Japan buys up big in Australia
Japanese investors have snapped up $21.7 billion in Australian assets at the fastest pace in nearly four years as the lure of higher relative interest rates and weakness in global growth heightens demand for local bonds and the currency. The data came as the Reserve Bank said that it blamed loose Japanese monetary policy for putting upward pressure on the Australian dollar. The high currency is a key concern of the RBA.
FTAs pose ‘huge challenge’ for business
A former top global trade official has warned that proliferating bilateral and regional trade deals and their complex rules will pose a “huge challenge” for Australian companies.
David Paradice eyes corporate earnings pain
Some of the country’s most well-known fund managers are predicting a pull back in corporate earnings growth in 2015 and for the broader Australian share market to weaken as a result.
Stocks set to profit from the China FTA
Australia’s newly-signed free trade agreement with China is expected to provide significant benefits to the domestic economy, and listed companies.
NZ-style mortgage policies would ‘barely’ affect market
A report from Moody’s Analytics has found adopting New Zealand’s “macroprudential” policies, aimed at cooling housing, would “barely” affect the Australian property market.
AMP to close Genesys Wealth Advisers
Updated | AMP is shutting down its troubled Genesys Wealth Advisers dealer group as it attempts to trim problematic divisions and improve the profitability of its wealth business.
Foxtel chief hints at Ten potential
Foxtel chief Richard Freudenstein says the pay TV monopoly is considering a joint bid for Ten Network because tie-ups between free-to-air and pay-TV networks is a global trend.
Markets Live: ASX drops below 5400 points
BusinessDay | Stocks stagger down after an early rally, with selling among financials - outside the big banks - offsetting gains in miners, while UGL plunges after trading ex-special dividend.
Rio gets Pilbara mine approval
Rio Tinto is a step closer to exporting 360 million tonnes of iron ore a year out of the Pilbara region after the environmental watchdog approved a new mine with the capacity to produce 70mtpa.
Will solar save your business money?
Ten tips to follow to ensure you avoid the pitfalls of switching to solar energy.
Rich lister set to double revenue on FTA
Owen Kerr expects his online foreign exhcnage broker, Pepperstone, to double its revenue
Tagliaferro on the sweet spot for shares
The Investors Mutual founder says the rules are simple to enjoy returns above the benchmark.
Macquarie Atlas’s M6 debt gets interesting
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Like the rest of the Macquarie Atlas portfolio, the UK’s M6 toll road had way too much debt – which means Macquarie is vulnerable.
NAB fee class action claims to close January
National Australia Bank customers have until late January to sign up to a class action over about $40 million in bank fees, which the bank is moving to settle.
‘We're running out of chocolate’
We are in the midst of possibly the longest streak of consecutive chocolate deficits in more than 50 years.
‘Clone of woolly mammoth is achievable’
Woolly mammoths could be brought back from extinction, scientists have suggested, after an analysis of 40,000-year-old remains found in Siberia.
Could Apple be worth $US1trn?
Gains in shares of Apple could take the world's largest publicly traded company to a market capitalisation of perhaps as high as $US1 trillion.
All this ethics talk no mere pollie waffle
Rear Window | Dr John Hewson probably can’t wipe the smile off his face after Barack Obama’s climate change side-swiping of Tony Abbott.
At last extra storage for iPhones, iPads
A new flash drive circumvents Apple’s strict hardware access rules.
‘Entitlement culture’ costs employers $33b
Employees around Australia are taking nearly ten sick days a year, costing employers over $33 billion.
Virgin signs loyalty program deal with BP
Members of Virgin’s loyalty program will be able to earn points when filling up their tanks and buying snacks or other in-store items.
Sony puts $299 price tag on SmartWatch 3
Sony’s SmartWatch 3 gets a price. Now it just needs to get here.
National
India FTA Tony Abbott’s ‘next priority’
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has nominated a free trade agreement with India by the end of next year as his government’s next priority following the successful conclusion of a deal with China on Monday.
- Baird urged to rethink $8b north west rail project
- Chinese-owned milk processor UDP in hands of receivers
- Business wants global emissions targets
- New partnership with China
- G20 fails to lift Coalition in polls
- NSW to issue Chinese currency bond
- Trade deal may see Chinese companies import workers
- Hoteliers win big from trade deal
- Dairy the big winner in China trade deal
The top suburbs for Asian investors
Chinese property purchases are making Australians rich, China’s largest international property website, Juwai.com’s co-founder Simon Henry said.
Opinion
Many twists charting the Asian trade deals
The China trade deal will have many winners in Australian business but deciding when they are actually winners is a complicated matter.
Yancoal minority owners carry cost of politics
The incandescent minority owners being squeezed from the Yancoal register have sheeted home responsibility to Joe Hockey.
