SERVICES

Aussies are vacationing in droves overseas with New Zealand, the U.S. and Indonesia as their favourite destinations. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics said that in 2011, Australians made 7.8 million international trips.

Vittorio Hernandez Feb 08, 2012

The positive leads from U.S. markets may not impact much on local stocks especially the currency-sensitive ones with the rate pause initiated by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), analysts say.

Christine Gaylican Feb 08, 2012

Further drops in activity and new orders saw the national construction industry spend another month in the red according to the latest Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Construction Index (Australian PCI®), in conjunction with the Housing Industry Association. The seasonally adjusted index fell by 1.2 points to 39.8 in January, marking the 20th consecutive month that the sector has contracted (readings below 50 indicate a contraction in activity).

Christine Gaylican Feb 07, 2012

U.S. stocks drifted lower as the recent rally paused, with investors shifting focus to wrangling in Greece over fiscal austerity. The Dow Jones Industrial Average eased 38 points, or 0.3%, to 12824 as the last hour of trading approached. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index lost 2.7 points, or 0.2%, to 1342, and the Nasdaq Composite declined 7.8 points, or 0.3%, to 2898.

Christine Gaylican Feb 07, 2012

Asian banks made its way to the top 20 international bank brands of the year 2011, highlighting how they have so far bested the global financial turmoil and their future potential, the latest Banking 500 Report said.

Christine Gaylican Feb 06, 2012

Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce has opposed proposed changes in the Qantas Sale Act and cabin crew laws. He warned that planned changes being discussed in the Australian parliament could lead to job losses and reduced aviation access.

Vittorio Hernandez Feb 06, 2012

After popular file-sharing website Megaupload was shut down last week by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, the next site in danger could be the aptly named The Pirate Bay.

ranina sanglap Feb 03, 2012

After encountering turbulence in 2011 due to a prolonged labor dispute with three labor unions, flag carrier Qantas Airways is set to soar in 2012.

Vittorio Hernandez Feb 03, 2012

The Australian stock market is off to a slow start on Friday with commodity-related stocks led by Lynas Corp (ASX: LYC), Aquarius Platinum Ltd (ASX: AQP), Atlas Iron Ltd (ASX:AGO) hitting some gains as of 10:00 AM (AEST).

Christine Gaylican Feb 03, 2012

For some, it’s like winning the lottery. Workers at Melbourne-based Grenda bus company were surprised to receive bonuses reaching up to $30,000 after the company owners sold off its transit operations and allocated $15 million to its loyal staff.

Arlene Paredes Feb 02, 2012

FROM MORRISON SECURITIES PTY. LTDU.S. stocks rose broadly, moving to within striking distance of a multi-year high, as investors were bolstered by solid manufacturing reports around the world.

Christine Gaylican Feb 02, 2012

"It's all speculation." Air New Zealand boss Rob Fyfe told of the rumors about his career movement. As he is expected to step down late this year, Fyfe has been reported to have been recruited for a job at Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group.

Arlene Paredes Feb 01, 2012

Australian flag carrier Qantas was dealt another blow on Tuesday when rating agency Moody's Investors Service downgraded the air carrier's credit rating to Baa3 from Baa2. Moody's explained the cut in long-term senior unsecured rating of Qantas to expectations of ongoing pressure on the company's credit profile.

Vittorio Hernandez Feb 01, 2012

Australia's stock market had not moved in pace with the rest of the Asia-Pacific markets on Tuesday and is seen to remain flat on Wednesday's trading, but some action will push media-related stocks led by Fairfax Ltd.

Christine Gaylican Feb 01, 2012

Australia's retail sector will witness more shopping activities in the first quarter of the current year, according to the latest indicators summing up the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) CHEP Retail Index.

Erik Pineda Jan 31, 2012

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said on Tuesday that it will seek an injunction from the Federal Court to stop Air Asia from publishing misleading advertisements.

Vittorio Hernandez Jan 25, 2012

Auckland International Airport has marked record international travel for the week ended January 8, with over 170,000 international arrivals or departures, beating the travel records during the final stages of the Rugby World Cup 2011.

Arlene Paredes Jan 24, 2012

Fair Work Australia (FWA) endorsed on Tuesday the proposed workplace determination between Qantas and the Australian Licenced Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA). The two parties presented the proposal to FWA in late December,

Vittorio Hernandez Jan 24, 2012

British actor Jude Law is among the individuals who received just compensation from the media empire of Rupert Murdoch's News Group as part of the settlement in the case involving email and phone hacking instigated by the editors and reporters of the now-defunct News of the World, lawyers and reports have confirmed.

Christine Gaylican Jan 20, 2012

Retailers' sentiments were confirmed by the latest sales indicator released on Friday by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), which showed that the sector struggled to achieve sales targets last year. Nevertheless, although the numbers are disappointing, they revealed that with some creativity and technological savvy, more sales can be achieved.

Erik Pineda Jan 20, 2012

Australian travelers are expected to benefit from the drop in plane fares as more competition heats in the aviation industry with the offer of AirAsiaX daily trips from Sydney beginning April 2.

Vittorio Hernandez Jan 18, 2012

Despite the continuous rise of aviation fuel prices, Australian airlines are not inclined to collect a surcharge on overweight air passengers.

Vittorio Hernandez Jan 13, 2012

It is not easy to penetrate a very discerning and astute Korean market. Korean consumer standards are quite high in all aspects especially for agriculture products.

Christine Gaylican Jan 11, 2012

Two female pilots of a British Airways jet felt dizzy in midflight and were forced to quickly return to London's Heathrow airport for an emergency landing on Dec. 20, according to air accident investigators' report.

Windsor Genova Jan 10, 2012

Amid Australia's resources boom which led to higher export activities, the workers in the country's seaports are becoming more restive as evidenced by increased strikes toward the end of 2011 and another round of industrial actions at the start of 2012.

Vittorio Hernandez Jan 09, 2012

Adelaide Port workers who struck on Thursday got the support of the International Transport Federation (ITF) in their ongoing labor row with port operator DP World. The ITF spoke against the lockout of employees.

Vittorio Hernandez Jan 06, 2012

Australian stevedoring firm DP World locked out for 24 hours on Thursday striking Adelaide port workers.

Vittorio Hernandez Jan 05, 2012

Tiger Airways Australia is eyeing Avalon Airport as its second hub because of the strong performance of the budget air carrier in 2011. In the seven-month period March 27 through Oct 31, Tiger added 380,000 seats to its four current routes.

Vittorio Hernandez Jan 05, 2012

Growth of Australia's services sector has remained subdued in December with business services posting headwinds ahead of the consumer-related services offered by local firms in December, according to the latest survery conducted by the country's Australian Industry Group and the Commonwealth Bank.

Christine Gaylican Jan 05, 2012