business
-
G20 summit: fast-track business lanes for Australians at HeathrowUp to 75,000 business people who regularly travel to the UK are to be given new rights to speed their transit through London -
-
US wealth inequality - top 0.1% worth as much as the bottom 90%Not since the Great Depression has wealth inequality in the US been so acute, new in-depth study finds -
G20 leaders to meet in Australia under pressure to prove group’s relevanceBrisbane’s to-do list is clear: action on tax avoidance, free trade etc. What is unclear is whether the talks will make any difference -
Qantas to supersize inflight meals to attract more economy passengersAustralia’s national carrier to increase meal size by 50% and offer boxset TV specials as part of move to secure profits
-
Gail Kelly retires as chief executive of Westpac bankKelly will step down on 1 February, to be replaced by Brian Hartzer
-
-
Luxembourg tax leaks put pressure on G20 leaders to act on loopholesLabor’s Sam Dastyari says a Senate inquiry will look into the claims large companies operating in Australia are avoiding tax
-
iPhone 6 and home improvements give retail its biggest boost in 19 monthsSeptember figures show a surprise 1.2% monthly rise, influenced mainly by electronics spending, ABS figures reveal
-
Westpac lifts profits to $7.6bn thanks to strong lending and deposits growthChief executive Gail Kelly says home loans helped boost earnings and similar increases are expected in 2015
-
National Australia Bank flags sell-off of Yorkshire and Clydesdale banksMelbourne-based bank determined to deal with low-returning assets that have been eating into its profits
-
US banks vow not to fund Great Barrier Reef coal port, say activistsBig lenders have closed off finance to Abbot’s Point, says US environment group Rainforest Action Network
-
Live export industry sues government over Indonesian cattle trade suspensionCompensation action is in response to the temporary ban of Australian exports in 2011 following release of footage of cattle being mistreated in Indonesian abattoirs
-
Trans-Pacific Partnership taking shape behind closed doors, Andrew Robb saysAustralia’s trade minister says the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal should be concluded by the year’s end
-
Qantas on track to deliver first-half profit, says Alan JoyceShares rise as the airline’s $2bn cost-cutting program takes effect and a lower Australian dollar and oil price create a ‘more benign operating environment’
-
BHP Billiton boss rejects WA premier's claims of 'flawed' iron ore strategyAndrew Mackenzie says Colin Barnett is ‘completely wrong’ to suggest miner is trying to manage the commodity’s world price
-
Climate activists warn BHP Billiton shareholders of coal's profit riskA former chairman of the Australian Coal Association will tell the resource company’s AGM climate change could destroy profits
opinion and analysis
-
China Australia free trade agreement: what's on the table and who will benefitTony Abbott says service industries – tourism, finance, education, law and accounting – will be big winners, but critics warn against rushing to a deal
-
-
The return of the US dollarMohamed El-Erian: The resurgence of the US currency could be the first promising step in steering the world economy away from crisis
-
David Cameron warns of more cuts – (many, many more, adds IFS)Institute for Fiscal Studies attacks PM’s accounting for including future cuts and says that by time of general election austerity plan will be less than 50% finished
-
The transition from the mining boom is occurring at the same time the baby boomers are transitioning to retirement. We have a smaller percentage of the population working than in the pastIf you thought Australia's economy was just barely chugging along – you were right
-
-
Plan to improve mobile coverage could lead to increase in surveilance warrantsSajid Javid’s campaign may be controversial, but government must close up signal ‘not-spots’ in rural areas
-
The spectre over HSBCThe ‘significant items’ line in the HSBC profit and loss account will remain significant for some time yet
-
The Fed has quietly ended its stimulus. Now the hard work really beginsHeidi Moore: The Federal Reserve has spent six years and over $3tn buying up bonds to save the economy. Now it has to figure out how to sell it all back without creating a panic
-
Quantitative easing: giving cash to the public would have been more effectiveThe impact of quantitative easing was blunted by unconventional monetary policies and conservative fiscal policies
-
Lloyds job cuts show the technology axe still swings for white collar workersAs the bank seeks to shrink by another 9,000 jobs, the case is clearer than ever for action to improve the UK’s skills levels
-
The stress isn’t over yet: talk of a return to normal banking is misplacedLarry Elliott: While the initial response to European Central Bank’s stress tests has been positive, there are good reasons to be wary
-
