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Sydney house prices 'flat', Melbourne apartment 'risk'

HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham says Australian house price growth is "cooling".

Stephen Cauchi 4:09PM

The housing market slowdown is set to continue into 2017, according to HSBC but it shouldn't cause a debt crisis.

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Moves of 2 per cent, up or down, aren't exactly common and so far in 2016 the index has recorded three sessions of that size.

Soft end to big week for resources stocks

Stephen Cauchi 5:25PM

The sharemarket rally fizzled on Friday, as investors took profits in miners and energy stocks.

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Former Leighton Holdings executive Stephen Sasse alleges corruption.

Ex-Leighton exec alleges corruption

Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie 7:41PM

ASIC is weighing charges against former CFO, Senate inquiry told.

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Queensland Nickel to be wound up

2:20PM

Creditors have voted to liquidate Clive Palmer's Queensland Nickel in the hope of recovering some of the $200 million they are owed.

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Woodside Petroleum is facing a damages claim over a cancelled ship contract.

Woodside faces $US283m damages claim

Angela Macdonald-Smith 2:16PM

Woodside Petroleum has been drawn into a messy legal dispute over the cancelled contract for a production ship.

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Murray Goulburn managing director Gary Helou.

Murray Goulburn in halt as mulls outlook

Jared Lynch 10:40AM

Murray Goulburn's shares have been placed in a trading halt, as the milk processor revises its earnings outlook amid a bleak environment for dairy.

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David Neal is overseeing a cautious Future Fund.

Future Fund cash holdings rise 10%

Jonathan Shapiro 4:16PM

The Future Fund has posted a negative 0.9 per cent return as its cash allocation increased by a further $2.4 billion.

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Markets Live Blog Markets Live: Rally on hold
Mining and Resources Rio makes $US1.5b bond buyback offer
Energy Heavier regulation 'perverse': APA
Markets Iron ore going 'back to $US35': Goldman
Banking and Finance CBA boss slams 'unreasonable' customers

Market Indices

Last updated: April 22, 2016 - 7:53PM

Currencies

United States Dollar
Last updated: Apr 22, 2016 - 7:38PM (delayed by 30 minutes)
0.7754	0.16%
Euro
0.6877	0.25%
British Pound
0.5408	0.07%

Comment & Analysis

Colin Kruger, CBD

Anglo investors angry at Cutifani's pay
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Jessica Irvine

New threat to our social compact
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Elizabeth Knight

Woolies falls further behind Coles
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Where investors made money during the initial 2016 share market selloff.

Milking the 'cash cows' of 2016

Jessica Sier 3:37PM

"Cash cows" have emerged as this year's winners for investors and are tipped to be the favourite investment strategy for the rest of the year.

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In Depth

'$3 an hour' then sacked via email

Maricar Virata in her Darwin home found herself working up to 18 hours a day, and paid as little as $3 an hour.

Bianca Hall

Despite working up to 18 hours a day, Maricar Virata was sacked when she went on holiday.

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Free-to-air TV fights back

TV networks are combining forces on a new research body to fight back against Facebook and Google.

Dominic White 7:25AM

Free-to-air broadcasters have a new plan to hit back at Google, Facebook and Netflix.

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Prince sales soar after his death at 57

Prince had almost completely shunned streaming services apart from Tidal.

Dominic White 8:34AM

Sales of Prince's recorded music have soared since news broke of the pop star's death aged 57.

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Workplace

Michaelia Cash's message to men

Employment Minister and Minister for Women Women Michaelia Cash.

4:07PM

It's time for a "two-way exchange" when it comes to gender and careers, says the Employment Minister.

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Old dogs still have tricks: research

David Kazachov claims he has experienced ageism as a job seeker.

Anna Patty

Ageism in the workforce is built on a faulty premise, researchers say.

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Markets

FlexiGroup first to issue 'green securitisation'

FlexiGroup's $50 million 'green bond' is part of a $260 million securitisation of its receivables from funding solar ...

Shaun Drummond 4:56PM

Consumer financier FlexiGroup is the first Australian company to issue a "green securitisation" to fund its solar panel installation financing.

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Milking the 'cash cows' of 2016

Jessica Sier 3:37PM

"Cash cows" have emerged as this year's winners for investors and are tipped to be the favourite investment strategy for the rest of the year.

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US execs may have to return bonus if their companies lose

One of the difficulties the regulators faced in agreeing on a standard was the wide differences in pay practices in the ...

Jesse Hamilton and Elizabeth Dexheimer 10:01AM

A US proposal would force big Wall Street executives to pay back compensation if their companies fail to perform.

