News

One of the most surprising outcomes from the better-than-expected August reporting season was the strong performance of consumer discretionary retailers, as Australians continued to weather higher interest rates and inflation better than many analysts had feared.

“Like a good wine, the best vintages in private markets often come from challenging environments,” Franklin Templeton’s Tony Davidow says, predicting the recent dysfunction markets have endured could mean a strong vintage year for private equity.

The regulator will target predatory lending practices and misconduct against small business, with a focus on scams, particularly where conduct hurts retirement outcomes. It’s also looking into how banks responds to customers in financial distress.

While investor confidence is not yet back to pre-COVID levels, a new CA ANZ survey found half of Australian retail investors plan to increase the scale of their investments over the next year, despite elevated fears of interest rate hikes.

With global growth expectations already under pressure, drought-fuelled disruption to the Panama Canal shipping route is bringing supply-chain slowdowns back to the fore, just in time to do maximal economic damage.

While the Albanese government expects Australia’s economy to grow by two and a half times by 2063, the growth will be slower and harder-won than in past decades as major global shifts alter economic dynamics, the report stated. But to get there, productivity needs to pick up.

Criticism that superannuation tax concessions are costing the government more than the Age Pension is disingenuous and based on bad analysis, Mercer said in a new report finding super concessions actually save taxpayers in the long run.

In a sweeping report recommending a seismic economic overhaul, the Business Council of Australia said global shifts mean Australia must adapt – and act effectively on decarbonisation, deglobalisation and other challenges – or risk losing its place on the global stage.

Lingering distrust over last year’s data breach made Optus the most distrusted brand in Australia in the year through June and confirmed falling trust for telecoms, while retailers Woolworths and Coles again topped the most-trusted list.

Much of the 2.4 per cent decline in global wealth in 2022 – the second-biggest this century – stemmed from US dollar appreciation, but even controlling for exchange rates it was the slowest wealth increase since the GFC, UBS and Credit Suisse said in a new report. But global wealth inequality fell, as richer countries took the biggest hit.

Despite continuing strong economic data for Australia, markets have forecast significant earnings downgrades, and results have been mixed so far. But a main highlight – CBA’s record $10 billion profit – may not be enough to improve investors’ outlook on the banking sector, analysts say.

Switching to a sustainable pension fund is one of the most effective ways to reduce a person’s carbon footprint, with no performance tradeoff required. As the need for climate solutions grows more urgent, the momentum for environmentally friendly investment options in Australia’s $3.5 trillion super sector is gathering pace.