Vittorio Hernandez

Yesterday, the Australian share market closed higher boosted by an ease in Chinese monetary policy, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 9 points to 4,351 points.

Australia's mining sector continues to gallop, while the rest of the economy trails behind.

Last night it was a case of 'same story, different day'. Despite ongoing negotiations between the various political parties to cobble together a coalition government, an agreement failed to be reached, making fresh elections next month the most likely scenario. With repeat elections predicted to lead to a socialist/anti-bailout biased government, fears have intensified that a Greek exit from the European Union is on the verge of becoming inevitable. Some have predicted such a scenario wou...

The Australian dollar falls below parity, as investors seek the safe haven US Dollar.

Euro-zone industrial production fell by 0.3pct in March, taking the annual contraction to -2.2pct - the lowest annual pace since 2009. Performance across the four major Eurozone countries was again vastly divergent. Industrial production over the year to March stood at: Germany (+1.4pct), France (-1.2pct), Italy(-5.8pct) and Spain (-7.5pct).

Many analysts and economists believe that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) would likely not cut the overnight cash rate in the near future because of the release last week of the unemployment data which surprisingly went down to 4.9 per cent in April instead of the expected 5.3 per cent.

The Australian sharemarket has kicked off the week in better form, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 0.2 pct or 9.2 pts to 4351.9. Last week was the worst weekly performance for the local market in around six months. This weekend, the Chinese Central Bank cut its reserve requirements for Chinese banks to give the economy a bit of a boost. This essentially means that banks will have more cash to lend out to borrowers.

The Australian Council of Trade Union (ACTU) proposed a millionaire's tax on wealthy Aussies such as Gina Rinehart, Clive Palmer and Andrew Forrest. The proposed levy is similar to the Buffett Rule in the U.S.

The Fair Work Ombudsman will go over the books of about 120 cafes, restaurants and fast food outlets in Adelaide to check abuse of workers, particularly in the area of wages.

Crown Chairman James Packer sees middle-class Chinese casino-goers as the possible saving grace of Australia's tourism industry. He compared the value of that market segment to the importance of the Internet to the modern world.

It was a wild weekend for investors. The European market traded higher as no new news was seen as good news, but the US markets closed down on trouble in the finance sector and Chinese growth concerns wacked well-known companies. News that the US banking giant, J.P. Morgan Chase & Company. (JPM.NY) had disclosed trading losses from one of its derivatives trading businesses in London, that currently stand at US$2Billion and could blowout to US$3 Billion, shocked the market. The fact that this cou...

Australia's identified gas reserves is enough to power the country's needs for almost two centuries, Resources Minister Martin Ferguson said on Sunday.

The unexpected gains in Australia's unemployment rate in April may once again be placed in peril with threats of job cuts in several companies.

The Australian sharemarket fell for the third time this week, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) down 0.3 pct or 11.1 pts to 4342.7. Shares have slumped by 2.6 pct this week locally, which is the worst weekly performance since November 2011. Only around 30 pct of listed companies improved today.

The Supreme Court of Victoria annulled on Thursday the sale of a five-bedroom house in the state for only $1,000 for being unlawful.

In spite of Australia and Asia's richest woman, Gina Rinehart, changing the vest date of the trust to April 30, 2012 from 2068, her three estranged adult children are continuing their court battle against their mother.

The room for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to further cut the overnight cash rate just shrank with the release on Thursday of statistics that the country's unemployment rate unexpectedly went down to 4.9 per cent from 5.2 per cent.

The Australian share market closed higher yesterday even with a slight slump in the last 2 hours of trade after the weaker than expected trade data out of China, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) ended up 22points.

Australian miner Dart Energy said on Friday that it would no longer drill a coal seam gas (CSG) well in St Peters, Sydney, The firm confirmed its statement in a filing with the Australian Securities Exchange.

The Australian sharemarket improved for the second time this week today, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) edging higher by 0.5 pct or 21.6 pts to 4353.8. It certainly was an eventful session, with stocks treading water this morning in anticipation of the monthly jobs numbers. The market reacted well to the news as did the Australian dollar, however started to weaken following some disappointing signs for China's exports.

Australian Communications Minister Stephen Conroy admitted on Thursday that the party paid for the legal fees of former Labor MP Craig Thomson, which he stressed was a normal procedure.

Retailers are hoping that Australians would spend some of their budget handouts on shopping to lift the industry.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) pulled another surprise on Australians for the second consecutive month by announcing on Thursday that unemployment rate in April unexpectedly dipped to 4.9 per cent.

The Australian share market lost ground for the second day in a row yesterday. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) slumped by 44 points to 4, 332 points.

Economists are forecasting that when the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) releases unemployment data on Thursday, it would show joblessness has risen to 5.3 per cent in April from 5.2 per cent the previous month.

Australia and Asia's richest woman, Gina Rinehart, has changed her strategy in the ongoing family court battle over control of the 1988 Hope Margaret Hancock trust.

The Australian sharemarket lost ground for the second time this week and for the fourth time in five sessions. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) slumped by 1 pct or 43.7 pts to 4332.2. Despite the delivery of the Federal Budget last night, investors were more concerned with the situation in Europe and in particular in Greece. The Greek sharemarket is trading at its worst level in around 20 years and its eventual exit from the Eurozone has become more likely.

Even if Australia's federal budget registered only a small surplus, ratings agency Moody's said it would still keep Canberra's credit rating to the valued AAA.

In spite of the promise of Opposition leader Tony Abbott to repeal the carbon tax if he wins the election and becomes prime minister, the repeal would take a minimum of two years, according to a report by Deutsche Bank released on Tuesday.