Crikey media wrap: The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to cut the cash rate by 0.25% to 4% today, putting pressure on banks to pass those savings onto its customers.
Business
Rinehart will lose, and take Fairfax with her
Is Gina Rinehart a media dilettante and not the threat that many suppose her to be? Or rather, is she a cheapskate and unwilling to stump up the sort of money (more than $1.7 billion) that would guarantee control of Fairfax by buying it outright?
Best ads from the Super Bowl
Millions are spent not just on the airtime but on the production of epic advertisements that screened today during half time of the US Super Bowl. Mumbrella wraps up the best of them.
Plenty of light in the doom-and-gloom retail figures
The headline fall of 0.1% in the seasonally adjusted value of retail sales for December got the “rate cut looms” mob back on the hunt this morning.
The impact of FOFA — industry claims brought undone
A new report shows how hysterical the financial planning industry has been in its opposition to reform.
Maley: how much recession can Greece take?
Investors again are being haunted with the prospect of a disorderly Greek debt default, as Greek political leaders dig in their heels and resist tough new austerity measures that are being demanded.
The cheapest capital city suburbs in Oz 
HBO injects $10 million into Quickflix
American television network HBO has invested $10 million in DVD and online rental business Quickflix, which will ramp up marketing efforts as its subscriber base grows beyond 100,000, reports Patrick Stafford.
The irresponsibility of ‘responsible investing’
Responsible Investing – despite what the appellation ‘responsible’ might suggest – is not about investing morally. Investors commonly view ethical concerns as a values-based distraction from the primary task of making money, writes NAJ Taylor.
Maley: a Greek writedown chain reaction?
Global equity markets have enjoyed the best start to the year since 1994, but their euphoric mood is about to be sorely tested.
aviation industry Qantas mixes oil surcharges and carbon pricing as agents continue doing deals
It is intriguing to see the media regurgitate announced Qantas surcharges for oil prices and carbon taxes when deals have made them irrelevant in terms of international flights, writes Ben Sandilands.
Bitter Rinehart feud goes public
Crikey media wrap: A bitter family dispute between mining-magnate-turned-media-mogul Gina Rinehart and three of her four children has become public after a supression order was lifted yesterday.
Can Zuckerberg keep his Facebook baby afloat?
Reading Mark Zuckerberg’s letter to investors in the Facebook prospectus, which was released this morning, you get the distinct impression that taking the business public is really the last thing he wants to do, given the choice.
Politicians and the awful reality of a strong dollar
For all her problems, Julia Gillard understands just how important the strong dollar will be not just for business but governments, write Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane.
Repealing a tax will ‘save’ $4b? Er, no, Tony Abbott
Tony Abbott is boasting of saving $4 billion, which will be long gone when he gets into office.
Mayne: now’s not the time for Rinehart to be be saying ‘look at me’
Journalists love nothing more than speculating about the future of media companies, so Gina Rinehart has created an avalanche of commentary with her high-profile raid on Fairfax Media.
AFL, NRL appeal likely, but Optus TV ruling the right call
Justice Rares in the Federal Court yesterday cut a large chunk out of the value of sports broadcasting rights in new media by ruling that Optus is allowed to offer its TV Now Service, writes Kimberlee Weatherall.
Residential property market continues to struggle
Despite the best attempts by housing bulls, banks and politicians to resuscitate the flailing residential property sector, the Australian market (Sydney excluded) continues to struggle
Farmers will attack the govt but not their supermarket giant customers
Farmers appear to have no qualms about attacking the government, but the raised fist turns into a cat’s paw when the time comes to criticise their largest customers, the retail giants, writes Matthew da Silva.
How Facebook makes billions of dollars
Facebook filed its long-awaited initial public offering noting it will seek to raise $5 billion for the float. But the IPO also reveals how Facebook made 3.71 billion in 2011.
Electoral funding figures show Labor’s donations collapse
Labor’s donations advantage vanished at the 2010 election, new data from the Australian Electoral Commission shows.
It’s a big if, but Gina Rinehart could set Fairfax agenda
There never has been, and is never likely to be, a rule that says someone who owns a company is not entitled to run it as she sees fit, within the limits of the law.
Rating agency drops Qantas to one notch above junk status
Despite having a huge percentage of the domestic market Qantas is bleeding away its reputation, market share and effectiveness in international air transport, writes Ben Sandilands.
Rinehart won’t find a Fairfax
megaphone
Gina Rinehart is likely to find investing in Fairfax Media a deeply frustrating experience, whether she’s trying to influence the newspapers or just make money.
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Tips and rumours
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Say goodbye to coal power stations
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Arts life after money: has the Australia Council ‘lost the plot’?
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Rio Tinto, BHP results cloud mining tax bottom line
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Nostalgianomics and the ongoing rewriting of economic history
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Today’s First Dog on the Moon
TOP STORIES
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All roads lead to Queensland
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Moving to one person rule
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Will constitutional recognition advance Australia fair?
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Power Shots: Murdoch chairs Ten … rich Kiwi eyes Tassie … gallery finds head …
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How the ‘resource curse’ eats at the heart of Bougainville
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Scottish independence: Salmond still swimming upstream
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Guilty confessions of an Australian republican
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Mills at Leveson … Textor’s tawdry tweet …
Crikey Says
POLITICS, THE UNIVERSE, ETC
MEDIA/ARTS/SPORT
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My Kitchen Rules rules
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Arts editor shits on theatre blogging, flame war ensues
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Latest circulation figures: read all about it … or not
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Euro progress boosts markets
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Statistics and damn lies: online job ads
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Maley: prepare for a US house price washout
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Play the ball instead of the woman or man
