BUSINESS

Cattle stand in pens where they arrived from different ranches in the Amazon basin before being trucked to a port for export overseas, in Moju, Para state, near the mouth of the Amazon river, November 7, 2013. With steps afoot to ease import restrictions,

Australia-China Beef Deal To Boost Aussie Economy By $1.8B

The $1 billion agreement between China and Australia that would result in the export of 1 million cattle to the Asian giant would also boost the Aussie economy by $1.8 billion. The deal is expected to be officially finalised on Monday by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC Summit hosted by Beijing.

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning November 10, 2014

Employees work at a factory run by PIKO, a model railway manufacturer, in the eastern German town of Sonneberg, October 9, 2014. The small town fell into crisis when East and West Germany reunified but an influx of new firms has helped its economy grow mo
In the US, non-farm payrolls (employment) rose by 214,000 in October, short of forecasts tipping a 231,000 gain. Unemployment fell to a 6-year low of 5.8%. Average earnings rose by 0.1%. The labour force participation rate rose from 62.7% to 62.8%.
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A metal sculpture depicting a stock exchange chart is seen in the reception hall of the Athens Bourse in Athens September 11, 2014. Greece on Thursday set the pricing on its offer to top up its recent three- and five-year bonds by about 1 billion euros (U

Global Markets Overview – November 7, 2014

It was a busy night for global markets, as investors digested a raft of releases and events from Europe and the US. In Europe, the BoE and ECB both kept policy unchanged. However, the latter's press conference drew significant attention, as the central bank said it expects its balance sheet to move towards 2012 levels. Essentially, this implies the balance sheet is set to increase by around a trillion euros. At the same time, the ECB reinforced its commitment to using other unconventional pol...
Unemployment

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning November 7, 2014

In the US, jobless claim fell by 10,000 to 278,000 last week. The Labour Department also reported that hourly compensation increased at a 2.3 per cent rate in the September quarter. Labour productivity rose at a 0.3 per cent rate in the September quarter after a decline of 0.5 per cent in the June quarter.
A pedestrian talking on his phone is reflected in the window of the Australian Securities Exchange as an investor watches boards displaying stock prices in central Sydney October 16, 2014. Australian shares slid 1.1 percent on Thursday after U.S. stocks l

Australian Stock Market Report – Afternoon November 6, 2014

The local sharemarket continued its downward slide this afternoon, closing firmly in the red. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) lost 0.32 per cent or 17pts to 5,475, while the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.29 per cent or 16 pts to 5,501. The market was weighed down by falls in the mining and financial sectors. Volumes saw 1.9 billion shares exchanged worth $5.3 billion. 386 stocks ended higher, 571 closed lower and 321 were unchanged.
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 November 6, 2014

After several sessions where a weaker tone had prevailed locally, early trade on Thursday saw buyers re-emerge to assert themselves once again in the Australian sharemarket. The improved tone was a reflection of the gains seen in Europe and the US overnight. In Europe the FTSEurofirst 300 index rose by 1.7%, the UK FTSE gained 1.3% and the German Dax lifted by 1.6% as investors showed no anxiety ahead of the European Central Bank meeting on Thursday which is seen as bringing news of fresh stimul...
Global Stock Market Indices

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning November 6, 2014

In the US, the ISM services index fell from 58.6 to 57.1 in October, short of estimates near 58.0. The ADP survey of private employment showed that 230,000 jobs were created in October, above estimates near 220,000. And weekly home loan commitments fell 2.6% in the latest week with new purchases up 2.6% while refinancing fell 5.5%.
Stock Market

Global Markets Overview – November 5, 2014

November is always a dull month in the world of trading. US earnings season has passed, investors start to think about the new year and most macro influences slow down to a trickle.
Retailer

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning November 5, 2014

In the US, durable goods orders fell by 1.1% in September with factory orders down by 0.6%, in line with forecasts. The trade deficit widened from US$40.1 billion to US$43.03 billion in September (forecast US$40 billion). The ISM New York index rose from 654.8 to 657.2 in October. And chain store sales were up 3.9% on a year ago in the latest week, down from 4.4% in the previous week.
Favourite Fiorente (front) runs to win the A$6 million ($5.7 million) Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne November 5, 2013. Red Cadeaux was second with Mount Athos third in the 153rd running of the two-mile handicap, Australia's richest th

Australian Stock Market Report - Midday November 4, 2014

After a modest setback on Monday, the Australian share market has spent the early part of Melbourne Cup day 2014 moving higher in a restrained fashion. The flat start for the local market was a reasonable result in the face of weaker equity markets in the US and Europe. US investors were encouraged by figures showing the US ISM manufacturing index rose from 56.6 to 59.0 in October, above forecasts for a result near 56.2. European shares fell on Monday with investors disappointed by purchasing ma...
European Central Bank

Global Markets Overview – November 4, 2014

Global markets were mixed, with a predominantly risk off tone driven by a disappointing manufacturing PMI print out of China. Fed member Fisher was also on the wires suggesting he is concerned the Fed will be too late to raise rates and he was not too worried about a slight undershoot in inflation. This, along with slightly better US manufacturing data, contributed to the downward bias in equities. Europe was the hardest hit as peripheral bond yields rose, sending EUR/USD below $1.2500. This saw...
Car manufacturing

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning November 4, 2014

In the US, the ISM manufacturing index rose from 56.6 to 59.0 in October, above forecasts for a result near 56.2. Construction spending fell by 0.4% in September, whereas economists had tipped a 0.7% gain. And the six largest automakers in the US have reported October sales that were up 6% on a year ago.

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