Bidders sharpen knives in $3bn CPA battle
Chanticleer | Commonwealth Property Office Fund (CPA) unit-holders will find some holiday reading in the mail this week as they will be called to weigh up the advantages of competing takeover offers.
$A poised to outperform euro in 2014
The Australian dollar is well-placed to outperform the euro in 2014 – despite expectations that the local currency will slide against the United States dollar – as experts take a dim view of the outlook for growth in the European Union.
Australian-made car sales dive to record low
Australians bought fewer locally manufactured cars as a share of total sales than ever before last year, highlighting the extent of the collapse of the country’s car industry.
February by-election set for Griffith
A by-election in former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s Queensland seat of Griffith will be held on February 8, with Bill Glasson and Terri Butler to stand.
Warrnambool statement questions Murray Goulburn’s bid
Warrnambool Cheese & Butter thinks the uncertain value and timing of Murray Goulburn’s $9.50-a-share cash bid, among other factors, mean the farmer co-operative’s bid is inferior to Canadian giant Saputo’s $9 cash offer.
Chevron gets conditional approval from EPA
Energy giant Chevron has received conditional approval to clear an additional 32 hectares of land on Barrow Island for the construction of Australia's largest gas project.
Stocks need to justify higher valuations
Philip Baker | Investors looking for further gains will need companies to deliver on earnings expectations when they start to report next month.
How the big banks will engage in the battle for customer data
James Eyers | Banks and other financial services companies are engaged in a battle to ensure their institutions are prepared to capitalise on new technologies.
ASX lower on resources; China data modest
Updated | The ASX slipped with commodity prices down overnight although China service industry data showed a modest increase in output for the fifth successive month.
No plan to privatise Australia Post: Turnbull
Updated | Communications minister Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed the government has no plans to privatise Australia Post, after ACCC chairman Rod Sims urged the government to sell off key assets.
How financial news moves the sharemarket
The amount of data available to traders is growing quickly, but research indicates a mention of a company in a financial newspaper is closely linked to a move in stock price.
Apple confirms acquisition of SnappyCam app
Apple has acquired a smartphone app that turned the iPhone 5 into a camera capable of shooting 20 high-quality photos in one second.
Sydney is world’s 11th most expensive city
Sydney is the 11th-priciest city in the world, a crowd-sourcing exercise shows – but it’s still 25 per cent cheaper than first-placed London.
Energy networks struggle in Qld heatwave
Queensland’s electricity network was under pressure over the weekend.
Making sure Miles stays forever young
Some musical estates have foundered due to quarrels among the heirs. Not so with the legend that was Miles Davis.
Today new HQs ... tomorrow, the world
The giants of the digital world are building new headquarters as lavish as palaces. But for workers, the new culture cuts both ways.
A stepping-stone to senior roles for women
The company secretary role is fast becoming a stepping-stone for talented women to get into top leadership roles within a company.
Would you let tech run your stock portfolio?
Computerised trading has already taken over Wall Street. But are investors ready to hand their portfolios over to machines, too?
Peas & Queues helps avoid the gaffe
There’s no better time to brush up on our manners than when faced with the social intricacies of the holiday season, as Peas & Queues, reveals.
2014: time for wearable hi-tech cool
At this year’s biggest gadget show, the Consumer Electronic Show starting in Las Vegas, a new zone has been set up for what’s expected to be the show’s hottest topic: wearable computers.
National
Services sector ends year in a slump
Post-election optimism in the services sector faded at the end of 2013, with a key private performance indicator falling to its lowest level since September.
- No plan to privatise Australia Post: Turnbull
- February by-election set for Griffith
- Australian-made car sales dive to record low
- ASIC fines Media Super over misleading ad
- Bernardi denies views on abortion, IR are ‘far-right’
- Infrastructure woes costing Australia in Asia food boom: CBH
- No bubble but Sydney needs house-building boom
- Billson eyes fines for bully franchisors in code shake-up
- Defence industry fears job losses if no spending rise
Opinion
Outcasts that came back with a whitewash
Editorial | England’s recent years at the top of Ashes and world cricket will now be forever book-ended by whitewashes at the hands of Australia.
