Economy
The city still reeling from the GFC
Debra Killalea
THOUSANDS of homes worth nothing, their broke owners left with heartache and mounting debt. But as people grow poorer, Wall Street is raking it in.
Finance news you need to know today
AAP
THE United States Supreme Court has stepped into the high-profile patent fight between the world’s two fiercest smartphone rivals, Apple and Samsung.
Malcolm Turnbull hints at big tax changes
Charis Chang
MALCOLM Turnbull has confirmed there will be “important changes to tax” as he continues to fight the tag of being a do-nothing prime minister.
Malcolm’s big call explained
Liz Burke
ABCC? Double D? If you’re confused about exactly what our leaders are on about, you’re not alone. We lay it out simply for you.
Bracing for an interest rate surge
Sophie Elsworth
OUR low interest rate environment is just the “calm before the storm”, leading banks to drastically raise the rates used to assess borrowers’ repayment capacity.
‘Tax on the poor’ a good idea?
Jason Murphy
IF YOU’RE rich, then you might not think twice about a tax like this. But this ‘feel good’ tax proposal has a dark side.
Hidden cost of Madonna’s tardiness
Benedict Brook
IT’S not just her fans waiting for the star to get on stage — there’s venue staff, trains and a whole lot more. And everyone is paying for “Madonnatime”.
‘I bought a sex slave’s freedom for $400’
Kate Nicholl
WHEN Kate Nicholl met a beautiful young woman enslaved to a brothel owner, she knew exactly what she had to do.
Why Donald Trump won’t eat Oreos
Bernard Condon and Michael Liedtke
DONALD Trump is putting his money where his mouth is in his bid to shake up big business — he’s refusing to eat Oreos.
Why the party is officially over
AAP and staff writers
PEOPLE don’t have as much fun as they used to. And it’s been confirmed in the most depressing way possible: by a statistics agency.
Forget big tax cuts in the Budget
Malcolm Farr
IF YOU were hoping for tax relief in the Budget, don’t hold your breath, because the Treasurer has poured cold water on the prospect.
Dire prediction for Sydney traffic
Jennifer Sexton
SYDNEY motorists face the same grinding congestion as Mexico City by 2035 with 40-minute trips stretching to two hours in peak times.
Merkel sticks to migrant course
Geir Moulson
ANGELA Merkel has vowed to continue Germany’s open-door policy despite heavy losses in state elections following the Cologne sex attacks.
‘It’s just a costly opinion poll’
Lauren Wilson, Social Affairs Writer
HOLDING a plebiscite on the issue of marriage equality could cost the Australian economy upwards of half a billion dollars, according to new data.
Europe’s migrant rape epidemic
GERMANY, Sweden and other European countries are facing growing public unrest amid a wave of violent sexual assaults.
‘W*nker tax’ draining our savings
Benedict Brook
TWO-THIRDS of Australians are concerned about rising bills yet our ‘set and forget’ attitude lets thousands go down the drain. It’s time to take control.
Is owning a home a good idea?
Olivia Lambert
ARE you one of thousands complaining about expensive housing prices? It turns out buying a house may not be the best decision.
Finance news you need to know today
AAP
LEAN Cuisine is among a range of packed foods being recalled in the United States over concerns they may contain small pieces of glass.
Is it time to boycott the Census?
Dana McCauley
HOW much should we trust the government? That’s the eerie question on Australian citizens’ minds after revelations about the 2016 Census.
Stop whining, Gen Y, you’re OK
Emma Reynolds
WE constantly hear millennials moaning that older people are better off, but figures show that in Australia, they’re far from in crisis.
The number no one will answer
Malcolm Farr
IT’S the phone number being provided to one million people a year despite being disconnected. But why won’t it be updated?
When a nation gets its first McDonald’s
Dana McCauley
CITIZENS of one of the world’s most obscure and poorly understood nations have just bitten into their first Big Macs.
Borrowers just pick up the phone
Sophie Elsworth
HOME loan clients are having interest rates cut by 50 basis points by simply asking the lender for a better deal. John Symond explains why.
Rents down everywhere (except Sydney)
Benedict Brook
EVERYTHING else might feeling like it’s going up in price but your rent shouldn’t be. That is unless you’re unlucky enough to live in one of three cities.
If you’re anxious, this could be why
Dana McCauley
ANXIETY is endemic among young Australian women, and there’s a $123.4 billion reason why.
ScoMo’s embarrassing radio fizzer
Malcolm Farr
TREASURER Scott Morrison used a new report to attack Labor this morning. But there was one small problem.
A house? Tell ‘em they’re dreamin’
Olivia Lambert
WELCOME to the housing of the future. There will be no backyards and spacious kitchens, but you’ll be spoilt for choice in apartments.
Bid to make Sydney the new New York
Benedict Brook
WITH new shops, offices and skyscrapers galore, developers are keen to make Sydney the next Manhattan. But do the plans stack up?
Rates on hold amid housing ‘exhaustion’
Frank Chung
THE Reserve Bank has kept the official cash rate on hold at 2 per cent amid growing concern about a slowdown in the Australian housing market.
RBA holds cash rate at historic low
Sophie Elsworth
AS the Reserve Bank again keeps the interest rate unchanged, home loan customers have been warned ‘banks are pulling off the heist of the century’.
Markets FX Cross Rates
Market | AUD | USD | EUR | GBP | HKD | NZD | SGD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AUD | AUD | 76.14 | 68.0 | 53.65 | 7.7423 | 1.13 | 1.2769 |
-0.01 | 0.13 | 0.12 | 0.01 | 0.0 | 0.01 | ||
USD | 1.0063 | USD | 0.89 | 0.7 | 7.7911 | N/A | 1.2851 |
-0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -0.0 | 0.01 | |||
EUR | 1.3698 | 1.12 | EUR | 0.858 | 10.6049 | 1.7612 | 1.7492 |
-0.02 | 0.0 | -0.0 | -0.1 | -0.02 | -0.01 | ||
GBP | 1.5964 | 1.5864 | 1.1655 | GBP | 12.3595 | 2.0524 | 2.0388 |
-0.01 | -0.01 | 0.01 | -0.06 | -0.01 | 0.0 | ||
HKD | 0.1292 | 0.1284 | 0.943 | N/A | HKD | 0.1661 | 0.1649 |
-0.0 | 0.0 | 0.01 | -0.0 | 0.0 | |||
NZD | 0.7778 | 0.773 | 0.5679 | 0.4872 | 6.0215 | NZD | 0.9932 |
-0.0 | 0.0 | 0.01 | 0.0 | 0.01 | 0.01 | ||
SGD | N/A | 0.7782 | 0.5717 | 0.4905 | 6.0632 | 1.0068 | SGD |
-0.0 | 0.0 | -0.0 | -0.03 | -0.01 |