Mason to purge DJs board
David Jones chairman Peter Mason is considering replacing the two directors who conducted controversial share trades last year as he moves to quell shareholder anger over the retailer’s corporate governance.
QBE under fire as US litigation, costs mount
QBE Insurance Group may face further lawsuits and fork out millions of dollars to defend its US-based lenders insurance business, even as the company fights to claw back legal costs from its own liability insurers.
Goodman Fielder to close NZ factory, cut 125 jobs
Up to 125 workers will lose their jobs after Australasia's biggest food company Goodman Fielder confirmed it would close a meat factory in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Twiggy’s biotech gets US tick for cardiac treatment
Admedus, which counts mining magnate Andrew Forrest as a cornerstone investor, has passed an important milestone the US approving its regenerative tissue treatment for heart defects.
Cootes NSW tankers ordered off roads
Trucking company Cootes has been ordered to return all its NSW petrol and gas tankers to the state for a full compliance inspection after 17 vehicles were found with major defects.
Orica weighs sale, demerger options
Explosives and chemicals major Orica is understood to be mulling a second demerger in less than four years, with the potential spin-off of the general chemicals business being examined.
Aurora ‘in play’ even with record offer price
The record value that Aurora Oil & Gas has attracted from Canada’s Baytex Energy is expected to deter most potential rival bidders, but some analysts are not ruling out a possible higher offer emerging given the Australian company’s premium land in the prized Eagle Ford shale region.
Rio Tinto shareholders set for a healthy dividend
Rio Tinto is expected to give shareholders a healthy dividend boost this week, with analysts expecting chief Sam Walsh to make good on his mantra of seeking to increase returns to investors.
Childcare sector is fertile, but fragmented
Investors are keeping a close watch on the growth strategies of for profit childcare networks. The sector is proving fertile ground for investors despite its chequered past, with $895 million market darling G8 Education growing in value by 101 per cent over the past 12 months.
CBA tipped to report $4bn first half profit
The big banks are set for another year of record multi-billion profits as low interest rates fuel a pick-up in the home loan market and underpin a reduction in bad debts.
Rio scales new heights in Guinea
Rio Tinto has confirmed plans to outsource the $US6 billion engineering nightmare of a railway and port needed for its Guinea iron ore mine.
Big four drift south of the sell-now border
There’s a simple reason why so many investors focus on the four major bank stocks. They account for almost one-third of the major S&P/ASX 200.
Bosses flail in battle with unions
According to a still active veteran of industry relations reform, life on the frontiers of the contest with militant unions can be “a pretty lonely place”.
DJs Mason and the gift of social skills
The storm of controversy about director share trading, CEO succession and a merger proposal from Myer has put the spotlight on chairman Peter Mason.
Record profit ahead for big banks
When Commonwealth Bank of Australia reports its half-yearly profit next week, the market expects the country’s largest bank to deliver another record number.
Joint venture path best for Boral’s bricks
Boral chief Mike Kane was in Malaysia over the weekend putting the finishing touches to the construction group’s $US1.6 billion gypsum joint venture.
Coal seams, fracking stump Victoria government
The Victorian government’s excessively cautious response to Peter Reith’s appraisal of the state’s energy future is disappointing.
A radically different inquiry
David Murray’s inquiry into Australia’s financial system will be radically different from the two landmark inquiries that preceded it.
WorleyParsons joins contracting gallery of shame
There’s been a hopefully temporary evaporation of trust between investors and Worley Parsons.
Voluntary code frees supermarket giants
The voluntary grocery code of conduct is a major victory for the powerful supermarket giants as they try to put a stop to the endless attacks.
Resources Daily
Aurora ‘in play’ even with record offer price
The record value that Aurora Oil & Gas has attracted from Canada’s Baytex Energy is expected to deter most potential rival bidders, but some analysts are not ruling out a possible higher offer emerging given the Australian company’s premium land in the prized Eagle Ford shale region.
Rio Tinto shareholders set for a healthy dividend
Rio Tinto is expected to give shareholders a healthy dividend boost this week, with analysts expecting chief Sam Walsh to make good on his mantra of seeking to increase returns to investors.
Companies
Twiggy’s biotech gets US tick for cardiac treatment
Admedus, which counts mining magnate Andrew Forrest as a cornerstone investor, has passed an important milestone the US approving its regenerative tissue treatment for heart defects.
Cootes NSW tankers ordered off roads
Trucking company Cootes has been ordered to return all its NSW petrol and gas tankers to the state for a full compliance inspection after 17 vehicles were found with major defects.
Financial Services
35pc underinsured for disability, income report says
Australians are grossly underinsured for income protection, sparking a $304 billion insurance gap that could leave tens of thousands of people in a lurch if they suffered permanent disablement.
ASX principles push the latest twist in super boards battle
And so the debate over the make-up of superannuation boards rolls on like a goods train trying desperately to avoid a collision.
Marketing & Media
Broadcasters disagree over future of the reach rule
Regional free-to-air television broadcasters have united in calling for the “reach rule” to be scrapped – but their metropolitan counterparts are divided on the highly contentious issue.
Unilever dismisses Ten’s Sochi sponsorship claim
One of the world’s biggest advertisers, Unilever, says it is not a Sochi broadcast sponsor – despite a statement from Ten Network Holdings last week that Unilever had signed up two days before Sochi started.
Enterprise
Waterco puts faith in non-chlorine alternative
Listed pool device maker and retail chain Waterco has set a conservative sales target of $2.5 million for its new chlorine-free filtration system, after it cleared regulatory hurdles in Queensland.
Tech start-ups leave Oz over tax
Australia risks missing out on the digital investment boom as local technology companies increasingly move their operations overseas in search of better regulatory incentives.