ABC Business Daily

Booms, busts and everything in between — for more than half a century, finance journalist Alan Kohler has had a front-row seat to the Australian economy. For his final episode hosting That's Business, we're changing things up. Alan swaps the host's chair for the hot seat to reflect on what 50 years of reporting on money, markets and business has taught him. What were the best and worst economic policies of his time? What has Alan got wrong? And if he could start all over again — would he do anything differently? Carrington Clarke sits down with Alan Kohler to unpack it all on That's Business with Alan Kohler.

Migration is dominating the headlines, with the Coalition promising the biggest cut to immigration in Australia’s history — a policy opposition leader Angus Taylor has called "budget neutral". But what are the economic questions behind student visa numbers, skilled worker contributions, and pressures on the Australian property market? And just how should economics shape decisions about migration? Carrington Clarke and Professor Robert Breunig, Director of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute at the ANU, break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

It’s no surprise that people are feeling bad about the economy and their finances. But the latest look into consumer sentiment from the Westpac-Melbourne Institute’s index, reveals Australians are experiencing what the bank describes as a ‘cost-of-living nightmare.’ Meanwhile, you may have noticed the price of your morning cup of coffee has gone up as small businesses raise prices in the wake of the RBA’s surcharge ban. So what does the ban mean for businesses? And consumers? Carrington Clarke and ABC Business Reporter Lin Lin break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

The Australian stock market could be set for its second biggest IPO in history, with Firmus, the data-centre builder and operator, looking to tap the market for billions. So does the business case stack up? Meanwhile, Australians across the country are adjusting to last week’s rate hike in an economy with inflation still higher than the RBA would like. The central bank says it hopes to avoid recession as it tries to tame price rises. But what lessons can be learned from previous economic cycles? Carrington Clarke and ABC Chief Business Correspondent Ian Verrender break it all down on ABC Business Daily. You can check out Ian's recent analysis pieces on Firmus and recession talk. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

The surge in electric vehicle sales seems here to stay, as Australians look for alternatives to petrol-powered cars and the global energy crisis pushes prices at the bowser higher still. But with fewer drivers paying the fuel excise, what does this mean for government revenue? And what are the economics behind taxing vehicles on our roads? Carrington Clarke and the e61 Institute's Amy Tramontozzi break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Commonwealth Bank is Australia’s biggest bank and its second-biggest company. One in three Australians are CommBank customers, giving it an enormous influence over the Australian economy. Matt Comyn has been CBA’s CEO since 2018 and has been named by the Australian Financial Review as the most powerful person in corporate Australia. Now, with Australians watching closely for what happens to interest rates amid a still-high cost of living, Matt Comyn joins Alan Kohler on That’s Business to discuss rates, AI, productivity and the future of Australian banking. Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au

It’s health-check day for the Australian financial system, with the release of the Financial Stability Review from the Reserve Bank. And despite inflation still well above target, a fourth interest rate hike this year and the downturn in the property market, the RBA seems most concerned about what’s happening overseas. So why is the AI investment boom's increasingly opaque funding on the RBA’s radar - and what else are they watching? Carrington Clarke and ABC Finance Journalist Alicia Barry break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Fresh inflation figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics give us a look under the hood of an economy running hot. So just what is keeping inflation higher than the RBA would like? How does this fresh data affect the odds of a further rate hike in November? And how are central banks responding to the global bond market? Carrington Clarke and Paul Bloxham HSBC’s Chief Economist for Australia, New Zealand, and Global Commodities, break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has raised rates, bringing the cash rate to the highest it’s been since 2011. And even though this latest hike doesn’t come as a surprise, the sting will still be felt by borrowers throughout the country. So what does this mean for the Australian economy? And how likely is a fifth rate hike before the end of the year? Carrington Clarke and ABC News Business Editor Michael Janda break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Is the era of US-dollar dominance on its last legs? Against the backdrop of the war in Iran, a trade war with Canada, and bond sell-offs, trust in the Greenback appears to be weakening. Meanwhile central banks around the world have been looking elsewhere to shore up reserves. So how does this all play into rising interest rates - here in Australia - and across the world? Carrington Clarke and ABC Chief Business Correspondent Ian Verrender break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Australia's migration debate is once again ramping up, with Labor planning to cut backpacker and student visa numbers amid calls from One Nation to slash immigration by 750, 000 places over three years. Beneath the political storm is a complicated history of changing economic and social policy governing who gets to come to — and who gets to stay in — Australia. Mark Cully is a former chief economist for the Department of Immigration, a former chair of the OECD Working Party on Migration, and the author of a new book: Waves of Plenty: Immigration and the Making of Australia. He sits down with Alan Kohler on That's Business to discuss the economics of migration, how we got here, and what we can learn from the immigration policies of the past. Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au

The Australian Government is calling for stronger global rules around artificial intelligence. But as AI agents become more capable and autonomous, the question is becoming increasingly urgent: can governments regulate AI before it gets ahead of them? This week, prime minister Anthony Albanese announced a swarm of OpenAI's agents appeared to work together to circumvent cybersecurity defences and access Medicare health data. But the US President Donald Trump has rejected calls for more AI guardrails, arguing the technology should instead be embraced as "super intelligence". Alan Kohler sits down with Andrew Charlton, Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy, to discuss who stands to benefit from the AI boom, who should control the technology, and whether Australia can shape the future of AI or will simply have to adapt to it. Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au

New jobs data out today shows the unemployment rate has risen in Australia. But is it enough to halt the RBA's expected interest rate hike? And an agent from Open AI has hacked into a Services Australia portal. Could this damage big tech's reputation at a time when it's asking for government support to invest in Australia? Carrington Clarke and ABC Finance Journalist Alicia Barry break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Reserve bank boss Michelle Bullock has made her final public appearance ahead of next week’s rate decision. And with the public eager to get some sense of which way rates will go, the message most people seemed to hear was clear: The fight against inflation isn’t over yet. And it may take a further lift in unemployment to get there. So is a rate hike all but certain? Meanwhile, Donald Trump recently took the stage to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Is the US president about to cut the world off from American diesel? Carrington Clarke and Millie Muroi, Economics Writer at the The Sydney Morning Herald break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

What will Australia’s economy be like forty years from now? According to Treasury’s latest Intergenerational Report there will be about forty million of us. But will they be living better lives than the 28 million kicking around today? And could AI finally turn around Australia’s flagging productivity problem? Carrington Clarke and ABC Chief Business Correspondent Ian Verrender break it all down on ABC Business Daily. You can read Ian's piece on the Intergenerational Report here. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

The price of Brent Crude has climbed back above one hundred dollars a barrel in response to rising concerns that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is spreading. Here in Australia, the Coalition is touting a new fuel excise proposal as the price of diesel climbs closer to spikes not seen since the beginning of the conflict. Meanwhile, analysts from Australia's big four banks agree that a September rate hike from the Reserve Bank is looking increasingly likely. So what do the latest auction clearance rates do to fill in the Australian property picture? And just how deep a downturn is on the horizon? Carrington Clarke and ABC News Business Editor Michael Janda break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

For years governments and companies have been trying to figure out how to make more houses people can afford in Australia. In other parts of the world, building homes in factories and then assembling them onsite is part of the solution — but it's never really taken off in Australia. Now, construction firm Built has joined up with Bunnings' parent company Wesfarmers to create Built Living, a company making pre-cast concrete apartment parts ready to turn into affordable homes. But are Australians willing to embrace the model? And what's the price impact, really? Built Living CEO Dale Connor joins Alan Kohler on That's Business to find out what it'll take to make pre-fab work in Australia, the lessons from overseas markets, and what the closure of housing developer Bathla means for the construction industry. Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au

The US Federal Reserve has hiked interest rates for the first time since 2023 - and the consequences could reach all the way into your investment portfolio. United States Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh says the move is designed to bring inflation back towards target faster - but will one hike be enough, or are more on the way? And as higher US rates ripple through global markets, shifting currencies, borrowing costs and share prices - what are the potentially significant consequences for Australian companies and investors? In this special episode of ABC Business Daily Carrington Clarke is joined by Richard Schellbach, Equity Strategist at UBS, to break it all down. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Thailand's massive car manufacturing industry has seen the country nicknamed the "Detroit of Asia". But China's electric vehicle boom is shaking up the Thai automotive sector, with Chinese brands dominating the EV market and local manufacturers pushing for tariffs to protects themselves as vehicle production falls. Meanwhile in Australia, the economics of going electric are shifting again as oil prices come under renewed pressure and EV sales climb. On ABC Business Daily, Carrington Clarke and ABC Business Reporter Lin Lin explain how consumer behaviour and government policy turned Thailand's car market upside down, and unpack what we can learn from it in Australia. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

