NewsBite

Anthony Macdonald

Today

BHP’s Geraldine Slattery.

BHP’s nickel blunder a timely reminder for Australia

BHP wanted to profit from the EV boom by selling nickel to battery makers. It hasn’t worked, yet.

ACCC chairwoman Gina Cass-Gottlieb is hunting another trophy: JB Hi-Fi.

The Good Guys debacle reveals inflation’s unexpected consequence

When inflation peaked at 7.8 per cent 18 months ago, no one could’ve predicted how it would affect some of our big brands.

Yesterday

Mauro Neves was supposed to be running an explosives maker that feeds the mining industry.

Spilt milk everywhere as Incitec pivots, again

We have another “deal yourself in, deal yourself out” situation. And it isn’t pretty.

Saint-Gobain boss Benoit Bazin is in Australia to take the keys to the country’s biggest plasterboard manufacturer.

How a global giant plans to get bang for its buck at CSR

One of the ASX’s oldest companies, CSR, went out with a bang; now the games start over. This is how Saint-Gobain plans to make it in Australia.

The S&P500 has closed at a record high more than 30 times this year. It’s a remarkable run.

Wall Street’s big run has investors trying to pick the top

The No.1 question is: when will the remarkable run come to an end? Another nine days of gains (out of the past 10) only makes it more fascinating.

Advertisement
Steve McCann, new CEO of Star Entertainment Group.

Steve McCann takes his biggest punt with embattled casino giant Star

As far as turnarounds go, this is bigger than Boral, Bapcor and Seven West Media combined. “I had room for one more,” he says when asked why he took the job.

Steve McCann, chief executive of Star Entertainment, wants more time to change things.

Gaming no longer ‘glorious part of the business’: Star boss

Steve McCann says the company’s casino business might never return to the boom times and its future is likely to lie in its restaurants and hotels.

This Month

Ex-Goldman Sachs money manager David Gribble, second from left, with Alceon founders (from left) Trevor Loewensohn, Phil Green and Morris Symonds.

Private credit pioneer meets Goldman Sachs money man

Under-the-radar private credit boutique Alceon snaffles a big name former Goldman Sachs banker to be its CEO. It’s a very 2024 story.

AngloGold Ashanti’s CEO Alberto Calderon is a big believer in gold.

South Africa open to deals – it’s all in the approach

South Africa’s government will do deals, like the ones BHP would need to acquire Anglo American, but they need to be done discreetly.

Shareholders will back growth stories, but only if they trust management can deliver them.

How to play higher interest rates for longer in equities

Our super funds made two things clear: rates are likely to be higher for longer and equities are back in fashion. We ask some stock pickers to name their calls.

Retail funds had a spring in their step this week, but they have lost ground to industry fund rivals.

Industry super has overcome its last frontier – retirees

Some of the biggest retail names – from AMP to MLC – have posted better returns than industry fund bigwigs this week. But they are coming from behind.

The money’s come out of reinsurance markets, but that’s been good for those left behind.

This super fund is cashing in on climate risk

Insurers love telling us how hard and expensive it is to get reinsurance, so it is good to see an Australian super fund - MLC super - making money from it.

ACCC commissioner Liza Carver.

ACCC uses land grab to put new property prices under microscope

Two big property groups trying to trade 12 would-be housing estates have caught the regulator’s eye.

The chairman and his CEO: Ryan Stokes, Boral’s chairman, has retained CEO Vik Bansal for the company’s next chapter inside Seven Group.

To back Vik Bansal, you have to buy into the Seven dream

Boral’s gone from the ASX, but not forgotten. It’s tucked up inside Seven Group’s portfolio and still one of Australia’s turnaround stories to watch.

Santos, run by Kevin Gallagher, is struggling to stay out of the spotlight.

Santos cage rattling makes value impossible to ignore

Gas deals are getting extra scrutiny, even those that have nothing to do with keeping the lights on for Australians. 

Advertisement
Coal miner New Hope was seeking $300 million via the sale of convertible notes on Wednesday night.

New Hope makes it two convertibles in two days

It’s good to see the miners creative with their funding structures.

AustralianSuper’s Mark Delaney had to play catch-up in the back half of FY24.

‘If it was normal, I wouldn’t be in a job’: inside AustralianSuper’s year

CIO Mark Delaney realised he was too bearish and had to make an important call over Christmas. By April, it was reversed. Nvidia was at the heart of it.

  • Updated
The active vs passive debate is far from over.

Passive funds changed markets, but Grantham’s GMO says golden rule hasn’t

Active funds managers are worried about the weight of money heading into passive funds. And they should be.

Bye-bye, banks: Liontown’s wild ride reveals critical minerals truths

The harsh reality of where the ASX’s two biggest sectors – banking and mining – cross over has played out before our eyes.

The underestimated bank boss with the strategic handball

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s Marnie Baker was underestimated on arrival. She leaves well regarded, albeit having failed to answer the big structural question over her bank.

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