BUSINESS

Air Canada offered a non-stop flight from Sydney to Toronto on a daily basis and the Cape Breton business community loves it.

The Australian share market has closed in the red for a fifth consecutive session, dragged down by a downbeat lead from Wall Street and as a reading of consumer confidence in Australia fell to its lowest level since July.

The Smarty Ring Bluetooth-enabled wearable gadget for easy smartphone alert checks and incoming call management is finally here! Move over, Samsung Galaxy Gear watch, Pebble Watch and Sony SmartWatch, here comes the latest wearable gadget designed to work in sync with one's smartphone. It is much sleeker, fashionable and easier to wear than the smart watches out there today. It can be worn even if you are dressed casually or dressed to the nines.

The selloff that started in earnest in the early part of November has neutralised the October rally. It's back to square one in some respects. The area around 5150 has taken on new significance as a result. The way prices behave around these levels will reveal valuable insights into market sentiment. At this point it appears as though sellers remain in the ascendant notwithstanding the 300 point retracement that has been a feature of recent weeks.

Air New Zealand has announced it is on target to experience a 20 per cent jump in profits in the six months ending December 31.

- Woodside production guidance lacking- Low capex a positive- Leviathan still an unknown- Cash flow remains solidBy Greg PeelWoodside Petroleum ((WPL)) held its annual investor update yesterday.

Qantas staff will start wearing the controversial uniform modeled by Miranda Kerr starting Thursday, Dec 12.

The last analogue television (TV) transmitter in Australia has officially been switched off at 9 am on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013 in Melbourne, Victoria as well as other communities in eastern and central Australia. It has reportedly been used in Australia for 57 years. What this means is that all the free-to-air TV in Australia will now be available only on digital TV. Their analogue TV can still be used if a digital set-top box is used along with it.

By Tim Price, PFP Wealth ManagementThe Emotional Investor"To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insights, or inside information.

Prime Minsiter Tony Abbott is reportedly replacing Holden cars with BMW bomb-free cars

Ninja Blocks, a Sydney start-up company that was founded by Marcus Schappi with co-founders wife Madeleine and Mark Wotton in January 2012, has amazing gadgets called the Ninja Block and the Ninja Sphere, which are essentially "remote controls" for the home. The company has attracted funding of up to $1 million from companies such as Atlassian Software founders Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes.

The Fed dominated headlines yesterday, with Jaime Bullard and Richard Fisher talking about the prospect of monetary policy unwinding; both agree it is likely to occur in the coming year, however their methods differ slightly.

In US economic news, weekly chain store sales were up by 2.6% in the latest week on a year ago according to Redbook, down from 4.9% in the previous week. And wholesale sales rose 1.0% in October with inventories up 1.4%.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 52 points or 0.3% while the S&P lost 0.3% to 1802 and the Nasdaq was steady.Following on from Monday's heavy volume, portfolio-driven slump on Bridge Street, yesterday began well and provided all the hallmarks of buyers returning after standing back the day before.

Despite the extreme popularity of King's Candy Crush Sage, the game was crushed on Monday by Pretty Simple's Criminal Case which was picked by Facebook as the game of 2013.

While the average Australian works longer based on a higher retirement age, they still are ignoring the government request to retire at age 67. However, data from the Bureau of Statistics released on Monday found that the average retirement age is 58.5 for male workers and 50 for females.

A commercial from Australian manufacturer Four Seasons Condoms has been banned to air on the small screen for being too sexy. The controversial ad, which shows a young couple testing out condom sizes inside a pharmacy by engaging in various sexual positions, was deemed inappropriate for television.

The Australian share market ran out of steam in afternoon trade, as investors elected to pull back their positions ahead of Chinese data due out after the bell. Despite rallying in early trade, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) finished the session down 2.2 points to 5146.2.

Microsoft Non-Security Updates will be released on Patch Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013 at 1PM Eastern Time. A brief description of the 16 main updates can be found on Microsoft's Support Page, including updates on Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and Windows Servers.

Here is good news for all the fans of HBO’s fantasy drama show “Game of Thrones.” Have you ever dreamt of playing as your favorite character from “Games of Thrones” universe? Your dreams will now be manifested into reality. Along with the New Year, comes a chance to play “Game of Thrones” videogame. Telltale Games, a digital publisher and maker of “The Walking Dead” game has announced the release of the video game in 2014.

Forced to choose between the lesser evil, Australia's national air carrier Qantas announced it will slash 1,000 jobs to rein in costs as it works to keep operations afloat.

About 200 employees are about to be jobless as Wilkie Creek Mine announces closure in Queensland

Pantone Inc., the global authority on color, named the PANTONE® 18-3224 Radiant Orchid as the official color of 2014 on Dec. 5, 2013. PANTONE® 18-3224 Radiant Orchid is described by the X-Rite company located in Carlstadt, New Jersey, as "a captivating, magical, enigmatic purple."

Air New Zealand has announced it will be extending its flight services to Australia's Sunshine Coast for a third consecutive year, effective 2014.

The Australian share market is performing much more strongly today, rebounding from yesterday's 0.7 per cent loss. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 Index reached a new record high while the Dow Jones Index also closed higher, although was sold off into the close on concern tapering could begin in the next few weeks.

A report from ANZ revealed that job advertisements fell but labour demands are stabilising

It is not just iPhones that are exploding. A report came out on Monday that a Samsung Galaxy S4 caught fire when the phone was charging. While the battery did not explode, the smartphone became useless, prompting the phone owner to seek a replacement since the unit is still under warranty.

Overnight St. Louis President James Bullard hinted at the possibility that QE3 is about to see its first major alteration since its inception on September 13 2012.

In US economic news, the employment trends index rose from 113.64 to 115.21 in November.