Insights

Drought in Queensland and northern NSW combined with recent frosts in Victoria and southern NSW will put pressure on current earnings of the country's largest grain handler, Graincorp, which is the subject of a $3.4 billion agreed takeover bid from Archer Daniel Midlands, of the US.

Second-quarter profits at Optus rose 33 per cent to $218 million despite a 5 per cent fall in revenue.

The city of Boston is poised to approve a new regulation requiring developers of large buildings to submit plans addressing potential flooding, heatwaves, and other anticipated effects of climate change.

Apple is under investigation in Milan for allegedly hiding more than £1 billion from the Italian taxman, according to reports.

After a surprising spurt of strong growth in the first half of the year, the Japanese economy seems to be running out of steam as exports and consumer spending show signs of weakening.

Rolls-Royce is looking to use 3D printers to make lighter components for its aircraft engines, its head of technology strategy says.

The sharemarket closed higher as blue-chip stocks such as the banks, BHP and Telstra rallied after selling down the previous day.

The Australian dollar has bounced back from an eight-week low after US Federal Reserve chairwoman nominee Janet Yellen predicted she would delay a wind-back of its monetary stimulus program.

The defection of Elders' live cattle trading team to rival Ruralco threatens the business with "irreparable harm", with a major Indonesian customer already considering buying elsewhere, a court has heard.

Bega Cheese is attempting to up the ante in the fight for Australia's oldest listed milk processor, raising its bid and declaring it unconditional and final.

Virgin Australia's decision to tap investors for $350 million will give it the cash it needs to stare down Qantas in the bloody airfare battle that has cost both airlines more than $100 million in the past year.

It could be the worst deal Woolworths has done in 20 years, and will leave its shareholders staring down the barrel of hundreds of millions of dollars in forgone profits.

Virgin Australia's three major foreign shareholders will tighten their grip on the airline after backing a $350 million capital raising to help bolster its finances in the midst of a bitter battle with Qantas.

When Ten Network chief executive Hamish McLennan fronted an investor briefing on Wednesday afternoon to make his pitch on the future of the struggling broadcaster, the last thing he needed was a report on another round of cost-cutting at the network.

The outgoing chairman of Mirvac, James Mackenzie, made sure he made an impression at his last annual meeting at Melbourne's RACV Club. In a new move, the group decided to introduce shareholders to whizz-bang technology, in the form of hand-held smart devices with which to record votes electronically for the 10 resolutions.

It's worth recalling how much things have changed as the government and the opposition confect a debt-ceiling brawl over Treasurer Joe Hockey's plan to raise the government's borrowing limit from $300 billion to $500 billion. In less than a decade, reality has been up-ended.