BUSINESS

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning June 24, 2014

In US economic data, the Markit ´´flash´´ manufacturing purchasing manager's index rose from 56.4 to 57.5 in June, above forecasts near 56.5. Existing home sales rose by 4.9% to a 4.89 million annual rate in May, above forecasts of 4.73m. And the national activity index rose from minus 0.15 points to +0.21 points in May.
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Global Markets Overview – June 23, 2014

Risk currencies got off to a bit of a negative start this morning, despite a lack of fresh sentiment drivers for the region. Perhaps some reports suggesting escalating Iraq tension have seen risk modestly offered this morning. This is despite US equities finishing the week on a modestly positive note in a fairly quiet session. The only notable news out of the weekend were comments by ECB President Mario Draghi suggesting the ECB has prolonged banks' access to unlimited liquidity up to the end...

Australian Stock Market Report – Afternoon June 20, 2014

The losses accelerated for the Australian sharemarket, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) slumping by 0.82 per cent. Despite today's weakness local shares still managed to rise by 0.3 per cent this week thanks to a 1.5 per cent surge on Thursday.

China Rare Earths: Increases 2014 Mining Quotas on Light Rare Earths

China's Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) has announced the country has increased its 2014 mining quotes on light rare earths at 105,000 tonnes, a jump of 12 per cent from last year. Mining quotas for heavy rare earths and tungsten, in the meantime, were retained at 2013 levels.

Radio Survives Competition from New Media

It has been said that print media's survival is at risk because of new media. More people have stopped buying the traditional newspaper and instead shifted to the Internet or television and radio for news.

Australian Stock Market Report – Midday June 20, 2014

The Australian sharemarket is losing ground for the third time this week, with almost all sectors in the red at lunch. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is down by 0.5 per cent, taking some of the shine off yesterday's 1.5 per cent surge. U.S. markets managed to edge higher despite the threat of further military intervention in Iraq.

Global Markets Overview – June 20, 2014

US equities inched higher yet again after a strong recovery off the lows. Unemployment claims and the Philly Fed manufacturing index continued to show good signs that the US economy is in a recovery. While equities continued to eke out gains, the highlight of the session was the rally in gold. After testing a key downtrend resistance twice this week, gold was finally off to the races after breaking this downtrend. With the Fed maintaining its dovish stance and Europe ready to provide unprecedent...

Australian Stock Market Report – Afternoon June 19, 2014

Fresh record highs in US markets overnight helped local shares post their biggest gains of 2014. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rose by 1.5 per cent, finishing above 5400pts for the first time in a week and largely making up for last week's 1.1 per cent tumble. Volume was also healthy due to index option expiry today. This tends to result in a spike in market activity.

Global Markets Overview – June 19, 2014

US equities extended gains on the back of the Fed meeting, printing fresh record highs, while the greenback lost some ground as yields fell. Most of the results from the meeting were expected, with the Fed tapering by an additional $10 billion and highlighted some positive signs in the US economy. While the Fed sounded upbeat about the economy, it certainly managed to maintain a dovish tone. Despite the tick up in inflation and fall in unemployment, Janet Yellen feels the easy monetary condition...

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning June 19, 2014

The US Federal Reserve has reduced its monthly asset purchases by US$10 billion to US$35 billion a month. The Federal Reserve has cut the forecast range for economic growth in 2014 from 2.8-3.0% to 2.1-2.3%. Fed chief Janet Yellen said that weaker-than-expected growth could delay any move to lift interest rates.

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