BUSINESS

On the 7th of March, the Bank of Japan informed that it decided to keep monetary policy intact, yet the central bank upgraded assessments of the country's economy.

Apple iPhone 6 remains a mystery despite analysts’ projections that the handset will be a reality by Q1 2014. But for designer Peter Zigich, the smartphone will definitely come and there will be three variants.

The Australian sharemarket has kicked off hump day in subdued fashion, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) down by just 0.2 per cent or 9.2 pts to 5119.5.

Samsung Galaxy S4 debuts this week and the tech world is all buzzed up on what to expect and what not to. But one thing is sure, according to Forbes, we’ll get to see a new Android handset that aims to steal the thunder off Apple’s iPhone.

Sprint may be looking at a modified Z10 for release while Lenovo is speculating a takeover of the BlackBerry company.

By Greg PeelIn the process of open cut mining, as opposed to underground mining, "stripping costs" are incurred.

May 2013 is the expected release date of the new Android 5.0 or Key Lime Pie. The launch of the new OS version will take place at Google I/O on the same month. It is also the day when the first set of devices to run the new OS version from Motorola, ASUS, Samsung, and ZTE would roll out.

It appears that Galaxy Note 3 fans will have to bear more waiting time as a new report suggests that Samsung will use an LCD display panel for the upcoming phablet instead of the usual AMOLED.

This story was first published with full access for subscribers only on March 7. Due to a technical error, now resolved, a large section of the story was omitted on first publication.

The family court feud that Australians are following like soap operas because of the huge money involved has a new twist. It seems the battle has suddenly turned lopsided in favour of the family matriarch who at one point was sued by her three adult children for their fair share of the family wealth.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck, Editor FNArenaPrelude: In April 2011, with the Australian share market experiencing yet another January-April rally, I compared index projections for the calendar year from equity strategists with consensus price targets for individual stocks (*).

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 2 points, but the S&P lost 0.2% to 1552 and the Nasdaq fell 0.3%.It was touch and go at the death, but the Dow did manage to close in the green for an eighth straight up-day.

The Australian sharemarket couldn't make it three consecutive sessions of gains today, with the All Ordinaries Index slipping by 0.61 per cent or 31.4 pts to 5128.6. The mining and energy sectors continue to underperform the broader market. Both industries combined account for around ¼ of the Australian sharemarket.

Introducing the budget iPhone this year is a crucial Apple move, likely creating an overall positive impact on the tech giant’s global presence, notably in the emerging markets, a new report said.

The local share market is trading slightly lower at lunchtime in the East, despite a positive start and another record high on Wall Street overnight.

The Motorola X-Phone project is fast shaping up and new reports indicated that power indeed is packed with ‘The Other’ Google signature handset and will flash a body profile that is lighter and thinner than the Droid RAZR Maxx HD.

New patent filings by Samsung pointed to the likelihood that phone camera to debut with the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 is more advanced than expected – capable of 3D video recording and ‘panoramic imaging’, a new report said.

ew Zealand clients of the big 4 Australian banks filed on Monday a class action suit over charges that the lender have collected from them $800 million in excessive default fees.

It could be that wireless charging will skip out the upcoming iPhone 5S but two new powerful features will come rolling out with the Apple smartphone by mid-year, new reports said.

Hancock Coal and rail freight company Aurizon inked an agreement for the joint development of new rail and port facilities in Galilee Basin. The project is estimated to cost $6 million.

Now is the sweet time to own Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2, which U.S. telco AT&T now sells for only $US.0.99 with a two-year contract.

By Andrew NelsonThe Chinese started the shift from central planning to market-based economic reforms back in 1978 and since that time China's economy has grown 28 times larger.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 50 points, or 0.4%, while the S&P gained 0.3% to 1556 and the Nasdaq added 0.

BHP has made strategic shale acquisitions in the US. It's also been absolutely caned on those acquisitions, writing off $2.84 billion from its Fayetteville Shale assets late last year. This cost Marius Kloppers his bonus for 2012, and arguably his job for good.

Kia Australia has ruled out importing any more variants from the European-focused Kia Cee'd range beyond the Pro_Cee'd GT hot-hatch it has recently confirmed for the local market.

Despite a flat start, the Australian share market has closed higher thanks to strong gains from financial stocks and another rise on the Japanese sharemarket.

Official data showed that China enjoyed strong exports in February, highlighting signs that the economy was deliberately rebounding. Yet, China's imports were weak, missing analysts' expectations.

Is this the end of recession? At least, latest data indicated that. According to the revised survey, Japan saw its economy expand in the final quarter of 2012. Certainly, the news is a good sign for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who is focused on getting Japan out of two long decades of deflationary stagnation.

Fancy for a Facebook-dedicated smartphone that actually dishes other servings aside from making sure you are attuned 24/7 to the hugely popular social media site?