Business

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

1821 articles · page 24 of 38

Business

France's debt crisis: 'FROGS' joins investors' lexicon as bond yields surge

France has become the flashpoint for a potential European and global financial crisis, with bond yields soaring and investors coining a new term – 'FROGS', short for French Oversized Government and Social Security – to describe the country's precarious fiscal position. The spread between French and German government bond yields has widened to levels not seen since the region's debt crisis a decade and a half ago.

· 3 sources
Business

Great Southern Mining reports high-grade gold assays at Golden Boulder prospect in WA

Great Southern Mining has released new assay results from its Golden Boulder prospect in Western Australia’s Duketon Belt, with high-grade gold intervals including 4 metres at 11.38 grams per tonne (g/t) from 45 metres, containing 1 metre at 29.71 g/t. The results come from the company’s ongoing 14,000-metre reverse-circulation drilling program and have extended known mineralisation by up to 50 metres down-dip.

· 2 sources
Business

Starbucks Opens Stores in Xinjiang, Drawing US Criticism Over Human Rights Concerns

Starbucks has opened two stores in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from U.S. lawmakers who accuse the coffee chain of supporting Chinese government policies in a region where human rights abuses have been alleged. The stores were opened by the venture that now controls Starbucks' China operations after the company sold a 60% controlling stake to Hong Kong-based private equity firm Boyu Capital in April.

Business

Disabled woman had to 'crawl on hands and knees' to get off train

A wheelchair user was left in tears as she crawled on her hands and knees through a train after being told a ramp could not be used to help her off. Phoebe Tesoriere, 24, was travelling on a Great Western Railway (GWR) service from London Paddington to Bath Spa with her parents in December 2024, when despite repeated assurances from staff, she was directed to a carriage that stopped beyond the platform, leaving her unable to use a ramp.

Business

Lucid Q3 deliveries fall 6.7% as production cut takes effect under new CEO

Lucid Group reported a 6.7 per cent year-over-year decline in third-quarter deliveries on Monday, as the US electric vehicle maker operated its Arizona plant on a single shift for the first full quarter under new CEO Silvio Napoli. The company delivered 3,806 vehicles from July to September, down from 4,078 a year earlier, and produced 2,954 vehicles, compared with 3,891 in the same period last year.

· 2 sources
Business

Travel columnist warns luxury tourism has ‘let them eat cake’ problem amid cost-of-living crisis

The travel industry’s luxury boom is facing a growing perception problem, as a prominent Australian travel columnist draws a direct parallel between the lavish offerings of high-end hotels and the ‘let them eat cake’ indifference attributed to Marie Antoinette. In an opinion piece published across multiple outlets on October 6, Lee Tulloch describes standing at a lunch buffet at the Airelles Palladio Venice hotel, confronted by 32 desserts curated by celebrity French pastry chef Cedric Grolet, and reflecting on the disconnect between such extravagance and the cost-of-living pressures facing ordinary Australians.

· 4 sources
Business

Thanksgiving airfare surges more than 30% as jet fuel costs hit passengers; cheapest and most expensive November routes revealed

Thanksgiving airfares are up more than 30% compared to last year as airlines pass along a surge in jet fuel prices to customers, according to flight-tracking site Hopper. The cheapest domestic routes for November include flights between Atlanta and Midwest and Southeastern cities, as well as short intra-island Hawaii trips and Florida routes. The priciest tickets are on routes from Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard to New York and Washington D.C., with the most expensive being trips from remote Alaska to the East Coast.

· 2 sources
Startups

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 names five judges for Startup Battlefield 200 final

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 has announced the five judges who will decide the winner of this year's Startup Battlefield competition. The judging panel consists entirely of individuals who founded or co-founded the investment firms they now lead, bringing experience in backing founders and scaling companies. The competition runs from October 13 to 15, with 20 startups pitching on the Disrupt Stage across the three days.

· 3 sources
Business

CNN chief Mark Thompson to stay on as Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery complete US$110 billion merger

CNN chief executive Mark Thompson will remain at the helm of the news network when Paramount's US$110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery closes this week, according to a memo sent to staff on Monday. The combined company, to be called Skydance, will be led by Paramount CEO David Ellison alongside former Mattel head Ynon Kreiz. The announcement came as part of a broader release detailing the combined company's executive leadership.

Business

ANZ trader called 'hypocrite' but judge backs rate-rigging claims, exposes 'Hobbesian' trading floor

A Federal Court judge has described former ANZ trader Etienne Alexiou as a 'hypocrite' whose sacking over offensive language was justified, but agreed he was right about a colleague's alleged plan to manipulate a key interest rate benchmark. Justice Nye Perram's judgment, published on Monday, paints a picture of a 'nasty and brutish' trading culture where the urge to 'slaughter, pummel, smash or ram' was treated as a virtue.

· 4 sources
Business

UK 'complacent' about food security, more than 150 experts warn government

More than 150 academics, business leaders, community groups and food partnerships have warned the British government that it is "complacent about food as a national security matter", saying the country has no plan to feed people in a crisis and is unprepared for potential food shortages. In an open letter delivered to Andy Burnham, the signatories urge ministers to make the UK's food system more resilient to threats including climate shocks, cyber-attacks, energy outages and geopolitical instability.

· 2 sources
Business

Bank of America warns global interest rates approaching dangerous tipping point for Australian superannuation

The Bank of America has warned that global interest rates are edging closer to a level that could trigger financial damage, posing a risk to Australia's $4.5 trillion superannuation sector. The bank's head of interest rates strategy, Mark Cabana, said current rates are not yet high enough to slow the economy but that further increases could push markets into dangerous territory.

Business

Rising Treasury yields spark fiscal fears, but experts say crisis not yet imminent

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield has climbed firmly above 5%, pushing the federal government’s net interest costs to an estimated $1.05 trillion in the first 11 months of fiscal 2026, and renewing debate over whether Washington is heading toward a debt-driven fiscal crisis. While some analysts warn of a self-reinforcing spiral of higher borrowing costs and rising debt, others argue that the U.S. remains far from a breaking point, thanks to still-strong economic growth and the dollar’s global standing.