Sharemarket regulation revamp passes Senate

THE timetable for the securities regulator taking over market supervision in Australia is running to schedule, with the passage of legislation through Federal Parliament.

Nab's $3.5bn Fund-raiser May Indicate Thaw In Credit Markets

AUSTRALIAN banks have rushed to take advantage of the Federal Government's funding guarantee, tapping markets ahead of European and US rivals to raise more than $37 billion over the past month.

Weekend Planner

Events * Maitland Markets Sunday, Pick up a last minute gift at the Christmas Fiesta-themed markets. 8am to 2pm.

Ask Noel

I've been watching my super balance fall $1000 a day and switched to cash, where it started to grow slightly. Everyone said switching to cash was the worst thing to do as it meant I'd miss the gains when the markets recover, so I switched back to the balanced growth option. Now the balance is falling again. Is there ever a time to switch to cash? If the markets are close to the bottom, is this option still better than cash?

Us Showing Lead Despite Jobs Gloom

US MARKETS have set a positive tone for Australian shares even though US employers cut 533,000 jobs last month, taking the unemployment rate to 6.7% - its highest in about 15 years.

Markets Recovery Falters

FEARS of a local recession have skittled a fledgling sharemarket recovery and unsettled investors, whipping up expectations of further interest rate cuts while the market awaits today's release of Australian economic growth figures.

Grain Giants Sow Seeds Of $2.3 Billion Merger

RIVAL grain operators AWB and ABB Grain are believed to have opened merger talks with an eye to creating a $2.3 billion giant dominating the nation's agriculture export markets.

Obama Picks Team To Revive Economy

US PRESIDENT-ELECT Barack Obama was to unveil his economic team overnight, opting for a seasoned hand with deep knowledge of financial markets, Timothy Geithner, to head the Treasury Department.

G20 The Key To Global Crisis: Bush

THE White House hopes this weekend's meeting of G20 leaders will yield a plan to further stabilise the world economy, as well as settling principles for work on more stable regulation of world financial markets.

Markets Panic On Recession Fears

GLOBAL sharemarkets are gripped with fresh panic amid official predictions the world's advanced economies are sliding towards their first year-long recession since World War II.

Twilight Zone

Markets by moonlight at the rocks has some hot acts. Erik Jensen reports.

Markets Reverse On Us Result

THE election win of US president-elect Barack Obama has boosted the US dollar. But economists are sceptical about whether the Democrats' victory will influence the markets.

Stocks Jump As Lending Rates Settle Down

AN EASING in credit markets and expectations of further interest rate cuts in key economies have boosted investor sentiment.

In Short Nonfiction

THE NEW PARADIGM FOR FINANCIAL MARKETS

Rba Races To Rescue Sick Dollar

THE Reserve Bank was preparing to intervene in foreign currency markets overnight in a bid to support the ailing Australian dollar as it threatened to crash below 60 US cents to a new five-year low.

World Wallops Aussie Dollar

GLOBAL financial markets have singled out the Australian dollar for special punishment. Over the weekend the local currency was subjected to its biggest sell-off since it was floated in 1983.

A Need For Speed On Fee

IN HIS now famous leaked advice to the Treasury, Glenn Stevens wrote: "I think we need get something out to the markets soon." Spot on, Glenn.

Asx Benchmark Drops 4.4% As Asian Markets Hit Four-year Low

ASIAN markets surrendered to global sentiment, reaching their lowest in four years before reports of yet another US bail-out plan.

Letters

Unrestrained markets are as noxious as unrestrained state socialist regimes

Us Recession Casts Pall Over Markets

FEARS of a global economic downturn hampered investors as a top US banker confirmed that the US was indeed in recession.