Social media will never be the same
With 15 million Australians on Facebook, this weeks' data breach revelations is set to hit home. Now regulators are set to redefine the way data is owned, putting the power back in users' hands.
Home loan industry set for a shake-up
Bankers in the audience would have felt decidedly queasy as Rowena Orr ran through the long litany of serious breaches by the banks and mortgage brokers.
Trump's China trade war smashes markets
China's prompt retaliation after Donald Trump promised to slap taxes on $US60 billion ($78 billion) of Chinese goods caused a global share sell-off with fears that worse is to come.
The mid-cap stocks to focus on
Mid-cap companies that are operating in in-demand industries and have an expanding global presence are the ones to own.
Wall St drops on trade war clouds
Wall Street's losses accelerated into the close as investors showed increasing nervousness about the impact of a potential global trade war.
Inside the fight for a pot stock
A tussle for control of a small pot stock underscores the potential conflict of interest for small corporate advisers, which hold shareholdings and gain board seats with the companies they advise.
Hayne delays banking's AI nirvana
Has the banking royal commission killed off the fantasy of banks leveraging technology to cut costs and boost profits?
Who is to blame for NAB's Introducer Program?
Questions are expected to arise at the banking royal commission over executive responsibility for NAB's flawed Introducer program.
AGL's rivals eye market opportunity
EnergyAustralia has taken a lead among AGL Energy's competitors in showing appetite to snare part of the market opportunity opened up by the closure of the old Liddell coal generator.
Accent Group to take Platypus chain to Asia
Footwear retailer Accent Group plans to take its Platypus format overseas, starting in Singapore, with the help of shareholder Brett Blundy.
Deals in resources sector tipped to pick up pace
Mid-sized resources companies are likely to turn their eyes to acquisitions overseas to counter declining growth in Australia.
'Open' to find major banks in breach
Evidence gathered by the banking royal commission could allow commissioner Kenneth Hayne to find the major banks breached laws on numerous occasions.
China could ease buying of Treasuries
China's ambassador to the US wouldn't rule out the possibility of the Asian nation scaling back purchases of US Treasuries.
Seven small-cap aces from reporting season
Seven small-cap stocks that fund managers rated in the latest reporting season.
Mortgage rates could rise without the RBA
The RBA may be on hold, but Australian companies have already suffered the equivalent of a rate hike on their variable rate borrowing rates. Could households be next?
Trade war woes pummel ASX
Australian shares fell to deep losses at the end of the week after trade war worries rattled investors and wiped billions off the value of the sharemarket.
Opinion
Company tax war just starting
If the Coalition's company tax cut gets through the Senate, then Labor will make repeal the central issue of the election. Both sides will have a great deal at stake.
Social media and election planning at party HQ
As the two major parties get on a war footing ahead on next year's election, social media's power as a campaign tool is being factored in.
Mortgage rates could rise without the RBA
The RBA may be on hold, but Australian companies have already suffered the equivalent of a rate hike on their variable rate borrowing rates. Could households be next?
Is it the right time to buy mortgage investments?
Switching out of senior bonds and hybrids to invest in Australian residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) while house prices are falling is one of the more surprising recent trades, writes Christopher Joye.
Locked doors, tight lips in tax cut talks
Coalition senate leader Mathias Cormann is leading a full court press to win company tax cuts, with next week critical to success.
Why the NEG isn't ready for prime time
ESB chair Kerry Schott and vice-chair Clare Savage have got a few short weeks – straddling the Easter holidays – to get their "draft design" ready.
Business has bet each way with crossbenchers
CEOs target Nick Xenophon bloc of senators as insurance if Derryn Hinch's demands prove a bridge too far.
Fears industrial dispute could affect beer supplies in Qld
A long-running industrial dispute between brewer Lion Nathan and unions has lead to speculation Queensland's supplies of XXXX may be running low.
Budget deficit almost halved as revenue surges
The federal budget is almost $10 billion better off in just two months, furnishing the Turnbull government's income tax war chest.
Trump signs bill, avoids shutdown
President Donald Trump signed a $US1.3 trillion spending bill into law, avoiding a government shutdown that had suddenly become a possibility.
Trump's tariffs a dog's breakfast for US firms in China
Many US executives in China blame Trump, rather than Beijing, for the escalating trade tensions.
India's rocky road to capitalism
India is messy, but a mixture of reforms form the Modi government looks like putting it on a more sustainable path to development.
Another South Korean president bites the dust
South Korea has jailed its second former leader after ex-president Lee Myung-bak was arrested over corruption allegations.
Trump's risky China tariff negotiation
Trump's risky announcement of wide-ranging tariffs of up to 25 per cent against Chinese goods was laced with classic Trumpism.
Personal Finance
Time to cash in on some of your gains
This might well be an opportune time for SMSF pension members to diversify their portfolios, particularly where they achieved good returns on their growth assets.
Labor savings figures still don't add up for Ralston
Australia's model of taxing super contributions and earnings on super, while allowing retirees to withdraw their savings tax free is "crazy," says SMSF Association chair Deborah Ralston.
Beware outside mailboxes
Outside mailboxes can be stuffed full of unwanted flyers and emptied of their contents of any value.
The things Mathias Cormann won't talk about
Mathias Cormann is known for his Terminator-like discipline, but over lunch with the AFR there's one topic that gets him animated.
Facebook scandal shows academics behaving badly
Colleagues raised the alarm years ago about the data harvesting done by a Cambridge University researcher but a lack of regulation made ethical rulings difficult.
Dealing with mental illness in business
We are making some headway in reducing the stigma around depression but have a long way to when it comes to complex mental illness.
Ex-Macquarie banker to head CPA
Accounting body CPA Australia has appointed former Macquarie veteran Andrew Hunter as its new CEO nine months after firing Alex Malley.
Lifestyle
Arthur Miller's daughter on growing up with legends
Rebecca Miller's film about her father confronts the complicated legacy of the famous playwright who married Marilyn Monroe.
