RBA wants lower dollar, despite inflation
The Australian dollar depreciates 5 per cent and the Reserve Bank of Australia’s growth forecast strengthens, and if the dollar depreciates some more, the outlook for growth will strengthen again.
Corby wins parole after nine years in prison
Indonesian Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin on Friday confirmed 36-year-old convicted Australian drug trafficker Schapelle Corby has been granted parole after nine years in Bali’s Kerokoban prison.
Shares lower despite ending week on a high
Shares finished the week lower despite rebounding strongly on Thursday and Friday after some better than expected local economic data and interim company results that cheered investors.
ATO to slash 500 jobs to meet target
Australian Taxation Office staff have been informed that natural attrition has only accounted for about 400 of the office’s 900 expected job cuts, and the remainder will be through a voluntary redundancy program.
BHP flags more jobs cuts in Queensland
BHP Billiton’s “relentless’’ focus on productivity will see more jobs lost from its Queensland coal division, the miner revealed on Friday, after it found that staff numbers were too high.
Telstra takes Optus to court to stop ads
Updated | Telstra has taken its arch-rival SingTel-Optus to the Victorian Supreme Court over claims the smaller company is running misleading ads across Australia.
How Marius Kloppers helped forge Clive Palmer’s Citic spat
Peter Ker | When you untangle the mix of litigation and public sniping between Clive Palmer and Citic Pacific, you reach an important turning point in their relationship – named Marius Kloppers.
ASX higher as eyes turn to US jobs
Updated | Local stocks are extending Thursday’s rally after Wall Street posted its biggest jump of the year and European stocks were lifted by less downbeat ECB comments.
Turmoil for investors as central banks play for themselves
Philip Baker | As central banks try to restore their own setting of interest rates back to more normal levels, investors will have to get used to all the volatility that goes with it.
Healthscope gets short lease on Melbourne hospital
The country’s second largest private hospital operator, Healthscope, has been forced into a shorter than preferred lease for one of its key Melbourne hospitals, as it gears up for a potential $4 billion IPO.
Reserve Bank lifts growth forecast
In good news for the budget, the RBA has revised up its forecasts for the economy and inflation over the next two years following the 5 per cent depreciation of the Australian dollar over the past three months.
Honeymoon over for dotcom leaders
This week we’ve seen something of the downside of the big technology and internet players; Twitter and LinkedIn have disappointed, Microsoft is attempting reinvention. What we’re seeing is the risky side of what many thought were sure bets.
Five stocks to steer clear of amid emerging market trouble
The rout in emerging markets will not have a lasting impact on the global economy and will only serve to enhance the returns of investors prepared to buy the dip. But here’s five to avoid.
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Merrill sizes up ties between Arrow and APLNG
As Arrow’s plans to build a fourth LNG export project at Gladstone appear more unlikely, Merrill Lynch analysts have run the numbers on an APLNG/Arrow tie-up which could help both parties.
Apple buys back $US14b in shares
Apple has bought back $US14 billion worth of its shares in the two weeks after earnings figures disappointed.
More than just a face in the crowd
Facial recognition, already employed by retailers to spot shoplifters, may soon be used to identify and track the freest spenders in the aisles.
Aston-Martin a dream on Californian odyssey
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If you’re going to drive through the California Desert and there are only two of you, the Aston-Martin Vanquish Volante is ideal.
Cellar door comes home
A wine room where the basement once would be is the perfect setting for gourmet tastings.
A different Bill Gates returns to Microsoft
How helpful can Bill Gates be to Microsoft in a new generation of technology?
Bitcoin not just for speculators
Bitcoin is being forced to grow up fast, even as the temptation remains to dismiss the currency as weird and easily abused.
Burgers beat baguettes in France
Burgers have become the new favourite food in France, beating steak-frites and baguette sandwiches, a study released by Gira Conseil showed.
New machine age demands most human of skills
Frightening prophecies of job-destroying systems hide the fact that human abilities to see things that machines can’t will be in big demand.
Pint-sized perfection from Panasonic
Panasonic’s new Lumix DMC-GM1 is a serious camera in the body of a toy. It could be the best camera you ever slip into your pocket.
National
Corby wins parole after nine years in prison
Indonesian Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin on Friday confirmed 36-year-old convicted Australian drug trafficker Schapelle Corby has been granted parole after nine years in Bali’s Kerokoban prison.
- Reserve Bank lifts growth forecast
- Payday lenders face ‘responsible’ regulation
- Construction slowed in January
- Defence Minister attacks ABC over asylum story
- Launa Inman wants nanny tax breaks for working mums
- Glasson ‘not really’ confident of Griffith victory
- Eddington, Mackenzie back Howes on IR solution
- Abbott’s parental leave defies entitlement message: Bowen
- Banks at risk from overheating property prices
Virgin and Etihad fill Qantas sponsorship gap
Virgin Australia Holdings and Etihad Airways have emerged as the key airline partners for the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE14) after Qantas Airways severed its exclusive sponsorship of the Tourism Australia event after 35 years.
Opinion
WA gas market supply still uncertain
Drilling Down | Those in favour of government intervention on gas supplies on the eastern coast should maybe take a hard look at the latest gas market study over in the West.
Why we should save up to be sick
We save for our retirement years through compulsory super. We could cover the spiralling costs of our future healthcare in the same way.
