Insights

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has every reason to be deeply worried about the Holden decision. If the Abbott government is willing to let the car maker call time, what chance does Qantas have of gaining more than a tweaking of its foreign ownership constraints?

The great challenge, the poison chalice, the hospital pass. Call it what you like, the new head of the NBN, Bill Morrow, has just signed up for what will be one of the toughest corporate jobs in Australia.

Faced with a worsening budget deficit, the Queensland government has flagged the sale of a suite of assets in a bid to rein in debt levels.

The gloom enveloping the mining services sector wreaked havoc on the share price of Transfield Services on Thursday, amid concerns about a quick revival in the company's fortunes.

Colless secures Swans hat-trick

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.

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.

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.

Fund managers say the poor performance of Nine Entertainment since its initial public offering is reflective of a wave of overly expensive floats and waning demand for new stock.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has every reason to be deeply worried about the Holden decision. If the Abbott government is willing to let the car maker call time, what chance does Qantas have of gaining more than a tweaking of its foreign ownership constraints?

The great challenge, the poison chalice, the hospital pass. Call it what you like, the new head of the NBN, Bill Morrow, has just signed up for what will be one of the toughest corporate jobs in Australia.

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 fixed-line portion of the Coalition's version of the national broadband network could be upgraded to super-fast gigabit broadband speeds by 2030, according to the NBN strategic review tabled in Parliament on Thursday.

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.

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.