BCA seeks $3bn sale of Australia Post
The Business Council of Australia is strongly backing the $3 billion privatisation of Australia Post, saying that its ownership is squandering taxpayers’ dollars. The debate over the sale flared again on Wednesday when the Commission of Audit – tasked to identify deep government savings – revealed it had met Australia Post executives to discuss the future of the business.
Equities hold near highs on solid data
Before the Bell | Global stocks steadied around six-year peaks and the US dollar rose, held aloft by robust data from Europe, the United States and Japan ■ Dow 0.5pc lower ■ SPI futures up 2 pts ■ $A at US88.06¢.
ATO ‘challenged’ by weight of bad debts
The ATO is piloting a debt-recovery program and could once again outsource debt collection to third parties to cope with almost $18 billion in outstanding debt
Pay big companies to cut power: experts
Energy experts want government to get back on track with plans abandoned a month ago to ease the way for big companies to voluntarily cut their electricity use during heat waves.
Banks rule as home loan figures hit a high
Banks have cemented their dominant position in the home loan market as record-low interest rates fire up mortgages and as smaller non-bank lenders go backwards in the competition for home loan customers.
BHP considers Nickel West spinoff ... again
BHP Billiton has been struggling with its West Australian nickel unit for years and most bankers will tell you that it should’ve been sold years ago, much like Telstra’s Sensis.
Investors suffer as listed companies keep mum: analysts
Fund manager John Abernethy has accused regulators of consistently allowing listed companies to release unclear or scant information to the market to the detriment of small investors.
Rio beats iron ore, copper guidance
Rio Tinto has beaten guidance on its two most important commodities, iron ore and copper, for 2013, putting a positive end on a year of significant difficulties for the global miner. CEO Sam Walsh also said Rio had sold $US3.5 billion worth of non-core assets during 2013.
Britain wants reforms to stay in EU
Chancellor George Osborne has raised the prospect of Britain leaving the EU if the 28-nation bloc fails to undertake reforms, and protect the rights of countries not in the single currency.
Tennis watcher arrested on corrupt sports betting
A British man who hid a device in his shorts to send live updates from the Australian Open to a betting agency, is the first charged under new legislation aimed at stopping corrupt sports bets.
Cloud computing’s worth is up in the air
Cloud software is turning into a battleground between wildly bullish brokers pushing new listings and young savvy and sceptical short sellers.
The man who wants to build the Westfield of office towers
DEXUS is on the brink of controlling the nation’s richest portfolio of office towers, where nearly 75,000 Australians will spending their working days.
The perfect tennis-betting algorithm
For someone who says he bets millions of dollars on tennis a year, Elihu Feustel doesn’t watch many matches.
BHP considers Nickel West spinoff ... again
BHP Billiton has been struggling with its West Australian nickel unit for years and most bankers will tell you that it should’ve been sold years ago, much like Telstra’s Sensis.
‘Wolf’ snares five Oscar nominations
Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street has garnered five Academy Award nominations, including for best picture.
Gayet sues over claims of affair with Hollande
French actress Julie Gayet is charging a magazine over claims she’s President François Hollande’s mistress.
US POW alive after four years with Taliban
The US has found a “proof of life” video showing a soldier held captive by the Taliban for more than four years is still alive.
Why it may be time to cash in sharemarket gains
Debra Cleveland | Financial adviser Peter Horsfield says it’s time to cash in some of your sharemarket gains, pay off debt and reinvest when the market falls.
Ericsson CEO on Microsoft shortlist: report
Microsoft is considering Ericsson chief executive Hans Vestberg as a possible successor to outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer, Bloomberg has reported.
Heatwave halts Australian Open play
Matches on outside courts at the Australian Open have been suspended after temperatures in Melbourne hit 42.6 degrees on Thursday.
A Facebook alternative to Google AdWords?
Last June, Facebook released a game-changing snippet of code that allows advertisers to track customers clicking on Facebook ads.
Why the latest TV tech matters to you
If you thought the technology choices for your next TV were difficult last year, just wait until this year’s crop appears.
Australia slips in China tourist rankings: poll
A weaker dollar might have made Australia a more attractive destination, but its popularity with Chinese travellers may be on the wane.
Why Westfield split is good for property trusts
Charter Hall’s joint MD David Harrison reckons the upcoming split of Westfield can only be good for the listed property trust sector.
National
Pay big companies to cut power: experts
Energy experts want government to get back on track with plans abandoned a month ago to ease the way for big companies to voluntarily cut their electricity use during heat waves.
- BCA seeks $3bn sale of Australia Post
- Tennis watcher arrested on corrupt sports betting
- Costly mobile apps worry ACCC
- ATO ‘challenged’ by weight of bad debts
- Rail freight cost-benefit analysis under fire in NSW
- Banks rule as home loan figures hit a high
- Budget cuts risk jobless rise
- Giddings calls Tasmanian election for March 15
- ABCC boosted productivity by $7.5bn a year: Abetz
Drought policy leaves farmers high and dry
Drought does not arrive overnight. Despite high level comment from politicians and academics on the ongoing and worsening conditions across Queensland and New South Wales making national headlines in recent weeks, this drought has been insidiously whittling at our farmers for two years.
Opinion
Finding a spot in the sun proves challenging
Anyone who wants an object lesson about the difficulties of forecasting, need only look at the problems scientists have in forecasting the behaviour of the sun.
France signs up for economic reality
France’s President François Hollande has belatedly discovered supply side economics.
Crunch year for the Japanese economy
This year, for the first time in as long as anyone can remember, there might even be more interest in how the Japanese economy will fare as there has been in China for many years.
