For our nation’s bankers, Australia really is the lucky country, writes Adam Schwab.
Commonwealth Bank
CBA petulant, Merrill flips the bird
Investment bank Merrill Lynch has slammed the Commonwealt after yesterday’s capital raising debacle, writes Glenn Dyer.
CBA capital raising dead and buried
It what could either be a stuff-up or sheer incompetence, the Commonwealth Bank has been forced to dump its latest $2 billion fund raising, writes Glenn Dyer.
Will brutal CommBank put Centro under on Monday?
Could Centro become Australia’s biggest corporate collapse? Stephen Mayne investigates.
CBA determined to please its CEO
The Commonwealth Bank has decided to align its internal benchmarks with chief executive Ralph Norris’ personal bonus scheme, writes Andrew Crook.
CBA rips off customers whilst devouring rivals
The Commonwealth Bank can afford to shell out $2.1 billion buying BankWest but the nation’s biggest home lender can’t pass on the full 100 basis point cut in official interest rates, writes Stephen Mayne.
Media briefs: White House plane detained, Phuket, let’s pun and more
China detains White House media plane: A charter airplane carrying the White House press corps was detained for nearly three hours Friday at Beijing’s international airport not long after President Bush arrived to attend the Olympic Games. The flight crew of the Northwest Airlines 747 had been expecting to park at a VIP terminal, but […]
CommBank the latest to slug borrowers
CommBank might have raised it rates again, but there is one tiny ray of good economic news on consumer confidence, writes Glenn Dyer.
Is there another banking merger on the horizon?
If Westpac is allowed to take over St George, there’s a chance of at least one more bank merger, writes
Is the Commonwealth Bank cashing in or crashing?
What are we to make of CBA’s latest announcement to the ASX, wonders Glenn Dyer.
CBA leads the way on mortgage hikes
The business media has allowed the Commonwealth Bank to get off lightly with its latest rate rise, writes Glenn Dyer.
Which bank spent $50 million on crappy ads then raised rates?
Commonwealth Bank paid about $50 million on a dud ad campaign. And they have the gall to raise rates, writes Jane Nethercote.
Centro highlights the problem of financial conglomerates
Australia’s insider trading laws ban directors and senior management from trading in stock when they are aware of market-sensitive information - and there is no specific carve-out for shares that are secured by margin loans, writes Stephen Mayne.
Sing Inc and CBA drop plenty as ABC Learning founders
Whilst it has not been widely recognised in the media, ABC Learning had a debt rollover scare in December that coincided with the disaster unfolding at Centro Properties Group. So, what saved the world’s biggest childcare company from the same fate of Centro? asks Stephen Mayne.
Will Wayne Swan protect the world’s most expensive banking system?
New Treasurer Wayne Swan was very keen not to frighten the banking horses during the election campaign, when his distanced himself from Peter Costello’s jawboning on interest rate rises, writes Stephen Mayne.
Qantas rivals the banks on fees
Qantas made a net profit after tax of $720 million for the year ended June 30 and I’m wondering how much of it came from fees, writes Razed.com.au’s Dan Lee.
The $50 billion debt pile that John Howard “eliminated”
With just three days to go, it’s all getting a bit depressing when it comes to public accounting and fiscal honesty. Is it too much to ask for some basic honesty in public accounting? asks Stephen Mayne.
Running a ruler over the banks: how they compare
With the 2007 reporting season now complete, how did the banks stack up?
Where does Janet Albrechtsen’s husband fit in?
Andrew Bolt joined Glenn Milne in the Costello camp three months ago, but it was the switch of The Australian’s Janet Albrechtsen last Friday which will go down in history as one of the most impactful columns of all time.
APEC watch: more dirt from Harbor City moles
Dog day afternoon … that Bush banner … talk about paranoia … APEC has currency … does my bomb look big in this? … the Bush leagues … keys to the city … APEC customer service … an AMP perspective … Bums for Bush … Apex says we’re not APEC! …
Costello twiddles his thumb as the bank cartel gouges away
We’ve all seen plenty of hypocrites in our time but Future Fund chairman David Murray whingeing about excessive fund manager fees to The Weekend Australian is one of the more brazen examples of chutzpah you’d ever come across.
Morning Market Report
The highlights and lowlights of this morning’s sharemarket activity.
Political chunks: Around the states
No serifs good! … Lambing dangling … Glutton for punishment … Persuasion on the pulp mill.
