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There's only one bright spot in this year's economic survey

Saul Eslake has announced his retirement from Bank of America Merril Lynch.

Peter Martin 12:15AM

None of the BusinessDay panel expects a recession this coming year. But Australia's terms of trade are set to dive further and wage growth will be so low it won't match inflation.

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Less scary when you look behind the news

Ross Gittins 12:15AM

The question is whether we're capable of absorbing all the bad news delivered to us without unconsciously deciding the world is much worse than it actually is.

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China's new testing regime for imported coal has already forced one shipment to be sent back to Australia.

Anglo American facing China rejection

Philip Wen 12:15AM

Anglo American's coal mines in the Hunter Valley produced the coal that was turned back from Chinese ports earlier this year, say Chinese sources.

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Traditional owners show Adani the door

Michael West 12:33AM

Adani's cunning stunt on a vote with traditional owners backfired.

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In this photo taken Tuesday, June 30, 2015, a stock investor watches the screen at a brokerage house in Fuyang in central China's Anhui province. Chinese authorities are scrambling to reassure jittery investors after soaring stock markets plunged, threatening to set back economic reform plans. The market benchmark soared 150 percent from the start of the boom late last year in one of the world?s fastest runups. It hit a peak June 12 and then reversed course and plunged 28 percent. It rebounded temporarily Tuesday, June 30, before losing 5.2 percent on Wednesday, July 1. (Chinatopix Via AP) CHINA OUT

Chinese crash far worse than Grexit

Gareth Hutchens 12:15AM

Australia should be far more worried about a Chinese stock market crash than Greece exiting the eurozone, but we would remain relatively unscathed from both events, economists say.

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Asciano needs answers before it backs bid

Malcolm Maiden 12:15AM

It is hardly surprising that the first rush of excitement about the the Asciano port and rail group receiving an $8.8 billion takeover approach has been replaced by more cautious commentary.

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Murray Goulburn managing director Gary Helou wants to keep the focus on farming.

Murray Goulburn looks east, shares jump

Yolanda Redrup 12:15AM

The capital raised from the float of Australia's biggest milk processor will help supercharge its path to Asia, Murray Goulburn head Gary Helou said after the stock's debut on Friday.

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Business Brookfield looks for JV partners
Markets $A trading at fair value, economists say
Markets ASX posts weekly slide on Greek woes

Market Indices

Last updated: July 4, 2015 - 2:00AM

Currencies

United States Dollar
Last updated: Jul 4, 2015 - 3:51AM (delayed by 30 minutes)
0.7526	-1.43%
Euro
0.6783	-1.56%
British Pound
0.4829	-1.23%

Comment & Analysis

Harold Mitchell

Service all about one's pet likes
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Ross Gittins

World less scary when you look behind the news
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Michael West

Traditional owners show Adani the door
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The growing use of SmartCap comes as 'wearable technology' becomes increasingly popular in the retail space, with items like Fitbit allowing users to measure their heart rate, movement and sleep quality.

Employers scanning their workers' minds

Peter Ker 10:53PM

Data from caps worn by workers is used to alert them when they are likely to fall asleep.

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In Depth

Are you suffering from lifestyle creep?

The downside of using a credit card is it's easy to spend too much.

Suzanne Woolley 9:55AM

Champion savers keep their lifestyle spending stable even when their incomes rise. Here's five ways how to do it.

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$45b horror ride for China's tycoons

Sea of red: A man watches a board showing stock prices at a brokerage office in Beijing.

Jill Mao and Sterling Wong 9:22AM

June has been a shocking month for the richest people in China and Hong Kong as the market jitters cut into their fortunes.

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Greeks must lift retirement age to 67

Germans are incensed they are being forced to work until 69 while many Greeks are still retiring at 58.

Sally Rose 4:53PM

Largesse in Greece's pension system is one of the main sticking points in the country's negotiations.

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Trading Room

Motley Fool

A New Financial Year investment strategy

Scott Phillips

July 1 will be a new financial year. But it'll be just another day in a long investing journey.

