Microsoft may look to learn from Sony's weaknesses in 2017, as it is expected to release a new addition to its Xbox One line touted as the most powerful gaming console ever created. On the gaming front, Sony will continue to justify its 2016 launches of a more powerful PlayStation 4 as well as its own VR system, two devices that have failed so far to make a case for mainstream adoption. Progress in data efficiency and neural networks should lead to apps and systems that don't need a lot of set-up or fiddling to connect you directly to your services and appliances. Machine learning and the internet of things, two prevalent 2016 buzz phrases, will also bear fruit in the coming year. The beginning stages of consumer-level AR are upon us. We'll keep an eye out for you.Ī cousin of VR – which was set to take off in 2016 but remains very much an enthusiast product – AR uses a display to insert graphics and data into your regular view of the world, letting you interact with your eyes, voice and hands in a natural way. Meanwhile, legal firms are investigating class actions against Murray Goulburn, Bellamy's, the financial planning arms of the banks and several other actions and some of these might end up being filed in court. It will be a busy time for the German auto group which will also be defending action by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for misleading conduct in the final quarter of 2017.
#SPRING CLEANING DAY 2016 IN MOUNT PROSPECT IL TRIAL#
All three banks are defending the action and deny any wrongdoing.Īt the same time, big time US investor Richard Dennis and two US funds are suing the same three banks as well as CBA and Macquarie and the Australian arms of a host of US banks in New York for the alleged rigging of the BBSW.Ī The new year will see the running of a series of high-profile legal cases such as the class action against Volkswagen over its allegedly misleading claims about their vehicles fuel efficiency, which is set to go to trial in the fourth quarter of 2017. The matters are expected to be heard together in a trial that starts on September 25. The move has been accelerated by the tightening scrutiny banks are facing over their "vertical integration" models (whereby they own a growing share of the superannuation and insurance products their advisers sell to customers) following a series of bank scandals. CBA is the only bank that has not yet flagged a possible sale of parts of its wealth division, with announcements by NAB, Westpac and ANZ over the past 18 months.Ī report by KPMG in November said it was "inevitable" that the majors would continue to refine their business models and potentially exit some markets altogether as they looked to downsize their offerings. In other words, big capital raisings are seen as unlikely in 2017, and, before Christmas, senior bankers were quietly confident of maintaining their dividends.Īt the same time, banks look set to continue to shed their wealth divisions amid ongoing political pressure and poor returns. In the final three months of 2016, there were also indications from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority that the capital build would be gradual, and not take effect until 2018 at earliest. Coking coal output lifted and prices declined by the end of the year That has continued into the new year with steaming coal prices also expected to ease on rising supplies in the coming months. The surge in coking coal prices in the second quarter, due to product cuts in China, caught investors and producers alike by surprise, especially when prices spiked later in the year. And when sentiment shifted, it was unclear if the strong rebound in prices was likely to be sustainable. It's been a challenging 12 months for investors in the resources sector, with the collapse in the oil price along with weak metals and base commodity prices weighing on sentiment as the year began. The Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association, as expected, was more downbeat, with its chief executive John Winter predicting "an increase in retail insolvencies in the new year" due to an increasing number of retailers under financial pressure, the steep levels of discounting ahead of Christmas, and general consumer caution.Īll eyes are on the next official retail figures then.
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