Business News, Economy, Finance & ASX Market News

Stock Ticker

Movers

Key Stories

Nine's secret cricket deal with SBS

Australia's third Test against the struggling West Indies starts on January 2.

Dominic White 5:45PM

Nine raises the stakes in battle with WIN by striking a deal to show regional audiences the cricket on SBS if agreement can't be found by year's end.

Contains: total comments2

The Australian sharemarket has rallied, ending up another 1.5 per cent after a pre-US Fed gain of 2.4 per cent on Wednesday.

Dollar slips, ASX rallies as Fed lifts rates

Mark Mulligan 5:00PM

The ASX's two-day rally has snapped a six-day losing streak and has almost made up for the losses.

Contains: This article contains a video.

The ATO will continue to challenge the more aggressive arrangements.

Which companies are not paying tax

Nassim Khadem and Craig Butt 4:55PM

Out of 1539 corporate entities, 38 per cent did not pay any tax in 2013-14.

Contains: total comments165 This article contains a video.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia's mobile network will be run from India over the next four years.

Vodafone turns 'Vodafail' around

David Ramli 2:56PM

Fresh data show that Vodafone Australia has gone from being the nation's most hated phone company to one with some of the lowest complaint levels per capita.

Contains:

Oil, gas giants paying no PRRT

Heath Aston 8:18PM

Some of the biggest multinational petrol and gas companies operating in Australia notched sales of nearly $30 billion last year but did not pay a cent in petroleum resource rent tax.

Contains: This article contains a video.

CBA forced to assess more advisers

Sarah Danckert 12:30PM

CBA has been forced to assess the files of 17 more advisers after a report by KordaMentha showed the bank's earlier review of poor financial planning advice fell short.

Contains:

Outgoing ANZ CEO Mike Smith says the bank is stronger and more profitable than when he became chief in 2007.

ANZ hit by protest vote on executive pay

Clancy Yeates and Simon Evans 3:48PM

Shareholders in ANZ have lodged a significant protest vote against the bank's remuneration policies.

Contains:

The Economy ScoMo wedges himself in tax reform
Media & Marketing SBS says reporter not sacked over Anzac opinions
Workplace Relations 7-Eleven stores raided in wage scam probe
Consumer Affairs Acquire Learning accused of misleading students
Business Slater & Gordon dives as guidance ditched

Market Indices

Last updated: December 17, 2015 - 9:54PM

Currencies

United States Dollar
Last updated: Dec 17, 2015 - 9:39PM (delayed by 30 minutes)
0.7206	-0.41%
Euro
0.6645	0.20%
British Pound
0.4830	0.17%

Comment & Analysis

Malcolm Maiden

The Fed lifts rates, and that is a good thing
Contains: This article contains a video.

Elizabeth Knight

Domino's taking a bigger slice
Contains:

Michael Pascoe

Small banks gouge customers too
Contains:

"It was very relaxing", said Miwa Okomoto's father before she tried out the coffin herself.

Try a coffin for size: Death business is thriving in Japan

Monami Yui 10:27AM

Japan's 2011 earthquake, a hit film about undertakers and its ageing population have made talk of death commonplace and sparked a $23b business boom.

Contains:

In Depth

Apology: Humpty Dumpty Foundation

8:30AM

An article incorrectly understated the amount of money paid to benefit children.

Contains:

Yahoo CEO under fire for Gatsby bash

FILE - This Feb. 20, 2013 file image released by NBC shows Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer appearing on NBC News' "Today" show, in New York to introduce the website's redesign. As Mayer goes about her CEO business of saving Yahoo, which now involves a ban on working from home, a new study shows a significant jump in the number of U.S. employers offering flex and other quality-of-life perks. (AP Photo/NBC, Peter Kramer, file)

Hayley Tsukayama 11:20AM

Yahoo's back in the headlines, having spent millions on a Great Gatsby-like "Roaring 20s"-holiday party.

Contains: This article contains a video.

