BUSINESS

With eight days to Christmas and only six and a half trading days left of 2013, you would hope trade would be settling down as investors set and forget, and put their feet up and enjoy a summer holiday. However, this looks to be wishful thinking; the week ahead is packed full with market-moving material.

In US economic news, producer prices fell by 0.1% in November with the core rate (excludes food and energy) up 0.1%. The core rate was in line with expectations.

Greg Peel is on a well-deserved break until Monday, 13th January. This week, which is FNArena's final week before we all start enjoying a well-deserved break, we will borrow the Overnight Report from third party content providers.

If men had been enjoying Viagra and other male erection enhancement drugs for almost 20 years, flibanserin, the equivalent of the sex enhancement drug for women, has suffered from another impasse with the regulator, the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

The weekly closed last week on a downtrend for a fourth week. The market had another volatile week with a range of 178 points just below the previous week's 200 point range.

The Australian share market snapped its longest losing streak in 17 months today, rising for the first time in seven sessions despite a weak offshore lead.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Lite might have a 5.68-inch display with a Liquid-crystal display (LCD) screen? Rumours are swirling about the tech industry that Samsung is planning to launch a new gadget with these particular specs. According to ETN News, a Korean site, this new Samsung device is aimed as a low-cost alternative to its other higher priced gadgets.

Apple Inc's iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5S have finally outwit Samsung Galaxy S4 based on global sales in October, according to Counterpoint's report.

The Fed meeting next week looms as the last market catalyst for 2013. The better economic news from the US has improved the odds, in the markets eyes at least, that the US central bank will taper Q.E this year. As A result bond yields have risen and stocks have fallen in the last 24 hours. At lunchtime on Friday an uneasy equilibrium was in place after sellers attempted to further their argument for a 7th consecutive session in early trade. At its worst levels the ASX 200 was at a 15 point defic...

Virgin Australia's foreign shareholders Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways and Air New Zealand will increase their stakes in Australia's second-biggest carrier. This after only a measly 25.3 per cent of retail shareholders showed interest in Virgin's $350 million capital raising efforts.

Boeing has outwon competitor Airbus when it secured a $6.5 billion order placement from Air Canada for 61 narrow-body aircraft.

Growth in New Zealand's manufacturing sector continued to expand for the 14th consecutive month in November.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck, Editor FNArenaI joined Twitter. Not because I am curious what this celebrity has to say about her kids, or to read that another one is waiting for a connecting flight, impatiently.

With the prospect of tapering only days to weeks away the effect on the global is starting to ramp up.

In US economic news, retail sales rose by 0.7%, ahead of forecasts for a gain of 0.6%. Excluding gasoline and autos, sales rose 0.6%. Import prices fell 0.6% in November while export prices rose 0.1%. And claims for unemployment benefits rose by 68,000 to 368,000, well ahead of forecasts for a rise to 320,000. The Labor Department said that a late Thanksgiving affected seasonal adjustment of the data.

Economic forecaster Deloitte is not limited to projecting GNPs and inflation and unemployment rates, but has also forayed into technology predictions.

With Australia rejecting same-sex marriage and India banning consensual gay sex, nobody needs more gay jokes. Thus, a dollar store in Manitoba, Canada, had to pull out a gag gift that claims to cure homosexuality.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) rolled out on Thursday its tap-and-go service for mobile phone that would deliver users a next-generation shopping experience and makes paying for everyday goods and services simpler, making signatures or PINs unnecessary.

Oil and gas giant Chevron is blaming the high labour cost, logistical challenges on its remote sites and delays caused by weather as the main reasons why its Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Western Australia is on a second cost blowout.

By Ashley JessenASX Top Gainers & Losers plus Market Snapshot - 13 December 2013Despite negative leads from overseas and a shaky start to our trading session, the local S&P/ASX200 actually managed to put a halt on the seriously oversold conditions, coming off six straight down days to post a gain of...

Miramax filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. Entertainment for proceeds from the upcoming second and third installment of “The Hobbit” Tuesday, Dec. 10.

All have been searching for a magic wand to bring huge traffic to our Web site. Many wonder if there is any password to the eternal mystery of online traffic. But the truth is there is no trick. We only have techniques that require dedication and consistency.

Apple is rumoured to be keeping its distance from Samsung to reduce its reliance on the Korean tech giant. However, it seems that despite Apple's attempt to steer clear out of its production, Samsung is reported to manufacture the A8 chip of the next generation iPhone 6.

The Australian share market closed in the red for a sixth consecutive session today, weighed down by a weak offshore lead and downbeat day across the Asian region.

Apple Inc's employees ranked the company No. 35 in Glassdoor's Best Places to Work 2014. Twitter Inc was voted the best place to work in 2014 with a rating of 4.6 compared to Apple's 3.8.

China's most expensive priced carbon market is set to launch on Dec 16 in the southern province of Guangdong.

After the US markets sold off again overnight it was good to see the Aussie market holding up well at the start of trade.

New Zealand's population has now officially reached 4.5 million.

Canada's government-owned postal agency on Wednesday announced the looming closure of its door-to-door home delivery over the next five years. But the country's senior citizens and disabled aren't happy about it.