline will go a long way to creating a better competitive balance in the domestic aviation market.
Aviation expert
Don’t turn the RBA’s private talks into a fishbowl
Not allowing the central bank to test its thinking with people in financial markets will leave us with much less well-informed monetary policy decision-makers and, thus, worse monetary policy decisions.
Former RBA official
The NDIS-ification of the economy is in full swing
A scheme only ever meant to cost $22 billion is underwriting a once-in-a-generation rise in government spending that rivals the mining boom in terms of scale.
Economics correspondent
Politics
Debt hits seven-year low before decade of deficits
Federal government net debt has fallen to its lowest level since 2017, but economists say the coming decade of deficits will send borrowing levels higher.
Australians urged to take commercial flights out of Lebanon
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says an immediate ceasefire is required after Israel invaded southern Lebanon.
The five crossbench MPs who could make Peter Dutton PM
South Australian independent MP Rebekha Sharkie says her constituents would expect her to negotiate with Peter Dutton first in a hung parliament. These are the MPs he would be calling on.
- Exclusive
- Renewables
Korean takeover battle could be an electoral headache for Labor
The government is closely watching the fight for Korea Zinc because of the company’s extensive renewables and hydrogen assets in Australia.
It’s tree changers v farmers in Queensland’s battle for the bush
A small community in north Queensland has become a combat zone over energy policy in the state election campaign.
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World
US dockworkers strike, halting half the nation’s ocean shipping
The strike blocks everything from food to automobile shipments across dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, in a disruption likely to cost the economy billions a day.
Leaders depart UN empty-handed, facing wider Middle East war
There was no expectation of major breakthroughs at the annual gathering of presidents, premiers and other leaders. There rarely is. But this year was especially grim.
- Opinion
- World politics
Japan’s incoming PM has barely the concept of a plan
Faced with the option of a successor to Shinzo Abe or his polar opposite, Japan’s ruling party has broken with more than a decade of orthodoxy.
- Opinion
- US Votes 2024
The farce that is America’s ‘crypto election’
The campaign may be awash with crypto money and rhetoric but it’s not clear either of the candidates really care.
Harris’ run could outpace Hollywood’s Oval Offices
The lack of women of colour among actors playing presidents could prove consequential as Americans weigh voting for Harris.
Property
High rates, low confidence - and tax cloud - hit housing pipeline
Australia’s need for new housing is intense, but in a market where feasibilities are “challenging”, that’s not translating into new homes.
- Exclusive
- Pubs
Paradise lost: Virtical pub empire’s problems have roots in Eden
Neil Rankin thought he would fund his retirement after selling a small-town pub to a company involving John Palasty. Instead, it turned into a lengthy legal battle.
Data centre market doubling in four years is conservative: CBRE
The latest CBRE research indicates the upward trajectory of data centre growth would be even faster if not for energy shortfalls.
Alibaba’s Australian office changes hands for $30m
In the Melbourne CBD market hit hard by the pandemic, some office vendors hope high replacement costs make their existing buildings more attractive.
Ontario Teachers, Hines buy two BTR projects in Brisbane for $350m
Despite headwinds in the build-to-rent sector, institutional investors remain interested and a wave of consolidation is under way.
Wealth
How to know if it’s time to sell shares
Sometimes it’s best to sell slowly; at other times quicker is better. Experts weigh in on how to know when it’s time to sell.
- Opinion
- ETFs
Why thematic ETFs are usually duds
Thematic exchange-traded funds – think electric vehicles, renewable energy or AI – promise to cash in on exciting trends, but are often disappointing.
- Exclusive
- Superannuation
AustralianSuper ESG option invested in nuclear weapons: report
Australia’s 14 biggest superannuation funds are investing about $3.4 billion in nuclear weapons despite many promising to avoid controversial arms.
Technology
WiseTech billionaire pushes to suppress stoush with Sydney beautician
Richard White is pursuing wellness entrepreneur and Real Housewives of Sydney contender Linda Rogan for bankruptcy. She says there is more to it.
- Opinion
- Digital Life
Why the Series 10 is now Apple’s best watch
The Watch Ultra 2 is still Apple’s most expensive watch, but the new Series 10 betters it in some (but not all) ways that matter.
- Gadgets With John Davidson
- Digital Life
Ocean cruising too slow for you? Speed things up with this action cam
DJI’s Osmo Action 5 Pro has features that will turn even the most sedate sojourn into a white-knuckle adventure.
Work & Careers
Manager to pay $500k for stealing clients and mowing his phone
Craig Martin faces the rare damages order over his move to a rival firm after his phones were immersed in water or “met with the unhappy fate of being run over by a lawn mower”.
EY’s local strategy division appoints deals veteran as leader
Clients are willing to pay a premium for strategy advisers who are also experienced industry experts, says the new managing partner of EY’s local strategy arm.
Life & Luxury
No designer? No problem as Chanel flies high at Fashion Week
Chanel’s creative director Virginie Viard left the brand in June, leaving the French house without a leader. For the brand’s loyal clients, it’s not an issue.
Melbourne dining powerhouse wins award for country’s best wine list
Gimlet’s head sommelier says the key to success is paying the same level of attention to someone drinking by the glass as to a high-roller ordering a $12,000 bottle.
Eight experts pick the best cruises for 2025
It seems no waters are uncharted these days. We tapped eight cruise leaders for their favourite itineraries.
One bike is more than enough for this cycling-mad executive
It just has to be the right bike, says digital marketing specialist Dan Copsey.
How Zimmermann brought surf and sun to Paris Fashion Week
Now a permanent fixture on the Paris calendar, the Australian brand has found its feet, and is giving them brand new shoes.