The people building the world’s most powerful AI systems are starting to warn that development may be moving too fast. Some want a slowdown and stronger safeguards. Others, including Donald Trump, are dismissing those warnings as a “hoax” that could hand China an advantage. But underneath the safety debate is a huge economic story too - billions in investment, rising debt and enormous expectations riding on the AI boom. Carrington Clarke and ABC Business Correspondent David Taylor unpack what’s driving the pushback, what it could mean for Australia, and why the US 10-year Treasury yield breaking above 5 per cent is another sign that global markets are feeling the pressure on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Brent crude is back above US$100 a barrel, with a second critical global energy choke-point now looking increasingly vulnerable. At the same time, Australia has its own problem to solve. The Reserve Bank of Australia says inflation remains the country’s biggest economic concern - but some of the pressures pushing prices higher, including another jump in oil, are coming from forces Australian interest rates can’t control. So how dangerous is this latest oil spike - and are borrowers being asked to carry the cost of inflation they didn’t create? Carrington Clarke and ABC Business Editor Michael Janda break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Listen to our chat with Satyajit Das on if we're heading for a "Bondmageddon" here. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to…

Donald Trump is rewriting the rules of global trade, using tariffs as political weapons and up-ending decades of economic orthodoxy. At the same time, trade routes themselves have become central to the war in Iran, with the Strait of Hormuz sitting at the heart of the conflict. So what does someone who has spent his career understanding the politics and economics of trade make of all this disruption? Former Australian trade negotiator and author of Why Politicians Lie About Trade, Dmitry Grozoubinski joins Alan Kohler on That’s Business with Alan Kohler to unpack Trump’s trade war, Mark Carney’s retaliation from Canada, and what the upheaval could mean for Australia and the global economy. Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au

Bathla Group has collapsed owing billions, with hundreds of projects caught up in the fallout. But when a developer that big goes under, the bigger question is what it tells us about the wider market. Was Bathla simply a company that grew too fast and took on too much debt - or is it a sign of deeper pressure across property and construction? In this special episode of ABC Business Daily, ABC Business reporter Lin Lin is joined by AMP Chief Economist Shane Oliver to unpack how higher interest rates, rising construction costs and the growth of private credit are reshaping the industry. Listen to our chat with Satyajit Das here. Read Lin Lin's reporting on Bathla Group here. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Nike has lost its edge. More than US$230 billion has been wiped from its market value since its 2021 peak, and its share price is now back around levels last seen more than a decade ago. For a brand that has dominated global sport for generations, that’s a remarkable fall. So what went wrong? Was it China, competition, brand dilution - or simply a business that stopped setting the pace? ABC Business reporters Lin Lin and Dan Ziffer unpack how Nike ended up being dropped from the top 100 companies on the US share market, and what its slide tells us about the risks facing even the biggest global brands, on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

One Nation wants Australians paying rent or a mortgage to take more of their superannuation home now - but what could that cost them later? The proposal has ignited a political fight, with One Nation Treasury spokesperson Barnaby Joyce arguing people should be trusted with their own money. But behind the rhetoric are much bigger economic questions about retirement balances, inflation, interest rates and Australia’s $4.4 trillion super system. ABC Business Editor Michael Janda and ABC Business Correspondent David Taylor unpack what One Nation is actually proposing, what we learned from the COVID-era experiment with early super access - and whether the numbers behind this latest pitch stack up - on ABC Business Daily. Listen to Alan Kohler's conversation with AustralianSuper head Paul Schroder here. Listen to the political breakdown of One Nation's super plan on our sister podcast Politics Now here. Listen to our chat with Satyajit Das on if we're heading for a "Bondmageddon" here. Got a burning business…

