Markets spooked after Israel launches retaliatory strike on Iran
Australian stocks fell to a three-month low while gold and oil surged after Israel reportedly launched a retaliatory strike on Iran, fuelling fears of a widening Middle East war.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Meet the Aussie who built a Wall Street infrastructure giant
Stonepeak founder Mike Dorrell learnt the infrastructure game at Macquarie and Blackstone before striking out on his own. Now he’s readying for a new infrastructure boom.
Twenty minutes of terror inside Westfield Bondi Junction
Witnesses have recounted the terrifying period when Joel Cauchi murdered six people in a busy shopping centre in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Inside Chris Minns’ week of terror in Sydney
The NSW premier was on the first day of a planned family break when an attack unfolded at Bondi. His week was about to get much worse.
Star Entertainment is eating itself alive
How far will the regulator push the company? How much damage have squabbling executives done? An inquiry into the Sydney casino operator is getting ugly.
House deposit or HECS debt: what’s best for the kids?
Soaring student loan debts can reduce first home buyer lending capacity by up to $140,000, according to analysis by RateCity.
- Updated
- Manufacturing
Australian manufacturing poster child Tritium fails days after Qenos
The EV charging company was cited by the PM as a “lost opportunity” that could have been kept in Australia with more government support, but it failed in the US.
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weekend reads
‘At the end of the day, we’re Aussies’: Assyrians assess church attack
For Sydney’s tight-knit Assyrian community, Monday’s terrorist attack in a church was confronting and triggering for a long-persecuted people. But it was not a reflection of the multicultural community where the parents of nearly 80 per cent of residents were born overseas.
My strange journey into the doomsday bunkers of the super-rich
The first season of Amazon’s ‘Fallout’ has captured the reality of some of the places that I had actually visited in “meatspace”.
- Analysis
- Lehrmann trial
What Bruce Lehrmann could do next
Bruce Lehrmann has 28 days to appeal, but he needs to find the lawyers and the money first.
This former tennis champ is chasing unicorns and dancing pantless
Dylan Alcott has a dizzying list of achievements from 15 tennis Grand Slams to being Australian of the Year. Now, he’s chasing start-ups and performing with Jason Donovan.
Why India’s confidence is growing
Narendra Modi’s reign as prime minister is producing a less liberal but more assured nation that is predicated on the idea of Hindu supremacy.
smart investor
House deposit or HECS debt: what’s best for the kids?
Soaring student loan debts can reduce first home buyer lending capacity by up to $140,000, according to analysis by RateCity.
- Opinion
- Inflation
Business bankruptcies are at a 25-year high and that’s very bad news
In total, 1131 businesses went bust in the month, which was the largest number since ASIC started collecting these statistics in 1999.
- Opinion
- Investing
The curse of market concentration is spreading
Concentration risk has tended to be predominantly confined to the Australian market but as investors diversify overseas, they face a similar problem in the United States.
- Opinion
- Super Q&A
How do I calculate my tax-free super pension limit?
The transfer balance cap has increased twice since its inception to reach $1.9 million. Calculating how to stay within it can be tricky.
- Opinion
- SMSFs
New superannuation tax may hit venture capital
SMSFs will shy away from investing in start-ups for fear of being slugged with big tax bills on unrealised gains.
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Companies
Star Entertainment is eating itself alive
How far will the regulator push the company? How much damage have squabbling executives done? An inquiry into the Sydney casino operator is getting ugly.
Star rejects claims it misled regulator on incomplete high-risk checks
A senior executive told the inquiry she knew up to 25,000 source of wealth checks were incomplete as contact details for the customers were unable to be found.
Bonza cuts Gold Coast flights amid trouble registering aircraft
The budget airline, backed by Miami’s 777 Partners, is cutting some routes to the tourism hub, where one of its Boeing 737 MAX-8 planes remains grounded.
