BUSINESS

Expect another day of hushed trading as the market continues to bide its time ahead of the mass data releases at the end of the week.

In US economic data, the "flash" services index was unchanged at 61.0 in July, above forecasts centred on a result near 59.8. The pending home sales index fell by 1.1% to 102.7 in June, below forecasts centred on a 0.5% gain. And the Dallas Federal Reserve index rose from 11.4 to 12.7 in July.

Australian miners are pessimistic about the future of the mining industry, which was responsible for the current economic boom of the country, in the next few years.

Malaysia Airlines is looking at rebranding options as the tragedies of MH370 and MH17 cast a shadow on the company as well as the entire aviation agency.

Whether we agree with her antics or not, we have to admit -- she sells.

International health experts cautioned the global populace against the dreaded Ebola virus as it killed a Liberian doctor and infected a second medical worker from U.S. Authorities in Nigeria are likewise scrambling the possible spread of the flesh-eating disease following the arrival of an infected man into Lagos, Africa's largest city with 21 million people.

The United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised all Britons currently in Libya to leave the country, citing the ongoing and greater intensity of fighting in Tripoli and wider instability. It likewise has issued a travel ban against the north African nation.

A multi-million pound law suit is looming over Russian President Vladimir Putin's head for his alleged involvement in the uncalled and accidental downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 on July 17 that claimed 298 lives.

Have you heard of any of these jobs before?

A bar on the Spanish island of Majorca as well as the event planner that planned the bar crawl that filmed an 18-year-old British girl performing oral sex acts on 24 men has been ordered to close and shut down operations for a year.

The international global community led by the U.K. wants the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to take away from Russia the opportunity to host the 2018 World Cup. Vladimir Putin's country is already facing a slew of economic sanctions due to its alleged involvement in the downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17.

Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey called the economy of New Zealand "the envy of the world" during his visit to the small island nation across the Tasman. In an interview with TV ONE, Hockey said Australia could learn some lessons from New Zealand.

After a quiet night of trading on overseas market, where the Dow Jones index closed 3 points weaker and the NASDAQ composite ended down 2 points - the Aussie market closed slightly lower today. At the close of trade the ASX 200 ended down 0.08% or 4.3 points to 5,583 points, the volume traded on the market were once again light as many larger investor wait out of the market ahead of the upcoming profit reporting season here in Australia and key economic data out in the state and china next week....

After Apple's record June quarter earnings report, analysts and investors look forward to the launch of the iPhone 6. The highly anticipated next generation iPhone is a "significant factor" in the current economic activity in several economies in Asia.

A widow from Florida, Cynthia Robinson, won $23.6 billion in a lawsuit against the second-largest tobacco company in the United Stated, R.J. Reynolds.

Rising tensions in the Middle East and Ukraine are sure to impact an already plummeting global economy reeling from slowdowns in the U.S. and China. On Thursday, the International Monetary Fund said projected global growth for 2014 has been lowered to 3.4 per cent, from the previous estimate of 3.7 per cent in April.

The Australian sharemarket is falling for the first time in eight trading days, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) down 0.3 per cent. The falls are still only modest due to a lack of major drivers overnight. Shares in the U.S. finished largely flat despite the S&P500 continuing to hit fresh record highs on a daily basis. Some positive signs for US employment were offset by disappointing profit results.

The mysterious disappearance of one commercial airliner four months ago, plus the three successive crash accidents in just the past week has definitely taken its toll on the jittery global aviation industry. On Wednesday, the British Armed Forces scrambled two of its Royal Air Force aircraft after air controllers lost contact with a private plane. London's military presumably believed the plane had been compromised.

Pope Francis was every inch visibly moved when he met on Thursday Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese woman who refused to recant her Christian faith even as a death sentence loomed over her head.

Has the world reached the purging stage as precursor to the prophesied end of times? In just a span of seven days, some 500 lives were lost from around the world due to three aviation accidents, the latest of which is the Air Algerie flight AH5017.

While equities continue to extend their gains, sentiment appears to be a bit mixed as the major currency pairs maintain some tight ranges. While there were a few developments overnight, the dominant theme remained US corporate earnings and optimism around an improving global manufacturing picture. US unemployment claims came in at the lowest since February 2006 and this saw the four-week average drop to around 300,000. This is a good sign heading into next week's non-farm payrolls data. With ...

US economic data: New home sales fell by 8.1% in June - the biggest decline in almost a year. US jobless claims fell by 19,000 to 284,000 - the lowest level in nearly 8½-years. US Flash PMI fell from 57.3 to 56.3 in July, below analyst expectations for a reading of 57.5.

The planned initial public offering (IPO) of Healthscope is expected to raise for the second-largest hospital operator in Australia $2.12 billion with private equity giants TPG Capital Management and Carlyle Group reportedly pricing the shares at $1.98, the upper end of the target range, Reuters reported.

The $530-billion Saudi Arabia stock exchange plans to open its doors to foreign investors for the first time in 2015. The move aims to reduce the kingdom's dependence on oil revenue and bring in more international investments.

The Australian market closed higher again today boosted by the better than expected "Flash" Chinese manufacturing data for July. The HSBC China flash Purchasing Managers' Indexes (PMI) for July hit a 18month high up 52.0 boosted by new orders up from 50.7 points in June and better than the BLOOMBERG market survey expected of 51.0.

The U.S.' Federal Aviation Administration has lifted a ban that barred U.S. airlines from traveling to and from Ben Gurion International Airport. The new directive took effect as of 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Australian market opened stronger today as expected and by lunch the market had been boosted by the better than expected "Flash" Chinese manufacturing data for July. The HSBC China flash Purchasing Managers' Indexes (PMI) for July hit a 18month high up 52.0 boosted by new orders up from 50.7 points in June and better than the BLOOMBERG market survey expected of 51.0.

The New Zealand dollar fell to its six-week low against the U.S. dollar after the Reserve Bank governor, Graeme Wheeler, said the strength of the Kiwi was "unjustified." This paved the way for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to intervene in the currency exchange market.

At least 32,000 people in Taiwan were left without power supply after typhoon Matmo pummeled the east Asian country. Matmo has likewise made landfall in China, the country's second weather disturbance within a week.