Money

Large US banks eye improving economy after rocky 2020

Large US banks reported Friday a mixed fourth quarter to conclude a turbulent year, but expressed optimism about 2021 thanks to the coronavirus vaccine and additional fiscal stimulus. But "we've got the vaccine coming, we've got fiscal stimulus and people have saved a lot of money," Dimon said on a conference call with reporters.

These are the top 10 fastest growing job searches in Australia, according to Gumtree

Gumtree has revealed the top 10 fastest growing job search terms on its platform. Topping the list are searches for waitressing, hospitality and retail.

Biden promises 100 federal vaccination centers by end of his first month in office

President-elect Joe Biden on Friday gives a speech in Wilmington, Del., about his plan to roll out COVID-19 vaccines.

WhatsApp delays data sharing change after backlash

WhatsApp on Friday postponed a data-sharing change as users concerned about privacy fled the Facebook-owned messaging service and flocked to rivals Telegram and Signal. - Privacy paramount - User privacy fears have been mounting, with Uber careful to stress that a change in app terms taking effect on January 18 has nothing to do with sharing data.

The number of properties for sale in Australia is beginning to dry up in every capital city but one, putting upward pressure on prices

Australian property listings have fallen dramatically in the new year, down 18% on the same time last year. Melbourne has proven the lone exception, with new listings surging 55% and total listings up 13%, versus a 17% average decline.

AstraZeneca PLC ADR outperforms competitors on strong trading day

Britishvolt in gigafactory tie-up with Siemens

The company will partner with German giant Siemens as it looks to start construction this summer on a 3,000-job 'gigafactory' on the site of a former Blyth Power Station.

New gel blaster laws due to kick off in Queensland as toy gun owners warned of harsher penalties

It is an offence in Queensland to carry an unconcealed gel blaster in public from February 1, with police urging owners of the toy guns to be fully aware of their responsibilities or face harsher penalties including jail time.

£1.4tn package from Biden and Harris stokes inflation fears

The interest yield on American 10-Year bonds climbed sharply to 1.138 per cent, its highest level since the start of the pandemic, after the president-elect unveiled a vast spending package.

Fair Work is taking cafe chain 85 Degrees to court over a fake internship program which allegedly underpaid foreign workers

Cafe chain 85 Degrees is being taken to court by the Fair Work Commission after allegedly underpaying workers almost $430,000 over a 12-month period.

Strong demand for home loans despite virus

Low interest rates and government housing stimulus measures resulted in a record jump in home loans in November.

Build Up Tassie program offers disadvantaged teens apprenticeship skills and a future

Cianna Fitzpatrick dreamt of being a "lady tradie". Thanks to a program offering disadvantaged teens apprenticeship opportunities, she's making it work.

U.S. Treasury starts distributing $15 billion in payroll aid to airlines

U.S. Treasury starts distributing $15 billion in payroll aid to airlines

Coal exports from Port of Newcastle strong despite China's ban on Australian coal

Despite China's ban on Australian coal, exports from Australia's busiest port of Newcastle have seen only a slight dip with a cold northern winter driving up global demand.

ASX ends little changed, slips for week

The ASX closed little changed despite an economic recovery plan in the US, while experts think December jobs figures will show Australia steadily recovering.

Objective flags 70 per cent H1 profit rise

Software group Objective Corporation has hit a record share price after flagging a 70 per cent rise in first-half net profit.

Reynolds joins revamped Supercars outfit

Supercars star David Reynolds has joined revamped team Kelly Grove Racing for the 2021 championship after his exit from Erebus Motorsport.

No CCTV for Qld hotel cluster probe

Queensland police have found at least two quarantine hotels are lacking CCTV cameras as they investigate a coronavirus cluster centred on a Brisbane hotel.

Relaxing China tariffs would help US economy, report says

Reducing tariffs on China by even a "moderate" amount would benefit the US economy, according to a study by a business council and an economics firm. The report released Thursday came as the United States awaits the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday, who is expected to detail his trade policy the following day. Commercial ties between Washington and Beijing deteriorated under outgoing president Donald Trump, who launched a...