- Updated
- Manufacturing
Australian manufacturing poster child Tritium fails days after Qenos
The EV charging company was cited by the PM as a “lost opportunity” that could have been kept in Australia with more government support, but it failed in the US.
Super growers take on Woolies, Coles with private equity cash
Giant pension funds from Canada, Singapore and US private equity are behind super producers who account for half the $9.1 billion fruit and vegetable market. Bigger is better, and Australia is mirroring a global trend.
Booming AI demand threatens electricity supply
Regulators are scrambling to factor the explosive growth of data centres into demand projections as one network warns of a 250 per cent surge in power needs.
- Updated
- Courts
Macquarie pays $10m fine after failing to catch fraudulent withdrawals
A Federal Court judge said certain systems implemented by the financial services provider had “little or no ability” to protect customers from fraud.
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Markets
Commodity markets perplexed why gold keeps going up
The precious metal’s decoupling from the traditional drivers of prices has analysts divided on its outlook.
Private equity risks leaving ASX behind, RBA warns
The Australian assets of buyout funds have grown 75 per cent in four years, but the ASX 200 has shrunk by roughly $6 billion this year.
What happened overnight? Rate cut hopes faded further
US jobless figures held steady, adding to the week’s positive reports on the health of the world’s biggest economy.
Sharemarket doesn’t need rate cuts for life support
Australia’s jobless rate rose less than expected as the labour force remains tight, reinforcing the case for the Reserve Bank to stay on hold.
This fundie says Visa trumps Mastercard – and it’s cheaper
Claremont Global’s Bob Desmond thinks the market is too conservative on the global payments company, and is confident that Microsoft has AI upside.
Opinion
A traumatic week, and a need for calmer politics
Murder in Bondi Junction and terrorism in western Sydney have come to a country already demoralised by a cost-of-living crisis. Time for politicians and other opinion formers to put the hyperbole away.
Editorial
Delay to environment reforms shows what WA wants, WA gets
The decision to delay reform of federal environmental laws underscores the stranglehold the resources states have on the next election.
Political editor
Australia must pay the price for defence and deterrence
A generation of politicians who grew up with a post-Cold War peace dividend are now struggling to switch from welfare to warfare.
Editorial
Business bankruptcies are at a 25-year high and that’s very bad news
In total 1131 businesses went bust in the month, which was the largest number since ASIC started collecting these statistics in 1999, writes Christopher Joye.
Columnist
Musk wants $87b. Tesla’s Aussie chair is defying a court to help him
Robyn Denholm is asking investors to over-rule a judge who cancelled the biggest pay package in history for an AWOL chief executive.
Senior correspondent
The Senate’s mock outrage games shame all
Threatening corporate leaders with jail time over an accounting contrivance is part of trend where the national parliament is becoming a theatre for showboating and mock outrage, writes Tom Burton.
Government editor
Politics
The ‘frightening discussion’ Australia needs to have about China
Defence experts are urging the Albanese government to canvass how the civilian population and industry could be mobilised on a war footing.
- Exclusive
- Class action
Business slams class action lawfare firms
Business groups warn shareholders could be hit with billions of dollars in lawsuits backed by deep pocketed hedge fund investors under the Albanese government’s free-for-all class action setting.
- Analysis
- Competition
Five practical ways to turbocharge competition
Former productivity commission chairman Peter Harris suggests that supermarkets, banks and qualifications are some of the areas to focus on.
Taxing judges’ pensions bad for independence, women
A former Federal Court chief justice says the reforms were likely unconstitutional and would stymie efforts to improve the number of women on the bench.
China’s iron ore demand may have peaked, RBA warns
The country’s shrinking population is posing a multi-decade headwind for mining industry profits and government revenue.
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World
Modi bids for historic third term in world’s biggest election
The prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata party targets an increased majority to tighten its grip over Indian politics and society.
