BUSINESS

Overnight US market closed higher after a mid-session glitch that saw the index slide over 50points on the news that the Financial Times, out of London, had reported the rating agency Standard's & Poor's was likely to cut 6 key European nations AAA credit ratings. After the initial shock the market turned higher. Dow Jones Index and NASDAQ both ended stronger.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) had conceded defeat in the $215-million Metcash purchase of Franklins Supermarkets. After a prolonged legal battle, a Federal Court judge ruled last week in favour of Metcash despite opposition by the competition regulator.

Police in Indonesia are not allowing the head of Research in Motion (RIM) in the country to leave Jakarta for being one of the suspects who triggered a stampede during a bargain sale of BlackBerry smartphones inside a mall.

Information not for public consumption may have been inadvertently leaked when an American court decided Friday last week that Samsung Electronics may start selling its Galaxy product lines in the United States.

Peruvian President Ollanta Humala has placed four northern highland provinces under a state of emergency to stop violent protests against a U.S. mining firm that injured dozens of people and forced an airport to shut down.

Alliance Resources (ASX: AGS) disclosed on Monday that it has settled its legal dispute with venture partner, Heathgate, paving the way for the fifth uranium mine in Australia.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The AUD is slightly stronger this morning after news filtered out of Europe that plans for a new treaty and fiscal rules in the region has been agreed upon.

U.S. stocks were ahead but off session highs Monday afternoon after a Financial Times report claiming that Standard & Poor's warned six triple A-rated euro-zone members that they may suffer ratings downgrades as a result of the deepening sovereign-debt crisis.

General Motors will buy back Chevrolet Volts from owners who are concerned their plug-in hybrid cars could catch on fire.

MINI and Lexus have been rated the top brands for sales satisfaction among new-car customers in the US.

Last week in The Daily Reckoning, Greg Canavan and Dan Denning wrote about how owning shares that pay you to own them will be key to your investment success in the coming years.

Honda has announced a global recall of 917,267 vehicles over an airbag defect that has caused at least 20 injuries. The action adds to previous recalls that were issued to address the same problem, resulting in a total of 2.8 million cars being affected.

Another indicator, the hedonic price index rose 2.0% y-o-y to August 2011 (-0.42% in real terms) according to Hypoport AG.

The world's housing markets had a weak third quarter of 2011, according to the latest survey of world-wide house price indices prepared by the Global Property Guide. During the year to end Q3 2011, house prices fell in 25 countries, of the 44 countries for which quarterly house price statistics are available, and rose in only 19 countries.

A crack in the concrete catchment of a desalination facility of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station has leaked 45 tons of highly radioactive water, according to TEPCO, operator of the plant.

By Greg PeelIndustry consultant TradeTech closed out its spot price indicator for November month-end at US$51.

Siri's only a month old and the service is already embroiled in a scandal. The dulcet toned digital personal assistant was accused by several blogs that it was blocking answers to questions about abortion or birth control.

- Citi initiates on FKP Property with Neutral rating- Upside and downside risks for earnings are in play- Refinancing remains a key catalyst- Buy ratings still dominate on the stockBy Chris ShawFKP Property Group ((FKP)) is a diversified play, owning, managing and investing in the retirement, reside...

By Greg PeelThe RBA today cut its cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.25%, following on from a similar cut in November.

The federal government of Zimbabwe, in a bid to improve the country's fiscal liquidity situation, demanded that foreign-owned mining firms should have their primary listings in the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE).

Sydney is ranked as the third most favourable market in the Asia Pacific region for commercial real estate investment next year, largely due to the resiliency of the Australian economy, according to Emerging Trends in Real Estate® Asia Pacific 2012, a real estate forecast jointly published by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Iran claimed Sunday that it has "captured" a spy drone belonging to the U.S., as the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan admitted that one of its reconnaissance aircraft went missing last week.

The owner of the Rivers Australia chain will appear in court on Wednesday in connection with the charges of indecent assault filed against him by a former employee.

Homeowners in financial stress are receiving advice from what may seem an unlikely source: the Australian Bankers' Association.

The administrator of Refund Home Loans has claimed the business could sell before Christmas.

The Queensland government approved a 25-year mining lease for the Mt Carlton gold-silver-copper project of Evolution Mining (ASX: EVN).

Refund Home Loans' administrator has assured franchisees that a wind up resolution will only affect a shell company, not Refund Home Loans' businesses.

The holiday shopping season is projected to generate some $10 billion of total sale for the retail industry and big chunk of that pie would be enjoyed by Australian retailers, reports said.

Australians will have another alternative budget carrier from Asia by mid-2012 as Scoot operates a 402-seat daily flight between Sydney and Singapore. Scoot will offer 40 per cent lower fare than traditional airlines and targets young and adventurous travelers who want to go around the region at lower cost.