Frequent Canadian air travelers may soon expect more direct flights between the country and Mexico following an expanded air travel agreement signed on Tuesday. Mexicans flying to Canada, however, still need to apply and secure visas.
US markets returned to trade on a fairly quiet note with the major bourses relatively mixed. Data out of the US was underwhelming to say the least, with the Empire State manufacturing index and the NAHB housing market index sharply disappointing. Weather continues to be blamed for some of the disappointing readings but at some point this could start to weigh on sentiment. The Nikkei had a big day yesterday, rising 3% on the back of the BoJ. USD/JPY spiked to ¥102.75 on the back of the BoJ but ha...
In US economic data, the Empire State manufacturing index eased from +12.51 to +4.48 in February. In December there were capital outflows from the US totalling US$119.6 billion, up from $16.6 billion in November. And the National Association of Home Builders index eased from +56 to +46 in February - the biggest one-month decline recorded.
In a tie-up campaign with Tourism New Zealand, Air New Zealand is enticing Japanese tourists to visit the country Down Under during the colder months by offering them hefty 30 per cent discounts on plane fare.
The federal government of Australia approved on Tuesday the master plan for Sydney Airport to meet the expected higher number of 74 million passengers the gateway would handle in 2033, up from the 38 million air travelers in 2013.
The Australian share market closed slightly higher today, as investors digested positive earnings reports from the likes of BHP Billiton (BHP) against numbers which missed the mark from companies such as Coca-Cola Amatil (CCL).
The Australian sharemarket is rising for the third straight day and for the eighth time in nine trading sessions. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 0.1 per cent and the index is back above 5400pts for the first time in three months. Strong gains within the mining sector is driving the broader market higher at lunch. Investors looked to Europe for a lead, due to the closure of the U.S. markets (Presidents Day public holiday). Shares in the UK jumped by 1.1 per cent.
Analysts based in London have likened New Zealand to Ireland in its state of pre-global financial crisis with an economy on the brink of collapse. In a Bloomberg report, SLJ Macro Partners Stephen Jen and colleague Faith Yimazn said it was only a matter of time before the New Zealand dollar will decline. Both analysts remarked that the reality is "quite different" despite the Kiwi dollar's strong performance as of late.
Chinese millionaires whose applications have been withdrawn after Canada scraped its Immigrant Investor Program (IIP) were hardly upset. They can always turn to the U.S. and Europe to expand and migrate anyway.
Mining giant BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) reported on Tuesday a first half profit of A$9 billion for its 2014 financial year. It is almost double compared to BHP's profit 12 months ago and better than most analysts' expectations.
After an in-depth analysis of the strength and stability of Australia’s financial sector, ratings agency Standard & Poor’s concluded that Aussie banks are among the five most stable in the world.
The positive equity momentum of the past week remains robust. Having now turned positive for the first time in 2014, the ASX is now 30 points in the black year-to-date as the US markets snap back from their New Year slump.
European shares were mixed on Monday in thin trade with volumes affected by holidays in North America. The FTSEurofirst 300 index rose by 0.4% with the UK FTSE up by 1.1% but the German Dax lost 0.1%. Mining shares were stronger in response to strong Chinese lending data and in London trade shares in both BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto rose by 1.2%.
A question asked in 2012 is being raised again this time by Harry Dent, a book author, economist and demographer raised the spectre of a property slump in Australia in the next few years. He warned that property prices could go down as low as 50% in the coming years, causing median house prices in Sydney to tumble down to $381,584 from the present $763,169.
Apple Inc. is gradually eating away Microsoft's personal computer market share.
China is planning to build the world's longest underwater tunnel at a whopping cost of 220 billion yuan ($36 billion).
The Australian share market continued its recent winning streak today, rising 0.5 per cent on the back of positive moves on Wall Street on Friday night and data out of China on the weekend.
A web site in Russia accepts Bitcoin while USD is used in more unlawful transactions said chair of Bitcoin foundation.
With the growing childcare costs for nannies contracted through agencies, Australian mothers were forced to pay nannies through the 'black market' or through online and referral by friends. Nannies taken through this unregulated approach were only paid $15 per hour.
Indonesia has started to claim normalcy and control as it reopened on Sunday the airports closed on Java island following Mount Kelud's eruption on Thursday.
The Australian share market has started the trading week on a positive note, after gaining 3.5 per cent over the course of last week.
The Abbott government is paying $4.3 million for media positioning analysis.
The pride biscuit of Australia is celebrating its 50 years now
With limited major macro news this week and after having seen the US and Australia releasing most of their respective January data in the past two weeks, the Asian and European earnings seasons will be the main driver of trade.
In US economic data, industrial production fell by 0.3% in January, short of forecasts for a 0.3% gain, but a result blamed on the severe winter weather. Import prices rose 0.1% in January and export prices rose by 0.2%. Consumer sentiment was unchanged at 81.2 in February.
Gold continued to lose its shine in 2013, with the top 3 miners registering a combined loss of $16 billion. The loss of Barrick Gold, Goldcorp and Kinross Gold Corp are due to lower price of the once-safe haven and the drop in value of bullion and mining shareprices.
While the federal Australian government is willing to help financially challenged national carrier Qantas, it wouldn't be in the form of a cash handout.
The new Apple TV, one of Apple Inc’s most anticipated products in 2014, may be closer to reality as the Wall Street Journal supported an earlier report by Bloomberg. The latter said the new Apple TV may be in the middle of negotiations for content, citing Time Warner Cable as one of the possible providers for content services.
Local stocks have ended the week with an emphatic improvement .The ASX 200 ended the session at the best levels of the day. Participation from investors remained at healthy levels with close to $5 billion in shares exchanged. In a week that has been replete with economic news from the world's economically important regions, in addition to a landslide of company results locally, the ASX 200 has risen by 3.5%. Every sector finished the session with solid gains led by the healthcare and consumer...
Apple Inc (NASDAQ AAPL) is rallying at $750 says analysts from the Oxen Group
