Glasenberg takes aim at Rio Tinto
Glencore chief Ivan Glasenberg is slashing Australian coal production because “we don’t want to be the ones forcing the price down with oversupply” in a thinly veiled attack on Rio Tinto. Mr Glasenberg went to lengths on Tuesday to position himself as a superior marketing manager to his counterpart at Rio Tinto and the other iron ore majors, which continue to pump tonnes into a heavily depressed market and push down prices.
Global equities recede from record highs
Before the Bell | Global stock prices fell, with the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 receding from their record highs ■ Dow off 0.5pc ■ SPI futures down 7 pts ■ $A at US78.19¢.
Abbott 'brave', 'thoughtful' says Turnbull
Malcolm Turnbull has lauded Tony Abbott as an intelligent, courageous, brave and thoughtful man but added the only attribute that really matters is that the Prime Minister has the majority support of colleagues.
Watch for a bold RBA interest rate move in May
A single rate cut to kick off an easing cycle could stack up as a 'captain's call' by the governor of the Reserve Bank Glenn Stevens.
Cromwell Property Group wades into Investa auction
It is only two weeks since Morgan Stanley kicked off its long expected exit from the $9 billion Investa Property Group but the US giant has already fielded interest from more than 15 tier one investors.
Enough ‘politically correct bulls--t’ over privatisation
Prominent board members and government advisers Tony Shepherd and Graham Bradley want business to shake off its timidity and speak up for NSW Premier Mike Baird's privatisation agenda.
Ex-Investec banker Nicks to set up boutique business
Plenty of people were tipping former Investec and Goldman Sachs banker Christian Nicks to pop up at James McMurdo's Deutsche Bank. But it’s understood he’s done with bulge-bracket banks
Dividends keep climbing despite weak corporate profits
Dividend growth has more than doubled that of earnings in the first half as Australian companies continue slashing costs to cope with lacklustre revenue and satisfy investors’ appetite for income.
Life in a world of zero rates
Nouriel Roubini | We have come to the most unconventional policy tool of them all.
Nokia, still here, shows off Android tablet
Nokia shows off its N1 tablet, an Android tablet with a WiFi-only connection to the internet
Unpleasant surprises lurk in CFO revival
Chanticleer | There’s a danger a laser like focus on costs will ultimately damage companies.
Pharma giant Glaxo courts buyers for Nicotinell
Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline is seeking a buyer for its Australian nicotine chewing gum business, Nicotinell.
PS4 and Xbox One drive bumper year for games
The launch of Sony’s PS4, Microsoft’s Xbox One and Nintendo’s Wii U in late 2013, led to a bumper 2014 for the Australian games industry.
Whitford swaps sex with UK star for school
Rear Window | Vocation agitator Brett Whitford has a steamy past with UK sitcom actress.
Optus to launch smartwatch payments
Singtel-Optus wants customers to pay for products at the checkout using smartwatches and wristbands by the end of 2015.
FIRB breach triggers sale of $39m mansion
China’s 15th richest man has 90 days to sell the $39 million Point Piper mansion Villa de Mare, at whatever cost, or face the prospect of prosecution.
What's wrong with London property market
Carlton House boasts a ballroom and a 10 person bath, but its owner claimed it wasn’t his.
Penis size. What’s the new normal?
Studies have tried to determine the average size of the human penis but these studies have never been brought together and analysed to find the golden mean.
Qantas pilot loses job after 'bender'
A cannabis-fuelled stopover and groping a co-pilot was the end of a top pilot's 20-year career with Qantas.
Why you’re wrong about the dotcom bubble
John Kehoe | Most observers argue that 2015 is so very different to 2000.
James Gorman on surviving a crisis
Heading Morgan Stanley during the global financial crisis taught Australian James Gorman a thing or two about what matters most in business.
Netflix reveals Australian launch date
Netflix will launch in Australia on March 24 in partnership with ISP provider iiNet.
National
Abbott 'brave', 'thoughtful' says Turnbull
Malcolm Turnbull has lauded Tony Abbott as an intelligent, courageous, brave and thoughtful man but added the only attribute that really matters is that the Prime Minister has the majority support of colleagues.
- Business warns of return to industrial chaos
- Innovate or stagnate, says IGR
- Tony Shepherd tells business: enough with the timidity over privatisation
- Joe Hockey, Switzerland sign deal to open accounts
- Coalition dumps $5 GP fee, keeps Medicare rebate freeze
- Mike Baird stalls over $700m threat to James Packer's Barangaroo casino
- Australia Post face opposition to $1 stamp plan
- Dollar, confidence slows growth in Australians' global travel
Might as well keep cash 'under the bed' says retiree
News that the official cash rate would remain unchanged this month was a 'relief' for self-funded retiree Sandy Anderson.
Opinion
Tony Abbott's casualty department
Alan Mitchell | If Tony Abbott is not careful, his raft of first-term reviews and inquiries will become a cascading advertisement for his government's weakness.
Interest rate cut to come in April or May
Alan Mitchell | The RBA may not have cut the official cash rate today, but don't worry, they will cut interest rates again in either April or May.
Life in a world of zero rates
Nouriel Roubini | We have come to the most unconventional policy tool of them all.
