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The streaming wars: a turbulent year in music

Taylor Swift has been labelled a "Nazi Barbie" by cultural critic Camille Paglia.

Ben Sisario 4:05PM

For the music business, 2015 was an exciting and tumultuous year.

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Aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman navigates the Gulf of Oman on Christmas Day. The US Navy is being asked to tread a fine line in the world's relationship with China.

The glass is more full than it looks

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard 11:37AM

The lessons of history show that the world has always been in a mess.

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Wall Street's most wanted for new year

Hugh Son and Michael J. Moore 10:56AM

Want 2016 to show you the money? This is where the jobs and bonuses will be in finance.

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Apple's worst year since 2008

9:35AM

Shares in Apple Inc, the largest US company by market value, finished the year in the red.

Contains: total comments26 This article contains a video.

Jeff Bezos, chief executive officer of Amazon.com

These 8 CEOs just scored $US60b

Matt Krantz 8:49AM

Stop complaining about how lousy the stock market was this year. It was great - for these guys.

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Crystal ball readings for 2016

Michael Pascoe 1:19AM

Michael Pascoe's tongue-in-cheek Almanac 2016.

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Some investors used margin loans to invest in failed agribusiness schemes such as Timbercorp.

Borrowers keen for more margin loans

Ruth Liew 12:30AM

Once touted as an easy way for retail investors to beef up share returns, the popularity of margin loans has dived since the global financial crisis.

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Property Office markets see $35b in sales in 2015
Media & Marketing Reach Rule laws to be locked down
Business How the world's richest got poorer in 2015
The Economy Wrinkle in bankruptcy law reform
Markets Shares end year in the red

Market Indices

Last updated: January 1, 2016 - 9:15AM

Currencies

United States Dollar
Last updated: Jan 1, 2016 - 1:16PM (delayed by 30 minutes)
0.7301	0.29%
Euro
0.6725	0.27%
British Pound
0.4951	0.20%

Comment & Analysis

Michael Pascoe

Crystall ball readings for 2016
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Malcolm Maiden

The keys to markets' progress in 2016
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Adele Ferguson

A perennial loser on the global sharemarket
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Who's cashing in on your New Year's resolution?

John Russell

New year, new you. And for plenty of companies, a new chance to cash in on your New Year's resolutions.

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In Depth

Mecca Cosmetica accelerates expansion

Mecca founder Jo Horgan is putting her foot on the accelerator in 2016.

Catie Low

Mecca founder Jo Horgan is putting her foot down on the expansion of her beauty empire.

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2016 growth will disappoint: Lagarde

Global economic growth will be disappointing next year and the outlook for the medium-term has also deteriorated.

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Apple to pay Italy $477m in back taxes

Italy accused Apple of not paying €879 million in taxes.

Emilio Parodi and Agnieszka Flak

Apple will make the payment and sign a deal with Italy's tax office, a source has confirmed.

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Workplace

The finance jobs to have in 2016

Hugh Son and Michael J. Moore 10:56AM

Where the jobs and money will be in finance in the coming year.

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Thanks for quitting, here's $10,000

The Adore Me offer has the opposite logic.

Rebecca Greenfield

Adore Me offers a highly unusual benefit to departing employees: a fat cheque.

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Markets

S&P; 500 slumps 1pc on techs

Equities bucked the historical trend of gains in December.

Alex Longley and Anna-Louise Jackson 8:39AM

The S&P; 500 lost its grip on a fourth consecutive annual gain in the year's final trading session, as tech shares led a decline in US stocks.

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Oil outlook dimmed by global glut

The European benchmark crude closed the year at a 24-cent premium to New York futures.

Mark Shenk 8:28AM

Oil capped its biggest two-year loss on record in New York as expanding US crude stockpiles exacerbated a global glut.

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Gold books third annual loss

"Gold is suffering from the general exodus out of commodity investments," said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank A/S in Copenhagen.

Ranjeetha Pakiam and Joe Deaux 7:50AM

Gold's image as a haven asset has taken a battering with the metal capping its longest slump in more than 30 years.

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Worst year for carry trades in seven
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Optimism for US bonds in short supply
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Year of the greenback ends on a high
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Base metals seen extending rout
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OPEC oil production steadies
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European stocks pare annual advance
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Australian shares trade little changed
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Greenback stalls as data disappoints
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Energy stocks in the S&P 500 are poised for their worst year since 2008.

S&P; 500 slips after late selloff

Search Quotes & Charts

The Economy

Coming up after the break

Michael Pascoe

Consider the prospects of 2016 through the eyes of our most honest forecaster – the Reserve Bank.

Contains: total comments84 This article contains a video.

Price of E10 fuel dips below $1 a litre in Sydney

E10 fuel was selling for less than $1 a litre at 24 Seven Fuel in Punchbowl on New Year's Eve.

Megan Levy

Thrifty motorists were picking up E10 fuel for less than a dollar a litre in Sydney on New Year's Eve as drivers prepared to hit the road en masse for the holidays.

Contains: total comments12 This article contains a video.

