NewsBite

Anthony Macdonald

Yesterday

Mike Murphy, Bain Capital’s boss in Australia, has got Virgin back to the ASX.

Virgin’s future is now in the hands of the markets gods

The problem with listing ceremonies is they’re backward-looking, while markets look forward. The airline did what it had to do to relist, but now it’s over to the market.

Metcash’s Doug Jones was surprised to receive a tax invoice with a pack of illegal cigarettes.

How $13 smokes smacked Metcash’s tobacco sales 40pc in four years

The supermarket supplier’s numbers are indisputable proof of how the illegal tobacco trade is running rife.

Regulation to protect the environment and reduce emissions should be seen as essential assurance for productivity in our long-term future, with economic and social development benefits.

EnergyAustralia, Alinta merger would shake up electricity and gas supply

Private equity giants are sniffing around a “once in a blue moon” chance to combine EnergyAustralia and Alinta, making a motza from what’s left of coal power.

This Month

The AI revolution is moving much faster than thought 12 months ago.

The aspect of AI that means Australia could miss out

More than three in four robotics patents in the past 20 years are from China. How do we make the most of that?

Richard White has more control as WiseTech Global than he has had since the company listed in April 2016.

Rebuilding battered WiseTech’s board, reputation is no small task

What’s more important? Who’s joining the global software company as a director or who’s leaving?

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AI is fuelling demand for cloud computing and data centres.

Move over industry, data centres are rolling in

What does it say about Australia’s future when energy-hungry data centre owners replace old-fashioned industrial manufacturers?

Bankers are selling IPOs into a shrinking active institutional equities market,.

How index funds are holding back the IPO market

Investment banks don’t love talking about it, but their business model is as flawed as the market for new listings.

Sandon Capital’s Gabriel Radzyminski is realistic about the ESG debate.

ESG’s social licence gone like green hype. That’s OK

How you split “ESG” from sustainable earnings is beyond us. ESG isn’t dead, it has just evolved.

Santos’ board rebuffed private equity in favour of CEO Kevin Gallagher’s turnaround plan. Now, it is willing to cash out.

Australia’s biggest piece of M&A bait catches its dream deal

A trifecta of bids from a trifecta of buyers. Welcome to Santos’ unique world.

ASIC chair Joe Longo’s been too patient with ASX.

Why ASIC cannot afford to keep wearing ASX’s dirty laundry

With hindsight, ASIC should have run its inquiry into the stock exchange operator years ago.

Insurer Suncorp Group’s reviewing how much risk it retains as part of its upcoming reinsurance renewal. An announcement is expected shortly.

Is it time for standalone Suncorp to find its Warren Buffett?

The company promised us a leaner, meaner insurer. Investors are yet to see it. However, the next few weeks could be telling.

Everyone’s back talking about oil - production, price and what it means for the global economy.

Why oil price is not what this $2trn manager is watching

An hour with a big fixed income manager is a discussion of the big issues. Expect volatility, he says – a bit of a tired line, although not an untrue one.

Johns Lyng Group was caught red-handed with a bid from a private equity suitor.

Johns Lyng, tell ’em the price, son!

The property services group was caught red-handed dealing with Pacific Equity Partners. So why stop short of disclosing what’s actually going on?

Zeb Rice, co-founder at VC investor King River Capital, says a wave of AI start-ups and investment is coming to Australia.

AI evangelists lay groundwork for start-up flood, VC investments

The AI full court press is on with a pitch now aimed at Australia’s super funds and family offices.

The superannuation guarantee rate will go to 12 per cent in 2025.

Eight reasons this super giant likes private markets

As ASIC tinkers with IPO structures to bolster public markets, the $330 billion Australian Retirement Trust has given us the best explanation yet of why it’ll keep investing in private markets.

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ASIC chairman Joe Longo is listening on IPOs, but he can’t fix the fact private markets are willing to pay more for businesses than public ones.

ASIC’s IPO tweak helps, but it’s not the saviour of public markets

Chairman Joe Longo cannot fix the fact private markets will pay more for smaller businesses than public markets, but he can try to make listing hurdles a bit smaller.

Fund managers are going places they’ve not gone before to try to make a buck.

Public equities advocate Perpetual hops into bed with Swiss private equity

Perpetual’s move says a lot about the challenges of the active equities industry in 2025. Their universe is changing quickly, and the pressure is immense.

GemLife CEO Adrian Puljich has spent the week in front of potential investors.

This migrant family business will knock off Virgin as the biggest IPO

Fund managers love a family business transitioning to the ASX. This property group has all the traits.

Scott Nuttall says private equity can get caught up in a genius/idiot cycle.

KKR CEO: Don’t believe ‘private equity is dead’ narrative

But Scott Nuttall, the private equity giant’s co-chief executive, predicts a shakeout as higher interest rates bite poor investments made during the pandemic.

Former Olympic diver Mike Murphy and Bain Capital are ready to hand Virgin’s reins to public markets.

Painful private market discounts the key to unlocking IPOs

It is ironic that Virgin launched its listing on the same day ASIC released 50 submissions into its public-private markets review.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/anthony-macdonald-j7gcx