Budget helped along by one-offs
The government's fiscal position is improving, but probably not at the pace the recent final budget outcome would suggest, economists say.
AMP axes SMSF lending
AMP was the last of the major providers to withdraw from the controversial sector amid falling property values and rising regulatory concerns.
Corporate titans back new listed fund
Australian corporate heavyweights including Magellan Financial Group's Hamish Douglass and Premier Investments' Solomon Lew are set to throw their support behind a new $500m listed investment company.
ASX steady as oil breaks $US80
Australian shares have rallied from a midday loss to close flat as crude oil rose over $US80 a barrel to a fresh four-year high.
CBA shares face Hayne fallout
Morgan Stanley and Citi are flagging the potential for double-digit falls for Commonwealth Bank shares if the Hayne inquiry proves to be harsher than expected.
China shows will to rebuild relationship with Australia
Beijing has signalled it is willing to rebuild its relationship with Australia under the Morrison government.
Breach reporting joke needs quick fix
Major banks take on average a staggering six years (2,179 days) to repay customers from the time breaches start. That can't be allowed to go on.
Lendlease stung by North East Link ruling
Smaller contractors have been given a boost by Victoria's Treasurer, who has forbidden Lendlease, John Holland and CIMIC teaming up for North East Link.
InvoCare goes regional in funeral business buy
Australia's biggest funerals company has been busy on the acquisition trail and is now increasingly scooping up regional businesses.
ASIC chairman blasts banks for failure to identify breaches
ASIC chairman James Shipton said it was taking banks too long to identify, report and repay customers for breaches that are costing consumers more than half a billion dollars.
Smaller lenders cut interest rates
Smaller lenders including AMP are jockeying for market share and increased profits by cutting variable rates for new borrowers and offering discounts to entice existing property buyers.
Aventus approves Blundy's $96m payday
Retail billionaire Brett Blundy will be $96 million richer after 72 per cent of Aventus securityholders voted in favour of acquiring the homemaker centre's manager for $143 million.
Why crude oil prices could hit $US100 a barrel
Crude oil prices are set to continue rising after the price of Brent crude broke $US80 a barrel on Monday, and forecasters are not ruling out the price topping $US100 a barrel.
Markets Live: Session ends flat
The S&P;/ASX 200 closes where it started - at 6186 points. Energy stocks outperformed, while the banks dragged.
Trade war could boost demand for Australian LNG
China says there is "huge potential" for Australia's liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry from its trade war with the US.
Emerging market rebound depends on China and India
The key to any rebound is China and India, two economies where the outlook has deteriorated in recent weeks.
UK funds may not see gold in mining tie-up
Mark Bristow, boss of Randgold, has promised disgruntled UK investors he will "pop by every three months [for] a cuddle". It will take more than that to neutralise vitriol over the miner's plan to quit the London market.
Opinion
Smart money steps up as banks step back
Scottish Pacific's takeover by private equity firm Affinity could be seen as further fallout from the simplification being forced on the banks by the royal commission.
How much is too much for bank returns?
Once open a time, ME Bank was called Australia's worst performing bank.These days, its low returns relative to the Big Four might be a virtue.
How did it come to this at your ABC?
When ABC chairman Justin Milne called Michelle Guthrie to a meeting at 9am Monday after months of tension with the board, she knew the news couldn't be good.
Prices key to year's biggest IPO
Gerry Spindler, the straight-shooting chief executive of IPO hopeful Coronado Coal, says this year's big coal deals should give investors confidence.
Abbott dismisses call for Indigenous day
Tony Abbott, who was picked by Scott Morrison to be the government's special envoy on Indigenous affairs, has rebuffed the Prime Minister's call for a new national day to honour Indigenous Australians.
Federal deficit slashed to $10.1b
The Coalition government says the 2018 financial year budget deficit shrank to $10.1 billion, almost half the $18.2 billion forecast in the May budget, and one third the original forecast.
ABC's acting MD: 'I'm inclusive'
The ABC's acting managing director David Anderson says senior staff were shocked by the decision to sack Michelle Guthrie but the board should not have to explain its deliberations.
9pc hit from franking credits plan: study
ANU economists estimate Labor's plan to scrap cash refunds was the equivalent of reducing superannuation balances by up to 9 per cent.
Aged care staffing ratios $5b hit
A union proposal to legislate staffing ratios in aged care to combat neglect could hit the industry with almost $5 billion in extra costs, a new analysis shows.
European banks seek lighter-touch regulation in the US
European banks and US senators are warning that America's banks face retaliation overseas if the lighter-touch regime promised to domestic lenders is not extended to foreign competitors.
Britain sets itself up to learn the hard way
With Brexit day approaching and the threat rising of a no-deal, the weakness of Britain's position is becoming ever clearer, writes the FT's Gideon Rachman.
Kavanaugh says he's not going anywhere
A defiant and sometimes emotional Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh said he "never sexually assaulted anyone", defending himself in a televised interview against allegations that threaten to unravel his confirmation.
Hard Brexit would disrupt skies and ports
Aviation services and road freight between Britain and the Continent could face major disruption if the UK crashes out of the European Union without a deal, Prime Minister Theresa May's government has warned.
Weight Watchers slims its name down
The company says the new logo - coupled with the tagline "Wellness that Works" - puts an emphasis on overall health and wellbeing.
Personal Finance
'The City of London's richest man' shares his tips
"From office cleaner to billionaire isn't bad, is it?" says 65-year-old entrepreneur Peter Cruddas, knowing what a rare story his is.
Why you should worry about rising US numbers
Globally-minded investors should pay less attention to Twitter and more to the symmetric manoeuverings in currency and government bond dominions.
There are signs of a looming US sharemarket correction
Anticipating the trigger for a market correction is a fraught practice. But there are two potential firestarters on the near horizon.
ABC boss fired for her 'style'
The ABC board was concerned that managing director Michelle Guthrie wasn't committed to an ambitious plan for the nation's television and radio heritage.
Have the corporate regulator appoint auditors: Deutsche Bank
Corporate regulators should appoint and monitor the work of auditors, the details of auditor work hours should be disclosed and audit tenures should be restricted to five years, according to a list of "radical ideas to improve audits" by a Deutsche Bank analyst.
Internal auditors demand more power
Internal auditors want the same power to obtain information as external auditors, and a guaranteed reporting line to the head of audit committees.
NYRB editor felled by publishing #MeToo essay
Ian Buruma wanted to open up the discussion about what to do with people who had behaved badly but were acquitted in court. It cost him his job.
Lifestyle
Raffles is getting a huge makeover
Singapore's Raffles Hotel is undergoing its first major makeover since 1989, courtesy of Champalimaud Design.
Most Viewed
David Rowe's cartoon