World
Goldman profit drops on bond trading decline
Goldman Sachs reported a 19 per cent drop in fourth-quarter profit to $US2.33 billion, continuing to be hurt by a decline in its fixed-income business but reporting strong results in equity underwriting.
- Citigroup fourth-quarter profit disappoints
- Gayet sues over claims of affair with Hollande
- US ‘shouldn't even get close to’ debt default: Boehner
- Best Buy hammered by discounting, weak traffic
- Britain wants reforms to stay in EU
- China coal output poised to rise 2.7pc in 2014
- Dubai Group signs $US10bn debt deal: report
- Lagarde warns of deflation ‘ogre’
China’s e-commerce giants go to war
An arms race between the two most powerful internet companies in China has escalated again, with one of them, Tencent, announcing an investment that pushes it further into e-commerce territory long controlled by its rival, Alibaba.
Business
BCA seeks $3bn sale of Australia Post
The Business Council of Australia is strongly backing the $3 billion privatisation of Australia Post, saying that its ownership is squandering taxpayers’ dollars.
- Pay big companies to cut power: experts
- Investors suffer as listed companies keep mum: analysts
- BHP considers Nickel West spinoff ... again
- Stronger interest in going private boosts mezzanine funds
- Banks rule as home loan figures hit a high
- Djerriwarrh predicts rise in IPOs, M&A;
- Rio beats iron ore, copper guidance
- Melbourne car park sells for $40m
- Bega sells WCB stake to Saputo
Top-level musical chairs pays off for miners
On this day one year ago the global mining industry was reeling from news that Rio Tinto had dumped chief executive Tom Albanese as punishment for presiding over $US14 billion in impairments, one of the biggest write-downs in Australian corporate history.
Technology
Ericsson CEO on Microsoft shortlist: report
Microsoft is considering Ericsson chief executive Hans Vestberg as a possible successor to outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer, Bloomberg has reported.
- Tech security start-ups take on industry leaders
- One in three NBN appointments missed, says iiNet
- Xero shares retreat from stellar run
- Google’s Nest buy sends worthless Nestor soaring
- Fairfax ads site takes on SEEK
- Facebook’s game-changer takes on Google ads
- HP to launch phone-enabled tablets in India
- Turnbull flags support for equity crowdfunding changes
Expanding game plan for Huawei
Tron is a cool, if slightly scary, name for a video-game console. It is also a 1982 Disney film about being trapped in a virtual world. This has not stopped Huawei from launching a gaming device by that name in China, its home market, in 2014.
Markets
Equities hold near highs on solid data
Before the Bell | Global stocks steadied around six-year peaks and the US dollar rose, held aloft by robust data from Europe, the United States and Japan ■ Dow 0.5pc lower ■ SPI futures up 2 pts ■ $A at US88.06¢.
- European shares steady near 5-1/2 year highs
- Bernanke says QE, forward guidance 'helpful'
- Goldman profit drops on bond trading decline
- Citigroup fourth-quarter profit disappoints
- BCA seeks $3bn sale of Australia Post
- Investors suffer as listed companies keep mum: analysts
- Miners lead Australian shares higher
- Inflation data expected to reflect $A weakness
- UBS launches dividend-focused ETF in Australia
Cloud computing’s worth is up in the air
Cloud software is turning into a battleground between wildly bullish brokers pushing new listings and young savvy and sceptical short sellers.
Personal finance
Life expectancy a ticking time bomb for household savings
Sally Patten | The downside of increased life expectancy is that it needs to be funded – preferably self-funded.
- Superannuation sledging bound to step up a notch in 2014
- The thousand-dollar fines you’ll get for breaking the SMSF rules
- How it feels to hold a stock in freefall
- Why balanced funds are back in business
- Retail returns buoyant but tread warily
- Decmil builds business diversification
- How your kids can get a home of their own
- Why the big banks will still rule
- How to find the right holiday insurance
Long, strong and stable a winning investment strategy
Australia’s top-performing fund manager, Rob Osborn of Lazard Asset Management, avoids the hype of initial public offerings and favours companies with long histories.
Lifestyle
The five most luxurious rail journeys in the world
The best luxury long-distance train journeys allow passengers to travel back in time to a bygone era but don’t forget it’s 2014.
Chef Hirokazu Yano’s quest for perfection
Hirokazu Yano started his chef’s life washing pans, floors, bathrooms. In Japan it is almost the norm.
Indulge in the arts in exquisite places
Culture weekends are a popular way for patrons to experience classical music and dance in gorgeous natural settings.
Porsche’s dazzling performer shares the power
On the limit, Porsche’s 911 Carrera 4S generates enough lateral grip to cause bruising. Yet it is surprisingly forgiving.
Latest TV
Hot stock picks for 2014
Australia's stock market is lagging the rest of the world, but David Walker from StocksInValue tells Bianca Hartge-Hazelman there are opportunities for all risk appetites, whether it's salary packager McMillan Shakespeare or ANZ's Asian banking play.
Property confidence bouncing back
Sentiment within the property industry has rebounded as interest rates remain at record lows. The latest survey by ANZ and Property Council shows the sector is hiring, building and paying more. Property editor Rob Harley looks at the top states and why the drivers are different for the lift in residential versus commercial confidence.
All eyes on US
Fresh data on US retail sales, industrial production and housing will be the focus for investors as they consider how the Fed's thinking may be affected, says associate editor Phil Baker.
CBA on 2014 rates, dollar direction
Forget about rate cuts and instead get ready for a rate rise this year, says Commonwealth Bank's Diana Mousina. He also says there's more room for the Aussie dollar to drop.