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Motley Fool

Is Atlas Iron flogging a dead horse?

Mike King

Atlas Iron appears confident that it can survive and prosper, even if iron ore prices retreat back to 10-year lows.

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Markets

Markets Live: ASX a sea of red

Investors face challenging times this year.

Jens Meyer 5:06PM Live

Shares plunge amid uncertainty over Greece and as the Chinese selloff continues.

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$A trading at fair value, economists say

local interest rates, higher interest rates in the United States, and continued weak export commodity prices," says David Bassanese of BetaShares.

Mark Mulligan 10:47PM

The Australian dollar is unlikely to drop much between now and the end of the year, according to a survey of 25 economists, most of whom say the local unit is close to fair value now.

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Defiant ASX rallies for third straight day

The bulls were buying into the banks on Thursday.

Vanessa Desloires

The bulls were running on the Australian sharemarket on Thursday, led by gains in bank stocks, as investors shrugged off global macroeconomic uncertainty.

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Aussie soars against Kiwi as NZ milk boom sours
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Why losing money is 'inevitable' this year
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Buffett's international investments 'dull'
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Tsipras digs in against bailout
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ASX soars on takeovers, ignores Greece crisis
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Golden days for bullion long gone as prices sink
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Gross adds voice to liquidity concerns
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Greece can now only receive further IMF funding once the arrears are cleared.

Greek crisis: IMF confirms missed debt deadline

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The Economy

Australia's economy in 'vicious circle'

Economist Michael Blythe says the low interest rates might be counterproductive to capital investment.

Vanessa Desloires 1:17PM

Some of Australia's biggest banks have released their economic outlooks, and say the economy will struggle for some time as the transition away from its mining dependence is proving slow

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Rio Tinto chief hits out at critics

"There also seems to be a view that you can talk markets into submission or bend reality to suit your will.": Rio Tinto boss Sam Walsh.

Jesse Riseborough

The chief executive officer of Rio Tinto Group rejected criticism of the biggest mining companies for the oversupply that's put iron ore producers from Australia to Sierra Leone out of business.

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Opinion Asciano founder missed $340m payday
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Queensland Labor backs Adani coal project
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Guess who IMF says needs fiscal stimulus?
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House prices in a bubble - what will pop them?
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RBA sees limited local impact of Greek crisis
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Retail

Baby Bunting on growth spurt

Baby Bunting has grown store numbers from four to 31.

Sue Mitchell

Baby Buntingis looking at raising between $50 million and $70 million in an initial public offer.

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PacBrands debt free, upgrades profit

Sue Mitchell

Pacific Brands is debt free for the first time in at least 11 years, after selling off iconic brands.

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Banking & Finance

Ex Provident director Sweeney cops two-year ban

ASIC found John Sweeney guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct.

Sarah Danckert 5:05PM

ASIC bans former director of subprime lender Provident Capital, which collapsed in 2012 owing investors $130 million, from working in the financial services industry for two years.

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IOOF chairman to front Senate

Labor senator Sam Dastyari says IOOF will not be able to sweep misbehaviour 'under the rug'.

Adele Ferguson and Sarah Danckert

The Senate has added IOOF chairman Roger Sexton and company secretary Danielle Corcoran as the company representatives it wishes to examine next week at a hearing in Sydney.

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ASX tech chief says overhaul unique
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ANZ tipped to sell Asia stakes in capital push
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ATM use on the decline
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Indemnity prices remain flat for advisers
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Investment loans not slowing down
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Mining & Resources

Probe into coal mine over waste spill

The Wollangambe River in the Blue Mountians.

Peter Hannam

A spill of coal waste and water has affected the Wollangambe River.

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US giant raises bid for Four Mile

US nuclear giant General Atomics has lifted a buyout bid for the rest of the Four Mile uranium mine to $71.3 million.

Simon Evans

United States nuclear giant General Atomics lifts a buyout bid for the 25 per cent of the Four Mile uranium mine in northern South Australia .

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World Business

First Sydney, now Chinese descend on Tokyo

Tokyo apartment prices have risen 11 per cent in two years, and are set to climb further as Chinese buyers are boosting demand.

