Lawrence Villamar

The US ISM manufacturing survey surprised negatively in February dropping from 54.1to 52.4.

New building approvals decreased by 0.9% in January, falling short of market expectations of 2.1% and causing the Australian Dollar to dip 20 points on the news.

Apple's market capitalization traded past $500 billion yesterday, and its cult products like the iPad or iPhone sell for almost a thousand a pop. In shocking comparison, do you know how much an average Apple factory worker earns?

US durable goods orders fell by 4.0pct in January, below expectations for a fall of 1pct. Excluding transport, orders fell by 3.2pct.

The Australian Dollar turned previous resistance at 1.0750 into intraday support throughout the Asian session yesterday after a rally in risk pushed it through this barrier on Monday night.

Following a very slow start to the day in which the Australian Dollar temporarily touched on levels below the 1.06 handle, the Nation’s currency recovered well in offshore trade to eliminate the full extent of earlier losses.

US jobless claims held steady at 351,000 last week - marking the lowest reading since March 2008.

The Australian Dollar has opened back above USD1.0700 this morning after hitting a low of USD1.0600 in yesterday’s trade.

In what was a roller coaster ride for the Australian Dollar, yesterday’s news flows were kick started after figures from the ABS indicated that wages in Australia rose 1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, beating the expected reading of 0.8.

US existing home sales rose by 4.3pct in January to a 20-month high of 4.57 million, slightly below market expectations.

Financial regulators in the US could finally be ready to switch the financial reporting measures for US companies to the globally accepted standards for accounting.

The U.S. and Mexico have reached a cooperative agreement for oil and gas drilling along the maritime border in the Gulf of Mexico, ending years of negotiation that has left the area untapped for more than a decade.

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index slipped in January to 0.22 from 0.54, but generally remains indicative of decent activity growth in the US in early 2012.

The Australian dollar opens around half a cent lower against its US Counterpart this morning following on from what has been an eventful 24 hours.

US consumer prices rose by 0.2pct in January and the core measure (excludes food and energy) also rose 0.2pct. The leading index rose by 0.4pct in January, just short of forecasts.

The Australian Dollar continued its bullish run as positive signs out of Europe spurred traders to continue to hold riskier assets.

A new formulation for bowel cancer has the potential to ease the way the cancer is treated, as soon as it hits the market.

U.S. equities rose after positive news from the labor and housing markets, then drifted higher on reports of progress toward a second bailout for Greece.

A surprise to the upside in Australia’s unemployment rate sparked a brief rally in the local unit in a session that was otherwise dominated by a risk-off mode.

New claims for unemployment insurance in the US fell by 13,000 to 348,000 in the latest week - the lowest level since March 2008.

Does your diet cause environmental damage? It may, according to a new report from the Public Health Association of Australia.

Do black holes hold the secret to the origin of galaxies? A new research says a new type of black hole can shed light on how galaxies are formed.

Australians are indeed at the fore of the search for alternative energy source, with the development of the world’s “most efficient broadband nanoplasmonic solar cells” by teams of researchers from Swinburne University of Technology and Suntech Power Holdings.

A program stored on a specially designed USB flash drive (memory stick) is now available to allow users to easily record their personal medical history, current medication, allergies and other details deemed necessary or helpful to medical professionals, paramedics and police, in the event of an emergency.

New figures show that more Australians are using insulin to manage diabetes.

US advance retail sales rose by just 0.4pct in January after a revised flat reading for December (previously +0.1pct). The main drag on the January result was auto sales which fell 1.1pct partly due to discounting. US business inventories rose by 0.4pct in December, while sales rose at a 0.7pct monthly pace - the largest rise since July 2011.

Reseachers from the University of Western Australia are studying the potential impact of climate change and altered hydrology on a major Pilbara wetland.

The completion of the genome sequence of the saltwater crocodile offers a more accurate selection of “breeders” which could take place as soon as the eggs hatch.

The Australian Dollar rallied during local trade yesterday, moving from opening levels around 1.0680 to 1.0740 by the switch to London hours. Boosting demand for our local unit was a late night vote in Greece which resulted in the passing of austerity measures aimed at reducing the indebted nation’s budget deficit