Why no one wants to take on the rage of the web
Boris Johnson | Twitter has convicted brilliant astrophysicist Matt Taylor of wearing an “inappropriate” Hawaiian shirt.
World
China property market shows signs of stabilising
The weak Chinese property market is showing early signs of flattening out, as the government eases purchase restrictions and makes it easier for people to take out mortgages.
- Draghi puts positive spin on bleak reality
- Bankers’ fixed salaries on firing line: BoE’s Carney
- Russia, OPEC may cooperate to bolster price of oil
- Allergan accepts $SU66b offer from Actavis
- Halliburton to pay $US35b for Baker Hughes
- Clone of woolly mammoth is achievable, say scientists
- US manufacturing output rises 0.2pc in October
- G20 to focus on clean coal technology
- Japan’s economy unexpectedly contracts as Abe weighs tax delay
Throwing a sickie to catch a glimpse of Narendra Modi
The huge crowd swarming the entry to Allphones Arena in the blazing heat, women dressed in colourful saris and men draped in Indian flags, provided the kind of spectacle Australian politicians would kill for.
Business
Foxtel chief hints at Ten potential
Foxtel chief Richard Freudenstein says the pay TV monopoly is considering a joint bid for Ten Network because tie-ups between free-to-air and pay-TV networks is a global trend.
- AGL names AES Corp’s Andrew Vesey as CEO
- AMP to close Genesys Wealth Advisers
- PacBrands sells footwear, apparel brands for $39m
- Rio Tinto Pilbara mine gets EPA approval
- National Australia Bank fee class action claims to close in January 2015
- Catapult Sports launches IPO roadshow
- China’s Greenland to make FTA agriculture play
- NZ’s a2 Milk Company seeks Australian listing
David Paradice eyes corporate earnings pain
Some of the country’s most well-known fund managers are predicting a pull back in corporate earnings growth in 2015 and for the broader Australian share market to weaken as a result.
Technology
Government’s NBN findings out by $1 billion
The federal government’s strategic review into the national broadband network overestimated its financial year 2014 spending by almost $1 billion, according to NBN Co’s latest corporate plan.
- No more talkback radio: Spotify playlists in Uber cars
- BlackBerry takes a bigger bite of the pie
- Labor senator Lisa Singh demands Coalition backs data bill
- $11.6b debt-raising target for NBN
- Technology adds to bushfire-fighting toolbox
- Could Apple be worth $US1trn?
- Buying houses with a click of a mouse
Markets
Stocks set to profit from the China FTA
Australia’s newly-signed free trade agreement with China is expected to provide significant benefits to the domestic economy, and listed companies.
- Markets Live: ASX drops below 5400 points
- David Paradice eyes corporate earnings pain
- $A must fall further to lift economy, says RBA
- Wagers up on oil with mounting pressure on OPEC
- JPMorgan recommends pulling back on US stocks
- Could Apple be worth $US1trn?
- Omega's Einhorn sees S&P; 500 rising 7-9pc in 2015
- S&P; 500 closes at record high on merger moves
- Iron ore deals made during Xi Jinping’s visit
How the world’s biggest wealth fund beats Wall St
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund has worked out how leave no pattern for US traders to track
Personal finance
The pitfalls of bringing your money back home
Moving overseas, or returning to Australia after a stint abroad, is not just a lifestyle or career decision. It also has far-reaching financial implications that are invariably overlooked until years later.
- How online market Envato helps artists make millions
- 25pc underquoting by real estate agents ‘the new norm’
- True luxury lies beyond the brands
- Investors blind to monetary stimulus dangers
- Resources on the cheap
- How ETFs work to widen your horizon
- How Janine Hall almost blew it all in Brazil, but found fortune in Bali
- House rules to help the kids
How to avoid blended family dramas in DIY super
Official statistics suggest one in five Australian couples who marry will have a partner who has been married before.
Lifestyle
Barcelona dining: life beyond the Michelin stars
Economic reality has forced the city’s chefs to focus on accessible food, with magic results.
Dining revolution in Washington DC
It’s farewell to steakhouses and hello to funky dining in the US capital.
Flying food: the good and the bad
Qantas and Virgin Airlines are pitting top chefs against each other to woo business-class passengers.
Porsche’s Macan Turbo pulls its weight
With its lower price and top-rate ride and handling, Porsche’s “small” SUV will almost certainly become its best-selling model.
Latest TV
Review: Lenovo YOGA 3 Pro convertible notebook
A specially designed hinge makes this one of the best convertible notebooks on the market.
Would you buy your apartment online?
People are now willing to buy pricey items such as cars online, and apartments are next.
Robot barmen and dodgems on new cruise ship
Quantum of the Seas features some world firsts in the cruise ship industry.
Can piazzas enrich Sydney offices?
Liberty Place is an award winning new Sydney office plaza that hopes to invigorate workers.
