Place your bets on house prices and interest rates
The bets on interest rates and house prices are firmly connected because if the property market falls precipitously, it will be another factor inhibiting any move by the RBA to raise rates.
Comment & Analysis
Keen pollies, poor planning blew $28b on infrastructure
The sad reality of our major road infrastructure projects is that most of them run wildly over budget. A sadder reality is that governments appear unable to learn from past mistakes.
Paper tiger: Why banks don't need to fear an inquiry
Head for the hills - the nightmare scenario that our banks have long feared may be about to come to pass. But their share prices tell a different story.
Why are the banks so scared of a commission of inquiry?
The banks can't stop it. The Liberal Party's opposition has been bulldozed by the Nationals.
Tax cuts: lies, damn lies and bracket creep
There are few aspects of taxation that involve more deception than bracket creep.
Doing the Contango in investment's Hotel California
The sad and sorry saga of Contango MicroCap Ltd is taking another turn with the effective takeover of the company for no premium. Indeed, the 6000 mostly small shareholders will pay handsomely for being locked into a tyro funds manager charging the sort of fees enjoyed by the industry's stars.
Has spring sprung in the economic garden?
With the year rapidly drawing to a close, the word is we're getting back to normal.
No winners in latest chapter of sorry Myer saga
Arch enemies, Myer's largest shareholder, Solomon Lew, and its new chairman, Garry Hounsell, both claimed victory following the company's annual meeting on Friday.
Super revolution needs a big push
No matter how good a new idea may be, if it involves disrupting the status quo, it will face inertia.
Billionaires and bankers hatch a superannuation plot
A group of billionaires gathered with a clutch of the country's most senior bank executives and captains of Australia's $2 trillion superannuation industry on Thursday to discuss a major change in the financial system.
Hey CEOs, jets are lousy places to make big decisions
A good friend of mine, who was once the government's chief medical officer, told me of a fascinating book about air travel and how it can change your perspective of the world.
Please, Amazon, can you start with bathroom supplies?
Thanks to the retail experiment I conducted over the past month in buying bathroom supplies, I can say with confidence that one of the largest retail operators in this space is in for a nasty shock.
When Victoria's Secret met China's security
Holding the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai made perfect sense. What could go wrong? As it turned out, basically everything.
Here's how much your bank is stiffing you for being loyal
What's your bank loyalty worth? The better part of $5 billion a year.
Detail scant but timing of tax cut announcement telling
Good old rich Uncle Mal has been to see his bank manager, got the overdraft extended, and is determined we'll all have a great Chrissie, no matter what.
It is one of the biggest red flags for investors
There are many red flags to provide warnings when buying shares but one that even the most unsophisticated investor can watch out for is a company's directors or senior management selling shares.
Art boom points to the end of a cycle
The week's haul at Christie's and Sotheby's screams late-cycle liquidity, recalling Japan's impressionist fever in the late Eighties before the Nikkei collapsed and the bottom fell out of the art market.
Labor plans further blow to Treasury power
It's a process that's gone on for so long few people have noticed it: the waning influence of the once-mighty federal Treasury.
Blockchain will change finance forever
Financial services firms are actively exploring how they can use blockchain to save costs and remove the existential threat it poses.
Why universities should never get to set their own fees
The assumption that market forces would prevent unis from abusing their freedom to set fees as they chose was extraordinarily naive.
Netflix the new king: Predators circle Murdoch in US consolidation frenzy
With Rupert Murdoch looking like a willing seller of Fox assets, it's difficult to believe a deal won't be done.
Immigration: Where one plus one makes more than two
Simplistic views of complex issues don't deliver the full story. What the critics of Australia's immigration policy miss is that one plus one can add up to more than two.
Nothing will kill Christmas like fear of an election
We are on the verge of ruining our economy and even worse than that, ruining Christmas.
Good for business: The corporate crusade for same-sex marriage
At last the Australian community can take a moment to feel warm and positive about business leadership. Large corporations, usually pilloried by customers and staff, have demonstrated they are capable of being a force for good.
Enough of the stuff: Tax break could fix affliction
We complain about the cost of it but most Australians are living more prosperous, even opulent lives than any generation before us. The problem is we can only continue living the high life for so long.
Come on, admit it - business is booming
It might be hard to get corporates to admit it, but business conditions are actually booming.
Australians align their hip pocket with their values
The top three issues Australians want to avoid investing in are animal cruelty, human rights violations and pornography.
Australia: a nation of cash-poor millionaires
The average Australian household now has more than a million dollars in net wealth. The trouble is we are becoming increasingly cash poor.
'Massive bubble': Global credit market flashes early warning alert
The shake-out in the US junk bond market last week had an ominous feel for traders and may finally mark the top of the post-Lehman boom in corporate credit.
Economists are giving up on smaller government
The Productivity Commission's search for "a new policy model" for reform offers better prospects for finally getting the budget under control.
Executive Style
Why did we suddenly fall in love with this 2000 year old game?
An urban take on the traditionally conservative sport has opened a new world of style.
Common gift-giving mistakes you're probably making
Thought you could roll up to that function with an unwrapped bottle? Think again.
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Small Business
Australia needs affordable loans for small business
We need a means to help energetic, clever young people acquire or grow a successful small business if they don't have bricks-and-mortar security.
Lessons from the 'yes' campaign: How not to annoy customers with SMS
Automated SMS messages may have worked for the marriage equality campaign, but it's probably a device you don't want to use for your business.
Essential Guides
Building a trading & investment plan
A free independent guide from SMH with expert information.
Investing in Property through Self-managed Super
A free independent guide from SMH with expert information.