EDITOR'S PICKS

Regulating Australia's $78 trillion casino
Robert Gottliebsen
Australia must move very carefully in how it attempts to regulate the OTC derivatives market. Huge sums are at stake.

'Swan for PM' is alarmingly logical
Rob Burgess
As Julia Gillard's insistence she'll lead Labor to the next election looks increasingly hollow, the advantages Wayne Swan would bring to the prime ministership are obvious.

Is Spain too big to bail?
Karen Maley
Madrid is reportedly mulling whether it should request a "bailout with flexible conditions”, since a classic bailout would be too expensive for the fourth largest country in the eurozone.

Payday looms for Germany - and Merkel
Oliver Marc Hartwich
Germany has been backed into a corner and now stands to lose big whether Greece exits or not, and no matter what tricks Angela Merkel tries. The question is: how much will it pay?

Set for a self-managed super explosion
Robert Gottliebsen
New research shows self-managed super funds are set to hold half of all super assets by the end of the decade. But different age groups have diverse needs not always understood by advisers.

Why we still need to talk about Kevin
Michael Gawenda
One way or another Kevin Rudd will get his revenge on those who robbed his manifest destiny. Either way, the Rudd cheer squad remains alive and continues to play a vital role in the destruction of the Gillard government.

Green leaves in Coles' fridge
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Like Woolworths, sales figures for Wesfarmers tell a creditable story. And the relative strength of both company's results may signal the very beginning of a wider retail recovery.

A superior kind of Fed stimulus
Steve Keen
As America delevers, traditional government stimulus won't be enough to propel a proper recovery. Instead, the Fed needs to inject money into the public's bank accounts – but with one condition.

Bowling to Rudd's visions of grandeur
Rob Burgess
An election annihilation of Julia Gillard would pave the way for Kevin Rudd to fulfil his dual ambition of leading Labor and returning the party to glory.

Corrected China resets for next chapter
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Beijing authorities appear to have arrested the nation's slowdown with stimulus measures still up their sleeve. It seems China will soon settle on a lower, but more sustainable, growth rate for the long term.

Forecasting a people-driven mining bust
Michael Barry
History tells us that mining is subject to boom/bust cycles, so it's no surprise to see predictions of a bust. But history also tells us commodity markets can be manipulated by consumers, and employers face challenges in creating mining workforces.

CLIMATE SPECTATOR: Carbon tax convincing
John Connor
A major report by The Climate Institute suggests Australians can still be swayed on the carbon tax. But with climate change concern waning, there's more work to do educating the public.

PRODUCTIVITY SPECTATOR: Nailing down the Bunnings customer
Jackson Hewett
Bunnings would be pleased with its last quarterly sales figures, but the hardware giant has plenty more to do fend off its rapidly expanding rival, Masters.