Vittorio Hernandez

The Australian sharemarket is losing ground for the second straight day, with weakness across U.S markets and continued conflicts in Iraq and Ukraine keeping investors edgy. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is back below 5400pts, falling by 0.5 per cent at lunch.

While Uruguay's match versus Italy on Tuesday resulted in a dramatic 1-0 victory for the South American nation, the game was eclipsed by Uruguay's Luis Suarez, who shocked the spectators when he allegedly bit Giorgio Chiellini of Italy.

A joint study by the Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BoAML) and Age Wave found that a big majority or 72 per cent American pre-retirees over the age of 50 say they intend to continue working after retirement, albeit in a more flexible and fulfilling way.

US equities unwound despite some mostly positive economic releases, as geopolitical risk came back into play. The conference board's consumer confidence and new home sales both came in well ahead of estimates, but this wasn't enough to lift sentiment. Fed members were also quite vocal with Dudley saying a mid-2015 rate hike seemed reasonable, while Plosser suggested the Fed is closer to meeting its twin objectives. Risk assets lost some ground, while the yen and gold were bid higher in a f...

In US economic data, new home sales soared by 18.6% in May to a 504,000 annual rate, above forecasts for a result near 440,000. Consumer confidence rose from 83.0 to a 6-1/2 year high of 85.2 in June, above forecasts near 83.5. The Case Shiller measure of home prices rose by 0.2% in April with the annual rate easing from 12.4% to 10.8%. But the Richmond Federal Reserve index eased from +7 to +3 in June.

A 1-minute, 50-second commercial released by fastfood giant McDonald's for the ongoing World Cup 2014 in Brazil has gone viral, logging more than 4.6 million hits in YouTube after one month it was posted.

Movies and TV shows often portray the phenomenon of a person's soul leaving his body as what happens when a man or woman dies. That depiction matches, more or less, the Christian belief that man is a being made of a physical body and a spiritual soul, and death would cause the soul to leave the human body.

Because of his belief that God has spoken to him and confirmed his luxurious lifestyle is okay since he is "king," unbeaten American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr continues to go on with his spending spree.

Bianca Rinehart, he eldest daughter of Australia's richest person, Gina Rinehart, insisted to the court on Tuesday that younger half-sister Hope Welker is on her side in their family's legal battle for control of the $5 billion trust.

Senator Christine Milne said on Tuesday that the Greens Party will not support the increase in fuel tax proposed by the Coalition in the federal budget for 2014-15. The move is expected to blow a multibillion-dollar hole in the first budget of the Abbott government.

The Australian sharemarket erased around half of Monday's improvements, dragged lower by US weakness. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) finished 0.3 per cent softer, with the major banks the worst performers. Improvements amongst the industrials and property trusts were short lived today and all sectors ended in the red.

Arden Partners, in its latest analysis and forecast of London-based firm Audioboom Group PLC (LSE: BOOM.L), made a "buy" recommendation for the stock.

The warring Rineharts - Australia's richest family - are at it again as the clan returned on Tuesday, June 24, to court in an attempt to find a trustee for the $5 billion family trust.

More educators are shifting online as new technologies make the use of blended textbooks and embedded audio and video in learning more possible.

The Australian sharemarket is losing ground at lunch, with U.S. market weakness providing a negative lead for local shares. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is down 0.4 per cent, with all sectors in the red. On Monday, the Australian market rose by 0.4 per cent thanks to better than expected economic news in China.

The major development from overnight trade was news that Iraq's army enjoyed a minor victory after recapturing some territory from militants. This resulted in a sharp decline in oil prices, particularly Brent crude which is more sensitive to geopolitical issues. The drop in oil along with some encouraging US economic data in the form of flash manufacturing PMI and existing home sales helped US markets come off their lows and finish the session relatively flat. However, it was a different stor...

In US economic data, the Markit ´´flash´´ manufacturing purchasing manager's index rose from 56.4 to 57.5 in June, above forecasts near 56.5. Existing home sales rose by 4.9% to a 4.89 million annual rate in May, above forecasts of 4.73m. And the national activity index rose from minus 0.15 points to +0.21 points in May.

If sports fans would base it on tweets, Chileans are mad at Dutch for two things. First, is their national soccer team's 0-2 debacle on Monday in the hands of The Netherlands team in the World Cup match. Second, is the opportunity to join Chilean porn star Marlen Doll in a 24-hour sex marathon.

A Bollywood actress is seeking to take some of the fame or notoriety that Chilean porn actress Marlen Doll is enjoying after she tweeted images of two sex marathons last week, following Chile's victory over Australia and Spain in the ongoing World Cup games.

Unbeaten American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr reiterated on Sunday that he definitely won't fight eight-division title holder Manny Pacquiao because the Filipino boxer is still connected with Top Rank Promotions.

About 1,000 protesters blocked the entrance of the Lynas Advanced Materials facility in Gebeng, Kuantan, on Sunday as Malaysians push anew for the closure of the facility.

Like the Coalition government's proposed federal budget, more Australians are taking the side of the Opposition when it comes to the carbon tax, including some Liberal officials.

It was a solid start to the trading week, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) adding just over 31 points by the close of 0.6 per cent to 5432.7 points after China factory data came in above expectations.

As the ongoing World Cup tournament in Brazil moves toward its third week, the international soccer games continue to be the topic in universities, pubs, offices and of course, sports clubs.

Two weeks ago, Beaufort Securities started its coverage on the shares of Audioboom Group PLC (BOOM.L) and issued a speculative buy rating for the company's stock.

The Australian sharemarket is kicking off the new week a little firmer, thanks to another record close in U.S. markets on Friday and some better than expected Chinese economic news this morning. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 0.9 per cent, with all sectors in the black at lunch.

Risk currencies got off to a bit of a negative start this morning, despite a lack of fresh sentiment drivers for the region. Perhaps some reports suggesting escalating Iraq tension have seen risk modestly offered this morning. This is despite US equities finishing the week on a modestly positive note in a fairly quiet session. The only notable news out of the weekend were comments by ECB President Mario Draghi suggesting the ECB has prolonged banks' access to unlimited liquidity up to the end...

In US economic data, the Economic Cycle Research Institute index was up by 4.4% on a year earlier in the latest week, down from 4.5% in the previous week.

Over 500 Australians joined Hobart's second nude swim on Sunday, double the previous year's number of 230 midwinter swimmers. The event, Hobart's second winter solstice nude swim, is part of the Dark MOFO arts festival.