BUSINESS

With Japan on holidays for Showa Day yesterday, the reverse in the ASX was rather strong, but not unexpected.

In US economic data, the Redbook chain store sales index was up 3.8% on a year ago, compared with a 3.7% annual gain in the previous week. Consumer confidence fell from 83.9 to 82.3 in April, short of forecasts near 83.0. And the CaseShiller home price index rose 0.8% in February to stand 12.9% on a year ago.

The fierce tornado that hit Arkansas killed more than a dozen people and left survivors in shock and others in despair. Below survivors recount their ordeal in-order to escape the devastation caused by the tornado.

On April 28, 2014 a massive tornado slammed the state of Arkansas. Mayflower and Vilonia were among the cities badly damaged.

Microsoft issued an advisory to all users using Internet Explorer (IE) versions 6 to 11 of a major security flaw on the browser. The advisory dated April 26, 2014 seriously warned consumers on the vulnerability of remote code execution wherein computer hackers could obtain access to the user's computer and operate it remotely.

The selling that featured in the first half of the session continued this afternoon with the ASX 200 continuing to make new lows over the course of the afternoon. Every sector ended in the red with the consumer, materials and utilities sub-indices all shedding more than 1% over the course of the session.

Business confidence in Australia went down in March 2.7 points compared to the December quarter, according to the business index prepared by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA).

The computer software company Microsoft has released its first promo video on Nokia devices following the complete takeover of the legendary Finnish mobile phone company.

Food markets around the world are being strongly advised to conduct the necessary preparations as the "boy child' weather phenomenon El Niño has been predicted to highly likely occur this year.

Who would have thought that a seemingly simple domestic violence would cost the job even for a CEO?

The Australian sharemarket is losing ground for the first time in eight trading sessions despite a firmer start. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is down by 0.2 per cent; however is still hovering around a near six-year high.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) grows market share in crucial markets

On 24th April, Samsung released a 60 seconds advertisement dubbed 'The Next Big Thing Is Here' flaunting the Galaxy S5's camera by comparing it to iPhone 5S's camera unit. Alas, the next day, the company was put in a situation to admit that Samsung shipped a limited number of Galaxy S5 smartphones with "inoperable" cameras and that it has taken necessary steps to make sure the issue does not reoccur in future shipments.

Google Chrome Web browser, which accounts for 24.67% of entire desktop browser market share across the world, has become one of the most powerful Web browsers when it comes to fighting spam. It also offers users astounding speed in handling data.

After surprising investors with its better-than-expected revenues for Q2 FY 2014, Apple Inc has set aside an additional $30 billion for stock buybacks through 2015. The latest stock repurchase announcement will make the company's total buyback to $90 billion. The stock split will be completed on June 9 and Apple's stock price is expected to fall dramatically. According to analysts, if the stock split happened last April 23 with a closing price of $524.75, Apple stock would be trading at $7...

The futures markets are forecasting positive prints for the Asian region as Europe and US reversed Friday's negative prints to see green on screens by putting the Ukraine fears and a slide in commodities to one side.

In US economic data, the pending home sales index rose by 3.4% to 97.4 in March while the Dallas Federal Reserve Business index rose from +4.9 points to +11.7 points in April.

A new report found that Australians pay up three times more superannuation fees amounting to $10 billion

The Australian sharemarket peaked at around 1.30pm (AEST) today, only to give back those gains in late trade to finish flat. At the high point the XAO was up 0.25 per cent while the index was down 0.2 per cent at its lowest level. The market is still hovering around near six-year highs.

The Australian economy will continue to struggle at a slow growth pace to remove pressure from the rising unemployment rate which is currently on its ten-year high. In the latest regional report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the country's economy to grow below the trend.

Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, yielding to national pressure, had ordered the suspension of the construction of what could have been the country's fourth nuclear power plant.

SingTel-Optus increased its contracts for Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxy handsets

Car owners and drivers may soon bid goodbye to car washes. Nissan has recently unraveled the prototype of a "self-cleaning" car.

The company 'OnePlus' unveiled its first smartphone, the 'One' last week. It is worth noting that, the anticipation around this particular Android Smartphone has been very high and it is touted by many as a flagship killer. OnePlus One runs on CyanogenMod 11S version, which is based on Android 4.4 KitKat and the handset boasts of some of the best high-end specifications and features.

The Australian sharemarket has returned from the three-day long weekend a little uninspired, with local stocks largely unchanged. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 4pts or 0.08 per cent and remains above the key 5500pt mark. The XAO is rising for the seventh consecutive trading day and is near a six-year high. This is the first full trading week following both the Easter and Anzac holidays over the past fortnight.

Despite the controversy embroiling Western Australia due to its shark cull policy, the state has emerged as Australia's top performing economy followed by Northern Territory. Western Australia is leading the country's economy because of its strong growth in construction.

Apple Inc. Q2 is just a financial gimmick to hide Apple Inc.’s slow growth in years

A freshly discovered security bug in Microsoft's Web browser 'Internet Explorer' has surfaced.

Nokia has finally entered Microsoft's turf as the $7.5 billion purchase of its mobile phone line has been finalized on April 25.