EDITOR'S PICKS

Three decades of banking rot
Cliona O'Dowd
The 1980s hailed a hedonistic decade of insider trading at investment banks, the 1990s were all about rogue trading, now we have rate rigging. At the root of all of these is a twisted culture of greed.
Will the new Don Chipp please stand up

Too fat to fail
Alan Kohler
Banks and governments grew too big as a result of easy debt and delusions of grandeur. Now, lashed together like cage fighters, they are railing against the new reality of a bear market that could have 10 years to run.

Will the new Don Chipp please stand up
Rob Burgess
The Greens' radical alternatives have given voters a chance to express rage at mainstream politics, but the party is making a serious error if it mistakes this for effective policy.

Resistance is futile
Michael Gawenda
With Bob Brown gone, Labor's relationship with the Greens was bound to come to grief. But given Labor's lack of moral and political capital, distancing itself from the Greens won't be enough against a relentless Tony Abbott.

Time for banks to pay the piper
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Downsizing US and UK banks would drive activity into the shadows, but there's a sense something needs to be done – and revulsion over salaries tied to excessive risk-taking is warranted.

A French bunker for European evacuees
Karen Maley
As France joins the club of European countries issuing debt at a negative interest rate, investors are flocking to these safe havens, deepening the market rift between northern and southern Europe.

Soft centres at Darrell Lea
Robert Gottliebsen
In an age of retail and manufacturing disruption Darrell Lea failed to keep up. But many of the ingredients for its recovery are part of the solution for other enterprises, and for Australia.

TECHNOLOGY SPECTATOR: Telstra's price point balancing act
Paul Budde
Telstra is trying convince consumers that its services are value for money but it shouldn't take today's price savvy consumers for granted.

Could Barclays tempt Mike Smith?
Stephen Bartholomeusz
It's easy to see why Mike Smith would be a forerunning candidate to replace Bob Diamond, but would Barclays be as good a fit for the ANZ chief?

Finding false safety in the Australian dollar
Timo Henckel
With export commodity prices slipping downwards, the Australian dollar will also retreat, and the impact on Australian monetary and fiscal policy will be minimal. It's worth remembering Australia is no safe haven.