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Pat McConnell

Honorary Fellow, Macquarie University Applied Finance Centre, Macquarie University

After over 30 years working for, and consulting to, major banking and insurance companies in the US, Europe and Australia, Pat transferred to teaching courses in Risk Management at Masters level and to industry. His main areas of research are in Operational Risk (People, Systems, Process and Legal risks) and banking regulation and he has published widely on this topic, including a new book on People Risk Management http://www.koganpage.com/product/people-risk-management-9780749471354 .

Banking outlook: threats from technology, burst of housing bubble, end of mining boom

Mar 13, 2016 21:12 pm UTC| Insights & Views Business

Its reporting season, and over the past few weeks some of Australias biggest companies have been releasing information on how theyre travelling. These reports reflect key themes of how things are going in key sectors of...

CommInsure – You pays your money and you takes your chance

Mar 11, 2016 05:22 am UTC| Law

In the scandal over possible misconduct by CommInsure, the insurance arm of CommBank, for its treatment of sick and dying customers, much has been made about how serious illnesses are diagnosed. In one example in a...

CommInsure case shows it's time to target reckless misconduct in banking

Mar 07, 2016 22:50 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

Behind this weeks expose by Fairfax Media journalist Adele Ferguson and the ABCs Four Corners program of the insurance claims refused by Commonwealth Bank insurance arm, CommInsure, lies a bigger problem in the way the...

National Australia Bank – 30 years of strategy failure

Feb 23, 2016 00:57 am UTC| Insights & Views Central Banks

In its first quarter results this month, the National Australia Bank (NAB), breathed a sigh of relief announcing that the separation of Clydesdale had been successful with an expected loss of approximately A$4.2 billion....

Masters – A failure of corporate governance?

Jan 24, 2016 23:28 pm UTC| Insights & Views

This week, Masters has on offer a white and gold rococo style mirror. If Woolworths Chairman, Gordon Cairns, were to nip down to his local Masters warehouse (no need to rush, plenty of parking available) he could, with his...

Bunnings – A Game of Clones

Jan 19, 2016 02:02 am UTC| Insights & Views

Just a day after Woolworths limped from the Do-It-Yourself battlefield, the Wesfarmers dynasty (owners of Bunnings) announced their plans to invade the United Kingdom. For Woolies, its foray into Masters was a...

Blockchain – A Regulatory Unicorn?

Jan 02, 2016 02:44 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Never one to let a bandwagon pass by, Greg Medcraft, the Chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), has enthusiastically hopped onto the Blockchain wagon. Mr Medcraft has seen the light and...

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Economy

Trump Unveils $3 Billion U.S. Critical Minerals Push

President Donald Trump announced roughly $3 billion in U.S. government investments and financing for critical minerals, battery materials and mining projects, part of a broader effort to strengthen domestic production and...

Oil Prices Set for Steep Weekly Losses as Hormuz Deal Stalls

Oil prices fluctuated on Friday and remained on course for sharp weekly declines as uncertainty surrounding a potential agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz continued to drive volatility across global energy markets....

Gold Prices Surge 7% as Dollar Falls, Fed Rate Hike Bets Ease

Gold prices rallied sharply on Friday, putting the precious metal on track for its strongest weekly performance since late January as a weaker U.S. dollar, lower oil prices and softer Federal Reserve rate hike expectations...

US Dollar Falls as Weak July Jobs Report Dents Fed Rate Hike Bets

The U.S. dollar weakened on Friday and headed toward its first two-week losing streak since late May after a disappointing July jobs report reduced expectations for another Federal Reserve interest rate hike. The U.S....

China Exports Beat July Forecasts as AI Demand Fuels High-Tech Trade

Chinas exports posted stronger-than-expected growth in July, supported by booming global demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure and a rush to ship goods before higher U.S. tariffs took effect. Exports increased...

Politics

Taiwan President Lai Oversees Coastal Strike Drills in Han Kuang War Games

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te observed coastal strike drills on Saturday as the island continued its annual Han Kuang military exercises, designed to strengthen Taiwans defence readiness against a potential Chinese attack....

Trump Administration Plans $1 Billion Security Aid Package for Colombia

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump plans to provide $1 billion in security assistance to Colombia under newly inaugurated President Abelardo De La Espriella, the U.S. State Department said Friday. The...

US Expects Iran-Oman Hormuz Shipping Deal Soon

The United States expects Iran and Oman to reach an agreement soon that could restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil and energy supplies, according to a Reuters report...

SEC Moves to Dismiss Insider Trading Case Against Trump-Pardoned Terren Peizer

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is moving to dismiss its civil insider trading lawsuit against Terren Peizer, the former Ontrak CEO who was convicted in a landmark federal insider trading case before...

Ukraine Agrees to Protect Kazakhstan Oil Exports via Black Sea

Ukraine has reportedly agreed not to attack certain non-Russian oil tankers and infrastructure involved in exporting Kazakhstan crude oil through the Black Sea, a move that could help stabilize supplies from one of the...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

OpenAI Restricts Astra AI Over Cyberattack Risks

OpenAI has reportedly restricted parts of the development of its next-generation AI model, code-named Astra, after early evaluations indicated the system could potentially carry out sophisticated cyberattacks with limited...

Nvidia to Invest Up to $3 Billion in Blackstone-Backed Lancium

Nvidia is reportedly preparing to invest as much as $3 billion in Lancium, a Blackstone-backed power infrastructure developer involved in the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure initiative, as demand for...

Meta Ordered to Pay $567M Over Child Safety Violations in New Mexico

Meta Platforms Inc. has been ordered to pay $567 million into a fund designed to address harm to young people, in a major legal ruling involving child safety on Facebook and Instagram. Judge Bryan Biedscheid of New Mexicos...

Nintendo Shares Jump as Switch 2 Sales Boost Earnings

Nintendo shares surged nearly 5% on Friday after the Japanese gaming giant reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter earnings and upgraded its full-year financial outlook, supported by robust demand for the new Switch...

Cloudflare Stock Jumps 15% as Earnings Beat Estimates, 2026 Outlook Raised

Cloudflare shares surged in after-hours trading Thursday after the cloud connectivity and cybersecurity company delivered stronger-than-expected quarterly results, issued upbeat third-quarter guidance and raised its...