Why do we still have 5c pieces (and what can you do with them)?
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Michael Pascoe Budget surplus: it was a good idea at the time
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Managing China's economy becomes ever more difficult
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The serious economic consequences of power couples
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Is the government making us greedy?
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Retail

Who's cashing in on your New Year's resolution?

John Russell

New year, new you. And for plenty of companies, a new chance to cash in on your New Year's resolutions.

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Mecca Cosmetica accelerates expansion

Catie Low

Mecca founder Jo Horgan is putting her foot down on the expansion of her beauty empire, with the launch of 20 new stores in the next year across the operation's three retail brands.

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Banking & Finance

Which was your best insurance investment for 2015?

QBE Insurance Group, Suncorp Group and IAG - which of these insurers made the biggest share price gains and best returns in 2015?

Ruth Liew

QBE Insurance Group, Suncorp Group and IAG - which of these insurers would have made you the best returns in 2015 amid a tumultuous year in the Australian share market?

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Ructions at APP claim chief executive

Joyce Moullakis

APP Securities, the re-badged BBY business, has told employees chief executive Craig Mason is parting ways.

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Clydesdale Bank flags rapid growth on UK listing
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Sweden moves towards cash-free economy
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No Christmas cheer from Commonwealth Bank
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Why non-profit Sunsuper spent up to $1m on Oprah
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Bell Potter, Regal Funds pinged for 'confidentiality' breaches
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Mining & Resources

Oil outlook dimmed by global glut

Mark Shenk 8:28AM

Oil capped its biggest two-year loss on record in New York as expanding US crude stockpiles exacerbated a global glut.

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Gold books third annual loss

Ranjeetha Pakiam and Joe Deaux 7:50AM

Gold's image as a haven asset has taken a battering with the metal capping its longest slump in more than 30 years.

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World Business

Who's cashing in on your New Year's resolution?

John Russell

New year, new you. And for plenty of companies, a new chance to cash in on your New Year's resolutions.

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Apple to pay Italy $477m in back taxes

Emilio Parodi and Agnieszka Flak

Apple will make the payment and sign a deal with Italy's tax office, a source has confirmed.

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Opinion Bitcoin's comeback and Apple's big lemon
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Chocolate that only melts in the mouth
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Indian tractor maker buys Ferrari's stylist
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Putin needs a $24.7b bank bailout
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Saudi shock: petrol prices skyrocket
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China's banking regulator laid out planned restrictions on thousands of online peer-to-peer lenders, pledging to "cleanse the market" as failed platforms and suspected frauds highlight risks within a booming industry.

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Deutsche Bank sells $5.5b stake in China's Hua Xia

Deutsche Bank's planned sale of its stake in Hua Xia will generate at least $4.8 billion at current exchange rates.

Maria Sheahan

Deutsche Bank is selling its 20 per cent stake in China's Hua Xia Bank to insurer PICC Property and Casualty for $5.5 billion as Europe's biggest bank shores up its balance sheet.

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Investigators target China Telecom chairman
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China flags more economic stimulus
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Dysfunctional Wind-up of Sino on hold
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China central bank sees growth slowing
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Good times over for China's start-ups
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Alibaba buys South China Morning Post
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Featured advertisers

Property Focus

Pub sector intoxicated with sales

The Newport Arms Hotel in Sydney has been sold to pub tsar Justin Hemmes.

Carolyn Cummins

Investors have poured more than $500 million into the pub sector, making it one of the busiest areas in the real estate sector.

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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.

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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.

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

Scentre strikes $2.85m deal with Booodl start up

Hot Property: Let's keep our lifestyle
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Trains and profits in the Sydney CBD
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Just another way of saying small business?
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Kensington on track for more growth
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The four-hectare Rhodes Corporate Park creates more than $450 million worth of commercial assets.

No slowing down for Sydney’s western market

Santa Claus needs to clone himself

Carolyn Cummins

While Christmas is busy for retailers, spare a thought for the staff in the warehouses who have to distribute items to the customers.

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Executive Style

Turn your greying locks into a silver fox

Luc Wiesman

Grey hair is not an end, it's a new beginning, as these 50 stylish men show.

Contains: This article contains a photo gallery.

Money

How to start investing in shares

Betting on teenagers' smartphone use is a good investment strategy.

Scott Phillips

If you haven't yet taken the plunge in share investment, maybe 2016 will be the year you start (or restart) your investing journey.

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2016: buckle up and hang on

Scott Phillips

Preparation is better than prediction when it comes to investment: here's how to prepare for 2016.

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Small Business

Business can boom on New Year's

Sydney's spectacular New Year's Eve fireworks display is the work of small family business Foti Fireworks.

Kate Jones

For the small business behind Sydney's fireworks, New Year's Eve is one of the busiest times of year.

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Seven ways to kill staff motivation

Tony Featherstone

Avoid these common traps if you want your team to remain engaged and productive.

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Business Video

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Turbulent 2015 ends with losses

Stocks closed out 2015 with a losing session. For the year, both the Dow and the S&P; 500 lost ground. The Nasdaq rose thanks to gains in tech stocks, like Amazon and Netflix.