Satyajit Das thinks another major global financial crisis might be coming - and soon. He was warning about dangerous debt structures well before the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. Now, with inflation still sticky, interest rates elevated, debt piling up and huge amounts of money pouring into AI, he thinks the pressure is building again. But what breaks first? In this special episode of ABC Business Daily, former banker and financial commentator Satyajit Das joins ABC Business Editor Michael Janda to unpack the risk of “Bondmageddon”, whether the world has become too dependent on cheap money, and how the AI boom could become another fault line in the financial system. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

WiseTech Global is one of Australia's great technology success stories, running CargoWise, the operating system for global trade. But in recent years it's been engulfed in scandal amid grave allegations against founder and former CEO Richard White, which he strenuously denies. On top of that, the company's facing a changing tech and trade landscape thanks to AI. WiseTech's new(ish) CEO Zubin Appoo talks through how to pull a company out of a crisis, and debates whether artificial intelligence will change the game - just like the internet did for Alan's old newspaper jobs. Zubin Appoo, CEO of WiseTech and Alan Kohler unpack it all on That's Business with Alan Kohler. Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au

Australia’s biggest retailers have opened their books - and the numbers tell a pretty revealing story. Woolworths and Coles remain firmly in control, but the numbers show their strategies are shifting. Online sales are surging, shoppers are hunting around for value, Aldi’s growth has slowed, and smaller players are fighting over an increasingly narrow slice of the market. In this special episode of ABC Business Daily, Carrington Clarke is joined by Barrenjoey retail analyst Tom Kierath for a deep dive into what the latest results from Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and others are really telling us. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

The world economy is being pulled in several directions at once. The war between the US and Iran has flared again, while fears are growing about what a wider escalation in Russia’s war on Ukraine could mean for energy, trade and global markets. In this special episode of ABC Business Daily, Carrington Clarke is joined by Madison Cartwright, a geopolitical and geo-economic analyst who’s now at Commonwealth Bank, to unpack what he is watching - and what it could mean for Australia. And amid all of that, there’s a fresh read on the Australian economy, with new GDP figures showing how growth is tracking and adding another piece to the puzzle ahead of the RBA’s next interest rate decision. Catch up on the political impacts of the GPD result on our sister podcast, Politics Now, here. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the…

"No one wants to catch a falling knife." Australia’s property market is shifting fast. Home values have now fallen for five months in a row, buyer activity is down, auction results are softening, and 93 per cent of capital city suburbs recorded price falls through winter. But falling prices do not mean the same thing for everyone. For some buyers, it could mean opportunity. For sellers and heavily indebted households, the pressure is building. Carrington Clarke and ABC Business Correspondent David Taylor break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Read David Taylor's analysis on the latest property data here. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

September is shaping up as a big month for interest rates. In the US, Kevin Warsh is talking tough on inflation, while here at home three of the big four banks now think the RBA could hike again - potentially as soon as next month. So are borrowers on both sides of the Pacific about to be slugged again? And what would that mean for an Australian property sector already under pressure, as the fallout from Bathla Group’s multi-billion-dollar collapse continues? Carrington Clarke and ABC News Business Editor Michael Janda break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

YouTube, TikTok and Instagram are full of "content creators", but very few turn it into a profitable business. Brisbane comedy duo, Marty and Michael, got their start doing silly stunts on Facebook. More than a decade later, they have nine staff and 13 million followers across social media platforms. They've worked with US "Jackass" comedians and built a brand from that same style of fearless comedy. Marty and Michael join Alan Kohler to discuss the highs and lows (and there have definitely been some lows) of building a comedy empire. They chat about building an audience, making money from content and the challenges of turning social media into a sustainable career. Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au

There’s been a dramatic shift in interest rate predictions among some of Australia’s biggest banks today with CBA joining ANZ in predicting we’ll get a hike in November. NAB says the RBA likely to act next month. So is more borrower pain all but certain to deal with Australia’s inflation problem? And in the US, Meta has tried to minimise its pain by settling a massive court case avoiding the ignominy of their CEO being forced to take the stand, but is this the end of their legal woes? Carrington Clarke and Alicia Barry break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it. Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au OR Got a burning business question?…

