BUSINESS

Fairfax slashes profit outlook

Australian publishing giant Fairfax Media on Tuesday reduced its earnings outlook as it announced it would outsource the sub-editing for its largest mastheads. The announcement was met negatively by investors which saw Fairfax's shares plunge in mid trade.
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400 Capital Management announces Todd Leih as newest Partner and Portfolio Management team member

Todd Leih has joined 400 Capital Management as a partner and senior member of the portfolio management team. Todd joined the Firm from Jane Street where he was a senior portfolio manager for distressed fixed income structured finance strategies. Prior to Jane Street, Todd was a senior trading and risk manager at Banc of America Securities focusing on non‐agency mortgage credit and derivative strategies.

NAB extends exit fee offer

NAB has extended its offer to pay the $700 mortgage early exit fee charged by CBA and Westpac for customers who choose to switch to NAB.

Budget to forecast 500,000 new jobs

Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan said next week's federal budget is forecasting an additional 500,000 jobs, with the aim of reducing the nation's unemployment rate to 4.5%.

Aussie charges forward to a record high

The Australian dollar moved to a new 29-year high on Friday as the dollar continued to slump against most major currencies. The combination of stronger than expected inflation data during the week from Australia, combined with a dovish outlook from the FOMC has continued to drive investors into high yielding currencies.

Australian Dollar Outlook 5/3/2011

Markets around the world welcomed the announcement from US President Barack Obama, that the Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden had been killed.

Global Markets Overview 02/05/2011

U.S. blue-chip stocks closed out their best month of the year Friday, as first quarter earnings reports sent major indexes to fresh multiyear highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 47.23 points, or 0.4%, to 12810.54, its highest close since May 2008. The blue-chip measure surged 4% during the month and extended its winning streak to five straight months. The Dow is now up almost 11% for the year.

Australia's business lending on the rise

Business lending is on the rise in Australia, according to figures from the banking regulator, but an industry expert said the data for March is yet to be indicative of the prevailing trend

NAB extends offer to pay Westpac, CBA early exit fees

National Australia Bank (ASX NAB) is extending its offer to pay the $700 mortgage early exit fee charged by CBA and Westpac to their customers who want to switch their mortgages to NAB’s lower standard variable home loan rate.

Sony shares up as company announces PSN return

Shares of Sony surged as it returns with some services on its PlayStation Network (PSN). This after the company offered incentives to users whose online personal information is at risk.

Uranium Market Becalmed

By Greg PeelThe Japanese earthquake and tsunami occurred in March and the ensuing uncertainty and panic surrounding the Fukushima reactor led to a sharp drop in the spot uranium price.

AUD Clouds Outlook For ResMed

- Strong Aussie dollar hurting ResMed - Revenues and margins weaker in March quarter - Broker views remain divided on the stockBy Chris ShawSleep disorder group ResMed ((RMD)) delivered third quarter results last week, the result showing expected weakness in revenues and some margin pressures given ...

Australian Dollar Outlook 5/2/2011

The Australian dollar continues its march upward trading in the 1.0990’s this morning after equity markets, gold, oil and commodities in general continue to trade higher and the USD remains weak.

Alternative investment firm Altin returns 12.47% over 2010

At the end of its annual general meeting, ALTIN AG (SIX: ALT, LSE: AIA), the Swiss alternative investment company, commented on its final results for 2010. In a generally gloomy financial environment, ALTIN achieved a very positive investment performance in 2010 of +12.47%, easily outperforming the funds of hedge funds index, HFRI FoF (+5.67%). Its highly liquid portfolio allows its manager to follow a dynamic management approach and to take advantage of the investment opportunities.

AIMA launches Brazil initiative

The Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA), the global hedge fund association, has launched an initiative to engage with the Brazilian hedge fund industry and announced the appointment of a local representative, Michelle Noyes of BRZ Investimentos.

Sydney housing shortage worsens

Urban taskforce CEO Aaron Gadiel is arguing that the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics confirms that Sydney's housing shortfall is "running well short of government projections".

Pound Sterling, Blessed By Royal Charm?

Consumer confidence in the U.K. has been severely shaken, only a wedding of such pomp and ceremony as that of the future King of England can pull the nation out of the doldrums, even if only for the day. Whether the country's collective euphoria can translate into economic goodwill, however, is in question.

The fear of rising property prices

For Australian investors this could either be regarded as largely irrelevant or as a valuable free lesson where we can learn from the pain experienced in other markets having been largely insulated ourselves.

Investors and the plans for better advice

There is a commendable focus on better protection and stronger engagement for investors in the package of reforms announced this week by the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation, Bill Shorten.

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