MARKETS

Days after S&P reduced Italy's credit rating on Monday, Chinese foreign currency experts are getting restless the euro's weakness will greatly affect the value of Chinese currency and its overall exports performance.

FNArena Editor Rudi Filapek-Vandyck has joined the queue of financial markets experts who appear regularly on Sky Business's Switzer TV, hosted by Peter Switzer himself.

China, in a bid to gain a foothold in the global pricing of iron ore, will launch by October its own iron ore price index, with updates on a weekly basis.

Three years before it has yet to really produce coal, the northern Galilee basin is already fully booked to Indian and Chinese coal mining companies.

- Premier Investments result met expectations- Guidance maintained for FY12- Weakening retail environment sees cuts to earnings forecasts- Two broker ratings downgraded post resultBy Chris ShawRetail group Premier Investments ((PMV)) reported an adjusted net profit after tax of $51.

Standard & Poor's surprise downgrading of Italy's credit rating yesterday has confirmed why the Reserve Bank is watching foreign events more closely than at any time since the GFC.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 7 points while the S&P lost 0.2% to 1202 and the Nasdaq fell 0.9%.I'm not going to labour the point.

The International Monetary Fund has cut its forecast for global economic growth. The IMF expects growth of 4.0 percent this year, down from its previous forecast of 4.3pct. The Australian economy is tipped to grow 1.8pct this year and 3.3pct in 2012.

Fears about Greece's debt crisis battered U.S. stocks again Tuesday, with a market rally all but evaporating in the session's final hour following reports that the heavily indebted country's negotiations with international inspectors may drag on and could still fall apart

Global financial overseer IMF warned Tuesday that the European Union and the United States face recession if the sovereign debt crisis is not resolved even as it predicted lower economic growth for the two countries.

Often referred to as China's Caterpillar, Sany Heavy, the largest construction machinery manufacturing company of China, is all set to launch its expansion phase despite volatile market trends, by planning an IPO in the Hong Kong stock market later this month. Sany Heavy reportedly aims to raise around $3.3 billion from this offering.

China is becoming concerned that Europe's continuing financial meltdown will harm its exports, as the U.S. plans to launch a trade enforcement action against the world's No. 2 economy.

By Greg PeelThe Considerations for Monetary Policy section of the minutes of the RBA's September policy meeting were relatively brief.

FNArena is surveying investor sentiment in Australia in an effort to generate, over time, a similarly leading gauge as the AAII Investor Sentiment Survey in the US.

Complicating matters last night were reports of another big loss for German Chancellor, Angela Merkel in a state election in Berlin on Sunday.

So was Premier Investments another victim of revealing a poor profit result on a down day for the wider market?

It was a bit of a crazy first day back on the boards for Tasmanian company Gunns, with the shares up and down like a timber fellers' convention.

Financial markets ended their best week in more than two months on Friday as the relief rally continued.

The US National Association of Home Builders sentiment index eased from +15 to +14 In September, below forecasts for a steady result.

The Australian Dollar opened under pressure yesterday and as ongoing European debt fears hampered Asian equity markets, our local dollar also continued lower.

U.S. stocks fell in volatile trading Monday, snapping a five-day winning streak as another round of worry over Greece's sovereign debt battered the market.

By Greg PeelLast week saw the 36th annual World Nuclear Association Symposium held in London, at which 650 nuclear industry professionals gathered.

By Marc Lichtenfeld, Investment U Senior AnalystYou hear that beeping sound?That's the sound of my truck backing up to load it with dividend stocks.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 108 points or 0.9% while the S&P lost 1.0% to 1204 and the Nasdaq fell 0.

With more than enough cash on their hands and a big buying power, China continued to buy U.S. notes and bonds, bolstering its holdings at the U. S. Treasuries to record at a $1.17 trillion.

Daily update on share prices and consensus price targets.By Rudi Filapek-VandyckLooked at from one perspective, the chart below shows that even when it comes to defensive yield plays in the Australian share market, timing counts.

Gold Chart Setup Signals Important Top Below US$1900 FigureBy Ilya Spivak, Currency StrategistTHE TAKEAWAY ? Gold technical positioning suggests prices have formed a major top below the $1900/oz figure, implying a drop of over 9 percent decline over the coming days and weeks.

U.S. stocks rose Friday, posting gains on each day of the week amid hopes that Europe's debt crisis won't spiral out of control. Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 75.91 points, or 0.7%, to 11509.09, and finished the week up 4.7%.

The Western Australian Government and China’s key economic planning body have agreed to work together to promote bilateral business and investment, according to WA Premier Colin Barnett.