Business

Business news from Australia and around the world: companies, deals, earnings, regulation and the people running them.

1818 articles · page 10 of 38

Business

Western Sydney airport prepares for takeoff as experts question route to commercial viability

Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) will welcome its first commercial flight this Sunday, marking the opening of Sydney's second airport after years of planning. The airport, located roughly 60km from the city centre, promises to relieve congestion at Kingsford Smith and offer greater competition for flights. But as it launches with a modest initial schedule, aviation experts and the operator of Melbourne's lesser-known second airport, Avalon, offer contrasting perspectives on its path to success.

·3 min·2 sources
Business

Broadcast TV still dominates political ad spending as midterm cycle hits record $11.6 billion

Political advertising ahead of the US midterm elections is forecast to reach a record $11.6 billion, with traditional broadcast television expected to capture the largest share at 48 percent, according to data from advertising intelligence firm AdImpact. The 2025-26 cycle surpasses both the $11.2 billion spent during the 2024 presidential race and the $8.9 billion in 2022 midterms, underscoring broadcast's enduring role in campaign strategy despite the rise of digital platforms.

·3 min
Business

EU opens investigation into Booking.com over fake listings and scams

The European Commission has opened an investigation into Booking.com, accusing the accommodation platform of an "absolutely substandard" approach to tackling fraudulent listings and phishing scams. EU regulators say the company may have breached the Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires platforms to assess and mitigate risks to consumers. The probe also examines whether Booking.com violated advertising transparency rules by not clearly disclosing paid placements.

·2 min·3 sources
Business

Intel installs first major structural truss at Ohio chip fab site, now targeting 2030

Intel has installed the first major structural truss at its Ohio One semiconductor fabrication site near New Albany, Ohio, marking a visible construction milestone on a project now running at least five years behind its original schedule. The company projects the first fab will be completed in 2030 with operations starting in 2030-2031, and a second fab on the campus expected to follow in 2031-2032.

·3 min·3 sources
Business

JPMorgan pours $230 billion into US national security sectors, betting on critical minerals and defence

JPMorgan Chase has financed or facilitated $230 billion into sectors deemed essential for economic and national security in the first year of its 10-year, $1.5 trillion Security and Resiliency Initiative, the bank announced on Monday. The effort, driven by CEO Jamie Dimon's longstanding warnings about US reliance on China, includes direct investments in defence startups, financing for critical minerals projects, and advisory work with the Pentagon.

·3 min
Business

Healey abolishes gas standing charges in Budget

The government has announced it will remove standing charges from household gas bills in Great Britain, as chancellor John Healey delivered his first Budget. The fixed daily fees will be shifted onto the unit rate of gas, and energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said the change would give millions of households "breathing space" from unaffordable bills. The move comes as energy bills are forecast to rise 16% in January to about £2,000 for a typical annual dual-fuel bill.

·3 min·9 sources
Business

AI compute pricing rising, executives say, as investors question neocloud business model

Executives at AI infrastructure companies Nebius and Crusoe told CNBC on Wednesday that demand for computing power is driving prices higher, even as investors grow wary of the heavy debt financing underpinning the neocloud sector. CoreWeave, a leading player, has seen its credit default swaps widen and bond yields climb, with its stock falling sharply over the past month alongside peers Nebius and Iren. Nebius chief revenue officer Marc Boroditsky said the company is 'not carrying the kind of debt' that CoreWeave is, adding that an auction for capacity on Tuesday showed continued price rises. Crusoe CEO Chase Lochmiller said even older Nvidia chips command higher rental prices today than when they were first deployed, suggesting the economics of the model may be stronger than feared.

·3 min·2 sources
Business

Wall Street's Big Three dominate AI stock boom with $52 billion in equities revenue

Wall Street's biggest investment banks are enjoying a record year for equities trading, driven by the global boom in artificial intelligence stocks, relaxed leverage rules and increased lending to hedge funds. Through the first nine months of 2026, the five largest banks generated $67 billion in equities revenue, with Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley accounting for $52 billion of that total.

·3 min·2 sources
Business

NextDC shares plunge 42% as community opposition stalls Melbourne grid upgrade

NextDC, the Brisbane-based data centre operator, saw its shares fall 41.7% on Wednesday after it sharply cut its annual revenue and earnings forecasts, blaming community opposition and delays to grid upgrades at its M3 Melbourne facility. The company also slashed capital expenditure by 750 million Australian dollars ($527 million) and put land acquisitions and new developments on hold, the latest casualty of a widening investor retreat from AI infrastructure stocks.

·2 min
Business

United Airlines unveils its largest ever airport lounge in $2.6 billion Houston overhaul

United Airlines will open its biggest airport lounge this week, a 54,000 square foot club at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, as part of a $2.6 billion overhaul of Terminal B. The carrier says the new lounge is the largest in the Americas, underscoring how airlines are investing heavily in premium facilities to attract elite frequent flyers and higher-spending customers.

