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Markets Live: Japan sparks wild swings

The nerves are back at the thought of braking through the 6000 barrier at the ASX.

Patrick Commins and Jens Meyer 3:48PM Live

A surprise rate cut by the Bank of Japan sparked a rally in the ASX, but it didn't last.

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Lots of people use their iPhone to access Facebook.

iPhone brings on a bad week for Apple, a good one for Facebook

John McDuling 1:36PM

Is there a changing of the guard underway among the giants of technology?

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Tasman meats Matt Swindells with Wez Clarke.

Woolies, Coles butcher their meat service

Catie Low 1:21PM

The shift by Coles and Woolworths to prepackaged meat on their shelves is sending shoppers to their local butcher for advice and inspiration.

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Earlier this month 237 employees at Clive Palmer's Queensland Nickel were sacked, and it has also emerged the company had not set aside the statutory superannuation provisions for any of its employees since November.

QNI blames price slump for collapse

Brian Robins 1:04PM

Clive Palmer's Queensland Nickel has blamed the slump in the price of nickel for the company's collapse.

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The wealth is spread right across the Blackmores workforce which has stretched to more 1000 people.

Is Blackmores a big bubble?

Graham Witcomb 12:48PM

Is the vitamin maker really worth 10 times as much as in 2014? Colour us sceptical.

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Explosives and fertiliser maker Orica plans to write down the value of its assets by as much as $1.65 billion and has hosed down the market's earnings expectations by 10 per cent.

Orica chairman blasts former management

Jared Lynch 3:28PM

Malcolm Broomhead has blasted the explosive maker's management under former chief Ian Smith, saying its financial performance was "unacceptable".

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Australian Prudential Regulation Authority is carrying out a review of home lending.

Bank capital moving 'somewhat higher'

Clancy Yeates 1:17PM

Australia's powerful banking regulator APRA says lenders will probably face "somewhat higher" capital requirements as a result of changes in global financial regulation.

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Business Shine losing its shine: Shares dive 73%
Motley Fool Can solar power your portfolio?
Comment & Analysis ANZ's Asian retreat no cause for applause
Currencies $A breaks through US71¢
Mining and Resources Sacked nickel workers to face creditors

Market Indices

Last updated: January 29, 2016 - 3:51PM

Currencies

United States Dollar
Last updated: Jan 29, 2016 - 3:21PM (delayed by 30 minutes)
0.7085	-0.04%
Euro
0.6475	-0.08%
British Pound
0.4932	-0.04%

Comment & Analysis

Colin Kruger, CBD

Did All Blacks inspire ANZ's new boss?
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Michael Pascoe

ANZ's Asian retreat no cause for applause
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John McDuling

Like it or not, Facebook is crushing it
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Quiksilver will be controlled by private equity firm Oaktree Capital Management after emerging from bankruptcy protection.

Quiksilver's plan to get hip again after near wipe-out

Sue Mitchell 3:33PM

Quiksilver will offer hair cuts, beard trims and live music alongside its more traditional surf and skate gear to turn around its fortunes as it emerges from bankruptcy.

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In Depth

Hysteria over China is ridiculous

F"The Chinese government is going to look after the interests of most of the people, most of the investors."

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard 3:25PM

Let us return to reality. China is not in as bad a shape as the markets make out.

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End of the line for British icon

11:36AM

One of the most-loved and enduring road vehicles ends production on Friday.

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Is Blackmores a bubble?

Graham Witcomb 12:48PM

Is the vitamin maker really worth 10 times as much as in 2014? Colour us sceptical.

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Workplace

'It should not be accepted as an excuse'

"Society no longer readily accepts alcohol consumption as an excuse for bad behaviour."

Anna Patty 7:48PM

A worker who pushed a colleague into a pool at a work Christmas party was fairly sacked, Fair Work Commission finds.

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Australia expects public servants to work longer

Bosses at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority want their public servants at their desks for 45 minutes each week in return for a 2 per cent pay rise.

Noel Towell

Longer hours for public servants a "community expectation" CASA public servants told.

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Markets

Has Amazon's growth spell ended?

Jeff Bezos delivered on his promise for a profit for the Christmas quarter, but it wasn't as high as investors were hoping for.

Mari Saito and Arathy S Nair 11:14AM

Investors come down hard on Amazon.com after the online retailer's Christmas profits fall short of expectations.

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Miserable prognosis for emerging markets

Copper is down 58 per cent, and it's bad news for emerging markets, Bank of America Merrill Lynch says.

Vanessa Desloires 8:58AM

If Dr Copper, Dr Sotheby's and Dr Halliburton are anything to go by, emerging markets are in for a miserable year, BAML says.

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need2know: ASX poised to open higher

Technology and energy shares buoyed Wall Street overnight.

7:44AM

The Australian sharemarket is set to open slightly higher this morning, after US stocks advanced overnight, bouyed by technology and energy shares.

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ASX shrugs off Fed disappointment
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Why oil and stocks are heading down together
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Dollar slips after Fed decision, jumps on RBNZ
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Slater & Gordon plunges on deadline concerns
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Markets Live: Miners lead turnaround
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Market turmoil 'sign of quantitative tightening'
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'Death-spiral' risk for coal power stations
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Ads shine as Facebook revenue beats expectations
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After spending the day in positive territory, Wall Street fell sharply after the release of the Fed statement.

need2know: Fed disappoints investors

Search Quotes & Charts

The Economy

What will happen to house prices in 2016?

