THE frenzied foreign raid on Australia's resource and energy assets is only warming up, analysts say, with Origin Energy joining the long list of takeover targets yesterday.

ANZ Banking Group has almost $50 million at risk with troubled business systems company On Q Group which has come under severe financial pressure this year.

ANZ and Westpac issued almost all the top-secret tax-haven bank accounts at the centre of an alleged $100 million tax-evasion scheme.

THE US economy has limped ahead in 2008 just enough to avert the onset of recession, but analysts say it is causing pain regardless of the definition.

WESTPAC has shrugged off global market turbulence to post a solid rise in first half profit to more than $1.8 billion.

THE Federal Government will use its first Budget to close a loophole that allows highly-paid executives to minimise their tax.

ALLCO Finance Group says it expects to post a significant loss in fiscal 2008 through writedowns and impairments, possibly more than $1.5 billion.

BUILDING approvals have dived by more than five times market forecasts, with some economists now predicting a rate cut by the end of September.