Fresh data out today shows prices are rising slower than they were earlier in the year, but still well above the Reserve Banks target. So does that mean the Reserve Bank might be forced to hike rates even further? And Canada has loaded its tariff cannon to aim at its southern neighbour… will it light the fuse? Carrington Clarke and Diana Mousina, Deputy Chief Economist at AMP break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it. Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au OR Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to…

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has announced a series of measures which he says will cause the ‘economic asphyxiation’ of Iran, including going after other countries that do trade with the Middle East power. But with no end in sight to the ongoing global energy crisis, a wave of secondary food shortages are cresting on the horizon. So how is this affecting the economics of Australian farming? And how vulnerable are global food supplies? Carrington Clarke and ABC Chief Business Correspondent Ian Verrender break it all down on ABC Business Daily. You can read Ian's analysis on fuel and food shortages here. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Trade talks between the US and Canada broke down over the weekend, meaning a raft of Canadian products are now facing a higher tax slug. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will retaliate against the US “dollar for dollar.” And meanwhile the Australian dollar has been gaining value against the greenback for eight weeks in a row. But is the Australian dollar really getting stronger? Or is the US dollar just getting weaker? Carrington Clarke and ABC News Business Editor Michael Janda break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

As a podiatrist, Anna Baird spent a lot of time thinking about feet. In 2008, she wanted to be able to recommend comfortable and fashionable shoes to her clients and when she couldn’t find ones she liked, she decided to make them herself. In this episode, Alan Kohler sits down with Anna Baird, founder and CEO of Bared Footwear, to unpack the story behind one of Australia’s most distinctive shoe businesses. They discuss the highs and lows of building a business from scratch, the realities of scaling a retail brand, the importance of customer loyalty and how Baird’s podiatry background continues to influence every pair of shoes Bared makes. Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au

There’s been a stream of news out of the banking sector - from earnings results to plummeting home loan applications to AUSTRAC’s investigation into mortgage fraud. So Carrington has called on Brian Johnson, Senior Banks Analyst at MST Financial, to unpack it all. What to make of banks' AI uptake? And just how much does the banking sector spend on staffing costs? Also why are Australian bank shares so expensive? And what in the world is ''horse-o-nomics'? You’ll have to listen to find out. Carrington Clarke and Brian Johnson, Senior Banks Analyst at MST Financial break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Tech titan Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is defending itself in US court against claims that it designed deliberatively addictive products aimed at children. What’s at stake in this bellwether case? And what happens if Meta loses? And financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC has made hundreds of referrals to authorities in connection with an investigation that has uncovered what the regulator is calling 'coordinated mortgage fraud.’ So just how big a problem is it? And what happens next? Carrington Clarke and ABC Business Reporter Steph Chalmers break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

The yield on thirty-year US Treasury bonds is the highest it’s been in nearly two decades. So why are investors demanding a higher return in exchange for lending money to the US government? And why should Australians pay attention? And as Australian property prices fall, what can we learn from our commonwealth cousins - New Zealand and Canada - about the risks of a bursting property bubble? We also answer another listener question - this time about bankrupt businessman Jon Adgemis. Carrington Clarke and ABC Chief Business Correspondent Ian Verrender break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Host Carrington Clarke is back in the hosting chair to discuss the news that some of Australia’s gig workers now have a new safety net in place - with a new wage floor and insurance protections that come into effect today. But how will this affect the hundreds of thousands of independent contractors across the country? And what will it mean for delivery costs? And national preliminary auction clearance rates are the highest they’ve been in months. Does this mean the property market is starting to strengthen? Or is the picture more complicated? And we answer a property-related listener question. Carrington Clarke and ABC News Business Editor Michael Janda break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

What if farmers could herd cattle with a swipe of their smartphone? Craig Piggott, founder and CEO of tech company Halter, has done just that - developing cattle collars that let farmers manage their herds via virtual fences. Craig joins Alan to talk about growing up on a New Zealand farm, how the collars work, why company culture is so important to the startup, and after expansions to the US and Australia, which worldwide markets Halter has its sights set on next. And Alan asks whether Halter's collars can help stem generational attrition in farming families. Craig Piggott, founder and CEO of Halter, joins Alan Kohler to unpack it all on That's Business with Alan Kohler. Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au