BioNTech SE ADR underperforms Friday when compared to competitors

Fearful US consumers await Biden stimulus injection

President-elect Joe Biden's stimulus plan could spur hesitant US consumers to start spending again, analysts said Friday, amid reports of falling sales in December. "We expect consumers' spending to struggle until falling Covid cases allow restrictions to be eased, starting in March.

Fed to stick to super-easy policy amid economic 'lull'

Fed to stick to super-easy policy amid economic 'lull'

Super Pit mine merger approved with near full support creating world's eighth-biggest gold producer

Shareholders have approved a $16 billion merger between the co-owners of Kalgoorlie-Boulder's Super Pit gold mine, consolidating it under one owner for the first time since mining began there 128 years ago.

NRA files for chapter 11, plans move to Texas

The National Rifle Association said late Friday that it has filed for chapter 11 in a Texas bankruptcy court, saying the "restructuring plan" will help streamline its legal and financial affairs and ensure its "continued success." The organization also said it was leaving New York and going forward with plans to reincorporate in Texas. "The plan can be summed up quite simply: We are DUMPING New York, and we are pursuing plans to reincorporate...

More women becoming pilots but lack of seniority puts them at the back of the queue after coronavirus pandemic

More women are training to become pilots but those stood down during the coronavirus pandemic may be the last to get a call back when it is over.

'Not that good': Montreal restaurant's brutally honest menu pulls in the customers

In the cut-throat restaurant industry, most business owners boast that their dishes are the best in town. Feigang Fei, who runs Aunt Dai Chinese restaurant in Montreal, has taken a different approach, with a menu offering bracingly honest descriptions of the dishes on offer. “Comparing to our general tao chicken, this one is not THAT good,” reads the entry for orange beef. “Anyway, I am not a big fan of North American Chinese food and it’s your...

How UK taxpayers can avoid falling into the child benefit trap

Workers with children who earn close to £50,000 a year may unwittingly owe HM Revenue & Customs hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of pounds because of the high-income child benefit charge. Every year HMRC sends out thousands of letters to parents asking them whether they are liable to pay the charge – in 2019-20 it sent 73,000 and a similar number are expected in the current tax year. Those who do not have a reasonable excuse for not having...

Pfizer Inc. stock outperforms market despite losses on the day

ALEX BRUMMER: Economy needs boost to raise tax revenues

Chancellor should avoid a Covid measures cliff-edge on March 31st. The furlough scheme, the VAT break for hospitality and business rate relief should be extended to put the boosters under recovery.

Is pre-flight testing the magic bullet to stop COVID spreading in Australia?

Tennis player Tennys Sandgren, who tested positive for COVID-19 before boarding a flight to play in the Australian Open, has highlighted the confusion around pre-flight testing. So is it any use? Three experts spoke to Catherine Taylor.

Credit card firm Capital One fined for violating U.S. anti-money laundering law

Credit card firm Capital One fined for violating U.S. anti-money laundering law

Tesla Inc. stock falls Friday, underperforms market

Pfizer delays Jan. vaccine delivery to Bahrain: health ministry

JPMorgan Chase scores record profit, lowers reserves for bad loans

JPMorgan Chase reported Friday a jump in fourth-quarter profits on strength in investment banking and some consumer lending businesses as it released some reserves taken earlier in the pandemic. The profits included $1.9 billion in credit benefits, reflecting that the bank now expects fewer loan defaults compared with last year when coronavirus shutdowns prompted JPMorgan to set aside huge reserves in case of a much sharper economic downturn.

NSW eyes lighter COVID restrictions

The state needs higher daily testing numbers before rules can be eased, premier Gladys Berejiklian warned, after the state again recorded zero new local cases.

