China’s ‘affordable’ new homes empty
China’s plan to build 36 million “affordable homes” by 2015 has been lauded as a model for countries like Australia grappling with inflated house prices, but a new report to worry already nervous markets suggests this program is mired in corruption and contributing to the very property bubble Beijing is trying to deflate.
Iron ore extends slide, Fed meeting ahead
Before the Bell | In the wake of a rate hike by New Zealand’s central bank and the flagging of one by the Bank of England, the Fed’s latest policy meeting is even in greater focus ■ Iron ore falls below $US91 a ton.
Banks ramp up reliance on offshore capital markets
Australia’s banks are ramping up their use of wholesale offshore financing as favourable global credit conditions lure them into the capital markets.
From risky choice to safe bet: $A’s identity change
Australia’s dollar is emerging more like a “safe haven” asset, with the currency continuing to strengthen in the wake of heightened volatility across global financial markets.
Malcolm Turnbull resolute on anti-siphoning list
The Communications Minister has warned Australia’s media chiefs and owners that he will make no changes to TV sports rights restrictions without a consensus between free-to-air and pay television.
Fate of $30b in budget cuts unclear
The fate of $30 billion of budget savings remains unclear ahead of the last fortnight of parliamentary sittings before the new Senate is installed, with over $8 billion of cuts due to start on July 1 still to be legislated.
Iraq hits back as US holds fire
The Iraqi military fought back against insurgents to recapture some lost ground in the emerging religious civil war, as the US positioned an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf to potentially launch strikes.
Morgan Stanley tepid on volumes, eyes top three
Australian equity trading volumes may take one-to-two years to show a sustainable pick-up, but a local market correction would likely spur a short-term rebound, according to Morgan Stanley’s Gokul Laroia.
Mundine calls for release of Andrew Forrest report
Tony Abbott’s indigenous advisory council has called an extraordinary meeting with the Prime Minister, as fears are raised that budget cuts and welfare reforms won’t be replaced by employment opportunities.
Slow fall in pension reliance puts lump sums in spotlight
Canberra will have its eye on your lump sum super as new data suggests reliance on the age pension is not falling fast enough to offset the wave of retiring baby-boomers.
US funds dissed as ‘macro-tourists’
The boss Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company, of one of the world’s biggest hedge fund managers, thinks the industry is making a big mistake in shorting Australian assets.
Online-only days over, says pioneer
DealsDirect co-founder Paul Greenberg has warned online retailers to diversify their sales channels to find middle ground between internet sales and traditional retail.
Tough sell for incoming APRA chairman
Incoming APRA chairman Wayne Byres has rejected suggestions global banking regulations are constraining and euro-centric.
UGL to announce $1.2bn sale of DTZ on Monday
With the sale of DTZ to private equity giant TPG for $1.215 billion to be announced on Monday, UGL boss Richard Leupen is already in talks with private equity with regard to the rest of his business.
Ambition is method in Mitchell’s madness
Rear Window | The amount of time and real estate The Australian is devoting to congratulating itself has not been lost on those inside the beltway.
Seven brings the NFL to Australian screens
Seven Network has signed a five-year agreement for coverage of America’s National Football League, the biggest sport in the United States.
The business of training a life coach
Not long ago there was a consensus that life coaches were no better than con men and that the people who sought them were suckers.
High times, vintage tales
Joseph Gersh’s comic timing is exquisite, but he hasn’t always picked his moment perfectly.
Anne Summers on power dressing
The editor and publisher learned the art of power dressing in New York from the likes of Anna Wintour and Tina Brown.
Highs and J-Los of World Cup football
Australia begins its World Cup campaign against Chile on Saturday morning; they’ve been given 751-1 odds to take home the cup.
Test yourself in our weekly quiz
See how many questions you can get right on our (mostly) serious interactive quiz of the week.
Six financial steps to moving in together
With advisers citing money problems as the chief culprit in relationship breakdowns, it’s worth building solid financial foundations.
Why ANZ and Telstra are incubating start-ups
Large companies looking for the next disruption to their industry are cultivating entrepreneurial talent.
Facebook fights to keep its cool
The greatest threat to the business in its 10-year history is to remain relevant as teenagers turn away in their droves.
National
Malcolm Turnbull resolute on anti-siphoning list
The Communications Minister has warned Australia’s media chiefs and owners that he will make no changes to TV sports rights restrictions without a consensus between free-to-air and pay television.
- Fate of $30b in budget cuts unclear
- Labor may drop emissions trading on carbon
- Mundine calls for release of Andrew Forrest report
- More women are household breadwinners
- Slow fall in pension reliance puts lump sums in spotlight
- Disability pension bucks downward welfare trend
- Rescue for rural post offices part of revamp
- Carbon emissions goal easier, says expert
- SA government decides against budget $300m HomeStart sell-off
Weekend auctions show Sydney, Melbourne market hot
Property prices in Melbourne and Sydney’s sprawling middle-class suburbs are going gangbusters as the lower and top-end markets are in danger of being busted by prices that are either too high, or not high enough, according to real estate specialists.
Opinion
Super fund to last into your 90s
Much has been said about the need to develop pension products to cater for ageing savers, who are retiring with more money than ever before.
