Vittorio Hernandez

The Australian sharemarket ended slightly lower today for the second time this week. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) fell 0.2 pct or 6.6 pts to 4357.1. Most sectors gained however the weakness from the miners put the most pressure on the market overall.

Media analysts agree that the reason why Asia and Australia's richest woman, Gina Rinehart, acquired a larger stake in Fairfax Media is to exert more influence. They see her overt opposition to the mining tax and carbon tax, as well as her attempts to suppress the publication of family feud, as the reasons behind her buy-in.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) ordered safety checks on all Airbus A380 jets following reports that a Qantas A380 plane suffered cracks after it hit severe turbulence over India in January.

The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) blamed on Thursday the Tuesday decision of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to retain the overnight cash rate at 4.25 per cent for more job losses across Australia. The union also pointed to the carbon tax as another reason why more industries are nervous.

Victoria Premier Ted Baillieu will meet on Friday with Alcoa Chief Executive Alan Cransberg in an attempt to save 600 jobs on the line. Mr Cransberg said earlier this week that the company is planning to close its Geelong plant because of the strong Australian dollar and weak metal prices.

Australian stocks have eased on open, following a mixed offshore lead and generally lower commodity prices. At lunchtime in the East, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is lower by 27.8pts or 0.6pct to 4335.9.

The Australian sharemarket rose for the second time this week today with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 0.4 pct or 18.8 pts to 4363.7. All sectors ended higher with the exception of the utilities which lost a little ground.

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.

Business leaders defended on Wednesday the decision of Australian banks and other local companies to offshore jobs. They said the rising labour cost in Australia requires that businesses must have more flexibility in responding to market changes minus political criticism.

National Australia Bank (NAB) announced on Wednesday a strategic review of its U.S. business after the latter suffered from high levels of bad debts.

The local share market is trading slightly higher in the early session, on the back of modest gains on Wall Street overnight. At lunchtime in the East, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) has added 7.6pts or 0.2pct to 4352.5.

When the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) was considering another round of overnight cash rate cut, Aussie banks were hinting of not passing in full to borrowers any rate reduction the central bank would likely make. Now that the RBA has stayed the current rate of 4.25 per cent, banks are even mulling a rate increase.

The Australian sharemarket was travelling well for most of the session, until the Reserve Bank (RBA) decided to keep interest rates on hold at 4.25 pct. The All Ordinaries index (XAO) fell 0.5 pct or 19.7 pts to 4344.9. Most sectors lost ground following the RBA decision however the energy sector, the telcos and healthcare companies managed to end the day higher.

Contrary to expectations of an overnight cash rate cut, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept on Tuesday the existing key lending rate at 4.25 per cent at the Monetary Committee's first policy rate meeting for 2012.

Workers in BHP Billiton's (ASX: BHP) Queensland coal mines will hold a week-long strike likely to begin Friday to protest the latest enterprise agreement offer by the mining giant. The workers, members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), are against some of the pay and work condition provisions of BHP's offer.

After a flat start, the Australian share market is posting modest gains at lunch, thanks to positive moves from telecommunication, industrial and energy stocks. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 11.3pts or 0.3pct to 4375.9.

Asia and Australia's richest woman, Gina Rinehart, has threatened to halt payment of the ransom insurance for her three estranged children, News.com.au reports.

Following the first week of losses for the Australian sharemarket in 2012 last week, shares kicked off trade today significantly higher. The All Ordinaries index (XAO) rose by 1 pct or 44.5 pts to 4364.6. Almost all sectors improved however the defensive healthcare space fell by 0.4 pct.

Job security in bank posts continue to be placed on the line as Westpac announced the axing of up to 400 positions. Most of those who would be laid off are engaged in back office and IT roles, of which 150 would be outsourced to India.

Although Australian consumers enjoyed the past few months lower prices on selected goods because of the price war between Coles and Woolsworth, they are actually paying higher prices for other commodities.

In an unexpected turnaround, analysts are now forecasting lesser chance of an overnight cash rate cut by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) in Tuesday's monetary committee meeting. The explained the change to more scope on the part of RBA to delay another round of interest rate reduction, particularly broad-based market rallies since January and strong job news from the U.S.

The Australian share market has kick started the trading week on a very strong note, on the back of impressive US and European data. The US unemployment rate fell to a three year low of 8.3pct in January, while European manufacturing data allayed recession fears somewhat. The US Dow Jones Index is now trading at its highest level since May 2008, while European shares posted their biggest one day gain on Friday since late December.

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.

The Australian sharemarket lost ground for the fourth time in five days today with the All Ordinaries index (XAO) easing by 0.3 pct or 13.1 pts to 4320.1. This was the first week of losses so far in 2012. On a positive note, Australian shares have gained by around 5 pct over the past five weeks.

Ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) Monetary Policy meeting on overnight cash rates set on Feb 7, Australian banks are once again hinting that they would likely not pass in full to borrowers any rate cut that the RBA will announce.

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.

The fruit and vegetable price war between Australian supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths may be a boon to consumers, but a bane to farmers.

Media attention to Australia's richest woman, Gina Rinehart, has shifted back to her family feud from her recent foray into Fairfax Media.

The Australian sharemarket is completely flat at lunch with the All Ordinaries index (XAO) sitting at 4333.2 pts. Most sectors are currently pulling back, however the mining sector (the market's second largest sector behind the financials) is a touch higher while the energy sector and industrials are also slightly higher.