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Business pleads with states to waive fees caused by trust crackdown
Australia’s peak employer and industry group warns that businesses being forced to restructure face fees as high as $500,000.
25pc of Future Fund is tied to AI. Here’s its plan to ride the boom
The $340 billion sovereign wealth fund is heavily exposed to the AI trade. But it knows it can’t pick winners and losers, and so is looking to a different approach.
Mosman to Toorak: The 50 biggest suburb house price falls revealed
North Curl Curl on Sydney’s northern beaches has led the nation’s price declines, with median values tumbling 19.4 per cent from their peak of $4.1 million.
Felix Lee tries to dodge his billionaire family’s long shadow
Suddenly in charge of a massive fortune, the 25-year-old is attempting to build his own business empire amid a sea of questions about the source of his wealth.
ASX set to gain; Westpac first bank to post earnings
Shares to rise with Westpac tipped with $1.9b cash profit; $A hits two-month high; Wall Street up; Car Group to post earnings. Follow updates here.
Israel rejects Trump’s Gaza plan; Iran talks stall
Turkey throttles Black Sea access after surge in attacks from Russia-Ukraine war; Germany warns of daily “hybrid warfare”. Follow live updates.
Nasdaq will soon trade 23 hours a day. Australia is watching
Whether it’s trading shares in Sandisk or SpaceX, the trend is moving full-throttle, and investors are paying close attention.
Inside James Mawhinney’s rinse and repeat with new missing millions
The investments spruiker has spent the last five years trying to clear his name, after the collapse of his last moneymaking scheme. History is repeating itself.
Widow tax, migration, gambling and Tomago set to dominate Parliament
Parliament will return following the five-week winter recess on Tuesday – here’s what will dominate the week ahead in politics.
Industry issues stark warning as BHP workers stage weekend-long walkout
More than 120 employees walked off the job at the world’s largest bulk export port after threats to withhold pay inflamed tensions and turned the 24-hour strike into a two-day stoppage.
Angela Macdonald-Smith and Ryan Cropp on the reasons we all stopped freaking out about the oil price and why that was premature.
Companies
HSBC sets sights on corporate mega-deals after retail exit
Now that its mortgage book has been hived off to Blackstone, the chief executive of the multinational bank in Australia says it will target the top end of town.
Macquarie brings in Goldman Sachs to sell Port of Newcastle stake
The potential sale of The Infrastructure Fund’s shareholding comes as the world’s largest coal export terminal delays plans to build a container terminal.
Harli + Harpa founder wins US trademark battle against Lovisa
Shane Fallscheer has won a trademark dispute against his former employer, which tried to block his brand name in the US two years ago.
Whyalla steelworks union warns against a repeat of Gupta strife
The plant’s blast furnace hasn’t operated for four months, bidders face a $5 billion-plus bill and the AWU is worried that it could again be a cog in a global network.
Banks prepare for earning peaks amid rising economic strain
This week marks a final bright spot for the country’s biggest lenders as slowing credit growth, margin pressure and bad debts emerge amid a softening housing market.
Sunrise CEO reveals next steps after securing $566m Trump loan
Donald Trump announced billions in critical minerals funding including a $566 million loan for a scandium mine in central-west NSW owned by Sunrise Energy Metals.
Indonesian wealth fund takes $3.6b stake in Australian meat giant JBS
Danantara, a sovereign wealth fund, is buying a 25 per cent stake in JBS Australasia, which owns Primo smallgoods, Huon salmon and Rivalea pork.
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Markets
ASX to set record high ahead of wild earnings, RBA decision
Stocks and the Australian dollar are poised to rise with eyes on the central bank and the Commonwealth Bank results for clues on the economy and interest rates.
Beware the hidden market crash beneath Wall Street’s calm surface
The S&P 500 ended slightly below its record in July, but beneath the surface momentum suffered one of its most violent episodes on record.
S&P 500 closes at new high as jobs data eases rate worries
A broad rally helped the US benchmark index press higher in the final session of the week. Atlassian leapt 35 per cent after reporting stellar quarterly results.
Investors await buyback bonanza, but worry about conservative boards
The Australian sharemarket is on track for its single biggest year of buybacks, unleashing big paydays for investors, despite the ASX reaching record levels.
How CEO-speak is quietly being adapted for quant-driven markets
In a world where robots used by quant funds are triggering wild share price swings, language matters more than ever this earnings season.
Opinion
Business hit again by fallout from Labor’s tax changes
Instead of a plan to achieve lower, simpler, more competitive taxes, the focus is on how business avoids the fallout of Labor’s bigger taxing, more complex tax policy.
Editorial
Productivity Commission shreds its credibility on Indigenous reporting
Much of the measured “progress” in the Closing the Gap report is a change in who is counted, not actual outcomes. Dig into the data, and any modest good news evaporates.
Economist
RBA should defy the markets and not miss opportunity to raise rates
An increase weeks before the start of the spring selling season would draw a much clearer line between monetary policy and the troubles in our housing markets.
Economist
The death of forward guidance: Why the RBA has gone silent
If Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh is hostile towards tipping the market off about his intentions, then Michele Bullock is absolutely petrified of it.
Senior reporter
How retailers are weaponising AI to charge higher prices
From JetBlue to Expedia and Target, there is a rising backlash against AI-powered personalised pricing in the US and Australian policymakers should take note.