The warning from McKibbin
Even before the new risk of a bloody break-up of Iraq, the world’s financial markets were rocked by the ECB’s reigniting of the global currency wars.
From Mao suit to genuine student choice
Jim Barber | Australia never has and still doesn’t provide demand-driven education in the sense of a service that is shaped by student preference or need.
World
Iraq hits back as US holds fire
The Iraqi military fought back against insurgents to recapture some lost ground in the emerging religious civil war, as the US positioned an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf to potentially launch strikes.
- US under pressure for Iran deal on Iraq
- No time to debate last war
- US doesn’t bear all blame for Iraq
- Tesla frees up patents, banks on future battery sales
- UK has fallen behind Germany and France, China warns
- Beijing reforms may see China’s growth dip then pick up
- Afghans vote with guarded hope
- Barack Obama mocks Congress’s climate change sceptics
Insurers quake as World Cup underdogs bite
Not just bookies but insurers could be counting the cost if the spate of World Cup upsets continues.
Business
Banks ramp up reliance on offshore capital markets
Australia’s banks are ramping up their use of wholesale offshore financing as favourable global credit conditions lure them into the capital markets.
- UGL eyes John Holland after $1.2b DTZ buy
- Tough sell for incoming APRA chairman Wayne Byers
- Morgan Stanley tepid on volumes, eyes top three
- Canadian fund seeks clarity from governments on local infrastructure plans
- Woolworths CEO Moir has no clue as to Solomon Lew’s motives on DJs
- Belt tightening dents sales growth
- BBY chief Glenn Rosewall pledges support for Chi-X
- Stephen Mikkelsen keen on AGL leadership
Shots fired in fairness battle at too-big-to-fail banks
James Eyers | The Customer Owned Banking Association began a media blitz last Thursday suggesting Australia’s highly profitable big four banks receive an unfair funding advantage because they are deemed “too big to fail”.
Technology
How will Google deal with disruption?
The local head of one of the world’s foremost innovators on how to avoid extinction in the next wave of disruption.
- Priceline to buy OpenTable in $US2.6b deal
- Suncorp tech chief Smith quits
- Data#3 shifts direction with wireless analytics move
- Amazon launches US music streaming service
- Why ANZ and Telstra are incubating start-ups
- A start-up funding start-ups: Blackbird Ventures
- Facebook users can delete ad preferences
- Intel’s $1.5bn fine upheld in European antitrust ruling
- Quickflix board spill, restructure voted down
Samsung Galaxy Tablet S trounces Apple iPad Air
Samsung has announced its thinnest and lightest Galaxy tablets to date, challenging Sony and trouncing Apple in the stakes for World’s Thinnest and Lightest Tablet.
Markets
Iron ore extends slide, Fed meeting ahead
Before the Bell | In the wake of a rate hike by New Zealand’s central bank and the flagging of one by the Bank of England, the Fed’s latest policy meeting is even in greater focus ■ Iron ore falls below $US91 a ton.
- Middle East uncertainty, oil price hikes unsettle markets
- Morgan Stanley tepid on volumes, eyes top three
- From risky choice to safe bet: the Australian dollar’s identity change
- Iraq oil panic gives Wall Street a way out
- BBY chief Glenn Rosewall pledges support for Chi-X
- Macquarie cuts up to 35 from Asia-Pacific derivatives unit
- Forestry loan dispute puts B&A; Bank’s share lift in the shade
- Dimerix launches $9m IPO to fund kidney therapy trial
- Wall St edges higher on Intel, OpenTable
Mixed views on Milan’s high-rise financial hub
A new feature has emerged on Milan’s horizon this year: a 231-metre high skyscraper housing UniCredit, Italy’s largest bank by assets, which can be seen from almost anywhere in the city.
Personal finance
Buy shares now, sell to SMSFs later
Equity market investors should be looking to buy into the high-yielding stocks of tomorrow before selling them on to income-hungry self-managed super funds.
Retirees drown in sea of cheap cash
A wall of cheap foreign money is allowing banks to dramatically cut term deposit rates, forcing savers to delay retirement or spending – adding to criticism official interest rates are too low.
Lifestyle
36 hours in Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam | You’ll be swept off your feet by 36 hours in Old Saigon, a city with a rich past and a lively present.
Tiger tales from an Indian luxury resort
India | The palatial lodgings are as enticing as the national parks when you choose to explore India’s wild side.
Le Mans teams prepare for 24-hour race
This weekend’s Le Mans 24-Hour sports car race is set to be the most intriguing for years.
Nurturing restaurant careers
Restaurants, long known for their transient staff, are exploring ways to attract and keep kitchen talent.
Latest TV
Atlassian bosses on the power of paranoia
Atlassian's co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes and partner Scott Farquhar are driven a fear of being too conservative, and make it a habit to look for more risky projects.
Nexus doomed on imminent Seven Group deal failure
Investors are angry at Nexus Energy for Seven Group’s cheap evaluation of their assets, but rejecting the deal will leave them with almost nothing.
Sharp rise in oil price off Iraq unrest
The violence erupting in Iraq has placed sharp upward pressure on the oil price, as the market wonders whether global supply will be impeded.
Price hikes in property advertising online
Real estate agents are up in arms about the cost of advertising online, but will they be able to change anything?
