If the copper price is a forward-looking barometer of economic conditions, its recent movements suggest we’re at something of a watershed moment.

Oil prices fell by more than a dollar on Monday to near their lowest levels since 2009 after Morgan Stanley cut its price forecast for Brent, saying oversupply will likely peak next year with OPEC deciding not to cut output.

Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Russia will invoice gas buyers in “unfriendly countries” in roubles is either tactical genius or just a stunt that might backfire. It’s most likely the latter.

Mining giant BHP Billiton says iron ore prices are unlikely to eclipse $US100 a tonne again, with expectations of steel consumption growth in China slowing further next year.

Next year is shaping as another pivotal one for financial markets. We have asked a number of top investors and analysts which indicator they will be watching particularly closely.

The momentum is palpable as the equity market heads to 6000 points, but in the economy the state of retail has set off real concerns.

The corporate regulator has warned Australian cryptocurrency companies that they will be held to the same standards as traditional finance companies.

The fall-out from the savaging of the oil price saw Australian LNG majors, Santos and Origin, reassuring investors that financing and expenditure would be reconfigured and that the economics of their massive projects still worked.

The financial planning industry is set for a massive overhaul of its education standards, level of professionalism and ethics.

Geoff Wilson is used to making big calls but this time he admits he's feeling the heat.

Telstra chief executive David Thodey has backed the federal government’s latest plan to tackle illegal downloading, which gives internet service providers 120 days to propose a code of conduct.

We must have diverse boards to have diverse thinking and the research makes it plain.

Administrators told the first meeting of creditors that no ‘rescue package’ or deed of company arrangement had been put forward to save the group from liquidation.

The nation's unemployment rate rises slightly in November, remaining at a 12-year high despite the creation of 42,700 new jobs.

Woolworths staff are squeezing a further $70 million from suppliers by the end of the year, as the company scrambles to meet profit guidance and avoid its first downgrade in almost 16 years.

The Australian dollar closed down on Monday, as a siege in Sydney’s financial district and confirmation of the country’s deteriorating fiscal position weighed on the local currency.

Analysts should give up trying to predict what capital levels will be required in the wake of the financial system inquiry, says the review's chairman, David Murray.

Australia's corporate regulator has cancelled the registration of 440 self-managed superannuation fund auditors after they failed to meet competency standards.

Hong Kong-based fund manager John Ho is the first to admit he knows nothing about surfing, despite growing up in Sydney in the '80s and '90s.

Next year is shaping as another pivotal one for financial markets. We have asked a number of top investors and analysts which indicator they will be watching particularly closely.

Fairfax Media and John Singleton's Macquarie Radio network are very close to finalising a $200 million talkback radio merger, less than a year after talks collapsed in bitter circumstances.

Corporate governance experts are urging more big companies to repay funds received through JobKeeper, warning taxpayers will bear the cost for decades.

International cosmetics giant Sephora has gone into damage control amid a customer backlash over revelations it is flouting promises that it would not engage in price gouging.

The Fed sent global sharemarkets into a frenzy, with the ASX recording its strongest day in a year and a half.

The Telstra outage that left tens of thousands of customers' without NBN and ADSL services last week was caused by a faulty software update, the telecommunications giant has revealed.