11:05AM

The trend has already hit Sydney and US. Now it's happening in Japan: busloads of real estate buyers from China buying up homes and pushing prices higher.

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IMF says Greece needs easier debt terms

The IMF puts Greece's total financing needs at €50 billion from October 2015 through the end of 2018.

1:59PM

An IMF analysis suggests Greece is doomed to keep wallowing in debt unless the Greek government and its European creditors can make further concessions.

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It's Europe's reputation that's suffered
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Greeks will have to lift retirement age to 67
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Tsipras digs in against bailout
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Greek debt crisis: 'It could get very ugly'
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Greek debt crisis: what happens now?
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China

The $45b horror ride for China's tycoons

Jill Mao and Sterling Wong 9:22AM

June has been a shocking month for the richest people in China and Hong Kong as the sharemarket plunge cut into their fortunes.

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China's capitalists now outnumber Communists

It's safe to assume this is not what Mao Zedong envisioned when he led the Communists to power in 1949.

Ye Xie, Kyoungwha Kim and Allen Wan

More than 90 million Chinese now trade stocks, compared with 87.8 million Communist Party members.

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Losing money 'inevitable' as global stocks slip
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China stocks rally; volatility highest in 7yrs
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Is this beginning of the end for Chinese stocks?
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China stocks set to enter bear market
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How one driver is helping rip off Uber
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China's market of boom-bust-repeat
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Featured advertisers

Property Focus

Grocon's Spring Street tower project denied

Grocon's original plan for 85 Spring Street, which planning minister Richard Wynne refused.

Clay Lucas

Grocon and Planning Minister Richard Wynne are nearing agreement on a controversial apartment tower plan at 85 Spring Street - but Melbourne City Council has opposed the project at the last minute.

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Mum, dads shop for retail amid high home prices

A shop at 297-299 Hampton Street has sold for $2.751 million.

Simon Johanson

The increase in mum and dad investors has resulted in unprecedented levels of inquiry for retail spots.

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Estates worth $1.5b to transform industrial sites

Chinese developer Sterling Global is finalising a concept plan for a quarry site in South Oakleigh, Melbourne.

Nicole Lindsay

State governments have encouraged development of so-called "brownfield" sites as it creates new homes where infrastructure exists.

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The Parramatta Justice Precinct has been completed with Eureka Funds Management paying $170.1 million for the freestanding A grade commercial property at 160 Marsden Street.

Eureka Fund settles $170.1m deal in Parramatta

Forum Partners ramps up investments
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360 Capital extends ANI bid
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Forum Partners eye Aussie property
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$10m couldn't bring in public servants
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10-16 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne, bought by Crescent Wealth for $30.75 million.

Crescent Wealth pays $30.75m for Dorcas Street site

Fishermans Bend site sells for $18 million

Marc Pallisco

The change of state government does not appear to have slowed demand for Fishermans Bend property with an investor paying nearly $18 million for a 3260-square-metre block that cannot be developed for at least 10 years.

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Executive Style

Ferrari’s hero car known simply as LaFerrari.

Formula One cars for the wide open road

Mike Huynh

What happens when you take professional F1 tech and inject it into a road car?

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Money

Rise of the first-home buyer landlord

Some first-home buyers are now opting to become landlords instead of owner-occupiers.

Clancy Yeates

After being out-bid by housing investors, many first-home buyers are becoming landlords.

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Treasures are still out there

This long-lost Jaguar XK 120 OTC is coming up for auction in Melbourne.

James Cockington

Yes, it is still possible to pick up a valuable piece of art at a garage sale, or in this case, at a Dutch flea market.

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Small Business

I signed up to be an Uber driver

Alexandra Cain

A week later I was ready to take my first passengers.

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The dodgy side of workers' comp

James Adonis

How many people are really rorting this system?

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Business Video

Staying alert with the SmartCap

While it's mostly used to monitor fatigue in the mining sector, Fairfax reporter Peter Ker tests out how the SmartCap performs through a day in the newsroom.