Insights

A new book on neighbourhood politics in urban China helps explain how the dictates of Beijing trickle down to the local level.

The '3B creed' that drives our corporate clique -- the boat, the Beamer and the big house in Balmoral -- is in desperate need of an overhaul.

An Ecofys study has had a crack at levelising the true cost of energy across Europe, and has found wind is cheapest with solar and nuclear next.

Shadow Assistant Treasurer Andrew Leigh interviewed Gough Whitlam for his honours thesis on tariff reform. He says despite Whitlam's poor reputation in economic management, there was much to admire.

The risk for fossil fuels is now on the downside, with contraction more likely. Climate change has expanded from social cause to real and present investment headache.

Where traditional business intelligence presents historical data for manual analysis, adding real-time analysis of current events to the mix can deliver enormous benefits.

Commonwealth Bank's new CIO David Whiteing has some big shoes to fill and his biggest challenge isn't Google or PayPal.

Forty years on, Australian politicians must emulate Whitlam's vision and imagination if they are to manage competing interests in China and the US.

The next threat to Medibank: comparison websites, three reasons why Woolworths won't sell BIG W and the major roadblock holding back negative gearing reform.

The week in clean energy saw both green cars and green bonds expand their online presence, in China and the US respectively, while Vestas set a record for power produced by a turbine in a single day.

The Athena Capital high frequency trading scandal on the NASDAQ should remind Australian regulators to be on guard against market manipulation.

European markets surged on news that the ECB was mulling a plan to buy corporate bonds, while Wall Street also rose following strong corporate earnings.

Pro-democracy protests have been criticised by Hong Kong's business groups, but the consequences of pro-mainland governance will be much more profound.

Woolworths denies rumours of a Big W IPO, while Super A-Mart and Barbeques Galore are also reportedly lining up to list on the ASX.

A speech by RBA deputy governor Philip Lowe adds to two previous signals that the bank is likely to act on the over-inflated housing market.

The number of policyholders under the Medibank Private brand has shrunk. Only fractionally, but there are less Medibank Private policyholders today than two years ago. All of the growth is coming within Medibank's no frills insurance brand, ahm.