A brief rally in the banks has petered out, pulling the ASX back into the red.

Qatar Airways, which is doubling its flights to and from Australia next year, claims runway overrun incidents like one that damaged one of its Boeing 777s in September "happen quite often".

Westpac shareholders have hit the bank with a 16.5 per cent vote against its remuneration report, following accusations the board had sought to protect bonuses in its treatment of a writedown.

Australians are wasting millions of dollars by sending money overseas via the big four banks instead of the booming number of nimble, specialist players, experts warn.

It's safe to say technology has crashed through into the economic consciousness of the nation.

Global investment firm PIMCO says real interest rates have declined to zero, driven by a savings glut which has been the cause of financial crises in the past decades.