World
Apple edges out Samsung in global smartphone sales
Apple Inc sold the most number of smartphones globally in the fourth quarter, overtaking Samsung for the first time since 2011, according to research firm Gartner.
- Danish reserves hit record as speculators are beaten back
- Israel's Netanyahu warns US against Iran nuclear deal
- Irish parliament passes plain tobacco packaging law
- Ex-CIA chief Petraeus to plead guilty in affair-related case
- Fiat Chrysler may sell more than 10% of Ferrari in IPO
- Fed's Yellen reports assets worth as much as $US13.3m
- Hillary Clinton emails at US State Department draw scrutiny
- Gates tops Forbes rich list at $US79.2b
- Spain says third Greek bailout under discussion
Li must deliver peace offering to foreign firms
Angus Grigg | The visit of Prince William to China this week should provide enough soft images to give the impression that Beijing is open for business. That would be highly misleading.
Business
Santos chairman Ken Borda to resign
Santos chairman Ken Borda will step down from the board of the struggling oil and gas major.
- Bad news for James Packer as Macau gaming revenue halves in February
- New Myer team to embark on transformation
- Sustainable cash returns Glencore's 'ultimate goal'
- Michael Fraser lauded for AGL Energy retail turnaround
- Woolworths sells The Warehouse stake
- Solomon Lew gets first Globe dividend in years
- Suncorp hit with $150m damage bill for Cyclone Marcia
- Former AMP boss Craig Dunn to chair fintech hub Stone and Chalk
- Stevedore DP World hit with 800 per cent rent increase as Port of Melbourne sale looms
DP hit by a world of Victorian pain
Matthew Stevens | Risk has become confronting reality for DP World with the Port of Melbourne Corporation moving to increase the container lifter's rent by 750 per cent as the state's pursues plans for port privatisation and expansion.
Technology
Optus to launch smartwatch payments
Singtel-Optus wants customers to pay for products at the checkout using smartwatches and wristbands by the end of 2015.
- Craig Dunn to chair fintech hub Stone and Chalk
- Netflix reveals Australian launch date and iiNet deal
- Mark Zuckerberg shuns Google's Project Loon to focus on 'real work'
- Telstra and Ericsson go it alone in Asian push
- Tata and Kordia win NBN design contracts
- Apple and Google heading to agreement over workers’ wage suppression
- HP to buy Wi-Fi gear maker Aruba Networks for $US2.7b
- Paris Hilton game to take on Katy Perry as ASX listed app maker follows Kim Kardashian recipe
- Why you’re wrong about the dotcom bubble
Gates tops Forbes rich list at $US79.2b
Bill Gates’s grip on the mantle of world’s richest man appears unshakeable, while Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg has joined the top 20.
Markets
Global equities recede from record highs
Before the Bell | Global stock prices fell, with the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 receding from their record highs ■ Dow off 0.5pc ■ SPI futures down 7 pts ■ $A at US78.19¢.
- Copper falls on China, rising LME inventories
- US stocks slide on health-care, tech
- Actavis finds eager buyers for $US21b of bonds
- Dividends keep climbing despite weak corporate profits
- Interest rate cut to come in April or May
- Denmark says 'no limit' to interventions to defend euro peg
- Innovate or stagnate, says IGR
- Oil price tipped to fall as supply glut becomes a 'tidal wave'
Bargains and bright spots from interim results season
The sharemarket seemed to like what it was told in the interim reporting season, but what does our panel of professional investors think?
Personal finance
Vanguard Investments takes top gong in Morningstar awards
Demand for low-cost products and the hunt for yield were among tailwinds that helped Morningstar Fund manager of the year finalists to a stellar 2014.
- SMSF family business traps for the unwary
- QBE's wild share-price ride a sign of the times
- Tips and traps for landlords of student rentals
- ECB program boosts appeal of European stocks
- Purple Haze - SMSF investments that rock your world
- Interest rate drop makes SMSF strategy harder
- Snail Porridge and DIY SMSF: both on the up over time
- RBA faces forced rate cut to 1.5pc if Federal Reserve defers rise
- Honest feedback helps to hone management style
The difference between traders and investors
Christopher Joye | Is there a difference between “trading” and “investing”? One astute Australian businessman suggested so over lunch on Thursday.
Lifestyle
Rachel Griffiths on acting, being Julia and back home
Griffiths grew up professionally in Hollywood. Returning to Australia allowed her to take on some challenging roles.
Cycle in style from Vietnam to Thailand
A bike trip across three countries ticks the adventure and luxury boxes, with plenty of cultural discoveries along the way.
Spend
Interactive | Year of the Ram whisky from Johnnie Walker, Armani brogues and a versatile outfit from Nicola Finetti.
Latest TV
How to stand out on shop shelves
You’ve worked hard to get your product on to a retailer’s shelf but packaging is as important as the contents.
Richard Umbers to replace Bernie Brookes as Myer CEO
A major shuffle of Myers executives saw a dramatic dip in shares price for the retail giant.
Did the RBA hold to soothe sentiment?
The Reserve Bank's decision to keep rates on hold may be an attempt to calm consumer nerves.
Credit card details are hot property in the dark web
A deviant but sophisticated black market has sprung up around stolen credit card data.
