BUSINESS

Sales of detached homes fell in two of Australia's most populous states according to recent industry data.

The ISM Chicago business index rose from 56.6 to 61.1 in June. The result was well ahead of expectations which centred on a result around 54.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has soften her tone and argued with new semantics to push for the carbon tax.

Samsung's ongoing feud with Apple took another turn this week as the South Korean firm asked the US International Trade Commission to ban Apple from importing the latest iPhone and iPad devices. The complaint was filed Wednesday amid a growing patent dispute.

An independent team studying the environmental impact of Australia's Lynas Corp.'s proposed rare earths facility in Malaysia said more safety measures need be in place.

Hand it to the Chinese as they not only have the second biggest economy in the world but also two of the longest cross-sea bridges in the planet with the Thursday unveiling of the country’s 41-kilometre Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Bridge.

- Equities mixed, copper strong in July- US dollar tends to outperform commodity currencies for the month- Bond markets not expected to show any yield advanceBy Chris ShawEquity markets typically deliver some extreme performances in July according to Barclays Capital, the group noting the month tend...

Months of preparation for Hewlett-Packard’s tablet foray end on Friday as the company officially unleashed the TouchPad, with up to a hundred Best Buy outlets initially offering the device that retails at starting price of $499.

By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 152 points or 1.3% while the S&P gained 1.0% and the Nasdaq added 1.2%.Pop quiz: Did Wall Street finish higher or lower on the June quarter?The simple assumption is lower, given the April-June period has been all about the Greek correction with overtones of the US "soft patc...

Australian capital city home values have falled by 2.7% during the 2011 calendar year, according to the latest research from RP Data.

A union appeal has put the decision to halve the minimum shift length for high school retail workers on hold for now.

Employer confidence is remaining upbeat, with just under a third of employers planning to grow staff numbers during the next quarter, according to a new report.

There's one nasty fact about the US economy that has been obscured by the very public argument about America's debt ceiling, the threat of a default and the tooing and froing ahead of next year's election.

Kraft Foods is encouraging the Indian government to develop a comprehensive cocoa production development policy, claiming domestic supplies are too poor and scant to fuel its growing needs.

Homeloans has begun piloting a new 'Elite Broker Circle' offering, which the non-bank has said will provide premium service for selected brokers.

A recent study of more than 600 Australian owners and decision makers of small to medium enterprises found that almost four in 10 businesses believe that they are performing better now compared to this time 12 months ago.

Key Media, publishers of Human Capital magazine, is pleased to announce it will hold the Australian HR Awards in October 2011.

Macquarie has expanded its previously financial planning-focused Macquarie Practice Consulting into the mortgage broking market.

Australian workers are more confident than their global counterparts about finding work, according to a new report.

A number of changes are due to take place tomorrow (1 July) which will affect employers, including changes to the national minimum wage and paid parental leave scheme.

Virgin America is maintaining its reputation as the darling airline of the tech sector, and today it announced a new partnership with Google that will give travelers the option to test Google's Chromebooks in their flight beginning tomorrow.

From IG Markets Analyst Ben Potter:On Wall Street overnight, stock finished the quarter and end of the first half in bullish fashion, logging its fourth consecutive gain as Greece passed a second crucial vote on the implementation of the latest austerity package and a much stronger-than-expected Chicago PMI number.

The MPA Brokers on Non-Banks survey, proudly sponsored by Advantedge Financial Services, closes next Monday 4th July and this year's prize could provide a welcome fillip to your business.

U.S. stocks advanced, as investors cheered a Greek austerity package and financial stocks jumped following a major settlement on mortgage backed securities.

The Greek parliament has approved an austerity package that opens the door for an injection of emergency bail-out funds from the European Union and International Monetary Fund.

After a slow start to the month, the Australian sharemarket is gaining for the third straight day with the All Ordinaries index (XAO) up 1.4 pct or 63.6 pts to 4643.4.

A review of more than 17,000 health insurance policies by consumer group Choice has found families could save more than $1500 by switching to a better value fund.

In Choice’s annual review of health insurance policies, undertaken to find the best value cover on the market, each of the major health funds and many of the smaller providers were assessed. When choosing Health Insurance, consumer group Choice advises to:

- Valuation only one variable for airline stocks- Moelis suggests a number of other factors are also important- Stockbroker initiates coverage on both Qantas and Virgin Blue with Hold ratingsBy Chris ShawFor some time both Qantas ((QAN)) and Virgin Blue ((VBA)) have received favourable ratings from ...