Mark Di Stefano

1 week ago | afr.com | Mark Di Stefano |Mark Wembridge

Skip to navigationSkip to contentSkip to footerHelp using this website - Accessibility statementFor a man who had spent decades socialising with the Kardashians and other members of the Hollywood A-list, celebrity photographer Russell James could have been forgiven for being underwhelmed by the company at the Perth dinner he had found himself. It was 2021, and James, sporting long blond hair, had returned from the United States and found himself working for Chris Ellison.

1 week ago | afr.com | Mark Di Stefano

If MST Marquee energy analyst Saul Kavonic is known for a trait, it is that he’s not afraid to share his opinion. Kavonic writes a weekly column in The Australian (which is always some version of “how does Chris Bowen get up every morning?“). He then aggressively promotes his views by buying advertising on social media platform X. Loading...

1 week ago | afr.com | Mark Di Stefano

ASIC chairman Joe Longo launched a missile at the ASX’s Helen Lofthouse earlier this week with an unprecedented inquiry into the market operator’s run of failures. It should have been a clarifying moment for the ASX chief executive about the widely held view that Australia’s sharemarket is held together with chewing gum and string. Loading...

1 week ago | afr.com | Mark Di Stefano

It’s hard not to marvel at schemes when they’re so brazen. Former journalist Ross Dunkley hatched a fun one, using pseudonyms to post about ASX-listed gold miner Auric on the pump-and-dump website HotCopper. Dunkley was Auric’s head of investor relations. He also used usernames “LENIN” and “GOLDATWIDGIE” to make sterling posts like “What a sexy little beast Auric is” and “I’m a newby here and I’ve just bought a sizeable package of Auric shares”. There were more than 300 posts like it. Loading...

1 week ago | afr.com | Mark Di Stefano

Re-drawing of boundaries ahead of the 2025 federal election meant shifting electorates for some of Melbourne’s wealthiest suburbs. Gone was Higgins (once held by Peter Costello and Kelly O’Dwyer). The neighbouring Kooyong swallowed up the moneyed residents of Toorak, Malvern and Armadale. The Liberals held their first meeting of the amalgamated Kooyong and Higgins FEC (federal electorate conference) at Malvern Town Hall on Monday night. Loading...