Wesfarmers to spin off Coles in $19.4b sale
Conglomerate Wesfarmers has announced its plan to spin grocery giant Coles off into a separate ASX entity.
Coles' new CEO isn't afraid of change
The last time Steven Cain - the soon to be head of the ASX-listed spin-off- worked at Coles, he upset so many people he was fired.
What Shorten's tax plan means for investors
Labor leader Bill Shorten is certainly bold when it comes to assaulting the financial heartlands of Australian housing, equities and super, writes Christopher Joye.
Markets: Wesfarmers leads ASX gains
Australian shares are higher today with Wesfarmers' demerger plan for Coles giving the market a shot in the arm.
Lew's Premier profit jumps on pencils and PJs
Solomon Lew's Smiggle and Peter Alexander brands have posted strong double digit sales growth in the first half.
Goldman, Gresham on ticket for Wesfarmers' Coles demerger
Goldman Sachs and Gresham will oversee Wesfarmers' $19.5 billion spin-off of grocery giant Coles into a separate ASX entity.
Inside Lowy's $32b M&A; deal
How the deal happened: The inside story of how Westfield's Frank Lowy consummated the largest M&A; deal in Australian history.
'Easy money has gone' in lithium
Retail investors in the popular battery minerals sector have been warned they need to be much more choosy after a roller-coaster ride in some stock prices in recent years amid investment crazes for graphite, then lithium, then cobalt.
Shell in $US578m NZ exit
Oil major Royal Dutch Shell has finally brought the long-running process to sell its New Zealand oil and gas business to an end, striking a $US578 million deal with Austria's OMV.
Commissions came first at Aussie Home Loans
Brokers were more concerned about commissions flowing from suspect home loans than the welfare of its customers or the lenders who provided the loans.
Retail 'space race' must end: Citigroup
Retailers will struggle to generate sufficient same-store sales growth to offset rising costs unless new store growth slows.
Woolies, Wesfarmers to benefit from Toys 'R' Us demise
Department store chains Kmart, BIG W and Target and specialty toy retailers are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries of the collapse of Toys 'R' Us.
US borrowing costs spike raises alert
An important US funding market, including for Australian banks, is experiencing a spike in costs due to Trump tax cuts.
Is the bitcoin fad finally fading?
Suddenly, Bitcoin seems a bit boring as the great crypto craze cools, at least for now.
Why the 'Goldilocks' trade is not dead
Global growth is strong, inflation is going to stay low, and that means markets can remain buoyant this year, Oxford Economics' chief economist says.
ASX extends losing streak to three as banks fall
Australian shares fell for the third straight session as banks wilted under the spotlight of the Hayne inquiry.
Opinion
Foot soldier takes one for the big four
CBA's executive general manager of home buying, Daniel Huggins, has hinted at the dire consequences for anyone foolhardy enough to transgress the big four's omerta.
Batman, South Australia and #MeToo: context is all
From the weekend's elections to a personal drama in defence, sea changes are shaping public attitudes to everything.
Baby Boomers cry, but Labor is right on dividend tax
Australians are headed for a generational war between Baby Boomers who have ridden the booms and the rest of us seeking to keep a little more of our hard-earned money.
Why the 'Goldilocks' trade is not dead
Global growth is strong, inflation is going to stay low, and that means markets can remain buoyant this year, Oxford Economics' chief economist says.
Future Fund exempt from Labor tax plan
The Future Fund is to be exempted from Labor's plans to scrap dividend imputation refunds.
Widodo seeks deeper ties with Australia
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has sought to reassert his country's role as a regional leader saying Australia should join ASEAN.
Shorten flags help for low-income retirees
Low-income retirees caught by Labor's plan to scrap cash refunds could be compensated by other policies, like a lower deeming rate.
More changes needed for foreign influence laws
Better definitions of national security and the news media could be required in the government's espionage crackdown.
Batman's drift to the Greens muddied
It's hard to know how betting markets can accurately handicap a two-horse race in a single electorate where the tidal pull of the Greenward trend is buffeted by a mess of self-inflicted, negative cross-currents for both candidates
These are are the world's most expensive cities in 2018
This city remains the world's most expensive for the fifth consecutive year, with Paris, Zurich and Hong Kong following closely behind, but where does Sydney rank?
On the road with Jokowi
It's more than a year until Indonesian President Jokowi must seek re-election but he's using the power of incumbency to reach deep into his opposition's base.
China's electric cars race ahead with big Glencore deal
Glencore, the world's top cobalt producer, agreed to sell about a third of its output to Chinese supplier of battery chemicals GEM, in a three-year deal set to shake the car industry.
Mueller subpoenas Trump organisation
US special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has subpoenaed the Trump Organization to turn over documents, including some related to Russia, the New York Times reported.
Eye rolling and Dorothy Dixers in Beijing
Images of a scowling journalist provided a break in the boredom for many viewers of the National People's Congress, where the answers at press conferences, along with the votes by legislators, are carefully scripted.
Personal Finance
Property better than super say investors
More than half of all Australian real estate investors say an investment property is a better retirement strategy than superannuation.
Young super savers most fearful of market dips
Young savers are the most conservative group of investors because of their desire to protect what little they have, research shows.
Taxable income means nothing in this tax war
Treasury figures showing that abolishing cash refunds for franking credits will hurt low-income earners are misleading because they are based on taxable income and super isn't counted, experts say.
Peter Gordon's bullish move back into labour law
Lawyers are calling it "Slater + Gordon Mark II", but Peter Gordon insists it is its own firm, dialing back to the traditions of labour firms.
Politicians must expose flawed judicial system: Heydon
Former High Court judge Dyson Heydon has torn apart the decision of Victoria's court of appeal to reprimand ministers. Plus, his bench mate Hayne no longer on the fleet.
Lawyers mourn Bob Baxt, the man who brought them together
This week lawyers mourned the passing of a giant of the corporate law world after Bob Baxt.
International students essential to education
Internationalisation does not trump education.
Lifestyle
The film Peter Dutton won't want you to see
Human Flow is a relentless film about a relentless problem. Ai Weiwei takes us on a global tour of 23 countries, each with a refugee crisis that seems far from any solution.
David Rowe cartoon
