Google sale left YouTube creators loaded

YouTube's creators walked away with hundreds of millions of dollars after the startup was bought by Google in 2006, according to released documents.

Retract report, Toyota tells TV network

Toyota has fired a missive to US television network ABC demanding it retract a report claiming Toyota's vehicles could speed up because of an electronics flaw.

Finance events - week ahead

Calendar of the main finance events.

What next for Google in China?

Two months after Google shook the world with its threat to leave China, there are increasing signs that an exit is imminent.

India lifts rates in surprise move

India's central bank on Friday unexpectedly raised interest rates from record-low levels for the first time since it began cutting in 2008, citing intensifying inflationary pressures and a steady economic recovery.

EU divided over Greek aid

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso urged EU member states on Friday to agree a standby aid package for Greece as he sought to take the initiative in dealing with Athens' debt crisis.

Euro slumps over Greek aid doubts

The euro fell on Friday over doubts Greece would win euro-zone aid, capping its worst week since January, and concerns about the UK economy hit sterling.

Samsung aims for double-digit sales growth in 2010

Samsung Electronics predicted a strong 2010 as economic expansion in advanced and large developing economies gains speed and said it is aiming for double-digit sales growth from last year’s record high.

China warns US not to politicise yuan debate

China urged the United States on Friday not to politicise a row over the value of its currency as it announced a top official would travel to Washington for talks on the issue and other trade disputes.

Greek worries weigh on European markets

The financial turmoil gripping Greece and the eurozone’s struggles to forge a common position on the crisis weighed on European stock markets on Friday, with most exchanges ending in negative territory.

Boeing ramps up production of jumbos

US aerospace giant Boeing says it will ramp up production of its 777 and 747-8 planes to support anticipated rising customer demand in a recovering airplane market.

Germany adopts budget with record debt

Germany’s parliament has approved a budget for 2010 with a record level of new borrowing, as Europe’s top economy seeks to bounce back from last year’s recession - its most severe in six decades.

Oil sinks as investors pile into greenback

Oil prices dived on Friday as the strengthening US currency dampened investor sentiment for dollar-priced crude.

Greece slams church with tax

Greece is cracking down on major cash transactions and will impose a high levy on the influential Orthodox church in a scramble to boost tax revenue in the face of a debt crisis.

Wall Street

US stocks drop as Greek debt worries return

The Dow Jones industrials snapped an eight-session winning streak on Friday, as renewed worries about Greece sparked a climb in the US dollar and weighed on US stocks.

Oil prices sink as US dollar strengthens

Oil prices dived on Friday as the strengthening US currency dampened investor sentiment for dollar-priced crude.

Germany adopts budget with record debt

Germany's parliament has approved a budget with a record level of new borrowing, as Europe's top economy seeks to bounce back from last year's recession.

Greece imposes high tax levy on Church

Greece is cracking down on major cash transactions and will impose a high levy on the Orthodox church in a scramble to boost tax revenue.

Boeing boosts production of 777s, 747-8s

Boeing says it will ramp up production of its 777 and 747-8 planes to support anticipated rising customer demand in a recovering airplane market.

Greeks sent packing in volte-face of historic proportions

Must Athens be crucified for ideology, until it too loses a government, asks Ambrose Evans-Pritchard.

Ian Verrender

Rio take note: there is courting and there is going to court

IAN VERRENDER Charming and disarming. Cold and calculating. Rio Tinto's upper echelon finally appears to have grasped the fundamentals of doing business in China after all these years.

Kate Lahey

Life in the fast lane too much for banker

KATE LAHEY With the legitimate bonus he received in 2008, the ambitious, young Macquarie Bank fund manager, known as Osy, splashed out on a Porsche 911.

There's only one Warren Buffett

MARCUS PADLEY I love "The Warren Buffett Way". In fact, one of my first clients introduced himself by saying: "I am Fred and I'd like to invest the Warren Buffett Way." Well whoopee do! What shall we do? Get the annual reports of the top 200 companies. Analyse the accounts of each, assess "value" and then go to the stock market and find out that "wow, I'm right and the whole market is wrong" and the share price is trading below true "value". Then purchase the shares and wait for that value to inevitably emerge.

Telstra says it has no broadband deal yet as rivals claim it holds assets to 'ransom'

ARI SHARP TELSTRA has said it is far from a deal with the federal government over its involvement in the national broadband network. This scotches earlier suggestions an agreement was imminent.

Spotlight on super transparency

ADELE FERGUSON Transparency is a big issue in a big industry.

