BUSINESS

French drugmaker Sanofi's Monday confirmation that it plans to sell a controlling stake in its over-the-counter unit to a US investment fund sparked a new political backlash, stoked by fears the deal marks a loss of sovereignty over key medications.

Federal Court Judge Michael Lee has ordered Qantas to pay three impacted workers AU$30,000, AU$40,000, and AU$100,000, respectively, for "non-economic loss."

Most Asian and European stock markets rose Friday after Chinese economic growth data beat forecasts and officials flagged fresh measures to boost the world's second biggest economy.

The acquisition by Louis Dreyfus Company was finalized following a year-long bidding war and a nod by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

When asked about policy changes that could lower living costs, 64% of respondents suggested increasing competition among the major supermarkets and reducing utility costs. While, 60% called for lower medical expenses, 58% advocated for faster wage growth.

Public listings on Wall Street have seen a slow comeback in 2024 despite a resilient US economy, a long-awaited interest rate cut by the central bank and stock valuations hitting record highs.

Paris and Frankfurt stock markets climbed and the euro traded mixed Thursday before an expected interest-rate cut from the European Central Bank as the eurozone faces weakening economic activity and falling price pressures.

Taiwanese chip giant TSMC announced a bigger-than-expected increase in net profit for the third quarter on Thursday and raised its growth forecasts for the year on "extremely robust" demand for AI technology.

Philip Crawford, NICC chief commissioner, said The Star was found to have repeatedly violated compliance protocols and that operations inside the business "fell short of suitability."

MA Financial's joint CEO Julian Biggins stated the investment will support the company to bridge key gaps in the country's underserved residential market.

Australia's economy added 64,100 jobs in September, whilst the prediction was of 25,000. The key driving factor of the growth was 51,600 new full-time positions.

Major Asian and European stock markets mostly fell Wednesday after concerns about the red-hot semiconductor industry fuelled a tech sell-off.

Britain's annual inflation rate fell to a three-year low in September, official data showed Wednesday, fuelling speculation that the Bank of England will resume cutting interest rates next month.

Albanese announced that the government will soon legislate "specific prohibitions of a range of dodgy practices," under the Australian consumer law aimed at improving fair competition and transparent pricing, and alleviating the financial pressures faced by the country's residents.

With a global real assets portfolio totaling nearly AU$60 billion, this investment would mark AustralianSuper's first entry into the U.S. data center market and make it the second investor in DataBank, after DigitalBridge.

Oil prices tumbled more than five percent Tuesday after a report said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Joe Biden he would not strike Iran's crude or nuclear facilities.

Foodbank chief executive officer Breanna Casey stated 48% of low-income households were now experiencing food insecurity, with half the number spending less on essentials such as fresh produce and protein.

The Australian government was investing heavily to address housing affordability issues in Queensland, with a whopping AU$845 million allocated to build over 1,000 new homes across seven locations in and around Brisbane. These locations include Stones Corner, Woolloongabba, Chermside, Redcliffe, Toowoomba, and Southport.

The move follows Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) estimates that annual surcharges total around AU$1 billion per annum, with some estimates suggesting the figure could even touch the AU$4 billion mark.

Major stock markets shrugged off weak data from China on Monday following a pledge by the country's finance minister to boost the world's second-biggest economy, but oil prices fell.

The European Central Bank is expected to lower interest rates again this week as anxiety about inflation in the eurozone fades and concerns over sluggish growth mount.

The airline's financial basis was strengthened as Qatar Airways completed its 25% equity purchase, bringing Virgin Australia one step closer to returning to public ownership.

Apart from St George, Westpac's other subsidiaries -- Bank of Melbourne and Bank SA -- were also affected by the blackout.

According to Canstar's report, 42 lenders have reduced their fixed rates in the last month, with the lowest fixed rate on the market being 4.99% on a three-year term offered by SWS Bank.

After years of talking up Tesla's prowess on autonomous driving, Elon Musk is set to host Thursday a much-hyped robotaxi event amid a mix of anticipation and skepticism.

RBA Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser argued that a central bank needed to build strong bonds with business, unions, government organizations and the financial sector.

Investor and owner-occupier interest-only fixed rates have been slashed by up to 0.65 percentage points, while owner-occupier principal and interest fixed rates have been lowered by up to 0.50 percentage points.

World oil prices rallied more than two percent Monday as tensions escalated in the crude-rich Middle East one year after the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel.

Top Chinese economic policymakers are expected to flesh out a raft of growth-boosting policies on Tuesday, after the announcement of long-awaited stimulus measures last month sparked a blistering stock market rally.