David James
M&A suits stokes to a T
04 March 2010 | David James
A number of commentators have observed that media mogul Kerry Stokes has merged "tractors and television" in his proposal for a scrip buy-out of his mining services company WesTrac with the Seven Network.
Juice on the tablelands
25 February 2010 | David James
Many disturbing things have been happening in the world of late. The near collapse of the world financial system, the melting of the polar ice caps, Ricky Ponting's unconvincing footwork ...
Rocky politics
18 February 2010 | David James
Once upon a time there was a factoid called Sisyphus who was the son of King Thessaly, a marginal donkey vote, and daughter of Queen Mary, an auto-cue ...
Honest as a swamp hen
11 February 2010 | David James
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has won the right to tap phones in the federal government's plan to crack down on insider trading ..
The price of happiness
04 February 2010 | David James
People in the know tell me that those who believe money can't buy happiness simply don't know where to shop. I am sure this is correct.
Vigorous travel advice
28 January 2010 | David James
Economists have always been jokesters. A great bunch of fun guys, they frequently spend their leisure hours being stand-up comedians ...
The bloodsucking banker
21 January 2010 | David James
After much research, Bella discovers that Edward is a vampire, which explains why he looks like an investment banker.
ASIC tees off with tiger
14 January 2010 | David James
A way that ASIC can make an absolute fortune for us poor benighted taxpayers, and perhaps even pay for a decent lawyer or two in the future.
The year of living outrageously
10 December 2009 | David James
It has been quite a year. Twelve months in fact. As one banker said to me: "It was unforgettable. We laughed, we cried, we got outrageous tax-payer funded bonuses as a reward for bringing the global financial system to its knees ...
The devil's advocacy
03 December 2009 | David James
Greetings from Hell, where we could really do with solar power and generous carbon credits ...
Work of the devil
26 November 2009 | David James
If one wants to know what God thinks of money, then one only has to look at the kind of people on whom it is lavished.
Spin without fear or favour
19 November 2009 | David James
What is the future of journalism? The world could very well come to an end. Something must be done, and urgently ...
Adam Smith, king of comedy
12 November 2009 | David James
Once upon a time there was an 18th century Scottish comedian called Adam Smith. Sadly, in Scotland in the 18th century, there were no jokes. Not a single one ...
Marginal musings, unwanted wisdom
05 November 2009 | David James
Many have asked me what is happening in the global economy. "Dave, what on earth is going on?" they say ...
In praise of crims and dolts
29 October 2009 | David James
Some artists grew up to become Michaelangelo, or, if not, his slightly less famous brother, Osric the Dolt.
Shareholder board games
22 October 2009 | David James
Many will have read with great anxiety that Australia's most senior chairpersons have "slammed" the Productivity Commission's recommendation that minority shareholders have the power to oust boards ...
Animal farm for beginners
15 October 2009 | David James
Interest rates have begun to rise and the noise among the chooks is deafening. I refer, of course, to our esteemed economics fraternity ...
A core leveragable passion
08 October 2009 | David James
Baroness Susan Greenfield has recently been telling all who will listen that computer games reduce the ability to feel normal empathy ...
Overpaid and out of a job
01 October 2009 | David James
Many people have been carping about former Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon pocketing $11 million for five months' work.
The irritable age
24 September 2009 | David James
My heart goes out to the Young Rich. On other lists you get taken off because you achieved something impressive, like dying for instance. But the Young Rich drop off the list just for turning 41 ...
Dingo season
17 September 2009 | David James
The profit season is over, and some companies even have some. One can only marvel at how hard it must have been to keep one's head above water in corporate Australia ...
Identity crisis at the insecurities exchange
10 September 2009 | David James
The ASX, a stock exchange that is listed on itself, still retains its jurisdiction over companies. So it will continue to supervise (but not regulate) itself.
Fund managers will fly
03 September 2009 | David James
Once upon a time there was a trainee portfolio manager called Icarus, who implemented a multiplatform risk-weighted strategy to escape from exile in Crete ...
A politicians' emissions exchange
27 August 2009 | David James
It is obvious that our politicians wish to follow the highest standards of public service. Sometimes this even possibly involves serving the public ...
The biggest casino of all
20 August 2009 | David James
Analysts have been noting with some puzzlement that the gambling industry has not been recession proof during the global financial crisis.
Diggers and dealers lament
13 August 2009 | David James
Last week, I did not go to the Diggers and Dealers conference in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Here is what I also did not do ...
