BUSINESS

The Australian sharemarket is slipping for the fourth time this week, with the All Ordinaries Index down by 0.2 per cent. Global markets did little to inspire investors, with European stocks dropping by around 0.8 per cent, while American equities finished a touch weaker.

Don't you wish your mum or dad or both parents were Norwegian? That' because if they were, the family then would have been millionaires.The event when all Norwegians become theoretical crown millionaires happened on Wednesday when Norway's Government Pension Fund Global, which was established in 1990, rose in value to 5.11 trillion crowns or $828.66 billion. With a population estimate of 5,096,300, that made everyone a millionaire.

Equities remain mixed heading into the non-farm payrolls data. Expectations are riding high after the private payrolls reading released yesterday smashed estimates. Unemployment claims data released in US trade also showed some positive signs coming in at a lower-than-expected 330,000 (versus 337,000), lowering the four-week moving average to 349,000. All this positive data continues to support the argument that perhaps the US economy is ready for a rapid measured winding back of stimulus.

In US economic news, monthly chain store sales rose 3.7% in December after increasing by 2.1% in November. US jobless claims fell by 15,000 to 330,00 in the past week.

Microsoft has regained the top spot in a U.S. brand survey by Forrester Research, dislodging Apple which slid down to second place.

The animal rights group Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR) has confirmed a scandal that broke out about a year ago on the use of horsemeat as food for human consumption.

A day after speculations came out that Shell was selling its petrol retail and refining business in Australia, Business Insider reports that another oil giant brand, Mobil, is coming back to the Land Down Under after four years of absence.

Several counterfeit makeup products were tested including MAC and Chanel and were found to be loaded with harmful lead, beryllium, aluminum and bacteria. These fake cosmetics are proliferating in online retailers, flea markets, bazaars and swap meets. It has become increasingly rampant because of the popularity and ease of e-commerce.

Apple Inc makes another move to get closer to Chinese consumers with the opening of its official store on Tmall, a popular online marketplace owned by Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba. Tmall was launched in 2008 with 70,000 merchants and brands on board which included Gap Inc and Nike Inc.

The Australian sharemarket was in the red for most of the day, only to surge in late trade. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rose by 0.17 per cent, with only the mining, telco and utility sectors finishing lower.

On top of its heavy losses in its international operations, Australian flag carrier Qantas suffered turbulence on Thursday when Moody's downgraded the air carrier's rating to junk.

A new research from the University of Washington has revealed baby talking to infants can help them learn to talk faster and learn language skills earlier.

By end of 2014, China will no longer tolerate smoking in public places and the ban will be strictly imposed nationwide.

New Zealand's Fonterra Co-operative Group has lost its supply contract with French food company Danone over the milk powder contamination scare in late 2013. Danone will likewise slap appropriate legal action against the Kiwi company for NZ$492.9 million compensation.

Sellers remain in control of the ASX 200 on Thursday, finding traction as the US jobs report wheels into sharper focus following the developments in the last 24 hours.

At least one person has died in Canada from the fatal H5N1 avian influenza infection, the first ever also from the entire North America. The victim succumbed to the disease after recently travelling to Beijing, China in December 2013.

The FOMC minutes were the main event of the overnight session and really didn't bring too many surprises. With most Fed members supporting the decision to taper as the economic benefits of the program have diminished, the conversation has switched to whether we'll see a more deterministic path to winding back on asset purchases.

In US economic news, the ADP National Employment Report showed the private sector added 238,000 jobs in December - the fastest pace in 13 months. Analysts are looking for around 200,000 jobs to be added on Friday´s non-farm payrolls number.

The Australian live cattle export industry to Indonesia is expected to receive a boost in 2014, resulting in over 70 per cent increase of volume. It would reverse the large cuts made Jakarta the past few years in retaliation for the expose of mistreatment of the animal before slaughter and to reduce heavy reliance on imported Australian meat.

EyeLock, an advanced iris based identity management technology solutions company, recently introduced the new Myris iris scanners for security in consumer devices. It is a revolutionary technology that will elevate the current biometrics identification and security systems to a whole new level. And, what's great is that it will be made accessible to regular people, not just a chosen few.

BMW, the German automobile, engine and motorcycle manufacturer, has just unveiled a self-driving and drifting car at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Apple Inc continues to enjoy an increasing market share in the United States based on comScore's latest survey. The analytics firm reported that Apple has a 41.2 per cent market share as the leading Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) manufacturer in the U.S. from Sept. to Nov. 2013. The figure is a 0.5 per cent increase from its previous market share in the August quarter of 2013.

Intel Corp. has officially announced that it will drop the McAfee name from its products and change it to "Intel Security." The said announcement was made at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2014 on Monday, Jan. 6, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. John McAfee, the founder of McAfee, Inc., is reportedly glad about Intel's plans of taking out his name from the company's popular security software.

The local market failed at its attempt to recover this afternoon despite improving from the lows hit just before midday. The All Ords (XAO) finished largely flat after three days of losses, with the index slipping by a few points.

The deadly H1N1 strain of Influenza A has continued to spread to other parts in Canada, with the number of deaths likewise growing each day. The fatal strain has reached the province of Quebec. The threatening situation has prompted one Canadian regional hospital to revive its alert controls which it last used and implemented from the days of the SARS pandemic.

Wednesday's trading session is panning out in similar fashion to Tuesday, with the Australian market fading after a strong start. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is down by close to 0.2 per cent, with the miners once again the worst performers.

Until recently, news from China about its environmental concerns and problems were highly censored. But because it can no longer literally put a lid to control its spreading and unmanageable air pollution, China has admitted the smog haze situation in the country has already claimed thousands of lives.

Europe and the US finally shook off the holiday hangover overnight as a risk rally took shape on strong German employment gains and stellar US trade balance.

In US economic news, the US trade deficit narrowed by 12.9% to $34.3 billion - the smallest deficit in four years. Exports lifted by 0.9% to a record high $194.9 billion, largely driven by a record lift in petroleum exports. Imports fell by 1.4%.