What’s the big deal? M&A that will excite boards (and banks)
After more than three years of weak mergers and acquisition activity, 2014 is being tipped as the year the mega-deal is due to return. Or at least be considered.
Shares start year on a high as miners rise
The Australian sharemarket has got the new year off to a positive start, although it fell short of expectations that it would continue the precedent of the past couple of years to gain more than 1 per cent on the first trading day of the year.
Super funds reap best returns in 13 years
Updated | Superannuation funds are expected to have recorded their strongest performance for at least 13 years in calendar 2013 after global sharemarkets posted bumper gains last year.
No sign of cooling in hot housing market
The housing boom ignited by the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to slash borrowing costs to record lows in 2013 shows no signs of slowing.
Healthscope CEO supports GP co-payment
Updated | The chief executive of corporate medical provider Healthscope Rob Cooke says asking patients to make a small co-payment alongside their Medicare-funded doctor visits will not affect medical outcomes.
Woodside, MIMI scrap Browse LNG sales contract
Woodside Petroleum and its Japanese partners in the Browse liquefied natural gas venture have scrapped a sales contract for LNG after missing a deadline to secure approval for the project’s construction.
CEOs in the line of fire
Chanticleer | New AMP chief executive Craig Meller must have welcomed in the new year with mixed emotions. He officially replaced Craig Dunn on January 1. If he expects a year of smooth sailing ahead then he should get out now.
DJs capitalises on Myer’s website fail
Updated | As Myer tries to patch up relations with online shoppers after its website woes, David Jones has hit back with online-only specials designed to thwart its rival’s recovery.
Coalition stands by jobs promise as manufacturing shrinks
Updated | The Abbott government is standing by its commitment to create one million new jobs after the federal opposition claimed the target would be missed.
Record long-term bond yield a headache for Yellen
Incoming US central bank boss Janet Yellen faces her toughest challenge this year as she tries to reassure nervous investors the removal of monetary stimulus will not force US bond yields to move sharply higher.
The low cost funds that bring high returns
Returns of more than 50 per cent were just a click away last year for investors who invested offshore through low cost exchange traded funds.
Steve Cohen tries to sell NY condo for $US98m
The hedge fund billionaire and trader Steven Cohen has bought and sold stocks and bonds, modern art and sprawling real estate; now he’s trying to unload his Manhattan condo for $US98 million.
What’s ahead for the world in 2014
Experts have consulted their crystal balls to shed light on the biggest questions of 2014.
Rocky Mountain High as Denver sells marijuana legally
Updated | US customers began lining up before dawn in Denver on Wednesday to take part in what they called a historic departure from drug laws focused on punishment and prohibition. Many had flown in to buy a bag of marijuana.
High price for ultra-high-definition TV
Samsung has priced its new 110-inch ultra-high-definition television at $US152,000.
Opportunity glimmers through China’s toxic smog
As China’s smog levels crept past record highs in early December, the phone lines at pollution-busting kit maker Broad Group lit up.
US sites selected to test commercial drones
The prospect of unmanned aircraft flying alongside passenger jets has moved closer to reality in the US.
Schumacher ‘fights for his life’, doctors say
Formula One racer Michael Schumacher is fighting for his life after a skiing accident in the French Alps, his doctors said.
Best New Year’s seats – home and away
A mini-burger, canapés and one of the best seats in the house for Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks will set you back $500.
Blackstone invests $200m in Crocs
The company that makes Crocs shoes is getting a $US200 million bailout from a private equity fund, and its CEO is retiring.
Hacker took over BBC server
A hacker secretly took over a BBC computer server then launched a Christmas Day campaign.
National
Super funds reap best returns in 13 years
Updated | Superannuation funds are expected to have recorded their strongest performance for at least 13 years in calendar 2013 after global sharemarkets posted bumper gains last year.
- Coalition stands by jobs promise as manufacturing shrinks
- Investors drive strongest growth in home values in four years
- Healthscope CEO supports GP co-payment
- Bowen questions Coalition attacks on the ABC
- Qld faces crunch year for asset sales: Nicholls
- ASIC sharpens focus on insider trading
- Guidelines to help lawyers’ depression, anxiety
- Small business tax sting despite mining tax delay
- NSW population exodus will make Melbourne No. 1
Banker and racing identity in fight for punters’ cash
It was late 2008 when racing identity Bill Vlahos first met investment banker Michael Carsley to sell him on the idea of a punters club whose returns dwarfed those of traditional investment.
Opinion
The men behind the ABC, News Corp intelligence row
The battle between the ABC and The Australian over the release of classified details of a foreign intelligence operation is the latest in a long war.
Gutsy decisions are the ones that count
The smart ideas and key decisions successful people make that set them up for life.
