World
Australia stands up for WikiLeaks’ Assange
Australia’s ambassador to Sweden is seeking assurances that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be treated fairly should he be extradited from the UK to Scandinavian nation.
The big short meets the maestro
John Paulson, the hedge fund manager who made $US4 billion betting against mortgage investments, on Thursday night interviewed Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman.
Arabs nations remain on a knife-edge
Hundreds of thousands of protesters returned to Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday in a mass rally to mark the downfall of former president Hosni Mubarak.
Nasdaq, ICE consider making joint NYSE bid
With several big financial markets combining - not the least of which are NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Borse - some of the other exchanges are pondering a way to get a piece of the action.
Bernanke warns of money-flow imbalances
Imbalances in flows of money between nations could pose new threats to financial stability and the recovery if unchecked, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke told bankers in Paris on Friday.
Swan says floods to knock GDP this quarter
Devastating floods that hit large parts of Australia will knock about half a percentage point of GDP in the current quarter, Treasurer Wayne Swan said on Friday.
New chapter in the economic pecking order
An entire genre of books reached their symbolic read-by date this week when Japan’s annual GDP figure confirmed that its 38-year reign as the world’s second-largest economy had come to an end.
Obama’s missed reform opportunity
Alan Mitchell | Like presidents before him, Barack Obama has discovered what even a relatively modest economic upswing can do for an otherwise intractable budget problem.
Hollywood hits the road
The film-awards season has long been only loosely related to the film business. Hollywood is dedicated to the art of funnelling teenagers past popcorn stands, not art itself.
Indonesia’s dark side at odds with global visionn
A roaring economy and religious violence demonstrate the growing divide between Indonesia’s global aims and its problems at home.
Kim Jong-un rises to No. 2 in North Korea
At a time when dynastic rule is under attack in the Middle East, the heir apparent to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il has climbed to a senior position on the powerful National Defence Commission.
Baton change raises questions
Asia-Pacific observed | When a group of Japanese academics working on a review of the country’s defence policies sat down last year to punch a few numbers into a spreadsheet, they got quite a surprise.
Yawn, Wall Street advances again
Downtown | It’s great for the bulls but it is almost becoming boring as US stocks edged higher again on Friday.
New property price indices on the way
What China's papers are saying | China will release two new indices for home prices and change the survey’s methodology, the National Bureau of Statistics said, as the government faces pressure to control property prices.
World Indices
| S&P;/ASX 200 | 4,936.7 | - 1.7 | - 0.03% |
| ALL ORDINARIES | 5,026.1 | + 0.1 | + 0.00% |
| S&P;/ASX 100 | 4,014.9 | - 1.1 | - 0.03% |
| SMALL ORDS | 2,941.6 | - 1.3 | - 0.04% |
| Dow Jones Industrial | 12,391.25 | + 73.11 | + 0.59% |
| S&P 500 | 1,343.01 | + 2.58 | + 0.19% |
| NASDAQ | 2,833.95 | + 2.37 | + 0.08% |
| Wilshire 5000 | 14,193.72 | + 19.40 | + 0.14% |
| FTSE 100 | 6,082.99 | - 4.39 | - 0.07% |
| CAC 40 | 4,157.14 | + 4.83 | + 0.12% |
| SMI | 6,717.25 | + 10.78 | + 0.16% |
| DAX | 7,426.81 | + 21.30 | + 0.29% |
| HANG SENG INDEX | 23,595.24 | + 293.40 | + 1.26% |
| STRAIT TIME INDEX | 3,086.92 | + 4.09 | + 0.13% |
| Nikkei 225 | 10,842.80 | + 6.16 | + 0.06% |
| SSE COMPOSITE/d | 2,899.79 | - 27.17 | - 0.93% |
Industry Reports
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- Manufacturing
- Electricity, gas and Water Supply
- Construction
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- Retail Trade
- Accommodation, Cafes and Restaurants
- Transport and Storage
- Communication Services
- Finance and Insurance
- Property and Business Services
- Government Administration and Defence
- Education
- Health and Community Services
- Cultural and Recreational Services
- Personal and Other Service
Economy
The big short meets the maestro
John Paulson, the hedge fund manager who made $US4 billion betting against mortgage investments, on Thursday night interviewed Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman.
Nasdaq, ICE consider making joint NYSE bid
With several big financial markets combining - not the least of which are NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Borse - some of the other exchanges are pondering a way to get a piece of the action.
Environment
Australia welcomes end of Japan's whale hunt
The federal government has welcomed Japan's decision to halt its Antarctic whaling mission for the rest of the season.
Activists force Japan whaling halt
Japan will halt its Antarctic whaling mission for the rest of this season because of harassment by environmentalists on the high seas, farm and fisheries minister Michihiko Kano says.
Financial services industry
JPMorgan pays Dimon $US12m in stock
Bonus season has come to JPMorgan Chase, and Jamie Dimon, its chief executive, is getting restricted stock currently valued at $US12 million.
Bernanke says Fed has learned its lesson
The chairman of the Federal Reserve says the financial system is better off than it was two years ago, and that the central bank has learned the lessons of not providing rigorous enough oversight of banks.
Manufacturing
Holden goes electric
Peter Roberts | Australia’s automotive industry takes a giant leap into the future today with the announcement that GM Holden is to make a trial batch of all-electric Commodores.
Local outfits can meet navy’s sea-lift requirements
Defence Minister Stephen Smith said on February 16 that “all things are on the table” when it came to providing an interim sea-lift capability for the Australian Defence Force. Smith need look no further than two Australian manufacturers, Austal (Perth) and Incat (Hobart).
Politics
Australia stands up for WikiLeaks’ Assange
Australia’s ambassador to Sweden is seeking assurances that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be treated fairly should he be extradited from the UK to Scandinavian nation.
Arabs nations remain on a knife-edge
Hundreds of thousands of protesters returned to Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday in a mass rally to mark the downfall of former president Hosni Mubarak.