Markets

With another Reserve Bank rate rise looming and household budgets under pressure, Morgans offers suggestions to help investors weather a slowing economy.

Treasury secretary Jenny Wilkinson made the admission after 13 minutes of tortured questions.

Government spending remains near historic highs as the RBA raises rates to contain inflation, with an economist warning one sector is being “absolutely hammered” by the hikes.

Anthropic has revealed its breakneck revenue growth and warned about the risks of AI again as it files for a groundbreaking IPO.

There are two forces that could crash markets - public debt or AI. But it would only be a major crisis that would see both hit.

JPMorgan says SpaceX’s bet on AI data centres could propel its value to $US6.6 trillion, but the extraordinary growth forecast is drawing scepticism.

The number of building companies going under has soared during the past year — with insolvency levels more than double what they were during Labor’s early months in power four years ago.

Is the semiconductor industry headed for an almighty crash? A bust will be less heady than the boom.

If the second-largest share market float in Australia history had gone ahead as planned, co-founder Oliver Curtis would have graduated from a ex-banker with a criminal record into a $5.8 billion AI tycoon.

EXCLUSIVE: A Chinese mining group is fighting to seize control of Far East Gold, while the Australian founders battle to protect their stake in a potentially lucrative Indonesian gold project.

THE ECONOMIST: Until recently China had ridden out the Hormuz crisis with impressive agility but the situation is beginning to take its toll.

Reports Thursday morning said stockbrokers were offering Firmus shares for $8.25 each, down from the offer of $11 a share, a big cut for what would be Australia’s second-biggest share market float.

Oliver Curtis is set to become an AI billionaire when Firmus lists at a $43.7 billion valuation, but fund managers are questioning whether the company’s huge growth prospects justify its price tag.

Metrics Credit Partners has stopped investors from accessing some of its funds and delayed the release of its audited financial reports for the portfolios.

Australia’s mining stocks are poised to extend their rally, analysts say, as surging copper demand for power infrastructure and artificial intelligence gives investors a new reason to buy the sector.

THE ECONOMIST: Pinning down the underlying rate may be harder than United States Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh thinks.

Northern Star knocked back a $38.7 billion takeover approach, claiming the valuation falls well short of its fundamental worth and exposes investors to offshore jurisdictional risk.

Veteran retailer Solomon Lew has criticised the Federal Government for what he says is mismanagement of the economy because everyday Australians were paying the price.