Vittorio Hernandez

As Australia and New Zealand observes Anzac day on Wednesday, RSPCA Australia is pushing for the inclusion of dogs and other military animals in the annual parade.

The average Australian borrows about $200 a month, a new study released by Commonwealth Bank on Monday said. That amounts to a national personal debt level of $1.6 billion borrowed from family, friends and colleagues.

Western Australia is the best economic performer among the different states and territories in the country, the latest report of Commonwealth Securities (CommSec) released on Monday said.

When ANZ Bank discloses its six-month profit next week, Phil Chronican, the lender's chief executive, will justify the bank's decision to raise mortgage and small business loan rates while the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) had retained the overnight cash rate for the third straight month at 4.25 per cent.

The Australian sharemarket was trading in the red for almost the whole session until the last minute or two of the day. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rose 0.1 pct or 3.1 pts to 4444.40, making it three days of gains this week.

Yesterday the Australian share market improved for the second straight day, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) finishing higher by 14.1 points to 4,441 points.

About 1.2 million people or 7 per cent of the Australian adult and teenage population were victims of credit card fraud in 2011, an Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS) survey found. Their loss was equivalent to $1.4 billion.

Despite a slight improvement in business conditions in the first quarter of 2012, a National Australia Bank (NAB) survey released on Friday said that the data boosts the need for a Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) overnight cash rate cut in May.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) Chief Executive Ian Narev announced on Thursday the bank plans to expand further to Asia, considered the world's fastest-growing region.

In a bid to get a larger cut of the supermarket pie, grocery giant Coles revamped its flybuys loyalty programme that offers faster rewards or cash discounts and no expiry dates.

The Australian sharemarket improved for the second straight day, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) edging higher by 0.3 pct or 14.1 pts to 4441.3. The dollar value of shares traded also was significantly higher than the first part of the week.

A day after the Gillard government announced the launch of a $1,000 job bonus for Australian firms that would hire workers aged 50 and above for at least 3 months, an employment agency belittled the incentive.

Next to the United States, Australia is the preferred destination of foreign jobseekers, according to the Global Professionals on the Move 2012 report released on Thursday.

The local share market is showing encouraging signs of growth at lunchtime in the East, despite falls on US and European markets overnight. European investors bailed out after bad loans surged in Spain overnight, while US markets eased due to disappointing results from IBM and Intel. After a shaky start, the Australian market is growing legs, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 13.8pts or 0.3pct to 4441 at 12.30pm AEST.

The number of participants to Australia's largest class-action suit rose to 170,000 after 6,000 Bankwest customers joined on Thursday the lawsuit. With the inclusion of the 6,600 the pool of fees in the legal dispute went up to more than $220 million.

Due to its declaration of a force majeure in the early part of April, mining giant BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) had been using its stockpile of coking coal to meet export commitments. This is amidst the company's struggle to maintain operations affected negatively by a prolonged labour dispute and bad weather.

The Australian sharemarket rose by 1.3 pct or 58.4 pts to 4427.2 today, making it the best session in close to two months. It was also the first time that shares improved this week.

The Australian market reversed yesterday's losses at the open of trade this morning. At lunchtime in the East, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) has added 49pts to 4,418 points.

Australia's carbon dioxide emissions went up in 2011 due to more vehicle use and gases that leaked from coalmines. It resulted in the release of 546 million tonnes of more C02 from those two sources. The data came from Australia's report of the National Greenhouse Accounts to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The federal government of Australia will provide a $1,000 bonus to employers that will hire people aged 50 and above to provide more employment opportunities to the older unemployed. It is in response to The Economic Potential of Senior Australians report submitted by a panel.

Aussie Home Loans (AHL) added on Wednesday to the growing call for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to cut interest rate. AHL Chairman John Symond called for at least 50 basis points reduction.

Miner Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) is the official medals provider of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The firm announced on Tuesday that the 4,700 medals it will supply the games would be crafted from metals sourced from Rio's Kennecott Utah Copper Mines and Oyu Tolgoi Mine.

The Australian market was out of the blocks in positive fashion this morning with stocks up by close to 0.5 pct at one point only to fade away as the day progressed. In the final three or so hours of trade all the gains dissipated with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) ending 0.3 pct or 13.7 pts lower to 4368.8. It was also another quiet session on the market today for the second consecutive day.

The Australian share market lost ground yesterday, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) closing down 22 points to 4,382 points. Overnight the US markets ended mixed and European markets closed slightly higher. Concerns over Spanish debt and growth prospects and mixed economic data out of the Unitied States held back the tech heavy NASDAQ and lead to low volumes being traded out European markets.

Holden inked on Monday a deal with a General Motors affiliate under which Holden will develop at its Port Melbourne facility vehicles for China. However, it excludes manufacturing.

Westpac's strategies to boost revenue will be put to a test during the first quarter as the bank seeks a larger market share, particularly deposits, small-to-medium business loans and wealth management. The results of said strategies will be disclosed by CEO Gail Kelly in May as she reports the company's first-half profit amidst a weaker banking environment.

uVent.com.au founder Anthony Mittelmark recently launched a Web site that would serve as a meeting ground for Australian consumers with complaints and local companies. Within one week, the portal received about 11,000 complaints which indicate how angry and frustrated Aussie consumers are.

Two Australian banks cut their interest rates on Monday, ahead of a possible overnight cash rate reduction by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) in May and amid ANZ Bank's unpopular decision to hike fixed mortgage and small business loan rates by 0.06 per cent on Friday.

The Australian sharemarket lost ground for the first time in three sessions, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) down 0.5 pct or 21.7 pts to 4382.5. All sectors ended in the red with the exception of the telcos, with Telstra (TLS) up 0.3 pct or 1 cent to $3.37.