United States correspondent
Gambling reform is about protecting the next generation
Neither the AFL nor NRL fronted the Senate inquiry, which was a telling snub for codes that profit so heavily from the industry.
Editorial
Politics
Just one OECD country taxes companies more than Australia
The group’s annual corporate tax report shows Australia is more reliant on company tax than almost every other country in the 38-member bloc.
Queensland goes from maroon to blue in LNP marketing blitz
Construction sites, TV ads and even pub bathrooms are awash with blue as part of the government’s rebranding efforts.
Trump’s Aussie diplomat bound for Canberra after Senate nod
Incoming ambassador David Brat is bound for Canberra after Republicans in the United States Senate rammed through over 70 nominations at once.
The 1990s decision quietly fuelling Australia’s migration debate
The prime minister who famously “stopped the boats” built the demand-driven 1990s visa model now fuelling Australia’s housing and migration crisis.
‘Strategy has to change’: What Jess Wilson must do to defeat Ben Carroll
The Victorian Liberal leader heads into an election campaign against a Labor Party that has felled her greatest asset, Jacinta Allan, and a surging One Nation.
World
‘Very debilitating’: Joe Biden’s cancer is spreading, his son says
In an interview with the BBC, Hunter Biden said the former US president’s prostate cancer had spread into his bones and was causing pain.
Why paparazzi-magnet politicians are suddenly a thing
Politics and entertainment are more intertwined than ever before thanks to former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s rebrand.
Pentagon pushes defence firms to ‘drastically’ build more weapons
The directive to the industry comes as munition stockpiles run dry because of the war with Iran that has forced the US to halt large attacks.
Inside the Pentagon’s backing of a surging NSW miner
Sunrise Energy Metals CEO Sam Riggall wants to develop a mine in central NSW that could replace China’s supply of the weapon-making mineral all on its own.
She’s Russia’s richest woman. Ukraine is burning her empire to the ground
As Ukraine repeatedly strikes warehouses of the e-commerce site Wildberries, Tatyana Kim, its billionaire co-founder, faces her biggest test yet.
Property
Auction clearance rates hit 11-week high, but prices track south
While capital city house prices continue their decline, Melbourne’s clearance rate revealed green shoots as buyers are drawn to improved yields and affordability
AC/DC rock star’s widow pays $19m for luxury Mosman apartment
O’Linda Young, who was married to late guitarist Malcolm Young, was one of the early buyers into the boutique Redan Lane project.
Reserve disclosure rules will hit weak market: real estate agents
At a time of already weak prices and low confidence, the bid to boost transparency around prices could further cut buyer activity, industry figures warn.
Real estate industry prepares for agent ‘shake-out’ as prices decline
Sector leaders are predicting some agents may lower their fees to attract sellers in the current market, and expect redundancies across some agencies.
Secret $28m mansion ‘with swagger’ hits Sydney trophy market
A little-known property in Sydney’s inner east has hit the market, offering the first glimpse inside in almost 40 years.
Wealth
Worried about a tech bubble? Your portfolio is safer than you think
The tech boom – and particularly AI – has the ability to lift boats across the market, spreading the gains and the risk.
How to protect your property gains from the CGT overhaul
As the 50 per cent discount ends, property investors should get a professional valuation to lock in a higher cost base and cut their tax bill.
‘This will all be yours one day’: the empty promise destroying wealth
A poorly drafted will has created a “lawyers’ picnic” and will most likely certainly result in the sale of a $7.8 million farm at the centre of a bitter family dispute.
Technology
Kit Willow’s AI play targets fashion compliance opportunity
From late 2027, Australian fashion retailers selling into Europe will need to comply with new transparency rules or be blocked from the market.
‘Try talking to them’: Sam Altman roasted over AI parenting tips
The ChatGPT chief, who is new to fatherhood, has been criticised by parents for suggesting AI can be a useful tool for talking to and understanding your kids.
How retailers are weaponising AI to charge higher prices
From JetBlue to Expedia and Target, there is a rising backlash against AI-powered personalised pricing in the US and Australian policymakers should take note.
Work & Careers
A right to connect? Labor laws empower request for phone at work
A Fair Work ruling significantly expands the changes that workers can seek under flexible work laws, going beyond changes to hours of work and work from home.
‘Club went too far’: Drummond apologises for AFL concussion contract
Craig Drummond has been engulfed in a concussion crisis, just as he is pushing ahead with plans to expand the game.
Life & Luxury
The mid-century trend that’s making a comeback in high-end watches
Stone-dial watches are having a moment, and more brands are mining the trend.
Why ‘super movers’ have healthier brains – and how to be one
New research suggests matching the walking pace of a 50-year-old in later life could help you ward off dementia.
The Rome only the elite get to see
Imago Artis occupies the pinnacle of the “luxury-travel space” in the Italian capital. It cannot arrange access to the Pope, but it can get pretty close.
Audi’s new Sportback is one of the feistiest hot hatches ever
It goes like the clappers, is reassuringly solid, and beautifully fitted out, but its tried and tested design could leave some drivers cold.
After a 15-year hunt, this yachting champ found his dream car on a farm
Dan Oatley may feel at home at sea, but he also finds freedom behind the wheel of his 1977 Land Rover.
