EDITORS' PICKS

Babcock's lending lesson
Alan Kohler
In Europe, the banks have learned that it’s best to lend to the core and not the periphery, but in Australia’s biggest corporate collapse, Babcock & Brown, the lesson has been the opposite.

The huge bear raid on Australia
Robert Gottliebsen
Australian currency and share dealers are being hit by a wall of selling from European and Japanese investors. The government’s horrendous mining tax mistake is affecting the sovereign risk of Australia.

A broadside from Costello
Robert Gottliebsen
In the midst of a mining tax debate that could see investment in Australia savaged, the country has never had greater need of a political leader of the calibre of Peter Costello.

Super profit short-fall
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Local miners may have sufficient pricing power in some commodities to get their customers to share the pain of the resources rent tax in the short term. But the long-term outlook is a different story.

In praise of German shorts
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Germany's decision to ban naked short selling is short-sighted because speculative trading is generally a symptom of an underlying problem not a cause.

Europe's deflation trap
Karen Maley
With signs that prices are already falling in Portugal, Spain and Ireland, there are growing fears that political pressure is forcing the ECB into policies that only make things worse.

Labor's super snub
Karen Maley
The Rudd government's changes to Australia's super system bear almost no relationship to the recommendations derived from Ken Henry's exhaustive investigations.

Thai markets tell a different story
Sarah Danckert
Foreign observers would be forgiven for thinking Thailand's recent strong economic growth is over. Markets tell a different story.

The investment banking spell is broken
Mike Mangan
Investment bankers don't seem to understand just how many powerful people are no longer fooled by their rhetoric.