Daily FNArena News

Interest rate markets are factoring it in already, but will the RBA respond with two rate rises this year? It might look like a given, but economists are split.

FN Arena News welcomes Stockinterview.com as the tenth contributor to our freshly launched service (more) Sources of Wisdom. Subscribers to our service will be able to read contributions from Stockinterview.com on a regular basis from now on.

Weekly musings from your editor.

BHP Billiton’s quarterly result leaves the company on track for record earnings, though forecasts are being trimmed as the petroleum division continues to disappoint in output terms.

The market was expecting the worst and got worse than it expected.

The Chinese central bank has lifted reserve requirements for the banking sector, but ABN Amro suggests such action is not enough to slow growth and more needs to be done now before problems escalate.

Management was not upbeat in the near term, but a strong yield and exposure to a turn in housing mean Alesco is well-positioned.

Brokers continue to rate Oil Search favourably for the upside from its PNG Gas Project, despite a quarterly production report that came in below expectations in revenue terms.

Westpac has agreed to sell its sub-custody operations to HSBC, raising $150m to be put towards its core operations.

Primary copper imports into China in the first half of 2006 were down 45%. Underlying demand is showing a diminishing trend.