A more than two-billion-dollar bailout is on the way for Tomago, Australia’s largest aluminium smelter. It’s a move that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says will secure jobs and sovereign capability for the Australian economy. So what do we know about who will foot the bill? And what questions does this raise about the costs of decarbonisation? And what to make of earnings results from corporate heavyweights Telstra, Origin and Insurance Australia Group after outages, data leaks and accusations of price gouging. Michael Janda and ABC Business Reporter Lin Lin break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Commonwealth Bank earnings are in – and in the billions – an increase from last year’s results that exceeds expectations for the banking behemoth. But what to make of the dip in mortgage applications that CBA and other banks are reporting? And how are the banks, and the RBA, looking at persistently weak productivity in the Australian economy? Steph Chalmers and ABC Business Correspondent David Taylor break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

It’s official: the Reserve Bank has held the cash rate - a decision in line with most economists' expectations and the market pricing. But how does this hold fit into the RBA's view of the wider economy? Is it a sigh of relief from the bank’s board members? Or are they watching risks and wondering about raising rates again? Michael Janda and ABC Chief Business Correspondent Ian Verrender break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

The RBA’s interest rate setting board kicks off its meeting today, to decide which way rates will go. What’s behind the widely held expectations that the central bank will hold rates steady when it announces its decision tomorrow? And oil prices continue to fluctuate as uncertainty persists in the Strait of Hormuz. But what explains the gap between the price of Brent crude and petrol prices throughout the world? And what could millions of Australians be missing about their super funds? Steph Chalmers and ABC Business Reporter Lin Lin break it all down on ABC Business Daily. You can check out Nassim Khadem’s piece on superannuation here. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Alan Joyce spent two decades working for Qantas including fifteen years as CEO. He was one of Australia's most influential CEOs and had a pay packet to match. By the time he left the airline, Qantas had suffered huge reputation damage, thanks to job losses and the “ghost flights” controversy which infuriated many Australians during COVID. In this conversation on That's Business with Alan Kohler, Alan Joyce reflects on his time at the helm of Australia's national carrier. From navigating the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic to confronting intense public scrutiny, Joyce discusses the decisions that shaped Qantas and the lessons he's taken from them. Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au GUEST joins Alan Kohler to unpack it all on That's Business with Alan Kohler. Got a burning business question? Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au

Some of Australia's leading economic and financial commentators have had their X accounts hacked with the hacker then using their accounts to post about apparent crypto investment riches. Meanwhile Australian silicon company Simcoa is leaving the US critical minerals market after being slapped with a massive tariff by the Trump administration. Who else has landed in America’s customs cross hairs? And where does that leave the multi billion dollar critical minerals deal between Australia and the US? And analysts are becoming increasingly worried about tech investor confidence with the credit default swap market reaching record highs. So what is a credit default swap? And what’s the deal with this debt financing? Michael Janda and ABC Business Correspondent David Taylor break it all down on ABC Business Daily. You can check out David Taylor’s piece on the credit default swap market here. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you…

Space X is making headlines this morning with its first earnings report since the tech titan went public in June. So what to make of its astronomical revenue growth? And what is still pulling its share price back to earth? Meanwhile hundreds of ASX-listed companies are getting ready to report over the coming weeks and analysts are concerned about an earnings momentum slow-down. Could profits even be going backwards for many big companies? And have Australia’s pubs been emptying as the price of beer continues to froth to world-beating levels? What would happen if we scrapped the ‘beer tax’? Michael Janda and ABC Business Reporter Emilia Terzon break it all down on ABC Business Daily. You can read Gareth Hutchens piece on the beer excise here. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt…

It's been a wild couple of weeks for South Korean shares with the stock market collapsing and wiping hundreds of billions of dollars off the value of Seoul's Kospi. The major market index has since recovered a little, but it has big questions about the global tech boom. And the downfall of a high-profile hospitality property group owned by entrepreneur Jon Adgemis is shedding some light onto how private credits firms work in the economy. Steph Chalmers and ABC Chief Business Correspondent Ian Verrender break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.