Japan's cows eat cheap to boost profit

6:28AM

Aussie exporters are losing out, with Japan getting most of its imported feed barley from the UK and Germany for the first time.

Contains:

Workplace

Uber and Lyft Drivers to form unions

Uber drivers in Seattle will be allowed to form unions.

Seattle's city council voted unanimously Monday to approve a bill allowing drivers for Uber, its rival Lyft and other ride-hailing apps to form unions.

Contains:

BHP chief wants more female scientists

Andrew Mackenzie

Gaining greater diversity is part of challenging innovation from every angle.

Contains:

Markets

The end of an aberration

Malcolm Maiden 8:21PM

This is a time of risk for markets but it is also positive that the world's biggest economy is lifting.

Contains: This article contains a video.

Easy money coming to an end

The Fed's commentary was dovish, but some experts argue the forecasts were not.

Vesna Poljak 5:47PM

Investors doubt the United States Federal Reserve can push through the four interest rate hikes it is targeting for 2016.

Contains:

ASX extends rally as Fed delivers on rates

The ASX200 closed up 1.4 per cent on Thursday.

Stephen Cauchi 5:20PM

Australian shares surged after the US Federal Reserve's widely expected decision to lift interest rates, with a broad-based rally across all sectors adding to Wednesday's stunning rebound to lift the market well off its lows for the year.

Contains:

Markets Live: US Fed lifts rates (finally)
Contains: total comments369
Five takeaways from the US Federal Reserve decision
Contains:
$A follows script post-Fed hike
Contains:
Fed paves way for 'Santa rally'
Contains:
UBS backs 'buy' for CSL and Lendlease but urges dump miners
Contains:
Why oil could bounce back to $US100 a barrel
Contains:
Argentina ends currency controls
Contains:
Bennelong delivers top fund
Contains:

The yield on the benchmark 10-year note climbed three basis points to 2.3 per cent, the highest on an intraday basis since December 4.

Treasury yields jump on US Federal Reserve hike

Search Quotes & Charts

The Economy

Strong jobs growth: where they are being created

Gareth Hutchens 5:52PM

Australia has recorded surprisingly strong jobs growth in recent months, and economists have been wondering where all the jobs are coming from.

Contains:

Five takeaways from the US Federal Reserve decision

Investors have often talked about the global economy since the crisis as reflecting a "new normal" of slow growth and low inflation. But, just maybe, we've really returned to the old normal.

Vanessa Desloires 3:15PM

But what relevance does the central bank of the world's biggest economy have to Australia? Here are five takeaways for Australian investors

Contains:

Top ten companies paying no tax
Contains: total comments8 This article contains a video.
Zero tax: Many public companies paying nothing
Contains: This article contains a video.
BlackRock tips RBA rate cut
Contains:
Opinion Will this US credit fund pop the post-GFC asset bubble?
Contains: total comments2

Retail

Domino's taking a bigger slice

Elizabeth Knight 11:11AM

Addictive fast food and easy-to use ordering tech is the perfect profit mix.

Contains:

Try a coffin for size: Death business is thriving in Japan

Monami Yui 10:27AM

Japan's 2011 earthquake, a hit film about undertakers and its ageing population have made talk of death commonplace and sparked a $23b business boom.

Contains:

Banking & Finance

NAB chairman defends 'outstanding' performance

Mr Chaney told NAB's annual general meeting in Perth the company's share price performance over the decade he had been chairman was due to two separate consequences for NAB of the global financial crisis.

Shaun Drummond 4:52PM

NAB chairman Michael Chaney says his board and the executives it has chosen have done an "outstanding" job in market conditions that hit NAB harder than some of its rivals.

