BREAKING

NAB has become just the second major bank to forecast a rate cut this year, forecasting the bank will make two cuts by November.

"We now think that the RBA will make two rate cuts in 2019," said NAB chief economist Alan Oster.

"Growth appears to have lost significant momentum, placing at risk further improvement in the labour market at a time when inflation poses little constraint on policy and financial stability risks have abated. We have pencilled in one 25 basis points cut to 1.25 per cent in July and a further 25 basis points cut to 1 per cent in November.

"We see the timing of a rate cut as very data dependent; any deterioration in the labour market would lead to cuts and this could happen earlier than the financial market currently anticipates."

There was one underlying question for Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) chief executive Matt Comyn when he appeared on Friday before the House of Representatives standing committee on economics.

Has the bank really suffered enough yet?

The deputy chair of the committee, Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite, repeatedly asked Comyn whether he was "happy" with the final recommendations of the royal commission.

"I wouldn't describe my reaction as happy or unhappy," replied a slightly bemused Comyn

Chanticleer has the full piece here.

Here we are, after two and a half years of inactivity, talking about the chances of another interest-rate cut below the already historic low of 1.5 per cent.

National accounts figures released this week confirmed the marked slowdown in economic activity through 2018. And even before this latest data point, the Reserve Bank had already shifted from a "next move is likely up" to a more "balanced view".

Bond traders are now pricing in a 50 per cent chance of a cut by June or July, and a full cut by October.

Patrick Commins has the full piece here.

Getswift's new board members may be supporting the company founders, Bane Hunter and former Melbourne Football Club player Joel Macdonald, but major investors are deserting the duo and their embattled logistics solutions group.

Getswift shares continued to hit record lows on Thursday as one of its largest investors, Industry Super Holdings, sold down its stake.

Industry Super started selling its shares in December and has now reduced its stake from 6.6 per cent to below 5 per cent having sold shares as recently as Monday, according to a statement lodged with the ASX.

Colin Kruger has the full story here.

The Australian Securities Exchange's newly minted target that listed companies should have at least 30 per cent of their board positions filled by women is "ridiculous", says Reserve Bank board member Carol Schwartz.

The ASX's corporate governance principles recommended the updated target in February but Ms Schwartz said the ASX should aim higher given ASX200 board seats occupied by women hit 29.7 per cent last year.

"It's ridiculous really when you think about the ASX200," she told an an International Women's Day Event at law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler on Thursday.

"They are already at 29.7 per cent, where is the reach? Where is the stretch?"

Cara Water and Anna Patty have the full story here.

Australia shares have slid heavily through the morning, taking a lead from Asia where stocks have also fallen heavily.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index is down 47 points, or 0.8 per cent, to 6216.9.

Commonwealth Bank is leading the losses, down 1.9 per cent, ANZ is down 2.1 per cent and BHP Group is down 1.2 per cent.

Infigen Energy has slid 6.5 per cent, Automotive Holdings is down 5.2 per cent and Ardent Leisure Group is down 4.5 per cent.

Wall Street's main indices fell for a fourth consecutive session, after Europe's central bank said it would defer interest rate hikes and offered banks a new round of cheap loans, raising fresh concerns about global economic growth.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said: "We are (in) a period of continued weakness and pervasive uncertainty" as he announced cuts to the bank's growth and inflation forecasts.

"On the one hand, dovish talk could be bullish. On the other hand, maybe it is indicating just how slow things are over there," said Chuck Carlson, chief executive officer at Horizon Investment Services in Hammond, Indiana.

"You wonder how long can the US be the only horse dragging this global economy forward," Carlson said. "The news on the ECB obviously points to, maybe you're not going to get much help from Europe."

Read the full story here.

Amazon has abruptly stopped buying products from many of its wholesalers, sowing panic.

The company is encouraging vendors to instead sell directly to consumers on its marketplace. Amazon makes more money that way by offloading the cost of purchasing, storing and shipping products. Meanwhile, Amazon can charge suppliers for these services and take a commission on each transaction, which is much less risky than buying goods outright.

The company is determined to boost profits at the core e-commerce business, even if that means disrupting relationships with long-time suppliers. Because many suppliers source products from manufacturers months in advance, they will have to quickly shift their sales tactics if the expected Amazon orders don't come in.

Read the full story here.

Is it a "retiree tax" grab or an end to "welfare for the wealthy"? Labor's pledge to make franking credits non-refundable has become one of the most hotly contested issues in Australia.

Depending on which side of politics you speak to, the proposal is either a massive tax grab (the Coalition) or the end of a loophole that benefits multi-millionaires (Labor).

There are also all kinds of claims flying around about who will be affected, and by how much.

Joanna Mather has the full story here.

Australian shares have opened lower this morning but only just wiped yesterday's gains.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index is down 22.3 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 6241.6.

The movements are only very muted. Only Automotive Holdings has moved more than 3 per cent this morning.

BHP Group is weighing the market down 1 per cent, CBA is down 0.8 per cent and ANZ is down 0.7 per cent.