BUSINESS

World Market Overview 05/26/2011

Australian stocks have closed lower for the fourth straight session as offshore worries prompted broad based selling on the local bourse. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 46.7 points, or 0.95 per cent, at 4,584.7 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index had fallen 46.7 points, or 0.99 per cent, to 4,661.6 points.

Australian Stock Market Report 05/26/2011

The US Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that home prices fell by 0.3pct in March to be down 5.8pct on a year ago. And US durable goods orders fell by 3.6pct in April after a 4.4pct lift in March. Economists had tipped a fall of 2.2pct.

Global Markets Overview 05/25/2011

U.S. stocks registered a third-straight day of losses after a mixed round of housing and manufacturing data combined with worries about Europe's debt-laden countries to weigh on investor sentiment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished down 25.05 points, or 0.20%, to 12356.21, its lowest close since April 19. General Electric led the blue-chip index lower, dropping 29 cents, or 1.5%, to $19.10, while American Express fell 56 cents, or 1.1% to 50.56.

Daimler overhauls B-Class Mercedes to lure new and younger market

Daimler AG has announced the upcoming redesign of its B-Class Mercedes Benz, which the German carmaker said, will hopefully attract a new generation of buyers once its compact car lineups have assumed the more familiar features currently deployed on the flagship models.
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Bing’s never ending struggle with Google

Google has long been a thorn in Microsoft's side especially in the search engine market. When Microsoft launched Bing in 2009, the company thought it could easily catch up with Google. It didn't quite succeed as well as it hoped.

Australian Stock Market - Midday 05/25/2011

The Australian sharemarket is pulling back once again, with the All Ordinaries index (XAO) down 0.7 pct or 30.8 pts to 4677.5. Almost all sectors are weaker now than they were at this time yesterday and the financials are the worst performers at lunch.

Building data show two-speed construction industry

Building and construction work done rose modestly overall in the March quarter, but there is a growing divide between building and mining-related engineering construction, according to Master Builders Australia, the peak body for the building and construction industry.

Qantas pilots step toward industrial action

Qantas pilots have today moved toward industrial action for the first time since 1966, with the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) lodging a formal application at Fair Work Australia to ballot 1700 long-haul pilots.

Resilient QLD businesses most savvy with their finances: Westpac

The resilience of Queensland business owners shone through despite the state’s small business sentiment being hit hard by the recent natural disasters, with the state reporting a Happiness Index of 53 per cent in a new business survey released by Westpac.

Samsung Galaxy S Oovertakes the Apple iPhone in Japan

Galaxy S smartphones from Samsung outsold Apple iPhones in Japan during Q1 2011, which places Samsung in the ranks of the top four handset vendors of Japan for the first time, according to Strategy Analytics. Android smartphones are now outselling iOS smartphones in Japan.

Standard & Poor's announces changes to U.S. indices

S&P will make the following changes to the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600 indices. Alpha Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: ANR) will replace Massey Energy Corp. (NYSE: MEE) in the S&P 500 index after the close of trading on Wednesday, June 1. Alpha Natural Resources is acquiring Massey Energy in a deal expected to be completed on or about that date pending final approvals.

Advent's Geneva 8.5 empowers global hedge fund industry

Advent Software, Inc., a leading provider of software and services for the global investment management industry, today unveiled a major new release of Geneva, Advent's award-winning global portfolio management and fund accounting solution.

Investors keep up their search for safety in mid-May

Risk appetite continued to wane during the week ending May 18 as investors digested a fresh round of lukewarm-to-cold macroeconomic data, fresh speculation that Greek debt will be restructured and the fact that the official end to the US Federal Reserve's QE2 program is now less than eight weeks away.

Results: Reckon, Ruralco, HLG

Shares in accounting software provider Reckon Ltd fell 3% yesterday after the company's annual meeting heard the company is seeing improved business conditions in 2011 as demand for its products recovers.

Investors Outlook On Emerging Markets, Robust

Capital is continuing to move into emerging market bond funds, reducing the cost of borrowing for developing countries and reducing the significance of the Western financial system.

Market Buzz: The Big Players Turn Bullish Again

The last week saw sharp declines in commodity prices and equity markets, with oil taking a big hit as Eurozone worries rose to the fore. After the drop in oil prices, which many analysts point out was merely correcting the speculative rise in prices, oil is once again trending upward.

Apple bolsters patent portfolio with 200 patents from Freescale

Apple has beefed up its patent portfolio, apparently obtaining the rights to about 200 patents formerly held by Freescale Semiconductor. The patents cover a range of technologies, from Wi-Fi to cellular data and data encoding, some filed as late as 2010.

Can Woolworth’s new contactless payWave payment system work?

Visa announced that supermarket giant Woolworths has agreed to use its new contactless payWave payment system. Visa's new system allows customers to make purchases of under $100 without signing or using a PIN. This new system has raised valid security concerns with industry insiders.

World Market Overview 05/25/2011

The Australian share market closed slightly lower on Tuesday but bounced back from earlier lows caused by concerns about European sovereign debt.

Apple stores goes hi-tech with iPad2

Apple stores have a basic set-up. You go in the pristine environment and everything is neatly organized by each product. The iPods, iPhones, MacBooks and iPads are all arranged in their own sections and next to each product is a small piece of paper enclosed in plastic that shows the product's specs and price. Apple has decided to do away with this piece of paper and is now going hi-tech by replacing this with iPad 2s.

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