Rio seals $13bn ore deal with Chinalco

MATHEW MURPHY Rio Tinto and Chinalco officially start repairing once-fractured relationship, announcing plans to partner in $US12 billion ($A13 billion) development of Simandou iron ore field in West Africa.

G-Biz

We lose when the grid keeps us using more

PADDY MANNING Expanding coal-fired power only entrenches our climate woes.

Communication breakdown as Telstra looks for a detour

MALCOLM MAIDEN The telco and the NBN Company are stuck at a roadblock.

Advantages for savers as banks fight for deposits to shore up funds

ROSS GITTINS Where banks get the money they lend has changed since the GFC.

Bill Express 'paid personal loans'

MARK HAWTHORNE Examination into $250 million collapse of Bill Express hears that public company's money was used to pay personal loans of directors, their business associates and family members.

Telstra, NBN Co hung up on price, can't make the connection

ARI SHARP Telstra says it is still some distance from a deal with the federal government over its involvement in the national broadband network.

Trio funds told to wind up

STUART WASHINGTON New South Wales Supreme Court judge orders winding up of Astarra Strategic Fund and four other Trio Capital funds, criticising funds' former managers and their use of offshore tax havens.

Amcor rejects hefty damages claim estimate

ELISABETH SEXTON Packaging customers of Amcor Ltd potentially suffered damages of $466 million during five years of alleged price-fixing cartel with Visy Industries, according to professor in law and economics from the University of California Berkeley.

Cyclone closes coal ports

BEN SHARPLES Queensland coal ports and rail lines closed while mineral producers brace for impact of tropical cyclone Ului as it bears down on north-east Australian coast.

ASIC talks with Storm collapse victims

ALISON BELL Corporate watchdog begins talks with victims of collapsed investment group Storm Financial to determine if commercial resolution can be reached for compensation.

Sydney passenger numbers take off

JORDAN CHONG Sydney Airport recorded double-digit increases in domestic and international passenger numbers in February, owner MAp Group says.

Helping the common man through a fees maze

LUCY BATTERSBY Government panel reviewing Australia's superannuation system under pressure to force super funds to improve fee disclosures and standardise system.

Fallen trader has run out of options

KATE LAHEY With the legitimate bonus he received in 2008, the ambitious, young Macquarie Bank fund manager known as ''Osy'' splashed out on a Porsche 911.

Metcash to close warehouses

ELI GREENBLAT Company says eight of its 20 Campbells Cash & Carry warehouses would be shut because of shifting industry dynamics and falling custom.

Petsec top bidder

Petsec Energy tells stock exchange its share price jump this week may be due to it being the highest bidder for eight lease blocks in Gulf of Mexico.

Fortescue upgrade

Fortescue Metals Group says it has found enough iron ore to justify $US3.2 billion ($A3.5 billion) development of its Solomon project in western Pilbara.

Endless potential

Property giant Lend Lease kicks along likely listing of Endless Solar Corporation on National Stock Exchange by agreeing to take up to 30 per cent stake.

Berlin backs off on Greek bailout, prefers IMF

MATTHEW SALTMARSH AND NELSON SCHWARTZ After weeks of backing a European rescue deal for financially troubled Greece, Germany now says that help should come from the International Monetary Fund.

Greenspan turnabout on banking regulation

SEWELL CHAN, WASHINGTON Alan Greenspan is taking a more expansive view of the state's role.

Sale of sex.com gets cold shower

CHARLES ARTHUR Tangled tale of ownership of sex.com - once thought to be the most valuable piece of internet virtual estate - takes another twist.

Ex-chairman arrested

Former chairman of one of the banks at the heart of Ireland's financial crisis arrested.

All eyes on Dai-Ichi

If things go according to plan, Japanese insurance group Dai-Ichi Mutual Life on April 1 will stage world's largest stockmarket debut since Visa's listing two years ago.

Toyota seeks apology

Toyota Motor Corporation asks ABC News in the US to retract and apologise for ''irresponsible'' report it aired suggesting electronics as cause of sudden acceleration in its cars.

The Markets

Trading thin but stocks up again

REBECCA LE MAY Sharemarket continues cautious climb higher, closing with small gain on thin trading volumes.

Buffett investment style has the market cornered

MARCUS PADLEY Exercising someone else's judgment is not hard, it's impossible

The bounty of performance rights and options

CHRISTOPHER WEBB Just one of the things that comes with building a company up from not much is a share ownership plan that bestows bounteous riches.

Gerard Lighting in $85m float bid

LUCY BATTERSBY Adelaide-based Gerard Lighting Group launches prospectus with Australian Securities Exchange for partial float of 80-year-old company.