UK GDP: what the economists sayEconomic growth slowed to 0.7% in the third quarter from 0.9% in the second. Growth was broad-based across all major sectors. Here is the view from the experts
-
SuperGroup chief becomes ‘founder’. What an odd job titleNils Pratley: ‘Founder’ Julian Dunkerton steps aside for Euan Sutherland. While the newcomer’s CV impresses, his attire is questionable
-
Europe can learn from the US and make each state liable for its own debtHans-Werner Sinn: The eurozone should emulate the US approach in maintaining stability in a monetary union
-
Government borrowing: self-employed can’t ride to Osborne’s rescuePhillip Inman: A bigger economy was supposed to mean profitable firms paying more tax. And more employment was supposed to push up income tax receipts
-
Government borrowing rises: what the economists sayThe UK’s public finances deteriorated further in September, putting the chancellor further off course in his deficit reduction plans
-
Why the decision on interest rates is held between the agony and ecstasyLarry Elliott: Upbeat figures on growth, unemployment and inflation are cancelled out by what’s happening to real wage growth, productivity and real interest rates
-
Research suggests that a sizeable proportion of people working on a freelancers and casual basis are doing so out of choiceThe casualisation of Australia’s workforce is nothing to panic about
-
Oil prices: winners, losers and political uncertaintyImporters and producers will be significantly impacted, business costs will fall and consumers’ incomes will stretch further
-
Tesco and Sainsbury’s may need to raise cash to fight price warNils Pratley: Profitability means supermarkets could go cap in hand to shareholders to get fresh finance
features
-
Banks pay out £166bn over six years: a history of banking misdeeds and finesFrom Libor rigging and sanction busting to forex manipulation, a look back at the global banking industry’s offences and penalties
-
How ColaLife learned to think outside the crateThe award-winning charity used to distribute medicines packaged with Coke bottles to remote rural areas, but it had to adapt and move on as it became more successful
-
Ireland insists it can still be hi-tech hub despite axing ‘double Irish’ loopholePoliticians at Dublin’s Web Summit downplayed the impact of scrapping the controversial measure, despite criticism from a former Apple boss suggesting the country would lose its competitive edge, writes Henry McDonald
-
Carrots to Kalashnikovs: the dangers faced by oil workers abroadWith full oil exploration returning in areas threatened by Isis such as Iraq and Kurdistan, a veteran oil worker talks to Rupert Neate about the risks
-
How to invest in an exuberant stock market without being taken for a foolThe stock market keeps hitting record highs. But be cautious: things are probably going to change
-
Gillian Drakeford: ‘Getting a Pax wardrobe home is not the easiest thing’Ikea UK country retail manager on internet expansion and Britain’s love-hate relationship with company’s flatpack furniture
-
The windowless plane set for take-off in a decadeUK developer working on replacing heavy aircraft windows with uber-light smartscreen panels to cut fuel consumption and slash air fares
-
Big Macs go cold as young Americans drop McDonald’s for tastier rivalsThe burger chain is facing problems abroad, but nothing as serious as the year-long decline in its huge home market, writes Jennifer Rankin
-
Digital revolution presents banks with more change in 10 years than last 200Jill Treanor: banks preparing to reveal third-quarter results are struggling to deal with the internet age, with scrutiny and regulation growing tighter
-
Tesco boss surveys a world of trouble from Dublin to BangkokDave Lewis has launched an accounting probe in the UK. Now he will tour his global empire, where the news is little better
-
Dawn of the Dacia: how Romania’s no-thrills car maker raced aheadOnce the butt of car jokes, demand for cheap, reliable vehicles have helped Dacia become Europe’s fastest-growing brand
-
The moral economy of debtRobert Skidelsky: While the creditor-debtor conflict has always been the stuff of politics, that relationship embodies no iron law of morality
-
Candy brothers: ‘One day they were likely lads, then they were everywhere’Property tycoons who delight in showing off their wealth are the biggest ambassadors of their brand – opulence
-
Xeros bead washing machine system set to save water and energy in the homeAfter launch to laundries and hotels, technology using tiny nylon beads and 80% less water planned for US domestic market
-
Low oil price means high anxiety for Opec as US flexes its musclesTerry Macalister: Motorists, airlines and industry are enjoying low energy costs, the US is relishing its reduced reliance on the Middle East – and Opec is wondering how to reassert its authority
-
What kind of ‘war games’ is George Osborne playing in Washington?The UK chancellor is joining the US treasury’s Jack Lew and other finance bosses to take part in a simulated banking crisis, designed to test our preparedness for another crash. But can there be any winners in this game?
