Insights

There are plenty of hedonistic highs in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street, but the important stories of disgraced stockbroker Jordan Belfort's victims remain untold.

CITIC Pacific executives played on China's fears of resource insecurity to justify the terrible performance of their Pilbara mine. It's an argument that does more harm than good to both China and Australia.

The recent surge in retail sales makes the outlook brighter for employment, but don't be surprised if it's just a temporary spike. Spending growth could slow to 2 per cent in 2014 as households become more, not less, cautious.

Choosing which asset is best for your portfolio is more crucial than ever as quantitative easing has made bubbles out of all markets. Grab the chance to change your strategy now while real interest rates (relative to inflation) remain high.

Saracen Mineral Holdings (SAR) is one of the few gold stocks trading higher this afternoon.

China's consumer price index rose 2.5 per cent in December.

Moody's downgrade of Qantas adds to the airline's woes amid an ongoing capacity war. Qantas' best defence is to convince Virgin that its tactics have no strategic value.

JP Morgan Chase has bought a stake in Chi-X Global Holdings.

Building approvals fell more than expected in November.

The Australian dollar lifted at noon.

Australian retail sales rose in November.

Super funds are pushing for governments to press ahead with asset sales.

At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 68.20 points.

An improving US job market convinced Federal Reserve officials to begin scaling back their bond-buying program.

Could an ambitious 1000 MW solar project in China's stark western region signify a resurgence for the global PV market - or will it fail the financing step?

Ratings agency Moody's has downgraded Qantas Airways Ltd's senior unsecured rating to junk.