Diplomatic positions

The role of Australian representative to the Court of St James’s has been a long and prestigious one often held by senior ex-politicians as a soft landing from Parliament.

Shanghai Gold Exchange to cut trading fees

The Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) will cut trading fees for several of its precious metals contracts to reduce transaction costs, it said on Monday, a move seen aimed at keeping its fees competitive after its rival bourse cut margins last week.

• Singapore seeks hub status with tax-free gold

Singapore seeks hub status with tax-free gold

Singapore is seeking to lure bullion refiners by scrapping taxes on gold, a move which could draw trading houses to open storage facilities and transform the country into a key Asian pricing hub, industry sources said on Monday.

• Shanghai Gold Exchange to cut trading fees

Shanghai copper stocks at highest since 2002

Copper inventories in warehouses monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange rose 9.6 per cent to 217,142 tonnes this week, the highest since mid-2002, weekly data released by the exchange showed on Friday.

Roach retires from Morgan Stanley

Stephen Roach, the nonexecutive chairman of Morgan Stanley’s Asian operations, is officially retiring from the firm.

German GDP dip ‘no cause for greater concern’

The German economy, Europe’s largest, shrank by a mere 0.2 per cent in the final three months of 2011 and grew by a solid 3 per cent for the year as a whole, the Federal Statistical Office reports.

Italy slides back into recession

Preliminary figures from Italy's national statistical agency confirm that the euro zone's third-largest economy has slid into recession.

Weak debut for yuan-denominated gold ETF

The world's first yuan-denominated gold exchange-traded fund made a weak debut on the Hong Kong stock exchange, but analysts said demand was likely to pick up as investors became more familiar with the product.

BoJ eases monetary policy

The Bank of Japan has further eased monetary policy, increasing its asset purchase program by ¥10 trillion ($120.35 billion) to about ¥65 trillion, as it looks to end deflation.

Japan’s economy shrinks more than expected

Japan’s economy shrank in the fourth quarter, hurt by slowing global growth, Thai floods and a strong yen, casting doubt for a pick-up in activity in 2012.

Conservatives cry out for a leader

The mood at the US’s annual gathering of conservatives is sombre – they haven’t achieved the budget cuts their Congressmen were elected to get, their candidates are tearing each other apart and Obama’s approval ratings are rising.

Santorum takes three states

Rick Santorum upended the Republican presidential nomination race with a clean sweep of three states, checking front runner Mitt Romney.