NewsBite

James Thomson

Today

Suncorp’s Steve Johnston and ANZ’s Shayne Elliott agreed a $4.9 billion deal way back in July 2022.

743 days later, ANZ has little to cheer as Suncorp deal closes

After more than two years, ANZ’s $4.9 billion acquisition of Suncorp is finally complete. But the mood inside the two companies is wildly different. 

Yesterday

Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson says the airline would prefer that Rex was sustainable and able to serve the regional routes that were once its speciality.

Why Qantas isn’t a big winner from Rex turmoil

At first glance, Qantas looks the obvious winner from the turmoil at Rex. But the aviation sector’s comeback kid won’t be cheering this mess.  

Mike Henry is back on the copper train, just weeks after being left at the altar by Anglo American.

$3b deal shows how BHP dusted itself off and tried again

Mike Henry was disappointed his $75 billion takeover bid for Anglo American failed. But his latest deal helps to show investors he has many other ways to play the copper bull story. 

Investors are asking the wrong questions on interest rates

From the RBA to the BoJ to the Fed, the market’s obsession with interest rates will go into overdrive this week. But it may be leading investors down the wrong path. 

This Month

Mark Freeman says AFIC’s discount to NTA makes it a buying opportunity.

CBA isn’t the only valuation puzzle for Australia’s biggest LIC

AFIC has almost $1 billion tied up in CBA stock, and is watching its eye-watering valuation closely. But it’s not CEO Mark Freeman’s only worry.

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NIB Holdings CEO Mark Fitzgibbon has sympathy for private hospital operators.

How to end the $22b private health war

Many things have changed in the 22 years that Mark Fitzgibbon has spent at the helm of NIB. The tension between private health insurers and private hospitals isn’t one of them.  

  • Updated
China’s spluttering economy has created a credit bubble that has Chinese officials worried.

There’s a frightening new bubble building in China

China’s property bubble has popped, its economy is spluttering and its sharemarket is all over the place. Now there’s a new problem to watch. 

ASX to rise as big tech earnings threaten stability

Futures point to a strong start on Monday for the local bourse with the S&P/ASX 200 set to open up 0.8 per cent as volatility is set to return to global sharemarkets this week.

The growing power of the super sector raises some big questions.

Three ‘grown-up’ questions investors must ask themselves

It feels like a plethora of risks emerged during a wild week on world markets. One $24 trillion investor says it’s time for asset allocators to start asking hard questions. 

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Shemara Wikramanayake is confident in Macquarie’s outlook after a tough year.

Macquarie investors will need patience as deal drought rolls on

Macquarie is well-positioned to win from the big shifts in markets – but the deal drought will delay those gains, despite a spring in the step of some bankers.

Global markets have hit a speed bump as concerns about AI build.

Markets are being shaken by big tech and Trump. It could get ugly

For two years, FOMO has built around artificial intelligence, the promise of a soft landing and belief in rate cuts. All of a sudden, different fears are driving stocks.  

Banking analyst Jonathan Mott wants APRA to allow banks to hold less capital against loans to first home buyers.

How to stop mortgages becoming just for the rich and old

Jonathan Mott’s six ideas for how first home buyers could better access credit are not perfect, but they deserve attention from politicians and regulators.

Elon Musk says the littany of real-world problems facing Tesla are simply noise compared to the promise of autonomy.

Elon Musk is right. AI doubters should sell

Tesla’s first wave of growth is under severe pressure from competition and politics. But the chief executive says none of that matters.

Societe Generale strategist Albert Edwards says the ingredients for a retreat in tech stocks are there.

This is what could spark the next market correction

Scepticism about how AI investment will translate into earnings is starting to build. That’s a worry given how heavily the market is invested in tech.

  • Updated
Led by Anthony Albanese, politicians have blamed Coles and Woolies for higher supermarket prices.

Coles and Woolies can tap an $800m profit pool. It may be controversial

The media businesses of Australia’s supermarket giants are set to keep growing. But that may not excite suppliers as much as investors.

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Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill is placing a big bet on the US LNG market.

Woodside’s big bet on US LNG will collide with Trump’s second coming

Just days after Donald Trump declared he wants to “drill, baby, drill”, Woodside has placed $22 billion on an unloved US project. It isn’t without risks. 

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

Trump v Harris: Seven ASX stocks to play the US election

Forget speculative Trump trades, the ramifications for Australian investors from the US election are likely to be much bigger. 

Research by Professor Hendrik Bessembinder found that 59 per cent of US companies were a drag on investor wealth between 1925 and today, and just 4 per cent of companies accounted for the net wealth creation in that period.

Time to sell stars like CBA and Nvidia? History says be careful

More market watchers are getting worried the stars of this rally are starting to fade. But new research says big winners tend to keep winning. 

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Guzman y Gomez co-CEO Steven Marks has a focused plan for growth, and bigger, bolder goal.

What Guzman y Gomez can learn from the Domino’s disaster

Domino’s’ latest downgrade tells a story about long-term growth plans that investors in Guzman y Gomez should take note of. 

Xi Jinping and Donald Trump appear to be on a collision course.

Nvidia crash shows dark side of the Trump trade

Donald Trump’s comments on Taiwan added to a global sell-off in computer chipmakers. The episode has three big lessons for investors. 

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Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/james-thomson-1446yx