Aussie firms fail to keep up with technology
Chanticleer | Myer Group’s embarrassing website crash symbolises a year when corporate Australia struggled to keep up with technological and social changes that will only accelerate in 2014.
World
China factory activity expands at 3-month slow pace
Updated | China’s factory activity expanded at the slowest pace in three months in December, weighed down by shrinking export orders, a private survey showed on Thursday.
- Apple denies ‘back door’ NSA access
- US economy finishes 2013 on a high
- Fiat pays $US2bn to buy Chrysler stake
- Rocky Mountain High as Denver sells marijuana legally
- India opens doors to foreign investors
- Iraqi death toll tops 7800 last year
- A decade to restore trust: Barclays chief
- Forget something? Your hotel may be able to help
North Korea’s Kim boasts of power since killing uncle
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un boasted of his communist regime’s tightened grip on power in his first public speech since he ordered the arrest and execution of his powerful uncle, Jang Song-thaek before Christmas.
Business
DJs capitalises on Myer’s website fail
Updated | As Myer tries to patch up relations with online shoppers after its website woes, David Jones has hit back with online-only specials designed to thwart its rival’s recovery.
- Woodside, MIMI scrap Browse LNG sales contract
- Super industry needs to be more pro-active
- Buccaneer sells assets, plans $60m equity issue
- Resource Generation gets $US65m loan from Noble Resources
- Fears of China resources shock abate
- A decade to restore trust: Barclays chief
- Singapore leads Asia-Pacific airport construction surge
Job market looks up for out-of-work execs
Executives who found themselves jobless in 2013 can breathe a little easier, with experts tipping an improvement in employment prospects in 2014 – particularly for those in the finance sector.
Technology
Computers learning from own mistakes
Computers have entered the age when they are able to learn from their own mistakes, a development that is about to turn the digital world on its head.
- High price for ultra-high-definition TV
- Apple denies ‘back door’ NSA access
- NSA will keep breaking encryption, White House panel says
- Five ways drones could do some good in 2014
- Panasonic moves beyond the living room
- Spreading bitcoin use
- Billionaire bid to make Silicon Valley a state
- Pay steady for Apple’s Tim Cook but stock award shrinks
- Hacker took over BBC server
2014: the year of the smartwatch
For technological innovation, 2013 was a remarkably boring year. But 2014 has a lot of promise.
Markets
Investors drive strongest growth in home values in four years
The housing market ended the year up 9.8 per cent with a median dwelling price of $540,000, led by the super-hot Sydney market, according to full-year figures from RP Data-Rismark.
- China PMI data keeps $A move minimal
- ASX higher with positive housing data
- Coalition stands by jobs promise as manufacturing shrinks
- Fund managers tip more modest year for shares
- Steve Cohen tries to sell NY condo for $US98m
- Four biotechnology stocks to watch in 2014
- China factory activity expands at 3-month slow pace
- US economy finishes 2013 on a high
- What’s ahead for the world in 2014
Fears of China resources shock abate
Despite a slowdown in the pace of growth, China’s economy is still expanding relatively fast and its demand for Australia’s resource exports seems unlikely to suffer the dramatic fall some have feared.
Personal finance
Super funds reap best returns in 13 years
Updated | Superannuation funds are expected to have recorded their strongest performance for at least 13 years in calendar 2013 after global sharemarkets posted bumper gains last year.
Pros and cons of holiday homes
Time away by the beach or in the bush can take an unexpected turn, with plenty of holidaymakers resolving to buy a holiday home. So, if you’re feeling impulsive, here are some things to consider.
Lifestyle
Summer food series 5 | Shane Delia
In this final instalment of our stunning series, Shane Delia of Maha restaurant in Melbourne creates a Middle Eastern feast
Animal spirits hold sway in a sparkling menagerie
From elephants and pandas to frogs and bees, luxury houses are reviving an ancient tradition in precious baubles.
Beachside glamour in Rio
Some say a Rio hotel is just for cleaning off the sand. For those who prefer to do so with a marble soaking tub, there’s the Palace.
Cars: the very best of 2013
A few impressive machines for reasons of space and timing didn’t secure a full road test. This is the best of them.
Latest TV
Where is the housing market heading?
The housing market is under close scrutiny as Columnists David Bassanese and Christopher Joye look at what the coming year will bring for the sector.
Australian reporter among 4 detained by Egypt forces
Egyptian security forces have detained an Australian journalist, identified as Peter Greste, and three other reporters for allegedly broadcasting news that was said to harm “domestic security”.
2014 IPO outlook
With the IPO market heating up in the latter half of 2013, Street Talk's Anthony Macdonald looks at the momentum going into next year.
Fed scales back bond-buying program
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke defends decision to cut aggressive bond-buying program as economy continues making progress.