·2 min·2 sources
Business

Skin-derived K-beauty injection heads to US after $60 million distribution deal

South Korea's L&C Bio, maker of the market-leading Re2O injection, says it has signed a distribution contract worth at least $60 million over five years to introduce the treatment to the US next year. The product is made from donated human skin sourced from American tissue banks, a supply chain that Business Insider traced from US donors to Seoul clinics, and its planned entry is likely to test whether the injections can be sold without approval from federal regulators.

·4 min
Business

Getty Images files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after Shutterstock merger collapses

Getty Images, a leading global provider of visual content, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as it moves forward with a restructuring plan that will take the company private. The filing, made Wednesday in Delaware, follows the collapse of a planned merger with rival Shutterstock and increasing competition from AI-generated imagery. Under the plan, affiliates of the Getty family and Koch Equity Development will provide up to $533 million in new equity and own 100% of the restructured company.

·2 min
Business

Mortgage Rates Drop for First Time in Two Months, but Demand Continues to Slide

Mortgage rates decreased for the first time in over two months, but the decline was not enough to reverse a slide in demand. Total mortgage application volume fell 5.3% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted index. The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a conforming loan balance of $832,750 or less dipped to 7.41% from 7.50%, with points decreasing to 0.75 from 0.83. Yet both purchase and refinance applications continued to decline, leaving the housing market under pressure.

·2 min
Business

Bradford solicitor secretly filmed offering to make immigration fine 'go away'

A Bradford solicitor has been secretly filmed by the BBC advising a business owner on how to avoid paying a £45,000 fine for employing an illegal worker, prompting a Home Office review into how such penalties are enforced. Mohammad Alias Yousaf, of Liberty Solicitors, told an undercover reporter posing as a mini-mart owner that he could transfer liability for the fine to someone overseas willing to declare themselves the business owner.

·3 min·2 sources
Business

Jackdaw gasfield approved: UK to start production by end of month as Greens cry 'climate vandalism'

The UK government has approved the Jackdaw gasfield east of Aberdeen, with production set to begin supplying homes and businesses from the end of October. The decision, announced on 21 October, ends months of delay and was immediately condemned by the Green Party leader as 'climate vandalism' and by environmental groups as a win for fossil fuel interests over the public. Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh told MPs the approval would not lead to cheaper energy bills, even as the government announced an initial £2bn for a new Energy Wealth Fund to direct some North Sea tax revenue into renewables.

·4 min·16 sources
Business

UK inflation hits 3.5% as national debt tops £3 trillion

UK inflation climbed to 3.5% in the year to September, its highest rate in almost a year, driven by surging motor fuel prices that pushed diesel to its most expensive since July 2022. The Office for National Statistics figures, published a week before the Chancellor's autumn Budget, also showed public sector net debt surpassed £3 trillion for the first time, strengthening market expectations that the Bank of England will raise interest rates on 5 November.

·3 min·6 sources
Business

Locksley Resources shifts focus to NSW copper-gold drilling, exits US projects

Locksley Resources has redirected its exploration efforts from its US critical minerals portfolio to its Greater Tottenham copper-gold district in New South Wales, launching an integrated technical program to fast-track a major drilling campaign. The strategic pivot follows a decision in August to halt fieldwork at its Mojave project in California, driven by a collapse in antimony prices and a reassessment of project scale.

·3 min·2 sources
Business

Orbit Resources strikes 11.8m of massive sulphides at Lewis Ponds

Orbit Resources has visually identified 11.8 metres of semi-massive to massive sulphides in drilling at its Lewis Ponds gold-silver and base metals project in New South Wales’ Lachlan Fold Belt. The intersection includes a 3.55-metre section estimated to contain 50 per cent sulphide minerals from 255 metres downhole, suggesting a significant zone of polymetallic mineralisation. Assay results are expected in the December quarter.

·2 min·2 sources
Business

Shein scores 28 in ethical fashion report, outperforming several Australian retailers

Online fast-fashion giant Shein has scored 28 out of 100 in the 11th Baptist World Aid ethical fashion report, released Tuesday, beating several well-known Australian retailers including Myer, Ghanda, and Windsor Smith. The report assessed 138 companies and 543 fashion brands, with Shein's score above that of Temu, which scored zero, and several local brands that did not participate in the research. The average score across all companies was 31.5, with only 13% able to demonstrate evidence of paying a living wage to any supply chain workers.

·3 min·3 sources
Business

Car buyers want lower prices and better technology, Bain survey finds

A new Bain & Company survey of global car buyers finds customers increasingly expect both lower prices and better technology, with technology and features now ranking ahead of price for consumers in China even as price remains the top concern in the United States and Europe. The findings add pressure on legacy automakers whose brand loyalty is fading, and who face intensifying competition from Chinese manufacturers.

·3 min·2 sources