BUSINESS

In US economic news, S&P Case Shiller composite house price index rose by 1% in October against expectations of a 0.8% rise. Compared to a year earlier house prices were up 13.6%.

Due to the poor performance of the Apple stock in the 2013 fiscal year, the tech company's board removed almost $4 million in stock vesting restrictions on the pay package of Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014! The predictions are up and it's a mix of good and bad but everyone should pay attention as this New Year will bring fortune and misfortune in all parts of the world. 2013 has been a rough year when it comes to economy and natural calamities and 2014 is going to hand another series of calamities and economic concerns that will test everyone's resiliency.

Apple Inc has confirmed the opening of its flagship store in Brisbane, Australia. Apple's retail store is expected to open in the historic MacArthur Chambers building. Signs have been placed outside the building advertising the long-awaited opening of the first Apple character flagship store in Australia.

Myer is trying to placate frustrated online shoppers with a free postage offer. The Australian up-market department store chain’s online crashed on the biggest shopping day of the year, not only upsetting buyers, but also hurting its executives financially.

Gift cards are a popular present but they are also a rising cause of complaints, with Consumer Affairs Victoria receiving more than 60 complaints about gift cards between 1 January and 30 June 2013, doubling the 30 complaints received for the whole of 2012.

Apple Inc and billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn are expected to battle it out in the company's annual shareholders meeting. Mr Icahn is expected to submit his $50 billion buyback proposal in the February 2014 meeting. Apple Inc's shareholders will be voting on whether or not to accept Mr Icahn's stock proposal to increase the company's buyback program to $50 billion.

The next battle arena for Google appears to be automobile space as Google in partnership with Audi is rumoured to make a new in-car entertainment and information system next week at Consumer Electronics Show as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

New Zealand's economy will prosper in 2014 as financial experts predict it will be a "golden" year for the country. All signs point to a stronger economy in 2014.

Aside from the delicious food, dazzling decorations, beautiful clothes and gifts, the holidays also bring about numerous sales from stores that want to cash in on the consumers' fat wallets and generous spirits. Unfortunately, it is also during this time that a lot of counterfeit products are being sold alongside the real ones. To avoid getting duped into buying fake products, especially electronics, check out some tips on how to spot fake electronics

The new "Lara Croft: Reflections" will reportedly be a free-to-play (F2P) collectible card game and is currently being tested in Australia and New Zealand. However, it is still unclear if the said game will also be available in the U.S. and in other parts of the world. But, if it turns out that it will be made available worldwide, then it is predicted to be released in 2014. As a free-to-play (F2P) card game, "Lara Croft: Reflections" can be downloaded for free, but gamers might be c...

Shares in the Commonwealth bank, Westpac, NAB and ANZ surge after four major banks respond to increased capital reserve from APRA

A Galaxy research surveyed that two-thirds of all customers across all service providers are expected to use more data over the Christmas season. Data usage is higher among Gen Y's with almost 75 per cent of younger people saying that Christmas causes their usage to go up.

Rumours are going around the tech industry that Samsung will release a Galaxy Band Fitness Tracker to debut at the 2014 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain. The 2014 MWC will be held at the Fira Gran Via from Feb. 24 -27, 2014.

Apple Inc shares climbed 3.8 per cent at $570.09 after the company has officially announced and confirmed the deal with China Mobile, the biggest mobile carrier in the world. Now Apple Inc is one of the tech stocks to watch out for in 2014 with analysts optimistic of bigger iPhone sales in the Chinese market.

Beyonce handed out $50 gift cards to 750 Walmart customers on Friday, Dec 20, 2013, after Amazon and Target refused to stock her new CD because she released it in secret on iTunes just minutes before midnight EST on Friday morning, Dec 13, 2013.

For people who prefer tablets that are smaller than the standard 10-inch tablets, these three new tablets in the market are now under this category: Nexus 7 2013, Amazon Kindle Fire HDX and the Apple iPad Mini 2 with Retina display.

Apple Inc has officially announced a deal with China Mobile on Dec. 22 which signaled the end of a 6-year negotiation. Apple's bestselling iPhones will be available on the world's largest mobile carrier on Jan. 17, 2014.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., an American Southern country themed chain of restaurants and gift stores founded in 1969 in Lebanon, Tennessee (TN), announced on Dec. 22, 2013 that they will bring back selected "Duck Dynasty" products that were deemed "offensive" in its stores' shelves just a day after announcing that it was pulling it out.

Cyanogen, a company known for its free, open source operating system and community built distribution of Android for smartphones and tablets, finally received Google's approval to produce the Oppo N1 phone after previously warning them in Nov. 2013 that its installer encourages phone owners to void their warranty.

Users of Samsung Galaxy Note 3 may encounter low WiFI problems and similar connectivity issues. Some users reported not getting more than 54MB while surfing. Fortunately, there are several ways for them to boost their connection speed.

Apple Inc's deal with China Mobile was the most anticipated agreement by investors as the world's biggest mobile carrier was expected to make a big announcement on December 18. However, the day had passed without a single word from both parties, leaving investors disappointed.

New Zealand's economic growth is faster than most countries including Australia. According to Finance Minister Bill English, the latest statistics revealed that gross domestic product (GDP) growth of New Zealand was 3.5 per cent in Sept compared to 2.3 per cent of Australia's GDP.

Hershey Co, famous for the Kisses, Reese and its namesake chocolate bars, has expanded in China and purchased 80 per cent of the local iconic Shanghai Golden Monkey Food Joint Stock Co Ltd for $584 million.

The state legislature of California in the U.S. is set to push in January 2014 a bill that would require smartphone manufacturers to input a mandatory "kill switch" technology that would render stolen phones inoperable.

For a more comprehensive preview of next week's events, please refer to "The Monday Report", published each Monday morning.

By Sean Brodrick, Resource Strategist, The Oxford ClubThey say that a bell never rings at the top and the bottom of the market.

It doesn’t matter if Michael Jordan’s 56,000 square foot 7-acre mansion didn’t sell at the auction that took place on Dec. 16, he is really determined to get rid of it.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck, Editor FNArenaThis is it Folks! The fact that you are reading this story means FNArena has written and published its final story for 2013.