Australia’s inflation rate rose 3.8% in the 12 months to October 2025 after flatlining last month, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This was higher than the 3.6% increase in the consumer price index (CPI) expected by financial markets, which was based on a 0.2% fall in October, and the 3.6% lift in the year ended September. ABS Head of Prices Statistics Michelle Marqua
Ukrainian officials are willing to move forward with a United States-backed peace framework that would end Kyiv’s war with Russia, despite there being unresolved key details. The U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators held talks on the peace plan in Geneva on Sunday. "Ukraine - after Geneva - supports the framework's essence, and some of the most sensitive issues remain as points for the discussion
Super Nation is a fortnightly column that examines, explains and analyses key issues in one of Australia's largest, fastest-growing and most important industries: superannuation. It was described as a ‘pig in a python’. This colourful phrase from UniSuper Chief Investment Officer John Pearce at a conference raised the spectre of superannuation funds reaching the limit of their exposure to un
The Australian sharemarket finished in positive territory on Wednesday, though the session’s early strength moderated after a hotter-than-expected inflation report prompted traders to scale back expectations of further monetary easing by the Reserve Bank of Australia. The S&P/ASX 200 closed 69.5 points or 0.8% higher at 8,606.5, having earlier risen as much as 1.2%. Sentiment cooled after th
United States President Donald Trump is likely to appoint a new Federal Reserve chair before Christmas, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The comments were made in a CNBC interview earlier this week, indicating an end to the search for a new Chair, an effort that has been led by Bessent. He said there was one interview to go for prospective replacement, but the pressure is on fr
Qantas is celebrating the launch of its newest aircraft today, with its first two next-generation Airbus A321XLR aircraft taking off this morning for their first commercial flights. The two A321XLR aircraft, 'Great Ocean Road' (VH-OGA) and 'Outback Way' (VH-OGB), are operating their inaugural commercial services between Sydney and Melbourne and Sydney and Perth respectively. Qantas is the first airline in the Asia Pacific region to fly the new aircraft type, and the fourth airline globally. The A321XLR features a wider and longer cabin than previous generation narrowbody aircraft, with wider seats, higher ceilings, larger windows, fast and free Wi-Fi and space for around 60 per cent more bags than Qantas' Boeing 737s. The A321XLR use less fuel per seat than the 737 it replaces
QANTAS
Mascot, AustraliaThe latest CommBank View examines the shifting forces and underlying tensions shaping Australia’s economy, global markets, and the outlook for 2026. The Australian economy is at a crossroads heading towards 2026. There are a range of potential domestic and international scenarios that could rapidly shift the outlook. But CBA economists are still predicting a final RBA interest rate cut early in the year.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
AustraliaThe Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has determined that Westpac Banking Corporation (Westpac) has completed a multi-year risk transformation program required by APRA and, consequently, APRA will remove the remaining $500 million capital add-on applied to Westpac. Following an APRA investigation in 2020, Westpac entered a Court Enforceable Undertaking (CEU) with APRA in December 2020 where it committed to remediating specific prudential weaknesses identified by APRA in its culture, governance and accountability, and address the root causes of these issues. In response, Westpac established the Customer Outcomes and Risk Excellence (CORE) Program and appointed an independent reviewer.
Australian Prudential Regulation Authority
Canberra, Australian Capital TerritorySQC quantum reservoir delivers deep learning performance with reduced training time and hardware demands. Telstra and Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC) today announced results from a joint initiative taking quantum computing out of the lab and into the telecommunications industry – marking a new milestone in Australia’s journey towards quantum-enabled digital infrastructure. Over 12 months a Telstra-SQC team explored how quantum machine learning could enhance Telstra’s response to a complex challenge in connectivity: predictive analytics. Advances in predictive network analytics have the potential to reshape customer experiences, from pre-empting and resolving network issues, to powering personalised services like dynamic bandwidth upgrades responding to real-time demand. Today, Telstra uses a combination of machine learning and AI to help predict network performance and detect changes in network patterns. These systems analyse metrics like latency and bandwidth to predict potential variances.
Telstra
Melbourne, Victoria
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Akin to a narrative borne out of a science fiction movie, the White House has escalated the global AI tech race, signing an executive order (EO) to mobilise the United States federal scientific apparatus for what it calls the "Genesis Mission". It tasks the Department of Energy (DoE) with constructing the "American Science and Security Platform" - a centralised, closed-loop network designed to
Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai has pushed back against Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying that returning to China is not a option for his nation. Xi brought up sovereignty over Taiwan during a recent call with President Donald Trump, telling his United States counterpart that a “return to China” from Taiwan is critical to international order. Beijing has offered Taiwan a model of “one coun
United States consumers have become more pessimistic about the current economy and their prospects for the future, according to a new Conference Board survey. The board’s Consumer Confidence Index fell sharply by 6.8 points to 88.7 from 995.5 in October. “Consumer confidence tumbled in November to its lowest level since April after moving sideways for several months,” The Conference Board ch
Kohl’s Corporation shares soared more than 42% after it upgraded its full-year profit forecast. The American department-store retail chain said net income was $8 million, or $0.07 diluted earnings per share (EPS), and adjusted net income was $11 million, or $0.10 adjusted EPS, in the third quarter of fiscal 2025. This compared to net income of $22 million, or diluted EPS of 20 cents, in Q3 o
Given the defensive nature of their earnings, coupled with the discounts they’ve historically traded at relative to their global peers, it’s hardly surprising that ASX-listed infrastructure stocks have been a happy hunting ground for acquirers looking to snap up good stocks on the cheap. With the likes of Sydney Airport, AusNet Services, Spark Infrastructure, Tilt Renewables, Infigen Energy and