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Vale churns out record first-quarter iron ore volume
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Iron ore tops $US70 a tonne on China steel output
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Microsoft profit falls as PC sales slump to 9-year low
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Google parent Alphabet net income falls 6pc short
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Opinion Americans losing interest in owning equities
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S&P; 500 slips as earnings fail to inspire
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need2know: Lower open ahead, $A drops
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Oil lower on US inventories, OPEC uncertainty
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Rio Tinto is offering cash through April 27 to purchase its $US500 million of 2 per cent notes due 2017 and $US1.25 ...

Rio Tinto plans to buy back $US1.5b of bonds

Search Quotes & Charts

The Economy

Why Morrison is not in a happy place

Michael Pascoe 3:51PM

The prospect of becoming a federal treasurer was probably more enjoyable for Scott Morrison than the reality of being one.

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Business sentiment slips, but outlook upbeat

Companies' investment outlook was upbeat, which could equate to more jobs.

Mark Mulligan

Australian companies remain upbeat about the country's future despite some market turbulence this year, says National Australia Bank.

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Inquiry to ask if regulators are too 'soft'
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Morrison needs a reality check on tax
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Democrats would 'keep the bastards honest'
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How 76 profitable companies left taxpayers $5.6b out of pocket
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'Are we that desperate?'
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Retail

Karget will result in smaller Target and bigger Kmart

Driving merger: Wesfarmers managing director Richard Goyder is confident the Karget concept can be successful.

Catie Low

Wesfarmers provided the first glimpse of the "Karget" newly-weds on Thursday

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Woolies falls further behind Coles

Elizabeth Knight

In the great supermarket race, Coles looks again to be leaving Woolworths behind.

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Banking & Finance

FlexiGroup first to issue 'green securitisation'

Shaun Drummond 4:56PM

Consumer financier FlexiGroup is the first Australian company to issue a "green securitisation" to fund its solar panel installation financing.

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US execs may have to return bonus if their companies lose

Jesse Hamilton and Elizabeth Dexheimer 10:01AM

A US proposal would force big Wall Street executives to pay back compensation if their companies fail to perform.

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PM hauls in bank chiefs
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Banks pledge commission crackdown
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Banker bonuses under spotlight
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Products next on ASIC life insurance hit list
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Brokers worry about impact of bank review
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Mining & Resources

Optimism as Santos sales edge higher

Promising signs: Santos' GLNG venture in Queensland shipped its first cargo in October.

Angela Macdonald-Smith 5:20PM

Santos said its March-quarter sales edged up 1 per cent despite a plunge in commodity prices thanks to a 40 per cent jump in the volume of oil and gas sold.

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'Sweetest route' to Palmer's purse

Jorge Branco 4:54PM

Liquidators flag freezing Clive's assets to recover money owed to Queensland Nickel

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World Business

Hubris behind Volkswagen's US deal

VW is winning back in market capitalisation whatever it stands to lose in cash terms from the settlement.

Leonid Bershidsky 9:26AM

The $13 billion VW is apparently setting aside to settle all US claims is a high price to pay to maintain a presence in a relatively unimportant market.

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Greek PM rejects more austerity after surplus

Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras: "Greece, in this last turn, needs a push forward not backwards."

9:05AM

Alexis Tsipras has called for debt relief after the European Commission said Greece's fiscal performance was better than expected last year.

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Is Elizabeth Holmes' stunning success story approaching a bloody end?
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Mitsubishi's `shameful' cheating could put it on brink
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VW to offer to buy back 500,000 US cars
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Mitsubishi staff falsified economy testing
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Are there too many Harleys?
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Consumer Affairs

IKEA warning after third child fatality

Ted McGee was crushed to death when an IKEA chest of drawers fell on top of him in February.

Esther Han

Furniture giant says it has no plans to issue a recall of its Malm chest of drawers.

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How to avoid slavery in your fashion

Esther Han

In the wake of the Rana Plaza factory collapse some Australian fashion brands have made huge leaps in stamping out exploitation from their supply chains. Others have not.

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'It was a hush-hush thing'
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The secrets of the top fashion labels
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How much is your pooch really worth?
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Authorities reject need for inquiry into Samsung fires
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'How did that happen?'
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$300,000 fine for 'free range egg' fraud
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Property Focus

John McGrath backs his business with share buy

John McGrath owns around 28 per cent of McGrath Estate Agents after a share top up.

Carolyn Cummins

John McGrath has backed his own management and business with the outlay of about $500,000 to buy the same amount of shares.

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Strata deals straight on

An investor paid $1.75 million for a 320-square-metre whole floor at 21 Victoria Street, Melbourne.

Nicole Lindsay

Investors put off by the tightening yields on strata shops in Melbourne's CBD are looking upwards to strata offices.

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Charter Hall in running for 1 Shelley Street

Macquarie Bank Building at 1 Shelley Street, King Street Wharf, Sydney.

Carolyn Cummins

Charter Hall has emerged as the front runner to buy the Macquarie bank office at 1 Shelley Street in Sydney's Darling Harbour, with a price tag of about $500 million.

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