Ikea plans new stores, for one in a million

SYDNEY is in the grip of a flat-pack revolution. Every Saturday, up to 15,000 people wander through Ikea's maze-like megastore in Rhodes. more

China steel firms mull merger talk

CHINA'S steel industry was less than thrilled to wake up yesterday and find it might soon be wrestling with two giant iron ore suppliers rather than three in the tightest iron ore market the modern world has seen. more

Billiton bid puts rocket under Rio shares

THE stockmarket closed higher, boosted by the miner Rio Tinto, whose shares soared after a $272-billion takeover proposal from rival BHP Billiton. more

Stokes chases seat on WAN board

KERRY STOKES'S Seven Network has approached West Australian Newspapers for a board seat after taking a significant stake in the publisher over the past year. more

Star City beats Tax Office over $60m bill

THE Tabcorp-owned Star City casino has won a legal fight against the Australian Taxation Office over a $60 million tax bill, in the latest instalment of a dispute over deductions claimed 13 years ago. more

Takeover is good value, Coates tells shareholders

THE country's largest industrial equipment lease company, Coates Hire, has told shareholders that it has extracted the maximum value from a proposed $1.65 billion takeover of the group. more

Telstra's amigos increasing by the day

TELSTRA's boss, Sol Trujillo, has hired yet another former staff member from US West to take on a senior role at the telecom's directories business, Sensis. more

Aussie nudges US94c amid bonds advantage

THE Australian dollar headed for a third weekly advance as the yield advantage of the nation's two-year bonds over equivalent US Treasuries rose to its highest in 3½ years. more

Oil up again over fear of supply breaks

CRUDE oil rose for the first time in three days in New York on concern supply disruptions may hamper US efforts to store fuel for peak winter demand. more

NAB eyes growth in race to net $5b

NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK is engaged in a chase with the Commonwealth Bank to be the first to breach the $5 billion net profit barrier after declaring yesterday that its recovery phase was over and it was now fully focused on growth. more

Westpoint executive's assets frozen

FREEZE ORDERS have been extended over the property of the collapsed Westpoint property group's chief financial officer so the corporate regulator can continue its investigation into asset stripping. more

Asciano says Brambles bid not on cards

THE transport infrastructure company Asciano said yesterday it had no current intention of making a takeover offer for the much larger global pallets and containers company Brambles. more

Bernanke fails to convince investors

THE US Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, has failed to convince investors that there is no need for further interest rate cuts soon. more

Burgeoning profits for the big five

THE buoyant Australian economy and "standout" lending to the business sector powered the profits of the big five banks to just under $18 billion in 2007, with more to come this year, according to two surveys of the industry's latest earnings. more

When one prince lost the confidence of another, his reign was over

Just last month, Charles Prince could count on the support of Prince Walid bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, the biggest shareholder of Citigroup, the financial behemoth that Mr Prince had run for four years. more

Why Bhutto would be bad for business

PAKISTAN's military dictator, Pervez Musharraf, this week declared martial law, in effect mounting a coup against himself. more

Bank ignores German pressure for fresh rate rise

THE European Central Bank has held interest rates at 4 per cent despite surging inflation in Germany and Austria, risking a grave confrontation with the eurozone's northern bloc over management of the single currency. more

Reversal for General Motors despite comeback drive

NEARLY two years ago, amid speculation of a potential bankruptcy filing, General Motors unveiled details of its reorganisation plan and vowed to end the crisis that had enveloped the company. more

The word that dare not speak its name - growth

It's as if there's a dirty economic secret in this election campaign, writes Steve Burrell. more

Wall St pickle: how much is a figment worth?

Mark-to-market accounting is one of those ideas that sounds brilliant, until you try to do it when there is no market, writes Floyd Norris. more

Six key steps to help you make a motza

The Insider: I seem to spend my life wishing I was just that bit better off. Quite a bit better off, in fact. Wondering what it would be like to be a billionaire and how to get there. more

Calculating a retirement fantasy

They used to say there were lies, damned lies and statistics. A modern alternative might be lies, damned lies and technology, writes Annette Sampson. more

Hu wants to be a billionaire: China climbs rich list

THE United States has more billionaires than any other country: 415 by the last count of Forbes magazine. more

Working out when to stick your neck out

Simon Hoyle examines new disclosure benchmarks drafted to guide investors in unlisted and unrated debentures. more

Wise heads desert falling US dollar

GISELE BUNDCHEN wants to remain the world's richest model and is insisting that she be paid in almost any currency but the US dollar. more

A little cleaning springs to mind

Diary Of A Day Trader: Monday: Ah, the darling buds of November! Here at last ... spring. And I must say our plans for our November Spring Summit this week are well advanced. more

Office workers in race for space

AS WHITE-COLLAR employment growth continues, demand for offices, particularly in the insurance and finance sectors, has also bounded ahead. more

• Banks look to property investment
• Gloom and more gloom as visitor numbers drop
• LPTs went backwards in October
• Residential sector hit hardest

Liberals leaving all the work to interest rates

A more pertinent question in this election is: how much influence do governments still have over the economy? more

It's easier to buy prestige

DEVELOPING a new brand, particularly in beer, is an expensive exercise. more