MARKETS

The Russian government will debate this week on whether to allow private energy companies to begin exploring for oil and gas in its Arctic Shelf,.

Australia's mining sector appears to have rejoiced too soon in the partial recovery of iron ore price in the global market. With the commodity reaching $138.50 at the start of 2013 from a low of $89 a tonne in 2012, miners such as Rio Tinto had planned production boosts.

By Andrew NelsonLast week Paladin ((PDN)) reported its quarterly results and while they were broadly well received, with production and sales levels strong, brokers remain universally concerned about the direction of the underlying uranium price, which has become the main driver to which broker reco...

By Greg PeelGreetings and Happy New Year. Great summer, huh? Forty degrees one day, twenty the next and not much in between.

FNArena is surveying investor sentiment in Australia in an effort to generate, over time, a guage similar to the AAII Investor Sentiment Survey in the US.

With no near term catalysts emerging from the northern hemisphere since weeks end, Consolidation was the main theme for local stocks as the new trading week got underway.

Following a strong week for the local market, local shares were off to a positive start this morning. At lunch however, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is largely flat, down just 0.05 per cent or 2.2 pts to 4792.5. The XAO is one of the most popular ways for investors to measure Australian sharemarket performance. The local market rose by 1.3 per cent last week and rose on four occasions.

According to a Deloitte's study issued on the 18th of January, over 90 percent of the North Sea developments in 2012 were granted tax relief. Tax breaks, which have been recently introduced, are expected to encourage investors to engage more in the North Sea, the British oil province.

According to a regulatory filing released on the 18th of January, Robert Iger, chief executive officer at Walt Disney Co., collected about $40,2 million compensation for 2012, a 20 percent increase from a year earlier as the entertainment giant reported high revenue, net come as well as earnings per share in the period.

Although the firing of Tom Albanese on Thursday night caught Australia's mining industry by surprise, many industry observers agree his exit is good for Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO), the country's second-largest miner.

-Production solid in Dec quarter-Questions remain over Copler plans-Divestment still probableBy Eva BrocklehurstMid tier gold producer Alacer Gold ((AQG)) delivered a firm finish to a challenging year.

-Lack of clarity until tax resolved-Traffic growth solid-Stock still attractiveBy Eva BrocklehurstSydney Airport ((SYD)) is unlikely to find clear air until its tax issues are resolved.

One of the main points to emerge this week has been the almost surprisingly constructive tone of the market. In recent days the index has been moving higher whilst volumes have been increasing, indicating a higher level of investor participation. At face value it appears as though investors are prepared to accept the higher prices on offer. One of the questions to keep front of mind in coming weeks will be whether or not this price acceptance remains in place in the event of any weakness.

The Australian sharemarket is improving for the fourth time this week, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 0.3 per cent or 12.8 pts to 4792.5. Over the past five sessions, the market has improved by around 1.5 per cent. Almost all sectors are high, with the exception of the utilities and the consumer staples. At first glance, the quarterly economic growth reading out of China came in a little better than expected, with the Chinese economy growing by 7.9 per cent over the past year.

On the 17th of January, Rio Tinto Plc, the world's second largest mining company, informed that its chief executive officer Tom Albanese would resign because of a $14 billion write-down on the value of assets which he supervised. The impairment charge is mainly associated with the $38 billion takeover of Alcan Inc. and the $4 billion coal purchase in Mozambique.

Manchester United Plc inked two sponsorship deals with China's businesses, namely, China Construction Bank Corp. and Wahaha Group Co. As it has been underlined, both sponsorship deals are "territory specific" as 19-time English soccer champion Manchester United wants to benefit from its status in Asia.

TUI Travel informed that it started merger negotiations with its German parent TUI AG. The merger is aimed at cutting costs and focusing mainly on tourism.

By Peter Switzer, Switzer Super Report17 January, 2013I received a great question from a subscriber, Bill, who, as an old Chartered Accountant, can't ignore the indebtedness of the US government.

By Kathleen Brooks, Research Director UK EMEA, FOREX.comDon't forget that you can now follow Forex.

By Rudi Filapek-VandyckHere are the facts: Chinese economic data as released on Friday afternoon surprised to the upside, albeit mildly.

Despite a slight tick-up in Australia's unemployment rate, the local share market rallied today edging 20 month highs. By close, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) was up 14.7pts or 0.3pct to 4779.7.

Tasmania is on the road to recovery. After experiencing its catastrophic bushfire incident early this year, Tasmania struggles to recover, with the first shipment of its cherry export already bound for China.

With Australia Day just a week and a few days away from now, some of you might be considering packing up your bags to spend the long weekend with your family, friends and loved ones. In so doing, you may want to consider some local hotels which TripAdvisor named as the best in all over Australia.

Despite the release of some disappointing employment numbers this morning, the Australian sharemarket is improving for the third time this week, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up by 0.7 per cent or 34.1 pts to 4799.1. Most sectors are trading higher, with the exception of the telcos which are slipping modestly.

by Carl Delfeld, Investment U Senior AnalystThursday, January 10, 2013: Issue #1945No question, gold has had a nice run.

Jonathan Moyler, the anti-coal activist who issued a fake press release that caused losses on Whitehaven Coal and its shareholders, had maintained that the bigger loser is not the stockholders of the mining firm but farmers who would be affected by the company's Maules Creek project in the Gunnedah Basin.

Just when the resources industry in Australia was anticipating a further improvement in iron ore prices, reports said that the price of the key steelmaking ingredient plummeted to a 14-month biggest daily drop to $145.40 a tonne.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck, Editor FNArenaThe S&P500 managed to eke out a gain overnight of a full 0.29 point to close at 1472.

The Australian sharemarket managed to improve for the second time this week today, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 0.5 per cent or 22 pts to 4765.0. Today was the busiest day on the market in terms of volume so far this year; with $4.12 billion worth of shares exchanging hands.