-
The innovators: remineralisation takes the pain out of tooth decayNew method means teeth are able to repair themselves in the same amount of time as a normal filling takes
-
Financial storm clouds cast a deep shadow over IMF summitLarry Elliott: markets are diving, Germany and the eurozone are weak and there is alarm over Ebola and a potential banking bubble, so the themes were sombre when the IMF and World Bank met in Washington last week
-
The Forties oil field is 50, but there are no happy returns in the North Sea nowTerry Macalister: The UK offshore area is no longer the draw it was when BP struck oil in the 1970s
-
Richard Branson’s domestic airline dream dies, but BA rivalry lives onVirgin Atlantic lost a skirmish at home, but the war with British Airways over the Atlantic continues, writes Gwyn Topham
people
-
Gillian Drakeford: ‘Getting a Pax wardrobe home is not the easiest thing’Ikea UK country retail manager on internet expansion and Britain’s love-hate relationship with company’s flatpack furniture
-
Profile: Christopher Viehbacher, the ‘smiling killer’Turbulent six-year reign of first non-French CEO st Sanofi listed, France’s second biggest company, ended in sacking
-
-
Candy brothers: ‘One day they were likely lads, then they were everywhere’Property tycoons who delight in showing off their wealth are the biggest ambassadors of their brand – opulence
-
Blue Apron: teaching career workers how to cook dinnerMatt Salzberg, co-founder of Blue Apron, talks about the joys of cooking even when no one seems to have the time any more
-
Bank of England’s chief economist struggles with stance on Britain’s prospectsAndy Haldane’s admission that he was gloomier about the economy surprised the markets, but he insists the UK is doing well in some respects, writes Katie Allen
-
-
Bill Gross: ‘bond king’ who learned risk at Vegas blackjack tablesWorld renowned investor who has left the $2tn firm he set up for rival spent four months learning to beat the system in casinos
-
Jack Ma profile – Alibaba's powerful but humble billionaireJack Ma's Alibaba Group helped transform Chinese commerce; he is China's richest man and a hero to budding entrepreneurs
-
Harriet Green interview: 'Thomas Cook was not well'
The chief executive credited with turning round the 173-year-old travel company is upbeat despite a recent fall in the share price
-
For foreign tech entrepreneurs, getting a visa to work in the US is a struggleSpanish-born Iñaki Berenguer, working on his second startup, warns: ‘In five, 10 years, the US will not be the leader any more’
-
Richard Branson: Never do anything that discredits the brand
The Virgin founder on the lessons of turning failure into success, the ice-bucket challenge and space travel. Interview by Alex Clark
-
IoD says putting good governance first means tough stance on excessive pay
Simon Walker argues boards and shareholders should be far more 'activist' in holding chief executives to account
-
Tesco's new chief executive Dave Lewis – profileThose who know him say that Lewis combines marketing and presentational skills with a strong grasp of the trading figures as well as international experience
-
New Tesco CEO Dave Lewis - profile
Tough task ahead for man once dubbed 'drastic Dave' at Unilever for turning around faltering brands
-
Jürgen Maier of Siemens: 'British productivity is catching Germany's'The 'march of the makers' is just starting, but the UK head of the German giant sees great hope for British manufacturing
-
Profile: Sir John PeaceCity grandee, who has left Experian as chairman, has run into controversy in recent years
-
Ronny Gottschlich: Lidl's boss hopes to go a long way in the British marketChampagne, fancy cheese and even lower prices are on the menu as the discounter takes on the big four grocers
-
Shire chairwoman Susan Kilsby: mergers expert now resists oneAmerican's area of expertise is coming up with strategies to defend against unwanted takeover bids like that from AbbVie
-
Be ready for interest rate rises, Bank of England insider warns mortgage payersMonetary policy committee external member signals end to ultra-cheap borrowing owing to stronger-than-expected growth
-
Meet Tesco's new bank manager: but he won't grill you at the branch… because they haven't got any. Benny Higgins has finally launched the supermarket bank's current account, but it is firmly app-based. Can it challenge the high street's big names, asks Jill Treanor
-
Miele boss explains how his two-family business has lasted four generationsUpmarket German appliance firm is still run by the great-grandsons of the original partners
Sydney’s house prices race up, but homeowners aren’t feeling any richer