BUSINESS

Australian Stock Market Report – Midday 3/3/14

The ASX 200 traded lower at the open thanks to the combination of stocks going ex-dividend and the defensive tone inspired by developments in the Ukraine. The market continued to trade lower over the course of the morning with few signs of consolidation. As lunchtime approached the index was still making new lows with a loss of 1.1% or 62 points.
Ukraine Peace Deal Halts Violence but Crowds still Angry

Global Markets Overview – 3/3/14

Markets have a lot to digest this morning; a geopolitical crisis in Ukraine, China's PMI index beating expectations (which was a surprise) and the start of central bank week. But the biggest talking point is the developments out of Crimea.
More news

Australian Stock Market Report –Midday 2/28/14

Having sagged in Thursday's session there was a little more vitality in the opening part of trade on Friday although that experience was short lived. The 30 point improvement seen at the outset was quashed rather quickly as the index quickly returned to the levels of the close last evening.

Global Markets Overview – 2/28/14

Equities edged higher with the S&P managing to close at a fresh record high as a better-than-expected core durable goods reading and comments by Fed chair Janet Yellen lifted sentiment. However, unemployment claims came in worse than expected and Yellen suggested the recent weakness in data could be largely weather related, but further assessment over the next few weeks will be needed to provide clarity on the matter. Until then, tapering is likely to remain on course at $10 billion a month. The...

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning 2/28/14

In US economic data, durable goods orders fell by a less than expected 1% in January after a 5.3% fall in December. Excluding transportation orders rose by 1.1% in January - the largest rise since May 2013. US jobless claims rose by an unexpected 14,000 to a seasonally adjusted 348,000 last week.

Australian Stock Market Report – Afternoon 2/27/14

The Australian share market has fallen victim to profit taking, after a recent bull run. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) lost 26pts or 0.5 per cent on the close to 5421 with weakness from mining, energy and financial players.

Australian Stock Market Report – Midday 2/27/14

The ASX 200 skidded lower at the open of trade plumbing a low of 5412 or a loss of 15 points. Whilst the market found some support in that region sellers were still keen to press their claims, meaning that the index showed little sign of recovering over the morning session

Global Markets Overview – 2/27/14

It was once again another choppy session for US equities, with early gains fading towards the end of the session. Geopolitical concerns also resurfaced on the Ukraine front, and this, along with some encouraging US economic data helped underpin the greenback. New home sales data came in much better than expected at 468,000 (+9.6%) versus an anticipated 406,000. AUD/USD extended its losses after having recovered significant ground following yesterday's sharp sell-off. The pair is back below 0....

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning 2/27/14

In US economic data, new home sales soared by 9.6% in January to a 5-1/2 year high of 468,000. Economists had tipped an annual rate of sales near 400,000. But the weekly mortgage market index fell by 8.5% to 348.5 in the latest week with refinancing down 11.4% and new purchases down 3.5%.

Australian Stock Market Report – Afternoon 2/26/14

Local shares held on to modest gains by the close, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rising by 3pts or a little less than 0.1 per cent. The energy sector surged, while the miners were the biggest drag on trade.

John Chen Says BlackBerry Open to Receive $19B Offer from Potential Buyers; BBM Soon Available for Nokia X and Lumia Devices

A few months ago, BlackBerry's board changed its mind and said the embattled Canadian company would no longer be sold. However, this week, BlackBerry CEO John Chen that for $19 billion, he would be willing to sell the company to any corporate giant. He made the statement during an interview with CNBC at the MWC, obviously referring to the amount that Facebook shelled out for WhatsApp.

Australian Stock Market Report – Midday 2/26/14

The Australian sharemarket has been shooting the lights out in recent weeks; with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 4.67 per cent since the start of February. This makes it the best month since July 2013. The XAO is largely flat at lunch.

Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stock Not Moving Beyond $550; Tim Cook Remembers Steve Jobs' Birthday on Twitter

Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) stocks continue to stay within the $490 and $550 range with analysts saying the company may not be doing so well since the last time it announced its earnings report. Several analysts have predicted that Apple shares will continue to move within a certain range. OCBC Investment Research analysts said that Apple Inc stocks could decline as low as $490 and will not go beyond $550 in for some time in the foreseeable future.

Global Markets Overview - 2/26/14

Some interesting developments are starting to take place in China at the moment, as we witnessed its central currency tumble yesterday.

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning 2/26/14

In US economic data, the S&P/Case Shiller home price index rose by 0.8% in December to be up 13.4% on a year ago. The FHFA home price index was up by 7.7% on a year ago. Consumer confidence eased from 79.4 to 78.1, short of forecasts centred around 80.0. And the Richmond Fed composite index eased from +12 to minus 6 in February.

Pages