Pimco warns on $A, housing
Exclusive | The world’s largest bond fund, Pimco, is warning that a sustained period of easy money could keep the currency elevated and damage Australia’s economy by forcing investors to chase higher returns in the property market.
Hockey slaps Barnett over GST
Treasurer Joe Hockey has dismissed calls from state governments to overhaul the goods and services tax and has challenged premiers to bring their own spending under control, saying the GST is not a cure-all for their budget woes.
Australian wines threaten to leave sour taste in China
Although the Australian line-up in the premium wine section of a Shanghai supermarket is largely predictable some labels and their prices raise eyebrows.
Abbott gets on his custom-made bike
Australia’s fittest prime minister is treating himself to a new custom-made bicycle worth about $6000. However, a sports physiologist advises that Mr Abbott get enough rest despite the advantages of exercise.
Rising property sales show Noosa back in favour
Corporate Travel Management’s boss Jamie Pherous has splashed out $14 million on two beachfront apartments at Noosa, giving the best signal yet that the exclusive coastal town is on the path to recovery.
News Corp profit $US506m but newspapers hit again
News Corp has announced a $US506 million profit on revenue of $US8.89 billion for the last financial year, after the historic separation of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.
Libs keen to fill Shaw’s shoes as by-election prospects loom
Candidates are circling the Victorian state seat of Frankston in the wake of criminal charges against independent MP Geoff Shaw.
Manufacturing jobs down to record low level
Fewer people worked in manufacturing in August than at any time since statistics began, but the sector can still create a political furore.
Indonesia to fight cigarette packaging laws
Relations between Australia and Indonesia remain strained, with Jakarta saying it will press ahead with a challenge to Australia’s plain cigarette packaging.
Hammers falling at Adelaide auctions
Auction clearance rates have almost doubled to around 70 per cent in Adelaide, compared with a year ago.
Parramatta big winner from WestConnex motorway proposal
Parramatta is expected to be the biggest winner from the promised WestConnex motorway. The project could drive the western Sydney suburb to become NSW’s second city and a development hub, says Colliers International.
What went wrong with the NBN
The National Broadband Network Company was to be the Labor government’s crowning achievement in the vein of Medicare and the Snowy River Dam Project. But four years on the reality is murkier.
Toxic property creates dangerous housing bubble
The big four financial regulators are busy putting out grass fires in the nation’s $5 trillion residential property market amid fears rising expectations could spark a price conflagration.
They died in character: a story of life and two deaths
“In my mid-60s, with both parents gone, I find I am more them than I ever was,” writes David Marr in his essay from the anthology, ‘My Mother, My Father: On Losing a Parent’, as he reflects on loss, death – and story-telling.
New York fund said to be buyer of 34m Newcrest shares
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Updated | The Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF, an exchange-traded fund based in New York, is believed to be the buyer of a $445 million parcel of Newcrest Mining shares traded after market on Friday.
Sandra Levy: the dramatic effect of an arts doyenne
Sandra Levy, the chief executive of the Australian Film Television and Radio School, says pressures on the English-speaking film industry from the might of the United States mean it’s a good time to be making television drama.
The left-leaning political satirists warming up to a golden era
With the Coalition in government, left-leaning satirists such as Gyspy Wood and Rod Quantock say they are looking forward to a rich stream of material on which they can draw.
Apple expects to sell 6 million new iPhones in first weekend
Updated | Apple is expected to sell up to 6 million iPhone 5c and 5s smartphones in the first weekend on sale, but those hoping to get their hands on the much-touted gold and silver 5s versions are likely to be disappointed.
Buffett having ‘hard time’ looking for purchases
Legendary investor Warren Buffett says record stock prices are currently around fair value and that the Fed’s extended stimulus will support asset prices.
iPhone 5s: Is It Hacked Yet?
The “Touch ID” security system, that lets you unlock your iPhone 5s by simply touching your finger to a fingerprint scanner, is already the subject of a hacking bounty.
Lucy Turnbull down $728,142 in a day
It was a sweet and sour Thursday for the Turnbulls. Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull’s daughter, Daisy, had a baby boy – but while their personal life sung, business was less than stellar.
Ephemeral style in a day at the races
With Spring Racing Carnival looming, the marquees of the birdcage are raising the design stakes.
Abbott’s vision must include science
For Tony Abbott’s government “science doesn’t even exist”, writes former minister for innovation Kim Carr.
David Jones scores one of stylish royal’s favoured brands
Exclusive | UK womenswear brand Phase Eight, which has been worn by Kate and Pippa Middleton, will enter the Australian market after signing with David Jones.
National
Hockey slaps Barnett over GST
Treasurer Joe Hockey has dismissed calls from state governments to overhaul the goods and services tax and has challenged premiers to bring their own spending under control, saying the GST is not a cure-all for their budget woes.
- Caution urged on property
- NBN direct link-ups for 2.5m premises
- Australian wines threaten to leave sour taste in China
- Hockey needs law change to halt clean energy fund
- Libs keen to fill Shaw’s shoes as by-election prospects loom
- NT wants leadership of indigenous affairs
- Manufacturing jobs down to record low level
- Cormann plans savings that boost growth
- Indonesia to fight cigarette packaging laws
Rising property sales show Noosa back in favour
Corporate Travel Management’s boss Jamie Pherous has splashed out $14 million on two beachfront apartments at Noosa, giving the best signal yet that the exclusive coastal town is on the path to recovery.
Opinion
Nothing to lose but your shibboleths
Mr Abbott will have to overcome a few shibboleths as Prime Minister. Probably the hardest will be those held by the bureaucracy he’s inherited. Here’s five.