Google sale left YouTube creators loaded

YouTube's creators walked away with hundreds of millions of dollars after the startup was bought by Google in 2006, according to released documents.

Retract report, Toyota tells TV network

Toyota has fired a missive to US television network ABC demanding it retract a report claiming Toyota's vehicles could speed up because of an electronics flaw.

Finance events - week ahead

Calendar of the main finance events.

What next for Google in China?

Two months after Google shook the world with its threat to leave China, there are increasing signs that an exit is imminent.

India lifts rates in surprise move

India's central bank on Friday unexpectedly raised interest rates from record-low levels for the first time since it began cutting in 2008, citing intensifying inflationary pressures and a steady economic recovery.

EU divided over Greek aid

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso urged EU member states on Friday to agree a standby aid package for Greece as he sought to take the initiative in dealing with Athens' debt crisis.

Euro slumps over Greek aid doubts

The euro fell on Friday over doubts Greece would win euro-zone aid, capping its worst week since January, and concerns about the UK economy hit sterling.

Samsung aims for double-digit sales growth in 2010

Samsung Electronics predicted a strong 2010 as economic expansion in advanced and large developing economies gains speed and said it is aiming for double-digit sales growth from last year’s record high.

China warns US not to politicise yuan debate

China urged the United States on Friday not to politicise a row over the value of its currency as it announced a top official would travel to Washington for talks on the issue and other trade disputes.

Greek worries weigh on European markets

The financial turmoil gripping Greece and the eurozone’s struggles to forge a common position on the crisis weighed on European stock markets on Friday, with most exchanges ending in negative territory.

Boeing ramps up production of jumbos

US aerospace giant Boeing says it will ramp up production of its 777 and 747-8 planes to support anticipated rising customer demand in a recovering airplane market.

Germany adopts budget with record debt

Germany’s parliament has approved a budget for 2010 with a record level of new borrowing, as Europe’s top economy seeks to bounce back from last year’s recession - its most severe in six decades.

Oil sinks as investors pile into greenback

Oil prices dived on Friday as the strengthening US currency dampened investor sentiment for dollar-priced crude.

Greece slams church with tax

Greece is cracking down on major cash transactions and will impose a high levy on the influential Orthodox church in a scramble to boost tax revenue in the face of a debt crisis.

Wall Street

US stocks drop as Greek debt worries return

The Dow Jones industrials snapped an eight-session winning streak on Friday, as renewed worries about Greece sparked a climb in the US dollar and weighed on US stocks.

Oil prices sink as US dollar strengthens

Oil prices dived on Friday as the strengthening US currency dampened investor sentiment for dollar-priced crude.

Germany adopts budget with record debt

Germany's parliament has approved a budget with a record level of new borrowing, as Europe's top economy seeks to bounce back from last year's recession.

Greece imposes high tax levy on Church

Greece is cracking down on major cash transactions and will impose a high levy on the Orthodox church in a scramble to boost tax revenue.

Boeing boosts production of 777s, 747-8s

Boeing says it will ramp up production of its 777 and 747-8 planes to support anticipated rising customer demand in a recovering airplane market.

Greeks sent packing in volte-face of historic proportions

Must Athens be crucified for ideology, until it too loses a government, asks Ambrose Evans-Pritchard.

Ian Verrender

Rio take note: there is courting and there is going to court

IAN VERRENDER Charming and disarming. Cold and calculating. Rio Tinto's upper echelon finally appears to have grasped the fundamentals of doing business in China after all these years.

Kate Lahey

Life in the fast lane too much for banker

KATE LAHEY With the legitimate bonus he received in 2008, the ambitious, young Macquarie Bank fund manager, known as Osy, splashed out on a Porsche 911.

There's only one Warren Buffett

MARCUS PADLEY I love "The Warren Buffett Way". In fact, one of my first clients introduced himself by saying: "I am Fred and I'd like to invest the Warren Buffett Way." Well whoopee do! What shall we do? Get the annual reports of the top 200 companies. Analyse the accounts of each, assess "value" and then go to the stock market and find out that "wow, I'm right and the whole market is wrong" and the share price is trading below true "value". Then purchase the shares and wait for that value to inevitably emerge.

Telstra says it has no broadband deal yet as rivals claim it holds assets to 'ransom'

ARI SHARP TELSTRA has said it is far from a deal with the federal government over its involvement in the national broadband network. This scotches earlier suggestions an agreement was imminent.

Spotlight on super transparency

ADELE FERGUSON Transparency is a big issue in a big industry.

