EDITORS' PICKS

Doing business in lawless China
Alan Kohler
Australian businesses should learn from the Stern Hu affair that the 'rule of law' in China is an ambition, not a reality – and that bribery must be practised according to China's rules.

Are commodities markets rigged?
Robert Gottliebsen
A London trader's allegation that the silver market is being manipulated raises important questions for regulators about what investment banks are up to elsewhere.

The RBA's property gamble
Robert Gottliebsen
Glenn Stevens has torn up the RBA rule book by appearing on day-time TV to warn Australians about the risks of leveraged property plays. Also at risk, however, is Stevens' reputation.

Balancing the market's Chi
Stephen Bartholomeusz
The introduction of new trading platforms into Australia brings with it as many potential positives as it does negatives, which is why the government is taking a softly-softly approach.

The weight of Rupert's walls
Stephen Bartholomeusz
The construction of rather crude pay-walls around two of Rupert Murdoch's UK papers is a risky experiment that should, at the prices proposed, decimate News Corp's online audience.

NAB's tough sell
Karen Maley
Boss Cameron Clyne is going to great lengths to convince Canberra that NAB's deal with AXA Asia Pacific will not stymie competition. But in an election year, that's a tough sell.

Is a second tsunami building?
Karen Maley
US share markets are flirting with 18-month highs, reclaiming ground not seen since the collapse of Lehman Brothers back in 2008 – despite warnings from some forecasters of a second wave of credit problems.

What did Hu expect?
John Lee
No court in China would dare contradict Premier Wen Jiabao's presumption of Hu's guilt.

Time to rethink China operations
Isabelle Oderberg
Companies operating in China must learn from the Stern Hu affair – get your business structures right, and staff won't be put in compromising situations.

Bringing cheap power to our shores
Giles Parkinson
Coastal wave power could provide twice the world's energy requirements. All it needs is to get off the ground, quite literally, is a commercially viable technology.

ASIC's CFD cop-out
Sarah Danckert
ASIC appears to be going soft on the regulation of over-the-counter contracts-for-difference, despite previously flagging restrictions at the retail level.