BUSINESS

Although the fate of the missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501 is still unknown, the fact that it has been gone with no contact for more than 24 hours is an indicator the jet possibly had the same fate of the still missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

In what seems to be a repeat of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, AirAsia Flight QZ8501 remains missing for around 24 hours as nations stepped up offers of help to search for the Singapore-bound jet with 162 people aboard.

Falling oil prices in the past few months have got the producers of the commodity concerned.

US equities continued to drift higher on Friday despite most global markets being closed for Christmas and Boxing Day holidays. In fact, US equities went on to print fresh record highs again with investors happy to continue following the trend. Data was also limited in that time but there continued to be some commentary out of key emerging markets

In US economic data released on Christmas Eve, initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted level of 280,000, their fourth straight week of declines, and below the forecast of 290,000.

Another air tragedy similar to the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight looms over the global aviation industry after an AirAsia plane with 162 people on board went missing on Sunday. The aircraft left a provincial Indonesia city for Singapore and flew over the Java Sea.

A passenger of American Airlines Flight 1140 to Dallas got booted out of the plane because he doesn't want the flight crew greeting him a "Merry Christmas."

Phil Dickson videotaped a FedEx truck spilling Christmas packages along Highway 40 in Colorado. The video has gone viral on YouTube.

The highly controversial movie 'The Interview' will get to be released by some independent theatres in the United States on Christmas Day.

The Australian share market has ended a shortened Christmas Eve session (14:00 AEDT Close) around the best levels of the day following an indifferent start where local investors sniffed at the strong gains on Wall Street overnight. US stocks posted impressive improvements following figures revealed that the final estimate of economic growth for the September quarter showed a 5.0% annualised pace, well above estimates of 4.3%

The Australian share market has started the Christmas Eve session with a modest gains before trading lower. Local investors shrugged their shoulder after taking in the strong gains on Wall Street overnight.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has advised Canadians not to eat prepackaged caramel apples.

Keurig is recalling over 7 million of its single- MINI Plus brewers in the United States and Canada due to burn risks.

Amid concerns about a possible recession in some countries, there is still some positive news for the global economy.

It was another stellar day for US equities with a much better than expected revised GDP reading triggering the gains. Q3 GDP came in at a whopping 5%, revised from a previous estimate of 3.9% and much better than an expected 4.3%. This was the biggest gain since 2003 and this was enough to keep investors encouraged. Equities extended gains on the news with the S&P and Dow at fresh record highs. The S&P hit 2087 and the Dow topped 18,000. The GDP reading also underpinned the greenback as it ralli...

Despite a 2010 expose by Today show that revealed some retailers, including retail giants Gap, Macy's, Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom return used underwear on the shelves, another round of secret monitoring this 2014 caught three retails still engaged in the same unsanitary practice.

In US economic data, the final estimate of economic growth for the September quarter showed a 5.0% annualised pace, above estimates of 4.3% and the fastest pace in 11 years. Chain store sales were up 5.3% in the latest week, up from 4.1% in the prior week. New home sales fell 1.6% to a 438,000 annual pace in November. Personal income rose by 0.4% in November with spending up 0.6%. Home prices rose 0.5% in October to be up 4.5% on the year.

Denmark offers a highly pro business climate with less red tape and corruption.

Sydney is leading the rest of the states in terms of economic contribution. The tragic Sydney siege did not deter the city from bouncing back.

North Korea's massive nine-hour Internet outage was just done by a group of hackers.

A study has revealed that an experimental Ebola vaccine tested right among African nationals had yielded early promising results.

Local shares continued to lose ground over the course of Tuesday afternoon. The four preceding sessions saw the ASX 200 rise by 290 points or 5.5%. Local participants shrugged off the positive tone that featured in US and European trade overnight, to the extent that the market ended at the lows of the day.

Relief appears nowhere for Australia's iron ore exporters as supply continues to exceed demand, prompting the Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics (BREE) to cut again its forecast of prices for the key-steelmaking ingredient in 2015.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa has sold the St. Charles Church in the Vanier neighbourhood.

Apple iPhones get costlier in Russia, thanks to the falling ruble.

On the eve of Christmas eve, local shares have taken a pause after 4 sessions of gains in which the ASX 200 has risen by 290 points or 5.5%. The index started the session with a loss of 8 points before trading at the lows of the morning as lunchtime loomed. Local participants looked through the generally positive that featured in US and European trade overnight. European shares were firmer in the latest session with the FTSEurofirst 300 index up by 0.4% and the German Dax up by 0.8%. Investors w...

Westpac announced on Tuesday that it would quit its remittance business on March 31, 2015. Among the Big 4 banks in Australia, it would be the last to leave the $24.5-billion remittance sector in the country.

There have been concerns about the Russian economy after the country’s currency, the ruble, fell in the past few months.

It was another quiet night as the markets head into the Christmas break. The USD remains strong. The AUD did rise to USD 0.8170 during the day yesterday, but is back around the recent lows of USD 0.8115.