Authorities are investigating members of an alleged "fake debt bankruptcy fraud ring" accused of using sham debts to shield millions of dollars in assets from Timbercorp creditors and investors.

Shares close down but well off their early lows after strong oil prices drive a relief rally in energy stocks and amid some bargain hunting in the mining sector, while the Aussie threatened to break below 82 US cents.

The battle for supremacy in the cosmetics market, triggered by the recent arrival of Sephora, is in full swing, but analysts are already pointing to department stores as the biggest potential losers.

Qantas has officially pushed the reset button on its financial prospects having lined up the foundations for a full-year profit that could easily exceed $600 million based on pre-tax profit guidance for the current half of up to $350 million.

How big can Aldi get in Australia? And how much secrecy is too much?

Local stocks sink, led down by a rout in the energy sector as BHP plunges below $29 and Santos crashes, while the dollar dives again as NAB joins the rate-cut camp.

The Australian dollar is edging closer to a 70s-handle, dropping to a new four-year low of US82.35¢ on Tuesday on the back of poor business confidence figures and another major bank switching into the rate cut camp.

The Australian dollar dropped more than half a cent in short order to crash below 82 US cents, while a rally in energy stocks and miners have helped the ASX 200 snap - just - a six-day losing streak.

The long-time speechwriter for Qantas chief Alan Joyce warned she would 'go guerrilla' if the airline tried to stop her from writing a tell-all book about her time at Qantas.

Ten ASX companies have been recognised for their charitable giving with up to 65 per cent of employees at some companies donating to charity on a regular basis.

A Glencore merger with Rio Tinto would be damaging for Australia and ought to be, and very likely will be, knocked on the head by the Foreign Investment Review Board.

Morgan Stanley has admitted it was wrong on Qantas, upgrading its guidance to “overweight”, as the airline's shares rally for a second day.

The dive in Santos's share price to 10-year lows has turned market attention to the assets the oil and gas producer may consider for sale, as well as whether the whole company could turn into a target for a larger player.

Crowd-sourced equity funding to help start-ups in Australia looks a step closer, with the Abbott government releasing a new discussion paper.

Billions of dollars in undeclared and untaxed wealth hidden offshore has been revealed by hundreds of rich Australians as they rush to take advantage of the ATO's last-ever tax amnesty.