- Analysis
- Trade wars
China’s cheap exports threaten to blow up Biden’s agenda
The US president is increasingly hitting back with tariffs and other measures meant to restrict imports of China’s green and other goods, raising tensions with Beijing.
- Exclusive
- Russia-Ukraine war
On the front line with Ukraine’s youngest commander
Kharkiv’s improbable resistance, led by General Sergei Melnik, faces growing threats from Russia and political stalemate in the US.
Iran warns West of changes to its nuclear rules
A general from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards issued the warning as the US, UK and EU announced new sanctions against the regime.
Columbia University calls in police to arrest pro-Palestine protesters
The university’s clampdown on “disruptive” demonstrations leads to more than 100 arrests as US campus tensions intensify over the Israel-Hamas war.
Property
My strange journey into the doomsday bunkers of the super-rich
The first season of Amazon’s ‘Fallout’ has captured the reality of some of the places that I had actually visited in “meatspace”.
‘It’s going to take time’: Bondi mourns as retail goes into limbo
Westfield Bondi Junction was silent on Thursday as its doors opened to the public for the first time, five days after a stabbing attack that killed six people.
David Droga plans new home for Tamarama headland site
The owners and designer Luigi Rosselli aim to create a house on the landmark Sydney site that better reflects its location and the environment.
Singapore’s $192,000-a-month retreats are latest luxury for new mums
High-end post-birth care centres are booming, especially in Singapore where the super-rich from mainland China have been flocking.
Tenants race for top towers as B-grade buildings empty
The divide between prime buildings and secondary ones is most stark in Sydney. B-grade buildings will get left behind by tenants and lenders, experts say.
Wealth
- Opinion
- Investing
The curse of market concentration is spreading
Concentration risk has tended to be predominantly confined to the Australian market but as investors diversify overseas, they face a similar problem in the United States.
- Opinion
- SMSFs
New superannuation tax may hit venture capital
SMSFs will shy away from investing in start-ups for fear of being slugged with big tax bills on unrealised gains.
- Opinion
- Super Q&A
How do I calculate my tax-free super pension limit?
The transfer balance cap has increased twice since its inception to reach $1.9 million. Calculating how to stay within it can be tricky.
Technology
OpenAI’s model all but matches doctors in assessing eye problems
Ophthalmology has been a big focus of efforts to put AI to clinical use and fix obstacles to take-up, such as the tendency of models to ‘hallucinate’ by creating fictitious data.
How Amazon wasted a decade trying to reinvent the supermarket
The online shopping behemoth simply failed to make the technology cheaper than a conventional store.
This tiny tweak made WhatsApp users furious
People began to notice the minor alteration last week, prompting outrage from users across social media.
Work & Careers
The advice that’s helped Loudon navigate the boardroom
Bridget Loudon says some wise words from her mum have stuck with her as she’s navigated life as the director of a blue-chip giant.
Why this CEO keeps Fridays for thinking
Claire Rogers has co-founded a technology start-up that draws on her experience as a former ANZ executive and World Vision CEO.
Life & Luxury
This former tennis champ is chasing unicorns and dancing pantless
Dylan Alcott has a dizzying list of achievements from 15 tennis Grand Slams to being Australian of the Year. Now, he’s chasing start-ups and performing with Jason Donovan.
Why this exec wants to ride with Elon Musk in WA
Cash Converters boss Sam Budiselik loves cycling, but only in his home state. He’s also a fan of the world’s third-richest man.
Ozempic ‘oops’ babies spark debate as users fall pregnant
Some women on weight-loss drugs who have struggled with fertility issues are now expecting children, leading to questions about the safety of such medications.
What happens when farmers and chefs partner in R&D
Mark Foletta and Stephen Nairn met over a box of foraged mushrooms in 2011. Thus began their endeavours to surprise and delight your tastebuds.
This week’s edit of lovely little luxuries
From chic wool slides to cosy corner lamps and retro golf gear, we have inspired suggestions for you.