Vittorio Hernandez

In US economic news, employment (non-farm payrolls) rose by 203,000 in November, ahead of forecasts for a gain of 180,000. The unemployment rate fell from 7.3% to a five-year low of 7.0%. Meanwhile personal income fell 0.1% in October while spending rose 0.3%. And consumer sentiment rose from 75.1 to 82.5 in December.

Many jealous wives or girlfriends often make their partners choose between them and the object of their jealousy, whether it's another person or a thing.

A tank at the Rangers uranium mine in Kakadu National Park split, spilling radioactive materials made up of acid, ore, mud and water. Rio Tinto's (ASX: RIO) Energy Resources Australia (ERA) owns the mine.

As times become harder, people would steal beyond traditional sources of money or valuables such as banks, department stores or jewelry shops. One of the places they target now is the church because of its collection of antique statues as well as the precious stones on the crown or vestments of images.

For work-at-home Aussies, participating in The Flying Solo's 2nd Work in the Nude Day was not difficult to do because they had some amount of privacy since they were in the comfort of their houses.

An article in Bloomberg Businessweek, cited by tech Web site C/Net, recounted that then newbie Canadian singer Justin Bieber offered himself to a local firm Research in Motion (RIM) to be its brand ambassador, but the phonemaker rejected the upstart.

Two Australian researchers confirmed what many men already know, but would surely anger some religious groups. Anthony Santella and Spring Chenoa Cooper from the University of Sydney said masturbation helps prevent several ailments, including cystitis, diabetes and prostate cancer.

The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) slipped by 0.2 per cent today, taking the losses this week to a significant 2.3 per cent. This makes it the worst week for local stocks in six months. Shares have fallen for five of the past six trading sessions. Volume was quite light however due to the all-important non-farm payrolls report in the U.S. tonight. This is a measure of how many jobs were added or lost in November and has the potential to set the tone for local shares and currencies next week. If much...

The selling that began with some conviction late Thursday afternoon has persisted in the early part of trade on Friday, although the ASX 200 is recovering from intraday weakness as banks pare declines. The question hanging over the market in the afternoon session will be whether it can hold the lows that have been established or will sellers continue to test the resolve of the market and gun for the low of the day which currently sits at 5154.6.

For the fifth day in a row the US has finished in the red.

In US economic news, weekly jobless claims (claims for unemployment insurance) fell by 23,000 to 298,000. The US economy grew at 3.6pct annual pace in the September quarter, up from the ´´flash´´ estimate of 2.8%. Factory orders fell by 0.9pct in October, close to forecasts. And according to Challenger, planned job layoffs fell from 45,730 to 45,314 in November.

The dispute of one of the Australian DJs who caused a nurse to commit suicide as a result of the infamous royal prank call has been resolved, South Cross Austereo said in a statement on Thursday.

It would be a bleak Christmas for Australian retailers as a survey of 1,000 Aussies by Mortgage Choice found that 40 per cent of the respondents plan to reduce their spending this yearend holiday compared to their 2012 spending.

Known for their disagreements on many issues, Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce and the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) are on the same side this time in seeking financial support from the Australian federal government to save the flag carrier from a financial crash.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop promised on Thursday to Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa that Canberra would no longer spy again on Indonesian officials in the future.

Visiting Canadian singer Justin Bieber may have angered local officials with his graffiti and turned off Aussie parents with his series of misbehaviour during the recently concluded Latin American leg of his Believe tour.

The Australian sharemarket gradually extended its losses from around midday onward, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) slumping by 1.3 per cent following a flat start. The mining sector was the only thing limiting the losses for most of the day; however faded late in trade.

The Australian sharemarket is in the red, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) down by 0.5 per cent at lunch. Strength in the mining sector is helping minimise market losses, with the industry up 0.55 per cent, while a 1.2 per cent slump across the financials is holding back the market most.

Embattled Australian flag carrier Qantas will cut at least 1,000 jobs over the next 12 months as it struggles to keep afloat financially amid weak trading conditions and return on fares.

Equities continued to taper off as investors weighed the latest US data and its implications on tapering talk. The highlight was the ADP non-farm employment change which came in at a much better-than-expected 215,000 (versus 172,000 expected). There was also a very strong new home sales (up 25.4% in October and highest monthly percentage gain since 1980) reading and encouraging Beige Book commentary which helped add to the tapering argument. US treasury yields popped higher as we continue to get...

In US economic news, the ADP employment index showed that 215,000 private sector jobs were created in November, ahead of forecasts for a gain of 173,000. The trade deficit fell from US$42.97 billion to US$41.64bn in October. The ISM services index eased from 55.4 to 53.9 in November. And new home sales rose by 25.4% in October after falling by 6.6% in September.

Like the mobile phone market which was once the cash cow of technology firms, the tablet market is showing signs of slowing down. A report from research firm IDC, released on Wednesday, forecast tablet sales to reach 221.2 million units for 2013.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott may not have to use his threat to not allow MPs to have a Christmas break for failure to pass his party's legislative agenda. Reports said that the Liberals and the Greens have agreed to remove the federal limit on borrowing and to fund everyday services through the issue of more commonwealth bonds.

Although the furor over the spying row between Australia and Indonesia has been reduced, the diplomatic impasse is far from resolved as Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa insisted on an explanation for Canberra's wiretapping on the mobile phones of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and several other officials.

British Prime Minister David Cameron inked a deal during his three-day state visit to China the shipment of £45 million worth of pig semen. China hosts 50 per cent of the global population of pigs and bringing in semen from British pigs is expected to improve genetics of the animal that is a main source of protein for Chinese.

The ASX200 shrugged off a 3 day losing streak even though third quarter GDP figures were below expectations. The market recovered initial losses driven by the notion that the slower rate of growth meant that whilst interest rates might not be cut any time soon, the risk is that they will remain at historically low levels for a longer period.

The Australian sharemarket is losing ground for the fourth consecutive trading day. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is 0.1 per weaker, with mining and telco strength minimising the losses.

A list released on Tuesday by Condomania.com named North Dakota as the state with the highest number of orders of large-sized condoms, hinting North Dakotan males have the largest penises in the U.S.

With most still talking about the vanilla RBA statement yesterday, I feel the 'hard talk' strategy that the RBA is currently using to weaken the AUD is breaking down.