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Contagion fear grows on Russia risk
Philip Baker | If there was one lesson rammed home by the global financial crisis, it was how interconnected financial markets are. For that reason alone Russia does matter. The lower the oil price falls, however, the risk of contagion rises. The drop in global bond yields shows how worried investors are.
Markets Live: $A drops suddenly below US82¢
BusinessDay | The Australian dollar has just dropped half a cent to hit a new four-year low, while a rally in energy stocks and gains among miners have helped the ASX 200 snap a six-day losing streak.
Vocus to buy Amcom at 30pc premium
Vocus Communications has struck a recommended deal to acquire Amcom Telecommunications at about $2.42 a share. Both companies went into a trading halt at lunchtime on Wednesday.
S&P ratings in doubt again amid oil price slide
Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s has cut its price assumptions for crude oil for the second time this month, raising the prospect that companies will face further pressure on their credit ratings.
Stronger US, slower China throw emerging markets into turmoil
The US is accelerating and China is cooling, marking a reversal of trends that followed the financial crisis.
Ten not talking about takeover bids
Ten Network Holdings has remained tight-lipped about the ongoing auction for the company being run by its advisor Citi at the opening of its annual meeting in Sydney.
Housing starts to push over 200,000 mark, MBA predicts
Australia’s house construction market will strengthen over the next 12 months as interest rates stay low, pushing dwelling commencements over the 200,000 mark, Master Builders of Australia predicts.
Westpac tips slower economic growth in 2015
Australia's economy is likely to grow at an even slower pace in 2015, according to Westpac, which says it believes annual growth will be markedly below trend until the middle of next year.
Leighton Holdings poised to sell services arm
Leighton Holdings’ shares have been placed in a trading halt following a Street Talk report it may sell its services business for up to $1 billion to Apollo Global Management.
The recipe for picking winners
Investor Roger Montgomery says analysis in 4 key areas and seeing growth potential is key.
Are you better than your boss?
We all want to work for someone we can learn from. But what if your boss is a nincompoop?
Don’t forget bonds, or be bitten by them
Allocations to fixed income are woefully light, but before finding a manager understand risks.
Clearing debate paves way for ASX action
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Regional and domestic developments are swivelling fund manager and bankers’ heads back to merger options for ASX Ltd.
Apps to help you at work in 2015
There are apps to help busy professionals with a myriad of tasks. We name the apps to help you get organised and work faster next year.
How to work well with a virtual boss
When you work miles away from your boss little things can help build trust and camaraderie - and boost your productivity.
House of Lords champagne budget uncorks rage
The 791 honourable lords and ladies of Britain’s House of Lords have come under attack for their spending on champagne amid austerity.
Rouble trouble halts Apple sales in Russia
Apple has halted online sales of its iPhones, iPads and other products in Russia amid financial turmoil triggered by the dive in the country's currency.
Sam prefers Dutch but only buys genuine jugs
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Rear Window | No matter how hard he tries, Rio Tinto boss Sam Walsh just cannot escape jugs.
Narcissistic CEOs should reflect on performance
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If our narcissistic chief executives examined the books as closely as they looked at themselves, there might be fewer cases of serious fraud.
How the Sydney Lindt cafe siege unfolded
Explore an interactive graphic of the key moments in the 16-hour Sydney Lidnt cafe hostage siege.
Long list of wrong market calls in 2014
The big money managers in the US doubted Apple Inc this year. It was one of the worst investment blunders in 2014, labelled the year of the hated stock.
Online pet-sitting service nabs $1.5m
Two of Australia’s most successful tech investors think this is the next billion dollar business
Telstra fined over misleading iPhone 6 ads
Telstra has been forced to pay a $102,000 penalty for misrepresenting the price of its iPhone 6 plan in a full page newspaper advertisement.
National
Sydney siege gunman wanted by Iran
Iran says it requested the extradition of Sydney siege gunman Man Haron Monis 14 years go but Australia refused to hand him over.
- Tony Abbott says security forces must ‘be better’
- Westpac tips slower economic growth in 2015
- NSW to review how siege gunman ‘slipped through cracks’
- LNG exports push up gas prices, crimp demand
- Narcissistic CEOs should reflect on performance
- MYEFO fails to light a fire under stalled Senate measures
- Ageing population will squeeze workforce
- LuxLeaks accused Antoine Deltour: ‘I did my duty’
Sydney crisis a test of spirit
Opinion | How Australians think and behave over the next few days will matter greatly to whether the horrific crime of the Sydney siege will change this country in any way for the worse.
Opinion
One who met disaster with triumph
Patience and pragmatism in the face of billion-dollar disappointments have, in the end, served Peter Coleman and Woodside pretty well.
NAB’s Thorburn edges closer to UK exit
National Australia Bank’s new boss Andrew Thorburn will end the year with another feather in his cap.
Joe Hockey shows his reform potential
Christopher Joye | Treasurer’s budget and banking work shows what he is capable of – when not wrong-footed by his PM.
World
Rouble smashed as Russian rate rise sparks panic
Moscow’s attempt to diffuse the currency crisis threatening its ailing economy has failed, with a drastic interest rate rise spreading panic across Russian financial markets and sending the rouble into freefall.
