This Month
Drill, baby, drill: It’s boom time for mineral and petroleum explorers
Pre-revenue exploration companies are holding a record $12 billion of cash as investors chase returns through the discovery of new mineral, oil and gas deposits.
December 2025
Taxpayer loans for private equity-backed firms should face pub test
The National Reconstruction Fund’s loan to two big private equity-backed firms deserves scrutiny as we try to understand what this new capital heavyweight does.
November 2025
Data centre investment doubles to $2.8b in just months
The data centre boom has arrived, but critics say it is still taking too long for approvals despite the investment benefits to productivity and the economy.
September 2025
The Productivity Commission’s cash flow tax is headed for a dead end
A more serious attempt to build an efficient, sustainable, and equitable tax system means looking beyond the corporate tax system for budget-neutral reforms.
Can a toothbrush really be powered by AI? How about a washing machine?
The corporate world is going mad for AI agents, but there are growing concerns about AI washing, where vendor promises of bot capabilities don’t match reality.
July 2025
Chalmers urged to loosen performance test to get super behind net zero
A peak superannuation lobby group says performance benchmarks for funds make it less attractive to invest in renewables and promote productivity.
June 2025
Fund managers going bush for 8pc returns in property
The purchase of a regional Victorian retail centre comes as fund managers chase yield for their investors. But analysts say they need to know their market.
May 2025
Husic hit job exposes Labor’s failure on growth
The dumped industry minister reveals that Australians have endorsed a second-term Labor government with no plan for reviving living standards.
April 2025
Jardine Matheson, giant of Hong Kong commerce, charts new course as investor
The storied Anglo-Asian conglomerate was founded as an opium trader in 1832 and famous as an inspiration for James Clavell’s novels. The shift marks a new incarnation.
March 2025
Boost business investment to restore lost prosperity
A 20 per cent investment allowance would be a start. But the focus should be on sharpening the overall international competitiveness of the economy
‘Gone ballistic’: Soaring gold price revives mothballed mines
Towns like Coolgardie, population 850, are in the midst of a modern gold rush as investors and entrepreneurs scramble for a piece of the action.
Questions for Virgin investors in Qatar deal
Readers’ letters on what the tie-up means for future shareholders, the ANZUS pact, Ukraine’s critical minerals, Donald Trump pausing military aid, sustainable investment, and Clive Palmer’s election ads
February 2025
Business tax breaks don’t spur investment: RBA
The RBA found company tax cuts are probably more effective than instant asset write-offs promoted by both Labor and the Coalition.
December 2024
‘Darn sensible’ Labor states outcompete Victoria, says top Liberal
Shadow treasurer Brad Rowswell has been in Britain looking at how the state might get in on the AUKUS action, and ruing the salesmanship of rivals NSW and SA.
Australia is now an economic ‘problem child’: McKinsey
Business investment is at recession levels as the country’s productivity growth slumps to 30th out of 35 rich countries, says a new report.
May 2024
Guzman y Gomez co-founder quits board as it pursues IPO
The Mexican-themed chain has recently lured new investors at a $1.73 billion valuation and is backed by TDM Growth Partners and Barrenjoey Capital Partners.
Budget tips business investment to slow
The recovery in business investment is tipped to slow markedly in federal budget forecasts, as a cooling economy forces firms to reassess capital expenditure plans.
March 2024
Slowing tech investment complicates Chalmers’ growth goal
The contribution of IT equipment to capital input has fallen sharply in recent decades, which economists warn could undermine long-term economic growth.
Biden just prolonged the private equity jam
The dearth of deals has left buyout funds sitting on 28,000 unsold companies worth a record $US3.2 trillion ($4.8 trillion).
Chalmers gets a face-to-face with his favourite economist
Economist Mariana Mazzucato is on a week-long tour of Australia touting the benefits of a “mission economy” – or how to do industrial policy differently.
