Business News, Economy, Finance & ASX Market News

Stock Ticker

Movers

Key Stories

What will happen to house prices in 2016?

The end of the housing boom will affect the rest of the economy, but it won't be a crash landing, economists predict.

Gareth Hutchens 3:33PM

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

Contains: This article contains a video.

BusinessDay's economic survey compiles the forecasts of 25 of Australia's leading economists, who predict the year ahead in economic growth, interest rates, the dollar and an array of other indicators.

ASX climbs above 5000 on BoJ rate move

Vanessa Desloires 5:26PM

The Australian sharemarket ended January mired in volatility, spiking wildly on a move by the Bank of Japan into negative interest rates on Friday afternoon.

Contains:

Lots of people use their iPhone to access Facebook.

iPhone - Apple's pain, Facebook's gain

John McDuling 1:36PM

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

Contains: This article contains a video.

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.

Contains:

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.

Contains:

Trader John Santiago works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016. U.S. stocks recovered much of an early plunge, but the price of oil suffered its worst one-day drop since September. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

The markets' troubling message

Ashoka Mody 4:00PM

Amid one of the worst market routs on record, reassuring economic commentators insist that global fundamentals are sound. Really? Don't be so sure.

Contains:

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.

Contains:

Business Orica chairman blasts former CEO
Banking and Finance Bank capital moving 'somewhat higher'
Markets Shine losing its shine: Shares dive 73%
Motley Fool Can solar power your portfolio?

Market Indices

Last updated: January 29, 2016 - 5:51PM

Currencies

United States Dollar
Last updated: Jan 29, 2016 - 5:37PM (delayed by 30 minutes)
0.7130	0.61%
Euro
0.6540	0.90%
British Pound
0.4953	0.39%

Comment & Analysis

Colin Kruger, CBD

Did All Blacks inspire ANZ's new boss?
Contains:

Michael Pascoe

ANZ's Asian retreat no cause for applause
Contains: total comments7 This article contains a video.

John McDuling

Like it or not, Facebook is crushing it
Contains: total comments1

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.

Contains:

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.

Contains:

End of the line for British icon

11:36AM

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

Contains:

Is Blackmores a bubble?

Graham Witcomb 12:48PM

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

Contains:

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.

Contains:

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.

Contains: total comments50

Markets

Markets Live: ASX ends above 5000

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

Patrick Commins and Jens Meyer 4:53PM Live

A turbulent day - and month - ends with the ASX jumping back above 5000.

Contains: total comments297

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.

Contains:

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.

Contains:

need2know: ASX poised to open higher
Contains:
$A breaks through US71¢
Contains:
ASX shrugs off Fed disappointment
Contains:
Why oil and stocks are heading down together
Contains:
Dollar slips after Fed decision, jumps on RBNZ
Contains:
Slater & Gordon plunges on deadline concerns
Contains:
Markets Live: Miners lead turnaround
Contains: total comments376
Market turmoil 'sign of quantitative tightening'
Contains:

The Federal Open Market Committee of the US Federal Reserve will vote in September on whether to raise US interest rates.

Emerging market currency support curbs bonds

Search Quotes & Charts

The Turnbull government is under further pressure to cut back hundreds of billions of concessions that primarily benefit the rich, with Treasury figures showing the cost of capital gains tax concessions and superannuation concessions are set reach almost $380 billion.

Contains:

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.

Contains:

Australia joins OECD on tax avoidance
Contains: total comments3
Apple could conjure up zero tax bill
Contains: total comments29 This article contains a video.
Gareth Hutchens Weak inflation won't force a rate cut
Contains: total comments6
Inflation slightly higher than expected
Contains:
Apple's tax bill hits $85m on revenue of $7.9b
Contains: total comments91 This article contains a video.

Retail

Mother takes on Banana Boat over child's sunburn

Damien McCaull got sunburnt on Australia Day.

Esther Han 4:34PM

Melissa McCaull is adamant she followed instructions, but her son's skin turned into the colour of an "overripe tomato".

Contains: This article contains a video.

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.

Contains:

Banking & Finance

Sacked ANZ trader drops claim against the bank

Sacked ANZ bond salesman Paddy O'Connor has dropped his claim against the bank.

Jonathan Shapiro 5:54PM

Sacked ANZ bond salesman Paddy O'Connor has dropped his controversial unfair dismissal claim against the bank

Contains:

Macquarie, NAB, still exceeding APRA speed limit

Growth in loans to landlords declined by 2 per cent in 2015, but some major banks are still exceeding APRA's 10 per cent growth limit.

Shaun Drummond 5:38PM

Several banks, including Macquarie and NAB, are still exceeding the 10 per cent speed limit on investor loan growth the banking regulator imposed a year ago.

Contains:

Deutsche Bank scraps bonuses as it suffers record loss
Contains:
Top CBA executive steps aside from risk officer role
Contains:
NAB's UBank targets debt-shy in mobile lending push
Contains:
ANZ's Asian retreat no cause for applause
Contains: total comments7 This article contains a video.
Clydesdale chief argues British bank is very cheap
Contains:

Mining & Resources

Palmer's nickel business is 'underwater'

Clive Palmer could be staring at the end of his business empire.

Brian Robins 6:03PM

Billionaire's coal mines won't save nickel workers says administrator.

Contains:

Samsung C&T; reveals $1b loss on Roy Hill

The first shipment of iron ore from Gina Rinehart's Roy Hill iron ore mine.

Tess Ingram 4:52PM

The head contractor responsible for the development of Gina Rinehart's Roy Hill project, Samsung C&T;, says it wants to "focus on the future" after revealing it expects to book almost $1 billion of losses on the iron ore project.

Contains:

World Business

End of the line for British icon

11:36AM

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

Contains:

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.

Contains:

Microsoft's Nadella finds cloud's silver lining
Contains:
Bloomberg editor quits over boss's White House campaign
Contains:
Amazon, US dollar hurting eBay
Contains:
Australia joins OECD on tax avoidance
Contains: total comments3
Apple could conjure up zero tax bill
Contains: total comments29 This article contains a video.

China

China's 'hard landing' may have already happened

Jessica Sier 4:56PM

A new approach to measuring Chinese growth suggests the "hard landing" we have been fearing might have already happened.

Contains:

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.

Contains:

Alibaba profit: Good news for China's economy?
Contains:
China raises $4.3 billion in first domestic sale of green bonds
Contains:
China's 'daigou' shoppers leading Australian retail drive
Contains: total comments170 This article contains a video.
China's industrial profits fall
Contains:
Australia to win from China's restrictions
Contains: total comments2
China stocks plunge again
Contains: This article contains a video.

Featured advertisers

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.

Contains: total comments113

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.

Contains:

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.

Contains:

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
Contains:
Office markets see $35b in sales in 2015
Contains:
Nine Network's Mr Property in for a busy year
Contains:
Triguboff sticks with property
Contains:

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.

Contains: