Insights

Once upon a time it seemed as if Britons would soon be buying everything from Tesco. But Aldi and Lidl have sparked an aggressive price war, and the incumbent's response has been shaky at best.

Falling unemployment pushes Wall Street to fresh highs in holiday-shortened session.

Commission-driven financial planning does not meet the needs of savers, who are turning to self-managed funds in droves. Banks that don't invest in what their customers want will soon realise their mistake.

The big four banks have found agile adversaries in the likes of Google, Alibaba and PayPal, which could challenge up to 30 per cent of their revenues. Big investments in IT will be needed to stay ahead of the competition.

Strong job gains in the US should see the unemployment rate fall below 6 per cent in coming months. If growth continues, the Fed will struggle to justify keeping rates down until well into 2015.

Despite weak economic conditions, the RBA appears worryingly unconcerned about Australia's high level of mortgage lending and the systemic risk it poses to the financial system.

Woolworths SA's bid for David Jones has cleared one ASIC hurdle but more may follow, while Mineral Resources backs down from its fight against the Aquila takeover.

Better-than-expected employment data sent Wall Street to fresh record highs, while the ECB kept rates at record lows.

Star fund manager Anthony Bolton believes China's rocky transition will lead to higher-quality growth and more investment opportunities.

Here's how the price of our visa compares to other rival programs.

New developments in Japan brings much-needed sunshine for Qantas' critical, disrupted Asian budget strategy. And in China there's now also a tempting fallback option for the airline.

Local market extends gains after RBA hints interest rates could fall if needed.

Foreign brands are starting to lose out to enterprising local brands in the Chinese market. If they don't adapt, they will become vulnerable in their home markets, too.

A fall in the value of retail sales suggests a sharp decline in household spending, with real GDP set to contract for the first time since March 2011. The RBA should seriously consider a rate cut to give consumers a boost.

Local market lifts after record highs on Wall St overnight despite CBA apology.

Opportunities abound for Australian banks and investment houses in Indonesia's fledgling pension system, which currently only covers 5 per cent of its workforce.