I call Colesworthistan home
06 August 2009 | David James
The supermarket chains, Coles and Woolworths have been offering aggressive petrol discounts of up to 40¢ a litre, and apparently that's fine ...
A ratings agency bonanza
30 July 2009 | David James
Investment banks be on notice. I wish to announce herewith, with respect of, heretofore, whereupon and without any further delay, that I will be setting up a ratings agency ...
Attack of the vampire squids
23 July 2009 | David James
Rolling Stone magazine recently described the investment bank Goldman Sachs as a "giant vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity" ...
Rugby's inspiring role models
16 July 2009 | David James
Some cruel individuals have suggested that players in the National Rugby League do not make good role models. This is utterly outrageous.
Madoff: the movie
09 July 2009 | David James
At last there is a sequel to the movie Weekend at Bernie's, a yarn about two employees who spend the weekend with an embezzling chief financial officer who intends to kill them, but instead dies himself, limiting his options.
A genuine fake email
02 July 2009 | David James
I have a stunning revelation to reveal. A damning email has come across my desk from an anonymous source whose identity I cannot disclose ...
Banks, rules and football
25 June 2009 | David James
The former federal treasurer, Peter Costello, is especially brave to leave office at this time of rising unemployment. I worry about him ...
What fools these mortals be
18 June 2009 | David James
It has recently been suggested that struggling British Prime Minister Gordon Brown cuts a King Lear-like figure as he desperately hangs on to his fading career and howls at his fool on the heath. This set me thinking ...
Six billion fail to get swine flu
11 June 2009 | David James
The nation breathed a large sigh of relief last week when we learned that Australia is not in recession, or at least not yet.
Avoid zebra crossings
04 June 2009 | David James
The Reserve Bank of Australia's assistant governor in charge of financial markets, Dr Guy Debelle, recently gave a speech in Brazil that was to logic what water boarding is to a good night's sleep.
Remember the member
28 May 2009 | David James
After lengthy discussion with myself, I have decided not to steal it - the headline on the Malcolm Turnbull article in this edition, that is. It was quite an effort, really. The headline was witty, accurate, arguably hilarious. Plus it says more than it says ...
Goliath's revenge
21 May 2009 | David James
Once upon a time, there was a battle between the government tribe, whose representative was named David, and the financiers' tribe, whose champion was Goliath ...
A more accurate waste of tax
14 May 2009 | David James
Some cruel souls have been unkind enough to suggest that Australia is about to be renamed the Socialist Republic of Ruddistan.
How to finance a recovery
07 May 2009 | David James
Everyone knows that a stimulus plan is an excellent way to rescue an ailing economy because it just is.
Giving theft a bad name
30 April 2009 | David James
It is with some relief that I see several commentators saying that the Nobel Prize in Economics should be abolished.
Much a'tweet about nothing
23 April 2009 | David James
Twitter, the "latest" social networking micro-blogging service, might not be an unmistakable sign that Western civilisation is nearing a grisly end. But it looks that way.
The end, as advertised
16 April 2009 | David James
The endlessly rich and real world of print media is suffering from a global downturn in advertising revenue, as might be expected when we are all facing an economic apocalypse.
Material whirl
09 April 2009 | David James
Madonna is once again adopting orphans in Africa and providing, yet again, a glorious role model for all pop superstars who cannot sing to save themselves. Or save anyone else, for that matter.
Great questions of the age
02 April 2009 | David James
As the Great Recession bites, it is time a few basic questions are asked about what the hell happened.
Executive dissent
26 March 2009 | David James
Sadly, there is a notable absence on this year's BRW Executive Rich list: Peter Costello.
Justice, a dish best served elsewhere
19 March 2009 | David James
A recent article efforts to hold the former executives of AWB to account for paying kickbacks to Saddam Hussein, nicely describes how justice is all very well in its place, but that place is not Australia.
A shadow of themselves
12 March 2009 | David James
In the Shadow game, only the taxpayer is real. It's very complicated. Plus 20:20 blindness | Community messages
No profit in good English
05 March 2009 | David James
'Tis the season for profit reports, and once again we see that the English language is becoming a distant memory.
Hold for President Obama
26 February 2009 | David James
Last week I received a phone call, as I often do, from Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the general manager of the International Monetary Fund. Quickly putting the president of the World Bank, Bob Zoellick, on hold, I made my usual wisecracks to Dominique about his voice sounding very deep for a woman.
