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Good afternoon,

Beauty retailer Mecca is a marketing machine that has drawn in Australian women, but has it peaked ? A rebellion among once loyal customers suggest that's the case while others insist it's a brand worthy of devotion.

Meanwhile, Labor has pledged upfront subsidies for battery backups to domestic solar systems if it wins the federal election but even with all the financial help are they worth the outlay? James Gerrard crunches the numbers.

And which of the big supermarkets is winning the popularity stakes among Australian shoppers? UBS figures reveal one is pulling ahead. 

Vesna Poljak
Business Editor
The markets


Commentary
Macquarie’s flushed with riches and has cash to burn
By JOHN DURIE
Columnist
After this week’s sale of the old Delaware Investment assets, Macquarie boss Shemara Wikramanayake will have $4bn to spend, so what will she buy next?
Latest news
From fired bureaucrat to being headhunted by Paul Bassat
Georgina Harrisson’s long public service career came to a brutal end with the NSW election last year. But a phone call from a recruiter on behalf of Paul Bassat has led her back to the helm.
By DAMON KITNEY
Rate cuts, equity uncertainty help revive property play
The housing market is ripe with action, but there’s a new kind of investor - not the wealthier older Australian, rather the younger ‘rentvestor’.
By JAMES KIRBY
Byron hinterland homestead that marches to a different beat
Kristy and Hamish Rosser’s private Byron hinterland homestead is a little bit bohemian and very rock’n’roll. Which is apt for an indie band drummer’s family retreat.
By MICHELLE SINGER
‘Coolant-gate’: Zoom-zoom goes boom-boom
Driving a Mazda should be a blast, unless of course it goes boom. Disgruntled US owners have hit the Japanese carmaker with a lawsuit over an engine fault that causes its motor to detonate.
By JOHN CONNOLLY
Google’s earnings power holds up in trade turbulence
Parent Alphabet reported solid first quarter earnings, but the impact of tariffs going forward is still unclear as the internet giant spends record sums on artificial intelligence.
By DAN GALLAGHER

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