Q+A

bhp has delivered a strong year of earnings and cash generation, but one of the biggest changes is happening inside the business itself: copper has overtaken iron ore to account for more than half of earnings.

sean aylmer speaks with bhp chief financial officer vandita pant about the company’s plans to grow copper production, why iron ore remains central to the business, the long-term bet on potash and the outlook for metallurgical coal. they also discuss how bhp is thinking about capital allocation in an increasingly volatile world.

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qbe has spent years trying to become a less volatile, more predictable insurer. but that's no easy task when the risks it covers - from natural catastrophes to cyber attacks - keep changing.

sean aylmer speaks with qbe insurance group ceo andrew horton about the strategy behind the global insurer's growth, why cyber has become a half-billion-dollar premium business for qbe, how ai could help both cyber attackers and defenders, and what he's hearing from businesses around the world about the risks they face.

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the rba may have finally reached the end of its rate-hiking cycle, with signs that higher interest rates are starting to bite across the economy.

michael thompson is joined by economist stephen koukoulas for the week ahead, looking at why rates could now stay on hold for the next year, whether falling house prices are being overblown, and what could turn a housing downturn into a credit crunch.

they also preview the upcoming wages and jobs data, including stephen's forecasts for wage growth and unemployment, and explain why australia's productivity problem is much harder to measure than it might seem.

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artificial intelligence is moving beyond chatbots and experiments. the next phase is increasingly about ai agents capable of handling entire workflows, forcing businesses to rethink not just which technology they use, but how their organisations actually operate.

in this special fear & greed q+a panel, recorded at the launch of ntt data’s innovation centre australia in sydney, sean aylmer speaks with vannessa van beek, ciso at fortescue; natalie piucco, google field cto for applied ai; and david mckeering, executive managing director at ntt data anz. 

they discuss how fortescue is already using ai across its mining operations, why businesses need to stop “frankensteining” ai onto old processes, and how organisations can balance innovation with governance, security and trust.

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commonwealth bank has delivered a record full-year profit of $10.98 billion, but australia’s biggest bank is also seeing clear signs of a slowing economy. mortgage applications have fallen, household pressures are building and cba expects housing credit growth to weaken.

sean aylmer speaks with commonwealth bank ceo matt comyn about what the bank is seeing inside the australian economy, the impact of changes to housing taxes, why slower home lending could cost cba around $100 million in revenue, the outlook for interest rates and housing, and where the bank is investing in ai.

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the reserve bank has left interest rates unchanged at 4.35 per cent, but the message from governor michele bullock was hardly reassuring for borrowers. despite softer inflation and a cooling housing market, the rba is still warning that rates could need to rise again.

sean aylmer speaks with amp deputy chief economist diana mousina about why the decision was a “hawkish hold”, what could trigger another rate rise, why the rba isn’t particularly worried about falling house prices, and the productivity problem it can’t fix.

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rea group has delivered full-year revenue of $1.8 billion, up 11 per cent, with listing volumes holding up despite higher interest rates and a cooling housing market. but the company is now seeing very different conditions around the country.

sean aylmer speaks with rea group ceo cameron mcintyre about why the business has remained resilient, what rea’s data is showing about buyers and sellers, the outlook for house prices and investors, and why the company sees itself as a beneficiary of artificial intelligence.

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the reserve bank looks likely to leave interest rates on hold this week. but what actually happens behind closed doors when that decision is made?

michael thompson is joined by economist stephen koukoulas, looking at why he expects the rba to stay on hold, how the nine-member monetary policy board reaches its decision, and just how close those votes can be.

they also preview the nab business survey, average weekly earnings and housing lending data, and look at what commonwealth bank's results could tell us about stress among australian borrowers.

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michael thompson turns the tables on experienced business journalist sean aylmer to find out what he looks for during reporting season.

from the numbers that really matter to spotting ceo spin, sean reveals what makes a good ceo interview - and why the best answers are often the ones that aren't rehearsed.

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can ai finally become a true personal assistant?

sean aylmer speaks with blake nussey, senior technical product manager for alexa international at amazon, about the next generation of ai assistants, including how generative ai is changing the way people interact with technology.

they discuss how ai assistants are becoming more personalised, how amazon is tackling accuracy and privacy, and why the next wave of ai is about taking action in the real world, rather than just generating text.

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