Bumpy ride ahead for Australian car makers
Australian car manufacturers are looking for a commitment from the Coalition government for more subsidies to prop up a failing industry but the Prime Minister has already signalled he won’t be rushed into decisions.
Busy trade agenda for Robb
Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb has big plans for achieving international trade agreements and partnerships.
World
BlackBerry flags huge loss, to slash jobs
BlackBerry warned on that it expects to report a huge second-quarter operating loss next week and that it plans to cut 4500 workers, or more than a third of its workforce.
- White House rounding up support for Yellen
- Syria meets deadline on chemical weapons
- US EPA sets first-ever curbs on power plant pollution
- Macquarie says Fleck leaves Canadian unit
- Fed could taper in Oct, depending on data: Bullard
- Merkel seeks new mandate
- Putin may become longest serving leader since Stalin
- China steps up campaign against internet dissent
- Widely used computer security formula risky: RSA
Merkel knows best
Smug, testy and arrogant? Or a woman who feels the nation’s tiniest pain? As Angela Merkel seeks a third term as chancellor, the Germans who call her Mutti or mother will decide if they want more of that style.
Business
UGL head says it’s not dragging its feet over split
UGL chief executive Richard Leupen has dismissed speculation he is dragging his feet on a split of the group’s engineering and property businesses, foreshadowing the company could be ready to break up by June.
- Manikay’s Finemore keen to put SEC drama behind him
- Gas supply concerns remain even as BHP opens Macedon
- Anti-dumping may hinder BlueScope bid: ACCC
- Water facility may save Ranger uranium mine
- Colonial infrastructure fund grows as Europe rebounds
- Senior execs making mid-career leap to private equity
- Sydney Airport overseas flights soar despite weak dollar
- Casino players ready to roll
- Class Super gets show on road for planned float
What went wrong with the NBN
The National Broadband Network Company was to be the Labor government’s crowning achievement in the vein of Medicare and the Snowy River Dam Project. But four years on the reality is murkier.
Technology
Widely used computer security formula risky: RSA
In the latest fallout from Edward Snowden's disclosures, a US computer security company says thousands of customers should stop using software that relies on a mathematical formula developed by the NSA.
- BlackBerry flags huge loss, to slash jobs
- Coalition mulls NBN Co split to speed construction
- Apple expects to sell 6 million new iPhones in first weekend
- Telstra will stay as Australia’s mobile king: Optus
- Why taxi cab drivers cannot put down their smartphones
- Twitter in talks to add banks to IPO
- Nokia's Elop in line for $25m after Microsoft deal
- Perfect little killing machine
- What Microsoft needs to do next
iPhone 5s: Is It Hacked Yet?
The “Touch ID” security system, that lets you unlock your iPhone 5s by simply touching your finger to a fingerprint scanner, is already the subject of a hacking bounty.
Markets
How do you know the time is right to buy or sell shares
Euphoria over the US Fed’s decision not to reduce quantitative easing immediately is pushing equities higher. But it also underlines the difficulty investors face timing investments in a sharemarket under the sway of unpredictable international factors.
- $A extends retreat as greenback edges higher
- Wall St falls as Fed officials cloud outlook
- Fed could taper in Oct, depending on data: Bullard
- Gold sinks on new fears Fed may reduce stimulus
- European shares creep lower as Fed boost wears off
- Equity gains lose their lustre in the cold light of inflation
- ASX slips but closes up for 6th consecutive week
- Wells | ‘Curb your enthusiasm on domestic recovery’: Merrill
Pimco warns on $A, housing
Exclusive | The world’s largest bond fund, Pimco, is warning that a sustained period of easy money could keep the currency elevated and damage Australia’s economy by forcing investors to chase higher returns in the property market.
Personal finance
Thermomix imports a recipe for success
Grace Mazur, who introduced multi-function kitchen appliance Thermomix to Australia, claims sales of about 4000 units per month.
- Joye | Only fools ignore bubble trouble
- Why residential property investors should hold tight
- Fussy food does not make for fine dining
- Best keep macro-prudential tools for unusual crises
- It’s Tony time, and the sharemarket is sizzling
- Helicopter academy pilots world success
- Get the measure of inner-city buying
China property bubble no danger to us – yet
A real estate crash in a big country is a global problem, as the world painfully learnt in 2007. So resurgent talk of a Chinese property bubble is unnerving.
Lifestyle
Sydney shows new form in racing’s interstate stakes
Randwick's new $150 million grandstand shows Sydney is serious about becoming the centre of thoroughbred racing.
Tree-top hideaways in the New Forest
Chewton Glen, a top British country house hotel, has branched out with a dozen, totally indulgent tree houses.
Ferrari 458 Spider | Convertible without compromise
The Spider is still beautiful, fast and breathtaking to drive and most importantly, the styling has been preserved.
Rise to the 7 Peaks Alpine Ascent Challenge
Enjoy the thrills and chills of seven peaks in Victoria’s high country.
Latest TV
BlueScope’s anti-dumping boost
BlueScope Steel has long campaigned for a crackdown on anti-dumping, but the ACCC is concerned it may now have too much market power. More AFR TV
Better bid for Billabong
Long suffering Billabong shareholders can see light at the end of the tunnel, thanks to an improved takeover bid from the Centerbridge-Oaktree consortium. More AFR TV
Women of Influence | Jan Mason
The Department of Finance and Deregulation’s Jan Mason is keen to distinguish targets from quotas, and says mateship isn’t necessarily a male institution. More AFR TV
Earnings to suffer as QE drives $A
Global markets may enjoy the Fed’s continuing quantitative easing, but investors in Australian stocks won’t be when the rising Aussie dollar drags earnings down. More AFR TV