Gareth Hutchens 3:33PM

Australian's best economists predict what will house prices will do in 2016.

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RBNZ says further cuts may be needed to boost inflation

'Some further policy easing may be required over the coming year to ensure that future average inflation settles near the middle of the target range,' says RBNZ governor Graeme Wheeler.

Tracy Withers

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand said it may need to cut interest rates further as falling oil prices and a weaker global growth outlook prolong a period of low inflation.

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Australia joins OECD on tax avoidance
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Apple could conjure up zero tax bill
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Gareth Hutchens Weak inflation won't force a rate cut
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Inflation slightly higher than expected
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Apple's tax bill hits $85m on revenue of $7.9b
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Retail

Quiksilver's plan to get hip again

Sue Mitchell 3:33PM

Quiksilver will offer hair cuts, beard trims and live music alongside its more traditional surf and skate gear as part of a long-term turnaround plan under new private equity owners.

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Has Amazon's growth spell ended?

Mari Saito and Arathy S Nair 11:14AM

Investors come down hard on Amazon.com after the online retailer's Christmas profits fall short of expectations.

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Banking & Finance

Deutsche Bank scraps bonuses as it suffers record loss

Deutsche Bank chief executive John Cryan won't be getting a bonus this year as the bank reported a full-year loss of €6.8 billion ($10.5 billion) and a fourth-quarter loss of €2.1 billion euros, mainly because of write-downs, litigation charges and restructuring costs.

Arno Schuetze and Jonathan Gould 2:38PM

Europe's biggest bank, Deutsche Bank, suffered a record 6.8 billion full-year loss on write-downs and litigation. The board won't get any bonuses this year.

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Top CBA executive steps aside from risk officer role

CBA risk chief Alden Toevs will retire from the position but remain at the bank.

Clancy Yeates 11:07AM

One of the CBA's most senior executives, chief risk officer, Alden Toevs, is stepping back from full-time work and will be succeeded by head of corporate affairs David Cohen.

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NAB's UBank targets debt-shy in mobile lending push
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Clydesdale chief argues British bank is very cheap
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O'Dwyer denies retail funds exempt from super dashboard rules
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Banks devise new mobile security code
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Car insurance premiums to rise
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Mining & Resources

Atlas nears full backing on debt deal

Atlas Iron remained in the black in the September quarter despite a slide in iron ore prices.

Tess Ingram 12:48PM

Atlas Iron has won the support of more of its lenders in its bid to restructure a large portion of its heavy debt burden.

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Why we may be left with Clive's clean-up bill

Larissa Waters 9:37AM

Greens Senator argues that the state government is failing to require the payment of upfront bonds by resources companies to cover the rehabilitation of their sites when they close down.

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World Business

End of the line for British icon

11:36AM

One of the most-loved and enduring road vehicles ends production on Friday.

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Has Amazon's growth spell ended?

Mari Saito and Arathy S Nair 11:14AM

Investors come down hard on Amazon.com after the online retailer's Christmas profits fall short of expectations.

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Microsoft's Nadella finds cloud's silver lining
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Bloomberg editor quits over boss's White House campaign
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Amazon, US dollar hurting eBay
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Australia joins OECD on tax avoidance
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Apple could conjure up zero tax bill
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China

Hysteria over China has become ridiculous

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard 3:25PM

Let us return to reality. China is not slowing. It is picking up slowly after a "recession" in early 2015.

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Alibaba profit: Good news for China's economy?

Alibaba, already China's biggest e-commerce company, wants at least half of its sales to come from overseas.

Paul Mozur 8:47AM

Economists and investors alike are watching the Chinese e-commerce platform to bet on the country's prospects.

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China raises $4.3 billion in first domestic sale of green bonds
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China's 'daigou' shoppers leading Australian retail drive
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China's industrial profits fall
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Australia to win from China's restrictions
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China stocks plunge again
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PBOC injects most cash since 2013
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Property Focus

Mike Baird's $3 billion sell-off of public buildings

Up for sale: The Mercure Hotel in Sydney's CBD.

Jessica Irvine

The NSW government is selling off some of Sydney's most iconic buildings.

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No more beer and schnitzel in suburban pub war

The Buena Vista Hotel in Military Road, Mosman.

Michael Koziol

Prompted by changing tastes and lockout laws, glammed-up pubs are heading further out into Sydney's suburbs.

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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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Goodman is to develop a giant facility for DHL on the Oakdale Industrial Estate in Western Sydney.

Online shopping shines the spotlight on the humble shed

Cheap debt, high yields drive offshore demand for industrial property
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Office markets see $35b in sales in 2015
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Nine Network's Mr Property in for a busy year
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Triguboff sticks with property
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New impression of the City Tattersalls Club, to be developed in Sydney CBD into hotel and apartments.

City Tattersalls votes for $200m redevelopment

Scentre strikes $2.85m deal with Booodl start up

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.

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Executive Style

Sheep's Whey Vodka from Tasmania is worth seeking out this year.

Ten spirits you need to try in 2016

Luke McCarthy

Much more than just gin and whisky should be on your radar this year.

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Money

What are you prepared to suffer for?

If you're not prepared to suffer for a goal, it's not worth it to you.

Melissa Browne

Are we destined not to change or can we salvage our goals made for 2016? The short answer is yes and no.

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Check on where your super is going

The big banks are keen to expand their share of the super market.

John Collett

It's almost a year since the banks were exposed for offering their clients inducements to make the banks' super funds the default fund for their employees.

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