EDITORS' PICKS
A political price for Telstra
Alan Kohler
It's now more than four months since Telstra and the NBN team formalised their terms of engagement and kicked off negotiations. But the two are now so far apart that only the government can resolve the problem.
Commissioning clarity
Alan Kohler
The government's decision to ban all commissions on financial products creates a system of financial advisers who have a clear fiduciary duty to their clients – a good decision that should have been made a decade ago.
A wake-up call for David Thodey
Robert Gottliebsen
Telstra shareholders may be in for another sickening battering because of a fundamental flaw in the company's operation. To fix it, CEO David Thodey should start listening to his army of customer service workers.
The banks must not let Greece fall
Robert Gottliebsen
If the banks leave Greece and Portugal to default on their loans, those who loaned them money will suffer enormous losses. We are dangerously close to another 'Lehman event'.
Macquarie reminted
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Macquarie Group's full-year result shows the Millionaires Factory is well on its way back. However, thanks to the financial crisis, the bank is now a very different creature to what it once was.
Banks after the bubble
Stephen Bartholomeusz
House prices would have to fall significantly before there was any material impact on banks' earnings, as ANZ's high-quality mortgage portfolio shows.
Beware the Henry tax trick
Karen Maley
It only makes sense to give punters a tax break on deposits if you're planning to hit them with a much bigger tax, say on super. And that's exactly what the Henry tax review is likely to do.
Europe feels the cold hand of debt
Karen Maley
Confidence in the eurozone is rapidly fading as Germany remains undecided on the joint EU and IMF bailout for Greece – a plan that now looks set to cost $US180 billion.
The BlackBerry-iPhone smack-down
Isabelle Oderberg
Research in Motion knows it's losing ground to Apple in the smartphone race, but the new BlackBerry operating system could change the game.
Nick Clegg isn't the Messiah...
Oliver Marc Hartwich
He's just a very likeable boy. So what made the UK electorate turn its gaze to a man, and a party, they have overlooked in previous elections?
Billions slipping through our fingers
Giles Parkinson
American corporate leaders are increasingly worried they're losing ground to China in the burgeoning clean-tech industries – so why aren't we?
Why Henry's review will be binned
Stephen Ellis
It is likely the Henry Review into the tax system will end up as a quickly-forgotten casualty of poor political timing, rather than a reform road-map.