FTSE 100 drops to October levels as fears rise over Covid fallout

The FTSE 100 has recorded its worst week since late October amid investor concerns over the economic fallout from tougher lockdown measures around the world. The index of leading UK company shares ended the week down by 138 points compared with the previous week, a fall of about 2%, at 6,735, after official figures showed the British economy edged closer to a double-dip recession in November. After a strong start to the year, gaining by about 6%...

Biden recruits federal muscle for vaccine blitz

US President-elect Joe Biden announced Friday he would surge federal resources into making "thousands" of vaccine sites, while also deploying mobile clinics and expanding the public health workforce to accelerate the rollout of Covid-19 shots. Biden has also asked Congress to fund the expansion of the nation's public health workforce to 100,000 personnel, nearly triple the current number.

Vaccine passports: what are they and do they pose a danger to privacy?

Vaccine passports, which would allow people with immunity to Covid to prove they were at low risk of spreading the disease, are being investigated by companies and countries around the world. But the proposals have also raised fears among critics that they could underpin an oppressive digital ID system, and put sensitive medical records in the hands of authorities and employers. Despite the name, a vaccine passport is not a piece of paper;...

Ladbrokes's owner poised to appoint its first female boss

Jette Nygaard-Andersen, 52, is reportedly the front-runner to become Entain's chief executive after the firm was left reeling by the shock departure of Shay Segev.

RAY MASSEY gets behind wheel Ford's new electric Mustang

The Mustang Mach-E should be viewed as a completely new car, designed to take on Elon Musk's Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y SUV.

New push to cut light pollution and keep the skies dark in WA

Around the world, dark night skies filled with stars are increasingly being brightened by artificial light pollution. But now new housing developments could be forced to comply with a "dark sky" policy aimed at preserving the night sky for future generations.

Brazil company requests emergency use approval for Russian vaccine

Brazil company requests emergency use approval for Russian vaccine

GM to invest C$1 billion in Canada plant to manufacture electric vans

GM to invest C$1 billion in Canada plant to manufacture electric vans

Bitcoin ETF? A crypto Holy Grail. But don’t expect to see one soon, say experts

Bitcoin prices are on the rise, notwithstanding a recent bout of weakness, but experts interviewed by MarketWatch caution that although it may feel inevitable, an exchange-traded fund backed by digital-currency may not occur as quickly as enthusiasts might hope.

Should you keep using WhatsApp? Plus five tips to start the year with your digital privacy intact

If you use the popular messaging service WhatsApp you may have noticed a pop-up message in recent days asking you to accept the service’s new terms and conditions by 8 February in order to continue using it. The update has prompted calls for users to leave the popular messaging service in favour of alternatives such as Signal and Telegram. And on Friday a legal challenge on privacy grounds was filed against WhatsApp in India, the service’s...

Brazil soy firms commit to zero deforestation from 2020

Brazil soy firms commit to zero deforestation from 2020

Will Joe Biden's presidency give you bang for your buck?

UK investors have seldom been so bemused by US events, which are more far-fetched than movies on Netflix. But most investors will want exposure to the US at this inflection point in its history.

Spanish snow storm leads to UK salad shortage

January is a month when Britons turn to salads after the Christmas blowout. But now, on top of the disruption caused by Brexit and Covid, even the weather is conspiring against dieters by causing shortages in UK supermarkets. The supply of salad staples such as lettuce and tomatoes has been hit by Storm Filomena, the worst snowstorm to hit Spain in 50 years. It blanketed Madrid and the surrounding area and sent temperatures plummeting to record...

MARKET REPORT: Shares in Babcock plunge by one fifth

The Royal Navy supplier, which jointly built the UK's two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, said it had launched a review of its balance sheet and contract profitability.

Schools demand No 10 explain unauthorised use of rapid Covid tests

School leaders have demanded urgent clarity about the government’s flagship mass-testing strategy for schools after the UK’s medicines regulator said daily coronavirus testing should not be used as an alternative to self-isolation. Headteachers said they were alarmed after the Guardian revealed that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had not authorised the use of 30-minute lateral flow tests to allow students to...