Rio seals $13bn ore deal with Chinalco

MATHEW MURPHY Rio Tinto and Chinalco officially start repairing once-fractured relationship, announcing plans to partner in $US12 billion ($A13 billion) development of Simandou iron ore field in West Africa.

G-Biz

We lose when the grid keeps us using more

PADDY MANNING Expanding coal-fired power only entrenches our climate woes.

Communication breakdown as Telstra looks for a detour

MALCOLM MAIDEN The telco and the NBN Company are stuck at a roadblock.

Advantages for savers as banks fight for deposits to shore up funds

ROSS GITTINS Where banks get the money they lend has changed since the GFC.

Bill Express 'paid personal loans'

MARK HAWTHORNE Examination into $250 million collapse of Bill Express hears that public company's money was used to pay personal loans of directors, their business associates and family members.

Telstra, NBN Co hung up on price, can't make the connection

ARI SHARP Telstra says it is still some distance from a deal with the federal government over its involvement in the national broadband network.

Trio funds told to wind up

STUART WASHINGTON New South Wales Supreme Court judge orders winding up of Astarra Strategic Fund and four other Trio Capital funds, criticising funds' former managers and their use of offshore tax havens.

Amcor rejects hefty damages claim estimate

ELISABETH SEXTON Packaging customers of Amcor Ltd potentially suffered damages of $466 million during five years of alleged price-fixing cartel with Visy Industries, according to professor in law and economics from the University of California Berkeley.

Cyclone closes coal ports

BEN SHARPLES Queensland coal ports and rail lines closed while mineral producers brace for impact of tropical cyclone Ului as it bears down on north-east Australian coast.

ASIC talks with Storm collapse victims

ALISON BELL Corporate watchdog begins talks with victims of collapsed investment group Storm Financial to determine if commercial resolution can be reached for compensation.

Sydney passenger numbers take off

JORDAN CHONG Sydney Airport recorded double-digit increases in domestic and international passenger numbers in February, owner MAp Group says.

Helping the common man through a fees maze

LUCY BATTERSBY Government panel reviewing Australia's superannuation system under pressure to force super funds to improve fee disclosures and standardise system.

Fallen trader has run out of options

KATE LAHEY With the legitimate bonus he received in 2008, the ambitious, young Macquarie Bank fund manager known as ''Osy'' splashed out on a Porsche 911.

Metcash to close warehouses

ELI GREENBLAT Company says eight of its 20 Campbells Cash & Carry warehouses would be shut because of shifting industry dynamics and falling custom.

Petsec top bidder

Petsec Energy tells stock exchange its share price jump this week may be due to it being the highest bidder for eight lease blocks in Gulf of Mexico.

Fortescue upgrade

Fortescue Metals Group says it has found enough iron ore to justify $US3.2 billion ($A3.5 billion) development of its Solomon project in western Pilbara.

Endless potential

Property giant Lend Lease kicks along likely listing of Endless Solar Corporation on National Stock Exchange by agreeing to take up to 30 per cent stake.

Berlin backs off on Greek bailout, prefers IMF

MATTHEW SALTMARSH AND NELSON SCHWARTZ After weeks of backing a European rescue deal for financially troubled Greece, Germany now says that help should come from the International Monetary Fund.

Greenspan turnabout on banking regulation

SEWELL CHAN, WASHINGTON Alan Greenspan is taking a more expansive view of the state's role.

Sale of sex.com gets cold shower

CHARLES ARTHUR Tangled tale of ownership of sex.com - once thought to be the most valuable piece of internet virtual estate - takes another twist.

Ex-chairman arrested

Former chairman of one of the banks at the heart of Ireland's financial crisis arrested.

All eyes on Dai-Ichi

If things go according to plan, Japanese insurance group Dai-Ichi Mutual Life on April 1 will stage world's largest stockmarket debut since Visa's listing two years ago.

Toyota seeks apology

Toyota Motor Corporation asks ABC News in the US to retract and apologise for ''irresponsible'' report it aired suggesting electronics as cause of sudden acceleration in its cars.

The Markets

Trading thin but stocks up again

REBECCA LE MAY Sharemarket continues cautious climb higher, closing with small gain on thin trading volumes.

Buffett investment style has the market cornered

MARCUS PADLEY Exercising someone else's judgment is not hard, it's impossible

The bounty of performance rights and options

CHRISTOPHER WEBB Just one of the things that comes with building a company up from not much is a share ownership plan that bestows bounteous riches.

Gerard Lighting in $85m float bid

LUCY BATTERSBY Adelaide-based Gerard Lighting Group launches prospectus with Australian Securities Exchange for partial float of 80-year-old company.