Alan Kohler is one of Australia’s most experienced commentators and journalists. Alan is the founder of Eureka Report, Australia’s most successful investment newsletter, and Business Spectator, a 24-hour free business news and commentary website. He also hosts Inside Business, a half-hour Sunday programme on the ABC, is the finance presenter on the ABC News - and producer of the nightly graph (or two).
The key influences that broke the dollar's historic correlation with commodity prices are appearing to weaken, with the US and China set to determine a new level for the currency.
The first shot may have been fired ahead of a potential post-election Labor leadership battle between likely candidates Bill Shorten and Greg Combet – and the battlefront could be climate policy.
Barry O'Farrell's support gives some hope for the Gonski reforms, but Labor’s message is diminished by what's now generally assumed to be its terminal position.
Yahoo's $1.1bn acquisition of Tumblr is more than an attempt to "buy hipsters". In fact, Yahoo needs content platforms to fuel its growth and it seems Tumblr proved to be a prime candidate.
Samsung's latest smartphone is full of tips and tricks to help differentiate it from the sea of other Android-operated devices. Yet these "key features" come off more as marketing gimmicks than advances in smartphone technology.
CEOs outline changing views on corporate spending and profits, their economic expectations and political dissatisfaction, including advice for Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott.
UK-based Zeebox wants to be the intermediary for all social media-television interactions. It will not only have to lure viewers, but the networks themselves.
A $20 billion a year market is hard to budge let alone reinvent. A better understanding of the nation's power framework reveals an imperfect but admirable beast.
With electricity demand going backwards, profits for NSW generators are tumbling. No wonder the NSW government's estimates for privatisation are questionable according to AGL.
By graphing the price of solar against that of natural gas, retail electricity and crude oil over the past two decades it is clear that the renewable tech is set to shake things up – for the better.
As renewables surge, total electricity supplied by coal-fired generators is at its lowest level since the start of the NEM, in 1998. Meanwhile, electricity demand and emissions continue to drift lower.
Australia has been spruiked to "be to uranium what Saudi Arabia is to oil" by gullible politicians and media. Pity uranium is worth a tiny fraction of oil and makes next to no difference to Australia's economy.
Gas prices are high and rising, hurting energy users across the country. But, through a combination of energy efficiency and renewables, there is a solution – and by chasing it, we can boost export profits.
The Victorian and NSW energy efficiency markets have taken similar turns, with a slight recovery in April after weakness through the early part of the year.
Several studies have tackled the question of how to achieve 100% renewables, and despite different approaches and different assumptions, they’ve come up with rather similar results.
Australian electricity retailers are now offering online use monitoring systems to customers, but a road-test of one such platform shows utilities have a long way to go before they can be considered 'open'.
Part two of a look into Australian electricity demand explains why last year's forecasts for 2020 are likely at least 10 per cent too high. No wonder the electricity sector is worried.