Coalition talking tough in run-up to May Budget
Questions of what you say and what you don’t say, of when you intervene or don’t, and just who you think your friends are, have framed a strange week in politics.
World
Corby wins parole after nine years in prison
Indonesian Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin on Friday confirmed 36-year-old convicted Australian drug trafficker Schapelle Corby has been granted parole after nine years in Bali’s Kerokoban prison.
- Former Cohen SAC trader found guilty
- ‘F--- the EU’, Obama’s envoy says on tape
- ECB’s Draghi shifts rate focus to March
- Aurora shares soar 55pc on Baytex takeover
- US January payrolls miss could drill markets
- How to profit from the emerging markets fear
- Investors say Puerto Rico must issue bonds
- 21st Century Fox profit drops on costs, ad dip
China’s superstition crackdown leaves feng shui fans out of luck
Even Rio Tinto hired a feng shui master for its new head office in Shanghai. But as part of its anti-corruption campaign, China has turned against “fortune-telling and physiognomy”.
Business
BHP flags more jobs cuts in Queensland
BHP Billiton’s “relentless’’ focus on productivity will see more jobs lost from its Queensland coal division, the miner revealed on Friday, after it found that staff numbers were too high.
- Aurora shares soar 55pc on Baytex takeover
- Healthscope gets short lease on Melbourne hospital
- Vodafone improvements could stop Telstra price war
- Why Morgan Stanley’s new wealth chief won’t leave his seat
- News Corp shares rise on second quarter earnings
- Woodside agrees Leviathan gas deal, pays more for less
- Macquarie adds Nicola Wakefield Evans to board
- Virgin grabs S.African Airways partner despite Qantas ties
- Amcor acquisition of Constar falls through
Encouraging signs at News, but don’t get too hopeful
Dominic White | News Corp’s revenue at Australian newspapers has dropped only 7 per cent amid double-digit declines for the industry, but the high hopes of leading media buyers could prove over-optimistic.
Technology
Telstra takes Optus to court to stop ads
Updated | Telstra has taken its arch-rival SingTel-Optus to the Victorian Supreme Court over claims the smaller company is running misleading ads across Australia.
- Apple buys back $US14b in shares
- LinkedIn's shares slip as outlook misses
- A different Bill Gates returns to Microsoft
- No ‘significant’ NBN Co funds for Telstra until 2016
- Amazon asks customers to pick from TV pilots for show development
- Sony restructure brings in specialists in unloved tech
- Apple takes down one of the last Bitcoin trade apps
- The machine age will demand the most human of skills
Twitter shares nosedive as the tough questions begin
Paul Smith | Twitter founders and its chief executive Dick Costolo would have known that a share tumble would be on the cards, despite the company’s successful IPO.
Markets
Shares lower despite ending week on a high
Shares finished the week lower despite rebounding strongly on Thursday and Friday after some better than expected local economic data and interim company results that cheered investors.
- Strong week for the dollar as RBA changes tack
- Reserve Bank lifts growth forecast
- Dow posts 2014's biggest one-day percentage gain
- Former Cohen SAC trader found guilty
- Banks at risk from overheating property prices
- ECB’s Draghi shifts rate focus to March
- Are we in bondage to bonds?
- Credit Suisse misses target over US tax issues
Bitcoin is far more than a currency for speculators
Bitcoin is being forced to grow up fast, as a leading Bitcoin champion is arrested and a regulatory hearing in New York meets to consider what exactly it is.
Personal finance
Women push to close superannuation gap
The federal government has been urged to maintain the superannuation rebate for low income earners and the timetable for raising compulsory contributions to 12 per cent to help women save more for retirement.
- The benefits of account-based superannuation
- Q&A; | When being on leave is being at work for an SMSF
- Experts say keep your cool amid this volatility
- Tenant retention key as CBD vacancy rates soar
- Investment fraud a ‘significant threat’ for Australia
- MySuper is here: if only it were so simple
- Unlocking your wealth potential
Travel insurance? Devil’s in the details
Debra Cleveland | If you do decide to opt for the free insurance offered on your credit card, make sure you check what’s needed to trigger the cover – and what it actually covers.
Lifestyle
Sea’s harvest on menu, with a catch
Top chefs will share their crusade for sustainable fishing at Melbourne’s Food and Wine festival.
Cellar door comes home
A wine room where the basement once would be is the perfect setting for gourmet tastings.
Where life moves at a gentler pace
Although Neil Perry’s Rockpool is perfectly friendly, it’s unlikely it would let kids scramble up onto the bar.
Fashion labels look for the right fit for Winter Olympics
Dressing their Olympians has obvious appeal for Australian and New Zealand labels and but those sponsorships come with risks.
Latest TV
Results preview: CBA and Telstra this week
There's been good news from some retailers in the first week of reporting, but week two will see the biggest hitters such as the Commonwealth Bank and Telstra.
Union leader Howes urges IR reform
Paul Howes, head of the Australian Workers Union, believes Australia's industrial relations system is dragging productivity down.
Hockey shows independence from US
Treasurer Joe Hockey has moved to show greater independence from the US ahead of the upcoming G20 summit, where Australia will be president.
Market recovers after soft data, EM contagion fear
Soft US manufacturing data and Fed tapering weakened markets, although the RBA's neutral announcement on Tuesday allayed bearish fears.
