Retailers bank on Boxing Day boost

A softer than expected Christmas has left nervous retailers banking on the Boxing Day sales for a much-needed boost leading into 2017.

2016 a wake up call on executive pay

Global investment funds say 2016 should serve as a wake-up call for Australian boards on the issue of executive pay, with some company executives paying themselves too well.

Brexit a chance to 'take business from UK' says Trump's trade chief

Donald Trump's new trade chief has urged Britain's rivals to take advantage of the "God-given opportunity" of Brexit to take business away from the UK, according to a report.

Technology and the elderly

Linda Butler, 72, says she uses her computer and the Internet daily for a variety of reasons.

'We need a lot of things': Boxing Day sales kick off

They came early, stayed for hours, and shopped with an indefatigable resolve that turned bargain-hunting into a sport.

Empty nest? Change in the air for Hawksburn Village

Hawksburn's popular retail strip is in a state of transition but the future is still bright, say locals.

MacBook Pro slammed over battery issue

Respected website's testing backs up user complaints, as report shows new Macbook Pro's battery lasts for anywhere between 3.75 and 19.5 hours.

Coal miner gets expansion nod despite secret, incomplete studies

Baird government approves expansion of one of the biggest coal mines in Sydney's water catchment without knowing its impact.

For online dating sites it's a bumpy road to love

Sometimes, as can be the case with online daters themselves, online sites are not all they make out to be.

NSW expected to be biggest spenders at Boxing Day sales

Shoppers are expected to spend about $2.41 billion on Boxing Day, the biggest trading day of the year for big retailers such as Myer and David Jones.

Unwanted gifts to pile up this Christmas

Despite digging deep and splashing reported $620 million dollars on Christmas gifts, new research by Gumtree shows as many as seven in 10 Australians will be disappointed after tearing aside the wrapping paper this holiday season. 

The hidden danger in your post-Christmas credit card bill

Don't be fooled by your credit card statement.

It was the year of living dangerously: 2016 CBD Wrap

Brexit, Trump, Mariah Carey. It was a year of surprise and unexpected consequences.

ACT records highest number of business failures in three years

Almost 230 Canberra businesses shut up shop in the last quarter.

Putting a price on Christmas

Australians will spend billions this Christmas, with the largest percentage spent on food.

Why we keep buying presents no one needs

Spend much time with economists around this time of year, and you will hear about the dreadful inefficiency of exchanging gifts. But there's a higher logic to the gift economy.

Record crowds flock to Sydney Fish Market on Christmas Eve

Record numbers expected to attend the Sydney Fish Market's annual 36-hour Christmas Seafood Marathon.

Aussie extends its slide; Wall St gains

US stocks posted modest gains in thin trading before the holidays. Gold fell for a seventh week.

Forget Christmas cheer for Seven board members

• COMMENT

There will be no relaxed Christmas break for Kerry Stokes and the directors of his Seven West Media.

Gold extends run of weekly losses

Gold futures capped the longest run of weekly losses in 12 years as the case for higher US interest rates strengthens.

Xi open to slower growth rate

President Xi Jinping reportedly told party officials that he's no longer wedded to China's 6.5 per cent annual growth target.

Retail revolution: How a superhero toy could save Australian retail

Australian toy creators are making child's play of the retail revolution led by the likes of US giant Amazon and proving innovation is a more powerful than price, a lesson many of Australia's best-known retail brands would do well to heed as we hurtle towards 2017.

US economic outlook brightening

New US single-family home sales rose more than expected in November and consumer sentiment hovered near a 13-year high.

Iron ore spot rises, China steel futures dip

The spot price for seaborne iron ore rose in light trade on Friday ahead of the Christmas break.

Copper dips on Chinese demand doubts

​Copper prices slipped on Friday as investors took profits on long positions ahead of the Christmas break.

Sharing economy revolution overshadowed by Uber

• ANALYSIS

TaskRabbit was founded in 2008 with a big idea. On the company's website and app, people make money by assembling strangers' Ikea furniture or cleaning their bathrooms

Corrections staff at 'suicide risk' from bullying

Prisons agency faces claims of high risk of suicide and self-harm among current and former staff.

Blogger behind Worner affair posts referred for contempt

A rogue blogger who claims to have revealed the identities of other lovers of Seven boss Tim Worner could face criminal contempt charges. 

Trump vows to cut plane costs

US President-elect Donald Trump says he discussed cutting costs with the chief executives of two major defense companies he has singled out for criticism over project costs.