Auction sales rise but 'beware the bounce'
While auction clearance rates have ticked up from last year, but overall volumes remain low.
Iron ore could surge on China's return
The spot price of iron ore is set to surge as Chinese traders return from the Lunar New Year break.
What Hayne means for your money
The banking royal commission isn't just about bank CEOs. Get set for changes to how you pay your financial planner, get a new mortgage and what you do with your super when you move jobs.
Builders push to curb CFMEU's power
Builders are urging state Liberal governments to set up watchdogs over fears of an "out-of-control" CFMEU if Bill Shorten is elected.
Why central bankers blinked
The wariness descending over leading central banks is a jarring contrast to the buoyant mood this time last year. What went wrong?
Stokes pays $740k for War Memorial event
Taxpayers paid $34,000 for a lavish launch, with the rest of the cost paid for by the Seven West chairman.
US-EU trade spat hangs over Aussie beef
The Trump administration's heavy pressure on the EU to cut a deal on their trade spat has Australian beef exporters worried.
Taylor attack on AGL 'unfair': investors
AGL investors are paying the price as the country's highest-profile utility tries to balance its profits with government pressure to cut power prices.
Coles joins BCA, signs supplier payments code
Newly listed supermarket giant Coles Group has cemented its position in the top end of town, announcing it will join the Business Council of Australia.
Henry's woes went beyond witness box
Ken Henry's royal commission appearance has cost him dearly, but NAB's cultural problems were the bigger issue.
Who is Philip Chronican?
Phil Chronican, veteran banker, All Blacks supporter, keen cyclist and acting NAB chief executive, demurred this week when asked if he wanted to be bank's chairman.
Australian contractors seek top projects
Locally owned contractors are fed up with seeing Australia's biggest projects being built by foreign-owned companies.
S&P; 500 edges up on late tech rally
US stocks ended virtually unchanged after a tech-led rally in the final minutes of trading salvaged the session.
German bunds still beat US Treasuries
German bunds a better bet than US Treasuries because the current cost to hedge currency risk is prohibitively expensive.
Goldman, critic agree on iron ore outlook
Iron ore prices are likely to remain elevated and volatile in the near term, according to Goldman Sachs.
$US posts best week in six months
Traders piled into the greenback in a safe-haven move on worries about a weakening global economy.
RBA worried by property 'uncertainty'
The RBA is becoming more anxious that an accelerating property market downturn could derail household spending and business investment just as risks from a global slowdown are on the rise.
Opinion
It's going to be a wild couple of weeks in Canberra
Managing expectations and perceptions, let alone actual information, can be particularly complicated when a federal election is looming.
Thorburn led from the front, with his chin
The NAB chief presented a different sort of leadership style, even if what he saw as his personal strength came back to bite him.
Labor’s $2.6 billion a year gift to banks
The biggest cost a bank incurs when selling home loans is the fees paid to mortgage brokers. Labor's policy of banning these payments will save the banks a fortune, writes Christopher Joye.
NAB must end 20 years of mistakes
The crisis of leadership at NAB, which saw the chairman Ken Henry and CEO Andrew Thorburn resign this week, ought to prompt the bank to learn the lessons of the past 20 years.
Bank bashing is now in vogue
Labor is keen to linger on the revelations of the Hayne royal commission, while the Coalition is betting we will all move on fairly quickly.
Banned billionaire Huang Xiangmo wants his money back
ASIO ordered the cancellation of Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo's residency in Australia because he was "amenable to conducting acts of foreign interference".
ALP accepts security briefing on medical evacuations bill
The government is itching for a fight on boat people but Labor may deny them one, after Bill Shorten agreed to accept a security briefing on Kerryn Phelps' medical evacuation bill.
Teacher turns on Labor over franking
A public hearing into the Labor party's plan to end dividend tax refunds descended into chaos on Friday amid claims the inquiry was a Liberal party "scam".
'Expect more bank bosses to go,' Pyne says
Defence Minister Christopher Pyne expects more banking CEOs to quit, saying the royal commission's evidence had been damning.
The progressive assault on Israel
What's unsettling is that the far-left's hostility is now being mainstreamed by the not-so-far left, writes Bret Stephens.
Trump, Kim to meet in Hanoi
President Donald Trump said his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be held in Hanoi.
Thai princess in running for PM
Thailand's Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya was named the prime ministerial candidate for a party linked to former premier Thaksin Shinawatra in one of the country's biggest political upheavals.
Bezos accuses National Enquirer of blackmail
Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos accused the National Enquirer and its publisher David Pecker of extortion and blackmail, stepping up a war of words with a confidant of US President Donald Trump.
Brexit vote faces more delay
British and EU officials will resume talks, likely delaying a parliamentary crunch vote until later in February - but Australian exporters are in need of certainty by next week..
Personal Finance
Labor’s $2.6 billion a year gift to banks
The biggest cost a bank incurs when selling home loans is the fees paid to mortgage brokers. Labor's policy of banning these payments will save the banks a fortune, writes Christopher Joye.
Why SMSFs need to prepare for unexpected
It's important to have an investment strategy that deals with events like the royal commission and possible changes to dividend imputation rules, writes John Wasiliev who answers your questions on superannuation.
Bargain basement loans reward borrowers
Falling fixed mortgage rates – and the likelihood that variable rates could soon follow – create new opportunities for borrowers considering the fastest, cheapest and most convenient way to pay down a loan.
Kerryn Phelps MP: the lady is not for turning
The independent MP for Wentworth doesn't like talking about herself, but she is confident her lifelong role as a change agent will help deliver more shock election outcomes, she tells Lunch with the AFR.
Ex-Deutsche trader pleads for no jail time
Andrew Donaldson has pleaded to be spared jail, arguing no one lost money because of him, and his personal and financial situation is dire after delays in prosecution.
No blokes allowed in this trainee plan
Australia's biggest defence exporter is loading its ranks with women to overcome a skills shortage in the shipbuilding industry.
All boardrooms must heed Hayne's message
I wonder why executives weren't traumatised so much earlier when they knew that they were overseeing business operations in which misconduct was an integral part, writes Graeme Samuel.
Lifestyle
Your face is about to end your privacy
Australia's ominously named Capability will create a national facial recognition system - but why do we need it?
