Daily FNArena News

Macquarie Bank sees a Democrat-controlled Congress as increasingly talking tough with respect to China, but the broker suggests relations will remain strong given common interests.

National Australia Bank’s November Business Survey shows conditions remain strong for Australian industry, though confidence levels remain low.

Markets don’t like uncertainty and Santos is an example, the potential for higher payments from the Indonesian mud slide disaster clouding the outlook for the stock.

Independent economic forecasters BIS Shrapnel believe Australian mining investments will peak in a year from now while commodity prices should collapse towards year end 2007.

It might be a super-cycle, but brokers have raised metal prices yet again ahead of perceived 2007 weakness.

The wind down has begun with little to watch out for this week.

A slight fall in housing finance figures for October met the market’s expectations and is unlikely to generate a reaction from the Reserve Bank of Australia.

New Zealand’s cash rate remained on hold yesterday despite the RBNZ’s stringent inflation warnings. Economists see only a delay, not a policy change.

CanWest has announced it will exit its majority stake in Ten, provided a buyer can be found for the company as a whole.

As many had expected, Australian employment numbers bounced back in November after a fall in October. Another Hike? A cut is looking very unlikely.