Comment & Analysis
Michael Pascoe
No silver lining in this cloud
10:53am If those who joined the silver rush just before its spectacular dive early this month are still trying to catch their breath, it might be time to suck it in again.
Malcolm Maiden
Political siege on as US debt hits the ceiling
The US hit its $US14.294 trillion ($A13.421 trillion) debt ceiling on Monday, and like an explosion viewed from a great distance, the event has been witnessed by the markets, but so far, not felt.
Ian Verrender
Ratings agencies miss so much, so why listen to them?
There's an old adage that says: we learn from history that we do not learn anything from history.
Adele Ferguson
Pressure grows on retail brokers
10:24am Two more stockbrokers cease trading with third-party clearer Berndale Securities, increasing the concentration of risk in the financial system.
Ross Gittins
Labor's lick and promise to beached job-seekers
You have to feel sorry for pollies in government. While economists (who have a built-in bias against government intervention) are forever pressing them to cut government spending, and the punters are perpetually refusing to pay more tax, everyone is urging them to do something about an endless number of genuinely worthy causes.
Elizabeth Knight
Pushing the boundaries of dotcom valuations
In less than two weeks the original social network site Friendster will disappear into the digital ether. Many readers will not be aware that it ever existed, nor that it was the pioneer in the field - the forerunner to MySpace and Facebook.
Insider
Deals collapse - and probably a good thing
Two deals collapse - and their respective demises are largely the right outcome for independent investors, even if share price movements are not reflecting that.
John Garnaut
China's party princelings fight for a chance to go back to the future
Way forward a matter of some debate.
Garimpeiro
Rivers of water hit gold output
Bad weather messed with plans by the Australian gold industry to fully capitalise on near-record prices in the March quarter.
Max Newnham
Budget fulfils one super promise and adds a surprise
People over 50 with low super levels get a break.
Stephen Mayne
No perfect Ten for Packer
James Packer has never particularly liked journalists and now he's lining up to torpedo one of the largest investments in news we've seen for years.
Christopher Webb
DuluxGroup interests take a shine to their own product
Interests associated with Stuart Boxer, the numbers man at DuluxGroup, wasted no time buying some more shares this week.
CBD
Myer shareholders, read again and weep
Myer shareholders can always try to cheer themselves up by reading something glossy.
Leon Gettler
Investors shouldn't raise a glass to Foster's spinoff too quickly
Wine can be seen as too unusual a business for publicly owned companies.
Danny John
A sound, multi-speed result: Kelly
Amid all the upbeat gloss that was put on a ''sound'' result by Gail Kelly yesterday, the Westpac chief executive was sensible enough to temper some of her optimism with a healthy dose of realism.
Julian Lee
Dumbing down keeps tourists coming down
Sophistication doesn't sell when it comes to Australia but koalas still do, writes Julian Lee.
Harold Mitchell
Talkback is powerful and the bill ain't cheap
Eearly one Sunday evening in the early '90s I was approaching the outskirts of Yarra Glen, where I knew the speed limit dropped back to 60km/h.
Ian McIlwraith
A cold front for Greenland Minerals' CEO
Greenland Minerals and Energy's relations with shareholder Westrip Holdings are even frostier than the five-or-so-degree temperatures in downtown Narsarsuaq.
Paddy Manning
Climate change model? Just look at old Blighty
Britain plans to halve emissions by 2027, while our politicians squabble over a 5 per cent cut.
Eric Johnston
Beware the financial crisis of 2015
A squeeze on banks may be sowing the seeds of a new disaster.
Michael West
Centro lambs to the slaughter
Anyone seen that billion dollars lying about? Could have sworn it was here somewhere. Umm, just check down the back of the couch. No, not there.
Leonie Wood
Boards watching the Centro case
It is fair to say that the best boardrooms across Australia are acutely focused on the corporate regulator's pursuit of Centro directors. If they are not, they bleeding well should be.
Collins & Spencer
Shareholders go to war for control of Folkestone
The corporate spat for control of Folkestone has blown into a full-scale war between former Mirvac boss Greg Paramor and the company's two major shareholders.
Marcus Padley
A handy little number, but it gives no clue to the future
In the past 75 years, the annual compound return from the All Ordinaries Index, excluding dividends, was 5.76 per cent.
Saul Eslake
IMF must choose its chiefs on merit
There is no reason why a European should run the world body.
Stuart Washington
Opportunity still knocks - be sure to read the fine print
When you have made a superannuation investment, I bet you haven't paid too much attention to the word ''trustee'' in the marketing material.
Michael Evans
Beware the big guy in a share buyback
Kerry Stokes was a pioneer. James Packer followed his lead. And now John Kinghorn has put a big red flag over them. Small shareholders have plenty of reasons to beware the big guy in a share buyback.
Tim Colebatch
Reserve's deja vu forecasts
A year ago, the Reserve Bank forecast that non-farm GDP would grow by a buoyant 3.25 per cent in 2010. In fact, it grew 2.1 per cent.