Contains:

Five takeaways from the US Federal Reserve decision

Vanessa Desloires 3:15PM

But what relevance does the central bank of the world's biggest economy have to Australia? Here are five takeaways for Australian investors

Contains:

Zero tax: Many public companies paying nothing
Contains: This article contains a video.
CBA does referral deal with OnDeck
Contains:
Super funds to vote for ANZ carbon disclosure
Contains:
Small banks gouge customers too
Contains:

Mining & Resources

Caltex scores record annual profit

Caltex said bottom-line net profit, which includes changes in the value of oil and fuel stockpiles, should be between $560 million and $580 million, up to 29 times on the $20 million reported in 2014.

Angela Macdonald-Smith 4:40PM

Caltex Australia is poised for a record full-year profit thanks to strong refining margins, reliable refineries and steady increases in marketing profits.

Contains:

Woodside cuts spending, upgrades production guidance

Woodside has revised lower its capex guidance for calendar 2015 amid diving oil prices.

Angela Macdonald-Smith 3:58PM

Woodside Petroleum has advised spending in 2015 will be $US170 million lower than previously indicated, while production will be at the top end of guidance as the oil and gas producer battles with the impact of sliding global energy prices.

Contains:

World Business

Brazil debt downgraded to junk

Brazil's currency and dollar-denominated bonds tumbled amid forced selling after the country's second downgrade to junk in three months.

Alonso Soto and Marcela Ayres 10:53AM

Fitch Ratings downgraded Brazil government bonds to junk on Wednesday, citing rising concerns about an economic and political crisis.

Contains:

US on verge of lifting 40-year oil export ban

Allowing oil exports would be a win for the US oil industry and Republicans, who had argued the ban was a relic of the 1970s Arab oil embargo.

Timothy Gardner 10:52AM

The United States appears on the brink of ending a four-decade ban on most exports of crude oil.

Contains:

Try a coffin for size: Death business is thriving in Japan
Contains:
Japan's pampered cows eat cheap to boost profit on $US250 steak
Contains:
Uber and Lyft Drivers to form unions
Contains:
Murdoch company linked to FIFA scandal
Contains:
The ultra-wealthy's biggest losers
Contains: total comments24 This article contains a video.

China

China central bank sees growth slowing

The world's second-largest economy still faces downward pressure and the impact of fiscal and monetary policies that were rolled out this year will be evident by the first half of 2016.

Xiaoyi Shao and Kevin Yao 10:53AM

China's annual economic growth is likely to slow to 6.8 per cent next year from an expected 6.9 per cent this year, the People's Bank of China said in a working paper.

Contains:

Good times over for China's start-ups

Emailing: foot massage.jpg

<<foot massage.jpg>>
The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link attachments:

foot massage.jpg

Note: To protect against computer viruses, e-mail programs may prevent sending or receiving certain types of file attachments. Check your e-mail security settings to determine how attachments are handled.

Shai Oster 9:47AM

In May, Kungfu Bear was rated one of the five most popular on-demand services apps in China. Now the good times are over for Kungfu Bear and many of China's once-hot start-ups.

Contains:

Alibaba buys South China Morning Post
Contains:
Fosun's Guo Guangchang goes missing
Contains:
China exports fall for fifth month
Contains:
Chinese demand for Aussie homes down 15% - McGrath
Contains: total comments35
China's fortunes to weigh more on $A
Contains:
Solar chief hits out at China over coal at Paris launch of global solar pact
Contains: This article contains a video.

Featured advertisers

Property Focus

Triguboff sticks with property

Harry Triguboff sees property as among the few attractive investments in the nation amid rising rents and a "terrible" stock market.

Contains:

City Tattersalls votes for $200m redevelopment

New impression of the City Tattersalls Club, to be developed in Sydney CBD into hotel and apartments.

Carolyn Cummins

Members of the City Tattersalls Club have voted overwhelmingly to approve development of the Pitt Street building's airspace.

Contains:

Scentre strikes $2.85m deal with Booodl start up

Apps such as Boodl are increasingly aiding customers find perfect Christmas gifts.

Carolyn Cummins

Shopping is not everyone's most enjoyable way to spend a day, particularly wandering around a mall trying to locate the stores selling the items on your list.

Contains: