Comment & Analysis
Defying the doom and gloom
ADELE FERGUSON Shareholders in Leighton must have been pinching themselves over earnings guidance.
Packer card game far from clear
ELIZABETH KNIGHT The biggest game in town is working out why Crown is selling its 10 per cent stake in Echo.
Comment
RIP Ford, the first domino to fall
MALCOLM MAIDEN The initial employment shock from Ford's retreat from manufacturing can be handled.
Courts
Blow for Newcrest - exploration licence quashed
MICHAEL WEST In a stunning decision, a NSW court finds in favour of a small explorer, sending a strong message on who should hold mining and exploration leases.
Delayed return to surplus no worry - what causes it is
ROSS GITTINS Most of those who take a political approach to the budget assume that if it's in deficit, the way you get it back to surplus is to cut government spending.
Mug punters continue to run with the lemmings
MICHAEL PASCOE Wayne, Joe and Tony have contributed to the lemmings' rush to buy high, sell low and blame "the market" for their mistakes.
Rollover changes delayed for self-managed super funds
MAX NEWNHAM The new electronic processing system for super transfers will now be introduced in stages.
Companies
Trailing herd is a tale of woe
CHRISTOPHER WEBB Punters who like piggy-backing director buying - particularly multi-director buying - have discovered that sometimes it can be costly. Very costly.
China gets into the business of making friends
JOHN GARNAUT The covert battle over Beijing's defence policy heats up.
China's calling - and we need chutzpah to go with wine and cheese
HAROLD MITCHELL In the famous 1975 ''Thrilla In Manilla'', Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier slugged it out in the greatest boxing match of all time.
Go with the flow and you should bag a valuable catch
MARCUS PADLEY If success in the sharemarket is being right 51 per cent of the time, then you don't need much of an edge to succeed.
Tax
Big banks enjoying hefty offshore deductions
ERIC JOHNSTON Commonwealth Bank and National Australia Bank were among the biggest beneficiaries of a tax deduction linked to offshore banking units last year, as Canberra is looking to clamp down on the structure.
CBD
Chairman a mine of information
At 70, veteran Leighton director Bob Humphris probably stopped harbouring ambitions of ever chairing the board of the $6 billion contractor.
Insider
Old favourites appear once more in ASX hall of shame
ASX commanders fire their warning shots at the sharemarket's corporate cling-ons.
