China’s April Trade Growth Slips

China’s export growth halved last month in US dollar terms as imports slowed more than expected. That slowdown tracked recent reports that suggested slower expansion in the country’s manufacturing sector in April, with a spillover into May as last week’s sharp slide in commodity prices showed.

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Buffett’s Kraft Heinz Deal Under Pressure

No wonder Kraft Heinz Co, Warren Buffett’s 26% owned food giant went hunting for the much bigger Unilever earlier this year – all the growth has disappeared from the merging of HJ Heinz and Kraft and associated cost cutting by Buffett’s partners, the Swiss-Brazilian private equity group 3G, and they are now looking for a new target to provide a (cheap) sugar hit to sales and earnings (and their own rewards).

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Fairfax Trading Update Highlights Print Woes

If you had to focus on just one factor that helps explain the current industrial action by Fairfax Media journalists over the company’s cutting of 125 jobs and $30 million in costs, it is the worsening finances of the print side of the business – especially an accelerating slide in revenue so far in calendar 2017 compared to the same period in 2016

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New RBA Rules For Rate Rises

Yes, the Reserve Bank is worried about high levels of debt, high housing prices, but more importantly, Governor Philip Lowe reckons a greater concern for the bank that if the proverbial hits the fan, a new risk could be triggered and that is the damage a downturn does to consumer confidence and spending.

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QBE Unveils Fintech Move

Insurer and reinsurer, QBE, is planning a major move into the evolving world of insurance start ups and other financial technology driven companies in the next year with shareholders at yesterday’s annual meeting in Sydney being told their company has a $50 million budget to spend this year alone.

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