BUSINESS

Are we getting closer to the end of QE? The US bond market certainly thinks so. Overnight, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rose 14 basis points, to 2.72%. Market interest rates are now hovering around their highest levels in years.

Australian stocks came under selling pressure on Friday, despite a strong rise on the Chinese share market. Another triple digit loss on Wall Street overnight impacted sentiment, while profit taking also seemed to be in vogue.

Chinese Kiwis in New Zealand are concerned about the country’s image in China in the wake of the recent botulism contamination scare. An analysis of social media in both countries has found an emerging group of Chinese residents in New Zealand vigorously defending the island nation from their fellow Chinese.

The Australian share market is under heavy selling pressure at lunchtime on Friday, after Wall Street suffered another triple digit loss overnight.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI is the stuff of legend as the benchmark hot-hatch, but does the all-new Mark VII carry the torch and live up to its predecessor?

US Airways and American Airlines, which have been planning to combine the two airlines by the end of September, hit a major merger roadblock. The Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to block the proposed $11 billion merger between American Airlines and US Airways, which would create the world's largest airline.

Organisers of the Vancouver Science World Exhibit banned two print ads that they deemed too sexy for public exhibition, specifically in outdoor space such as bus shelters. The decision what to place in such locations is in the hands of municipalities and display companies.

About 1,700 local workers employed by mining giant Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) will lose their jobs at the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia. Rio blamed the lay-offs to the stop in the $5 billion expansion plan ordered by the Mongolian government.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 225 points or 1.5% while the S&P lost 1.4% to 1661 and the Nasdaq dropped 1.7%.

The flip phone is back, and behind its return is not Google's Motorola which was famous for its Razr line of flip phones, but South Korean tech giant Samsung.

The Labor Ministry of Brazil is filing a suit against Samsung, the world’s largest smartphone maker, over poor working conditions of the workers in its factory located in Manaus. The ministry is seeking damages to the tune of about $108 Million.

The Australian sharemarket finished a touch lower, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) slipping by just 0.1 per cent or 4 pts. Continued concerns of Fed tapering in QE is still keeping investors on edge in the US, with the DOW slipping by 0.75 per cent.

Windows 8.1 will have a roll out in the internet on Oct 17, while Windows Build 9471 tutorials leaked

The Australian share market remains flat in early trade on Thursday, as investors weigh up profit results against a triple digit loss on Wall Street overnight.

As the New Zealand government prepares to hold its own inquiry into Fonterra's botulism scare, a farm consultant who is also a veterinarian is casting doubt on reports that the bacterial contamination was due to a dirty pipe. Frank Rowson, a farm performance consultant and Matamata veterinarian, said he has acquired material that will cause more shame to New Zealand's dairy giant.

Microsoft will release this week its latest version of keyboard called Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop keyboard.

By Jonathan BarrattSentiment in the gold market is turning. As we have mentioned a few times, do not lose faith in the trade.

Angry Hunter Valley residents in the Australian state of New South Wales protested on Tuesday the coal mine expansion plan of mining giant Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO). The anti-mining protest was held on the day that the NSW Supreme Court heard arguments about the future of the Mount Thorley Warkworth coal mine.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 113 points or 0.7% while the S&P lost 0.5% to 1685 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.4%.

There was a bit of everything for investors today. Some gains, some losses and then the end result - a flat finish.

Billionaire and activist investor Carl Icahn said he has acquired a large position in Apple Inc' which could drive stocks to as much as $700 per share if Apple CEO Tim Cook will decide to approve a bigger stock buyback.

A couple from Houston, Texas warned parents of sexual predators lurking through baby monitors.

Unless China radically implements measures and steps to salvage what remains of its environment, it may have to expect and get used to dwindling tourist numbers.

Apple Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL) Budget iPhone, iPhone 5C, comes with cheaper specs and less high-end iPhone features

Auckland company E-Advance Limited is accused of exploiting migrant workers. The alleged victims claim that the employer, which helps migrants to find jobs in New Zealand, has been causing them “emotional and psychological stress.”

Investors tried it all this morning, with the Australian sharemarket a little higher on the open, in the red around an hour into trade and completely flat at lunch.

'I get calls weekly asking if I will sell my home. I finally stopped one to ask, 'Does anybody actually say yes?' And he said, 'Of course. Otherwise, why would we do this?''

Students wanting to study overseas, particularly in Australia, either need to have been able to have saved a lot or at least able to maintain two jobs to be able to afford paying for their tuition costs and other expenses. According to a new research HSBC, Australia ranks the list of most expensive countries for oversea students, followed by the United States, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Canada is cheaper.

There would be lesser flights by Australian flag carrier Qantas to the Middle East in 2014 when the Dubai Airport undergoes runway repairs for three months. Dubai Airport authorities advised Qantas in April for the air carrier to reduce by 50 per cent its flights to the second-busiest international airport in the world while two runways would undergo maintenance.