BUSINESS

An employee counts Russian ruble banknotes at a private company's office in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, December 17, 2014.

Global Markets Overview – December 23, 2014

The Santa Clause rally is rolling on in global equities with sentiment remaining positive as the S&P marches towards its record high yet again. The S&P closed at a record 2077 and is within a couple of points of its December 5 intraday record high of 2079. The bounce in crude oil prices seems to have been a flash in the pan with investors finally realising that comments by OPEC members from the weekend did not imply they will look to correct the current supply situation. In fact, Saudi Arabia se...

Rich Russians Flee As Country Moves Toward Recession

People watch a fashion show at the opening night of the Millionaire Fair in Moscow November 27, 2008.
Like their Chinese counterparts who snapped up properties in London, New York, Sydney and other global cities when Beijing imposed cooling measures on its red-hot real estate market, uber rich Russians are abandoning ship.
A view of a neighborhood with three story homes in Las Vegas, Nevada April 4, 2013. The buying of foreclosed homes and other distressed homes by three big institutional buyers is reshaping the housing market in Las Vegas.

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning December 23, 2014

In US economic data, the national activity index rose from a revised reading of +0.31 in October to +0.73 in November. Existing home sales fell by 6.1% to a 4.93 million annual rate in November, down from an expected level of 5.2 million.
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A man is reflected as he walks past the Australian Securities Exchange building in central Sydney April 8, 2011. Singapore Exchange Ltd has terminated its $8 billion bid for Australia's ASX Ltd after the Australian government formally rejected the offer o

Australian Stock Market Report – Midday December 22, 2014

The ASX 200 has started a holiday shortened week in the same fashion it ended the previous week; with solid gains. At lunch on the east coast the index was close to the best levels of the day. Local stocks pressed ahead on the back of gains for US stocks at weeks end, which capped off an encouraging week on Wall St. After being up 96 points, the Dow Jones finished higher by almost 27 points or 0.2%. The S&P 500 index rose by 0.5% while the Nasdaq lifted by 17 points or 0.4%. For the week, the Do...
U.S. one-hundred dollar bills are seen in this photo illustration at a bank in Seoul August 2, 2013. Picture taken August 2, 2013.

Global Markets Overview – December 22, 2014

Markets ended last week on a positive note with the post-FOMC meeting bid tone continuing to resonate through the globe. The rebound in oil prices also helped underpin sentiment to an extent. While equities drifted higher, there were some notable moves in the fx space with the greenback gaining significant ground against the euro and yen. EUR/USD plunged to $1.222, breaking below its early December lows and now trading at its lowest sinceJuly 2012. The main event for Europe this week will be Gre...
An office worker is reflected in the window of the Australian Securities Exchange building displaying the ASX50 curve for Wednesday in central Sydney August 7, 2013. Australian shares skidded 1.3 percent on Wednesday, its biggest fall in five weeks, hit b

Australian Stock Market Report –Afternoon December 19, 2014

Australian shares completed a trifecta of winning days on Friday, closing around the best levels of the session. Over the course of the last week the ASX 200 has risen by almost 2.3 % , balancing the loss of the pre-ceeding week when the market fell by almost 2.2%.
A screen displays news on the Dow Jones Industrial Average just after the opening bell on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange October 15, 2014. U.S. stocks opened sharply lower on Wednesday as economic data reinforced concerns about the health of the

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning December 19, 2014

In US economic data, the Conference Board's Leading Economic Indicators Index rose by 0.6% in November after a similar lift in October. The index is up 6.1% on a year ago. The Philadelphia Fed Index fell from the outsized 40.8 gain in November to 24.5 in December. US jobless claims fell from 295,000 to 289,000 in the past week.
New York Stock Exchange

Australian Stock Market Report –Afternoon December 18, 2014

The local sharemarket has finished firmly in the black, following a strong lead from European and US markets. The S&P 500 enjoyed its best one day gain in a year, after the US Federal Reserve signalled it was on track to raise interest rates next year - reinforcing the strength of the US economy. That positive lead helped the All Ords finish up 1 percent to 5,189.
An office worker talks on his phone as he looks the stock board at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) building in central Sydney June 15, 2012. Asian shares edged up on Friday, and the euro held most of the previous session's gains, as nervous inves

Australian Stock Market Report – Midday December 18, 2014

The Australian share market opened the session with a solid gain for the second consecutive session on the Thursday. The strong tone for the first half of the session came in the wake of similar gains for US and European markets in the last 12 hours. US share markets rallied sharply after the Federal Reserve gave a strong signal that it was on track to raise interest rates at some point next year - pointing to confidence in the US economy. At the close of trade, the Dow Jones was up by 288 point...
Australian one dollar coins surround a U.S. one dollar note in this photo illustration taken in Sydney July 27, 2011. Australian consumer prices rose by more than expected last quarter while underlying inflation proved alarmingly high, reviving pressure f

Australian Dollar Outlook – December 18, 2014

The Australian Dollar has dipped suddenly to USD 0.8120 following headlines the FOMC had dropped the "considerable time" phrase with respect to its guidance on interest rates, and instead deciding it could be "patient in beginning to normalise" policy.
Retailer

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning December 18, 2014

In US economic data, consumer prices fell 0.3% in November - marking the largest decline since December 2008. Annual growth eased from 1.7% to 1.3%. The fall in gasoline prices (down 6.6% in November) was the biggest driver. Core CPI (ex food and energy) lifted up 0.1% in November to be up 1.7 over the year. US current account deficit rose from $98.42 billion to $100.36 billion in the September quarter.

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