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Is the U.S. fiscal cliff a serious downer for the greenback? Not according to Vincent Cignarella from the Wall Street Journal’s Markets Hub.

Australian Liberal politician Malcolm Turnbull has sheathed his leadership sword and Tony Abbott has welcomed it, The Australian’s political editor Dennis Shanahan says. NZ Inc analysts reckon the big difference between Turnbull and Cunliffe is the former is blessed with more political sophistication. Abbott is also secure enough in himself not to feel overly threatened by having Turnbull in his …

Mike Carden of Sonar6 gave a fascinating speech at Deloitte’s Innovation Conversations event series on ‘Innovating the product and business model’

SOFT COMMODITY PRICES. Last night’s GlobalDairyTrade result of a 0.7% increase in the average winning price, but softer milk powder prices confirmed reports that prices have plateau for now. Trade reports are indicating most buyers have their immediate requirements covered, but order books are firming up for 2013. The catalyst for another leg up may well be when export markets shift …

Whaleoil’s ‘out of sync’ video had the newzealandinc.com team wondering where we had heard David Shearer’s voice before – it is amazingly reminiscent of Colin Firth’s King George.  Speech training – or a dose of anger- might cure the stumbles. Job for Brian Edwards or maybe the stern hand of Judy Callingham? Forward to 0.54 “timing isn’t my strong suit.’

Efforts to end a week-old convulsion of Israeli-Palestinian violence drew in the world’s top diplomats with President Obama dispatching his secretary of state to the region on an emergency mission and the U.N. chief appealing from Cairo for an immediate cease-fire. Israel and Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers have staked tough, hard-to-bridge positions, and the gaps keep alive the threat of …

Jerry Seib on The News Hub looks at four ways leverage has tilted–slightly but perceptibly–toward President Obama in the current budget showdown with Congress. Seib points out any negotiator will tell you that the key in a bargaining session is knowing at the outset who has leverage, and where it comes from. “So it is in the great deficit-cutting showdown …

The push by Asia-Pacific leaders to establish a trading bloc that would cover almost one-third of the global economy threatens to overshadow Washington’s plans for a trans-Pacific economic partnership. The WSJ’s Patrick Barta has the story.

Brahmin David Cunliffe leaves his Herne Bay residence to drill out John Key during the 2011 election. Seriously, who really believes Cunliffe’s rant about “the rich fellas” is totally authentic. Hard to sound working class when you are a Herne Bay resident.

OK – So Cameron Slater’s video is out of sync – but less so than the gap between David Shearer’s brain and that lazy mouth. Surely he could have been more fired up after sacking leadership pretender David Cunliffe?