- Kerry sees ‘constructive moves’ by Russia on Ukraine
- Jefferies’ trading revenue drops, Bache up for sale
- Repsol pays $US13b for Canada’s Talisman Energy
- Jeb Bush to ‘actively explore’ bid for White House
- LuxLeaks accused Antoine Deltour: ‘I did my duty’
- China economy fears despite data discovery
- NZ Treasury says government won’t deliver surplus
- US fights to suppress prisoner abuse pictures
At least 145 dead as Taliban attack Peshawar school
Pakistani Taliban gunmen stormed into a military-run school in northwestern Pakistan, killing scores of teachers and schoolchildren.
Business
Leighton Holdings poised to sell services arm
Leighton Holdings’ shares have been placed in a trading halt following a Street Talk report it may sell its services business for up to $1 billion to Apollo Global Management.
- Vocus to buy Amcom at 30pc premium
- CHAMP-backed oOh! Media IPO disappoints
- Boart Longyear shareholders approve Centerbridge deal
- LatAm Autos becomes latest float to dip on debut
- Woodside Petroleum’s Canadian shale move met with caution
- Westpac, Newcrest at ‘high risk’ of corruption
- Tony Hayward keeps quiet on Glencore Rio Tinto merger
- Fairfax Media takes minority stake in Skoolbo
Ten not talking about takeover bids
Ten Network Holdings has remained tight-lipped about the ongoing auction for the company being run by its advisor Citi at the opening of its annual meeting in Sydney.
Technology
Microsoft fights US government on cloud computing
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Corporate lobbyists, news organisations and academics have joined forces with Microsoft in the software company’s legal battle with the U.S. government over access to customer data stored overseas.
- Telcos and ACCC to curb Telstra’s NBN advantage
- AirTree Ventures supports pet-sitting service Pawshake
- Uber backs down after raising prices during siege
- PayPal lending to small businesses, consumers
- Janchor explains why SurfStitch could become as lucrative as Alibaba
- Telstra signs new $11 billion NBN agreement
- Internet firms concerned about rushed piracy plans
- Village Roadshow chief Graham Burke urges government to act on illicit downloading
Rouble trouble halts Apple sales in Russia
Apple has halted online sales of its iPhones, iPads and other products in Russia amid financial turmoil triggered by the dive in the country's currency.
Markets
Markets Live: Sudden plunge takes $A to new lows
BusinessDay | The Australian dollar has just dropped half a cent to hit a new four-year low, while a rally in energy stocks and gains among miners have helped the ASX 200 snap a six-day losing streak.
- LatAm Autos becomes latest float to dip on debut
- Rouble collapse to drag down $A
- Brent below $US60 a barrel, US oil futures bounce
- Stronger US, slower China throw emerging markets into turmoil
- Techs drag Wall St lower as energy shares rebound
- Rouble smashed as Russian rate rise sparks panic
- China economy fears despite data discovery
- Oil price rout hits emerging market currencies
- NZ Treasury says government won’t deliver surplus
Where will world markets go in 2015?
In its 2015 Annual Guide, Bloomberg Markets spoke with six investors and strategists on what they’re expecting from various sectors of the financial markets next year.
Personal finance
Financial system inquiry: Murray pushes lower fees, bans on SMSF borrowing
Superannuation funds could be forced to tender for the right to manage hundreds of billions of dollars in retirement savings in an effort to reduce fees for members, while it has been suggested that self-managed super funds be banned from borrowing to buy assets such as property and shares.
- Holiday homes – to rent or own?
- How to invest in low-growth times
- Insurance against tragedy well worth it
- Empty-nesters downsize in style
- Brace your share portfolio for volatility
- How to build a crash-proof portfolio
- Batten the hatches for storms gathering abroad
- The true cost of ‘free’ mortgage advice
- Why banking’s ‘big nine’ would be a win for taxpayers
How to sell your SME and get the best tax breaks
Duncan Hughes | Small business owners can use the sale of their enterprise to trigger ‘little-known’ and unique opportunities for using their self-managed superannuation funds.
Lifestyle
Top destinations for solo travellers
Put all qualms aside: travelling alone allows you to indulge every whim and paves the way for the adventures of a lifetime.
Content over style: Milan’s artistic side
Travel | Ignoring fashion in Milan isn’t easy but there are cultural treasures aplenty for those able to switch focus.
Airs and graces: the benefits of good ventilation
Well-placed windows and doors are the natural way to take the heat out of summer.
Festive recipes from chef Stephen Seckold
Stephen Seckold, the executive chef at Sydney’s Flying Fish restaurant, shares three personal favourites.
Latest TV
RBA’s Debelle defends liquidity fee
RBA assistant governor Guy Debelle explains the 15 basis points fee for banks to access its committed liquidity facility.
Sydney siege: what next for office security?
Security is on the minds of many office workers after the Martin Place tragedy.
Sydney siege: Martin Place fills with flowers
An outpouring of sympathy draws hundreds to a memorial at the site of the Sydney siege.
The moment Sydney siege ends
Hostages run for their lives, then police storm the Lindt cafe, with gunfire echoing up Martin Place.
