Insights

Wall Street was mixed overnight as positive retail data added to the growing expectation the Federal Reserve will soon taper its stimulus program.

Good retail numbers, soft jobs figures provide contrasting signals.

Virgin Australia gets some help from its major shareholders, while Transurban and AustralianSuper look to have joined forces in a bid for Queensland Motorways.

Last night's blow to the Aussie dollar gave some insight into what the Federal Reserve's tapering will bring. A lower currency is good for our miners but global investors are nervous, and our market will suffer.

The venture capital flowing to Flipboard shows the confidence investors have in media platforms, but it's still unclear if they actually provide any real benefit to content creators.

Vodafone's outgoing chief executive hopes running NBN Co will be harder than his current job, which he is leaving two-thirds of the way through a three-year turnaround strategy.

The boss of Australia's powerful competition regulator has fired back at supermarket giant Woolworths over its claims the watchdog hurried its investigation into a $500 million laundry detergent cartel, saying the retailer knew about the cartel allegations as far back as June and that due process was followed.

US energy major Chevron has raised the cost estimate for its huge Gorgon liquefied natural gas plant in Western Australia by a further $US2 billion ($2.2 billion), but worries remain in the market that a further increase beyond the revised $US54 billion is still possible.

A surprise jump in the number of full-time jobs has increased expectations the labour market is stabilising, even as the unemployment rate rises back to a four-year high.

The sharemarket fell for the sixth day in a row as offshore investors trimmed their portfolios before expectations a depreciating local currency will eat into their profits.

Kellogg's is axing 100 jobs in Australia as part of a plan to move a factory from NSW to Thailand. The US cereals company told workers at its Charmhaven factory on Thursday that they would be without a job by late 2014. Kellogg's is also closing a plant in Ontario, Canada, where it is shedding 550 jobs, as it looks to save cash and expand its business in Thailand.

Macquarie Group shareholders have backed a proposal to distribute its $1.3 billion stake in Sydney Airport to investors, severing a long relationship between the bank and the country's biggest airport.

A Federal Court has found the directors behind failed nursing home empire Prime Trust, including former federal health minister Michael Wooldridge, breached their corporate duties by overseeing a $33 million fee to the trust's founder.

Standard & Poor's has warned the QBE Group it might cut the insurer's credit rating if there is further worsening of the company's financial performance. The rating agency downgraded its outlook for QBE to "negative" on Thursday night after the company this week revealed its US business would drag it to a $US250 million ($274 million) loss this financial year.

Virgin Australia is putting up its hand to help in any evacuations of Australians from international trouble spots, challenging perceptions that rival Qantas is the airline to call on in times of need.

Colless secures Swans hat-trick