Hayne plan: trust, credit, competition
Restoring public trust, ensuring the free flow of credit and maintaining competition are the principles that will guide the government's response to the banking royal commission, the Treasurer said.
ASIC may modify controversial spending measure
The corporate regulator is set to clarify how lenders should be meeting their responsible lending obligations, in a move that may entrench a modified version of the controversial HEM.
Fortescue vindicated, Twiggy now $2.3b richer
Fortescue chief Elizabeth Gaines, and her chairman Andrew Forrest, must be feeling vindicated. In Twiggy's case, to the tune of about $2.3 billion.
How Hayne galvanised a political class
Kenneth Hayne knew banker behaviour had barely been tempered by previous inquiries. He needed to tap into an emotional reaction.
'Two-finger salute to retirees' on franking
Bill Shorten says Labor is still the better party for seniors despite his intention to forge ahead with a policy to end tax refunds for self-funded retirees who pay no or little tax.
Why the shorts are circling NextDC
NextDC, which operates data centres, has divided the market. It is now among the sharemarket's top 10 most-shorted stocks.
Brokers' big bite from big four
Mortgage brokers have sliced net interest margins of the major banks by up to 20 per cent over the past decade through increasing competition and reducing costs, according to analysis by KPMG.
Super industry set for governance, wary of costs
The superannuation industry supports efforts to improve transparency for fund members as long as the Hayne recommendations don't weigh on costs.
How Optus will pick off NBN's patch
Optus chief executive Allen Lew says his company will exploit weaknesses in the NBN's multi-tech rollout with the launch of a new 5G fixed wireless plan.
Fortescue boosts shipments on higher grade product
Andrew Forrest's Fortescue Metals Group says it was right and the nay-sayers were wrong on the issue of heavy discounting for lits lower grade iron ore products.
Mecca, Sephora blamed as Napoleon Perdis collapses
An influx of international beauty brands contributed to the collapse of Napoleon Perdis, which has stepped up a search for buyers after appointing voluntary administrators.
Linfox to make 'real go' of Aurizon unit
About 15 per cent of Linfox's annual logistics revenues will be derived from rail-related services after buying Aurizon's intermodal business.
Lending void too big for non-banks to cover
Pepper Group says the major banks have relied too heavily on a systematic approach to writing home loans.
Wall St cheers as Fed 'party goes on'
Investors are cheering what looks with every day like a growing "Powell put". "The Fed has "refilled the punchbowl and the party goes on. Time to consider buying risk assets."
ASX in late retreat as banks slide
Australian shares ended a mostly positive session in the red, as losses for the banks overwhelmed strength in the mining and energy sectors.
Central bank gold-buying reaches half-century high
Central bank buying of gold reached its highest levels for almost half a century last year, as Russia, Turkey and Kazakhstan boosted purchases to shift their reserves away from the US dollar.
Fed gives markets what they want
The Fed meeting this week marked the formal end of the attempt by chairman Jerome Powell to lead markets rather than succumb to their will.
Opinion
Going after retirees is fraught
Dismissing retirees leaves Labor open to accusations of arrogance, which is dangerous when many others are just starting to switch on and are yet to make up their minds.
AI will decide if you get an interview
Sending off a CV is going the way of the Dodo. The new route for businesses trying to find out which job applicants to interview is via the use of artificial intelligence.
Putting Hayne into the right perspective
The royal commission's docu-drama approach was less useful in understanding the scale of the problem or what structural answers were needed.
Patience not a virtue for Powell
There are two possible conclusions to draw from the Federal Reserve's 180-degree turn, and neither of them is very comforting.
AG in waiting? Steady on, says Dreyfus
Mark Dreyfus says he will defend judges, stop 'jobs for mates' and appoint more women to the bench, but is wary of being tagged our next Attorney-General.
Local big four refuse to carve out audit work
The local arms of the big four consulting firms have rejected a move by the majority of their UK counterparts to stop providing non-audit services to their large listed clients.
'We have worked hard, we are not rich'
Self-funded retirees say they are being picked on by Bill Shorten over the ALP's decision to stop the refunding of franking credits on their share portfolios and they would take out their anger at the ballot box.
'Watershed': Miners back indigenous 'voice'
Cautious business leaders warn that a referendum for an indigenous voice to Parliament stands "buckley's chance" of success, unless further detail about the proposal are fleshed out and debated ahead of a national vote.
Is this Australia's defining moment for defamation law?
Australia could have new defamation laws within 18 months, with some hoping it could be a 'defining moment' for free speech.
Italy falls into recession as output shrinks
Italy fell into recession at the end of 2018, capping a year of political turmoil, higher borrowing costs and fiscal tensions that took their toll on the economy.
China fast tracks law to smooth trade talks
The US and China began two days of talks amid muted hopes for an agreement that would head off President Trump's planned March 2 tariff increase on Chinese goods.
Europeans douse Brexit hopes
As British PM Theresa May tries to leverage her rare parliamentary victory to revive her Brexit deal, EU leaders circle the wagons.
Venezuela's crisis has split the world, this map shows
Support for duelling presidents in Venezuela has broken along traditional lines as support splits between President Nicolas Maduro the National Assembly head Juan Guaido.
EU considers barring Chinese firms from 5G
The EU is considering proposals that would amount to a de-facto ban on Huawei for 5G mobile networks, four senior EU officials said.
Personal Finance
Brokers' big bite from big four
Mortgage brokers have sliced net interest margins of the major banks by up to 20 per cent over the past decade through increasing competition and reducing costs, according to analysis by KPMG.
Borrowers 'won't pay for brokers'
A report by Momentum Intelligence found 96.5 per cent of mortgage broking consumers wouldn't be willing to pay $2000 for the service – the fee equivalent to the average upfront commission currently paid by banks.
ING and BoQ raise borrowing rates again
Two of the nation's most popular banks for borrowers are increasing variable mortgage rates by up to 15 basis points in response to rising wholesale funding costs.
KPMG settles for Terry Snow's Constitution Place
Rich Lister Terry Snow has all but filled the $300 million Constitution Place project in Canberra after securing KPMG as a tenant.
AiGroup slams university bias in training
Tertiary policy is made on an ad hoc basis responding to short-term crises instead of managing all of post-school education as a single entity.
Most Innovative Companies list open for nominations
The search for Australia and New Zealand's most innovative companies is on again, with nominations for the eighth annual Most Innovative Companies list to close on March 18.
Melb Uni Press losing $1.25m a year
Melbourne University says its wholly owned subsidiary Melbourne University Press was costing it $1.25 million a year and had run deficits for 15 years.
Lifestyle
Dior, Givenchy, Valentino enchant at Paris fashion week
At Paris Haute Couture, fashion houses seduced with fantastical designs that speak to a new world order.
The best of David Rowe's cartoons
