BUSINESS

After an initial breather it was AUD/JPY breaking through yearly highs and surging higher that saw AUD/USD off the lows. It was one way since then and we easily broke through the previous high of 1.0400, which now forms the base for which traders feel higher is the play. Watch the ECB decision, if there is no rate rise and EUR gets sold, AUD may also reverse.

The Australian Dollar has pushed to another post-float high above 1.0400 with the US Dollar sold right across the board and commodity prices surging.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 32 points or 0.3% while the S&P rose 0.2% to 1335 and the Nasdaq added 0.

- Oil expert Dian L. Chu believes investors/speculators are dominating the direction of oil prices- The thesis will be put to a test as futures contracts will roll over later this month- Chu believes persistently high oil prices will again attract the attention of market regulators Oil Market Specul...

The Australian dollar opens this morning at a rate of 1.0435 against the greenback after hitting a fresh post-float high of 1.0450 in offshore trade.

The Chicago Fed Midwest manufacturing index rose from 82.2 to 83.3 in February. An array of sub-sectors recorded healthy gains including auto´s, steel, and machinery manufacturers.

Global miner Rio Tinto Group (ASX: RIO) says its wholly-owned subsidiary Rio Tinto Jersey Holdings 2010 Ltd (RTJ) has obtained an interest in 49.49 per cent of all the shares of Riversdale Mining Ltd as of a short time ago

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck, Editor FNArena ****Hi Rudi, Greg and the team,I depend on the sensible, accurate and unbiased guidance and analysis that I get from FNArena to make my decisions.

Home loans plunged in February as the share of first-home buyers continue to decrease. This is home loan’s second consecutive month drop with New South Wales posting its biggest monthly decline in fourteen years.

Thinking of buying a commercial property? Here are a few areas every commercial property buyer should investigate:

Australian telco giant Telstra (ASX: TLS) says it is launching a new high-speed mobile Wi-Fi hotspot to enable Australians to connect multiple mobile devices to the internet when they’re on the go.

Flight Centre Ltd's estimated gross indicates growth of up to 20 percent, with guidance not materially affected by recent natural disasters.

In a NSW Supreme Court hearing, Channel Seven's commercial director Bruce McWilliam disclosed CEO David Leckie told him he sent James Warburton on "gardening leave" but did not imply an immediate employment termination.

- Norfolk has guided to solid full year results and stockbroker Moelis anticipates further earnings growth in FY12- No debt means growth options can be pursued- Moelis rates Norfolk a BuyBy Chris ShawServices provider Norfolk Group ((NFK)) is not due to report full year earnings until late May, but ...

About four-fifths (78 per cent) of prospective buyers consider commercial property a better venture than other investments, including keeping money in the bank or investing in shares, according to a realcommercial.com.au poll.

Core IncompetencyGuest commentary by Michael Pento, Euro Pacific Capital,For years the Federal Reserve has told us that in order to detect inflation in the economy it is important to separate "signal from noise" by focusing on "core" inflation statistics, which exclude changes in food and energy pri...

The Australian Dollar has eased off recent highs overnight, dipping below USD 1.0300, as equity markets reacted to the China Central Bank’s announcement to raise interest rates by 0.25%.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 6 points while the S&P was steady at 1332 and the Nasdaq added 0.1%.March purchasing managers' indices from the service sector were the focus around the globe yesterday.

- Libyan sweet crude oil production is unlikely to return to pre-war levels anytime soon- As the world struggles for alternatives, the price for gasoline is likely to remain high- Global shortage in sweet crude to coincide with seasonal uptick in demandWhy the Resumption of Libyan Oil Shipments Won&...

The Australian Dollar opens marginally lower today against the greenback at 1.0360.

The People´s Bank of China has lifted interest rates for the fourth time in six months, raising lending and deposit rates by 25 basis points or a quarter of a percent.

Leighton Holdings (ASX: LEI) subsidiary Leighton Contractors says it has been awarded a $148 million contract by BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) and Bechtel to deliver the Broadmeadow Sustaining Operations Project at the Broadmeadow mine in Queensland.

Retailers have breathed a sigh of relief with the decision of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) this afternoon to keep the cash rate stable at 4.75 per cent, according to the Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA).

As expected, the Reserve Bank left its cash rate on hold yesterday at 4.75%, and didn't really tell us any more about the health of the economy than we already knew.In fact yesterday's trade figures (a surprise deficit in February, thanks to a big rise in oil imports) and solid car sales for March, told us a bit more about where the economy is than did the post board meeting statement wh...

Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX) has been informed that there is a big possibility that its proposal to $8.4-billion take over the local Australian bourse will be rejected by Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan.

The performance of Australia's services sector declined further in March, as both the retail and transport industries slackened for the fifth consecutive month.

As overseas sale of coal remained blocked by severe floods in Queensland, Australia announced a first monthly trade deficit since March 2010 in February.

By Greg Peel“The recent disaster in Japan will have a noticeable effect on Japanese production in the near term, although the impact on the broader Asian region is expected to be limited”.That was it – that was the RBA's entire summation of the world events occurring between the release of the previous monetary policy statement on March 1 and today's release, and their impact on ...

A majority of large Australian organisations are still not reaping productivity rewards according to research launched today by telco giant Telstra (ASX: TLS).