Why reading is a lonely affair
Virginia Woolf described reading a novel as a difficult and complex art. Today, it is harder still.
World
China’s services sector sees slower growth: HSBC
Growth in China's services sector slowed sharply in December to its lowest point since August 2011, a private sector survey shows, adding to signs of slowing momentum in the world's second-largest economy.
- Fears as al-Qaeda gains foothold in western Iraq
- South Sudanese rebel leader strikes deal over capital
- Europe to relax bank split reforms: report
- Liberty Media in $US10bn bid for Sirius XM
- Deutsche Bank criticised over Libor probe: report
- Westpac China head: why it’s time to head to Shanghai
- Obama faces 2014 with fewer fiscal handicaps
- SmartTrans’s rocky road to success in China
Business
Warrnambool statement questions Murray Goulburn’s bid
Warrnambool Cheese & Butter thinks the uncertain value and timing of Murray Goulburn’s $9.50-a-share cash bid, among other factors, mean the farmer co-operative’s bid is inferior to Canadian giant Saputo’s $9 cash offer.
- Dexus consortium bid for CPA now open
- Renshaw to replace Buckley as Cardno chief
- Chevron gets conditional approval from EPA
- Emirates allowed to land in Sydney after curfew
- CBH will stay as a co-op, says chief
- Billson eyes fines for bully franchisors in code shake-up
- Abbott dropping the ball on reform, warns business
- Expect big penalties for consumer law breaches, ACCC warns
- Queensland’s big dry weighs on farm outlook
Technology
Bubble fears as tech companies see $1b valuations rise
Technology start-ups are attaining valuations north of $1 billion more quickly than ever, but the dream doesn’t always end with a pile of cash.
- Taiwan’s HTC swings back to profit in Q4
- Apple confirms acquisition of SnappyCam app
- Tech companies find difficulty hiring in Europe
- Tatar under control with internet toothbrush
- Beware the gobbledegook of geeks
- Today new HQs ... tomorrow, the world
- Security firm FireEye acquires Mandiant
- Would you let tech run your stock portfolio?
Markets
$A poised to outperform euro in 2014
The Australian dollar is well-placed to outperform the euro in 2014 – despite expectations that the local currency will slide against the United States dollar – as experts take a dim view of the outlook for growth in the European Union.
- ASX lower on resources; China data modest
- Amcor is Morgans’ top 2014 stock pick
- How financial news moves the sharemarket
- $A falling after highest level hit in a month
- Services sector ends year in a slump
- Pimco’s Gross expects a poor 2014 for bond investors
- Gold weakness frays investor nerves
- Valence Industries to kick off 2014 IPO market
- The year US stocks surprised, soaring 30pc
Personal finance
Household wealth hits new record
A combination of rising house prices, surging equity markets and an entrenched savings culture pushed average Australian household wealth to a record $872,000 in 2013, according to Outlook Economics.
- Mixed sharemarket signals for year ahead
- Super funds reap best returns in 13 years
- Change the way you think about investing
- Floats 2013: The ones that got away
- Prominent bears concede to the bulls
- Jazz artist sings to her own tune
- Gutsy decisions are the ones that count
- What investors should expect in 2014
Latest TV
Property outlook
Australian Property Monitors' Dr Andrew Wilson and Belle Property's Matthew Smythe look at what 2014 will bring for the property sector.
Ageing Australia
It is not just about the numbers, though they are large: Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released late in 2013 estimate the population will more than double to 48.3 million by 2061.
Hot housing market
In Australia’s two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, dwellings are now 14.5 per cent and 8.5 per cent more expensive, respectively, than they were in December 2012.
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.