Environment an issue for federal voters
Global warming and the environment are line-ball with the economy as major issues for voters at the next federal election, new polling shows. Greenpeace commissioned the poll of more than 2000 voters, which also confirmed Labor is ahead 53 per cent to 47 on a two-party preferred basis, matching the past three Newspolls. Voters were…
Renault ends Ghosn era with Nissan-induced profits plunge
Retail spending by American consumers plunged unexpectedly during December’s key holiday shopping period, suffering its largest one-month drop in almost a decade, government data showed Thursday.While 2018 overall was a strong year and much of the decline was due to falling gasoline prices, the sudden frugality of the US consumer could weigh on estimates for…
Australia expected to miss inflation target
One of the leading indicators for inflation targets has suggested that Australia is nowhere near on track to hit targets for the current quarter as signs of a global market downturn continue. Analysts from Westpac, which is one of the most reputable sources for correct inflation predictions, are saying that Australia is going to be…
US stocks winning streak ends amid angst over trade
Wall Street’s four-session winning streak ended with a thud on Tuesday amid revived worries over US-China trade relations and a sense the January rally is fading.The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped finished down 1.2 percent at 24,404.48.The broad-based S&P 500 dropped 1.4 percent to 2,632.90, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index tumbled 1.9 percent to…
Petrol prices lift
Petrol prices lift; Lending falls; China slowsWeekly Petrol Prices; Lending finance; China dataPetrol: According to data from the Australian Institute of Petroleum, the national average price of unleaded petrol rose by 4.9 cents last week to 126.1 cents a litre.Lending finance: Total new lending commitments (housing, personal, commercial and lease finance) fell by 0.7 per…
Intel vet takes wheel of self-driving car startup Zoox
Intel vet Aicha Evans will lead self-driving car startup Zoox from next month, becoming a rare high-profile black chief executive in a Silicon Valley.The Senegal native will become head of Zoox, and a member of the startup’s board starting on February 26.‘I’m thrilled to join Zoox and challenge the status quo with an autonomous mobility…
Insolvency companies warn SMEs about alternative financing
As the major banks rein in their lending patterns because of the fallout from the Royal Commission inquiry, many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been looking for alternative ways to keep their businesses running. While there are plenty of new options available, regulators have not vetted them all in the same way, and now…
Climate change takes toll on French oyster farmers
Gulping down oysters has long been a favourite New Year’s Eve ritual for the French, but as winters get warmer and summers get drier many growers worry there will soon be fewer of the prized mollusks to go around.‘Twenty years ago, we’d be shivering in the warehouse while preparing the holiday orders. Today it’s 15…
New Taco Bell push to test Aussie appetite
Australia’s burgeoning burrito appetite is set to be tested in 2019 with New South Wales and the ACT set for a share of 60 new Taco Bell locations, adding to the Tex-Mex goliath’s single store in Brisbane. Dual-listed frachisee operator Restaurant Brands New Zealand announced on Tuesday it had reached agreement with Taco Bell’s Asian…
Power prices still concern BlueScope Steel
BlueScope Steel has flagged continuing concern over power prices and reliability following the failure of the federal government’s national energy guarantee. ‘We were disappointed that the Australian federal government chose not to proceed with the planned National Energy Guarantee,’ BlueScope managing director Mark Vassella told the steelmaker’s annual general meeting in Sydney on Friday. ‘We…
