BUSINESS

China’s Cash Crunch Eases But Officials Lower Economic Expectations

China markets stabilised on Monday as policymakers offered reassurance that there is ample liquidity in the financial system, bringing to a close June's record credit squeeze which raised fears that China's years of relying on debt to finance massive projects are coming to an end.

Top Five Reasons Why Google Reader Deserved Its Untimely Death

Google has killed their Reader officially. The application previously provided people a way to access their RSS feeds. While RSS feeds has become an important part of people’s lives especially those demanding news and information from different portals, Google decided that Google Reader is no longer worth keeping. Here is a list of the ten reasons why the company has done a great job doing so.

Brent-West Texas Spread to Reverse?

By Andrew NelsonBack in 2010, the traditional price gap of West Texas Intermediate crude over Brent Crude closed from around US$2 as Canadian oil started to arrive at the WTI Cushing storage facility.
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US Calls For Stronger Economic Ties With Africa

Speaking at the last leg of his weeklong Africa tour, U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday called for stronger and more effective economic partnerships with Africa, one that would help sustain the region's fast growing economic growth while extending the benefits to as many people as possible.

Brazil house prices continue to rise, albeit at a slower pace

Brazil remains one of the world's strongest housing markets, though house price increases are decelerating sharply. Brazil's composite FIPEZAP house price index rose by 11.9% (5.1% inflation-adjusted) during the year to end-May 2013, lower than the year-on-year increase of 19.9% seen over the same period last year.

2 More Die in Saudi Arabia Due to SARS-Like MERS CoV, Death Toll Now at 36

Two more people have died from the dreaded SARS-like Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the oil-rich nation Saudi Arabia, according to the country's health ministry on Wednesday. The latest deaths now bring to 36 so far the casualties from the fatal disease in the kingdom.

Apple (AAPL) iPad, Blackberry Playbook, Google Nexus, Microsoft Surface Competes for M2M Supremacy, Which Tablet Will Win and Open More Opportunities?

Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and Blackberry are battling it out for M2M supremacy. Handling business and personal data has become important for people, and increasing mobility and convenience of computing device are helping individuals do so. Analysts predict that the era of personal computers is almost over and more compact devices like ultrabooks and tablets will take centre stage.

Global Markets Overview – 7/4/13

Markets regained some ground in US trade with event risk ramping up as we approach the business end of the week. Sentiment had remained subdued in European trade with the key issues being Portugal's political issues, Greece's bailout drama and a level of cautiousness ahead of the ECB. In US trade, sentiment picked up on the back of a much better than expected ADP non-farm employment change print. The reading showed 188,000 jobs were created versus estimates of around 161,000. Unemployment ...

Oil Goes Up While Gold, Stocks Decline; Qantas Shares Down 2.2%

Oil prices rose to a nine-month high as Asian stocks took a beating and social unrest in Egypt led to uncertain global economic outlook. The sell-off in Asia and Australia ensued after President Mohammed Morsi of Egypt held on to his position despite calls for a resignation. The army had also threatened the President that it would consider the constitution null and void.

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning 7/4/13

In US economic news, ISM non-manufacturing survey eased from 53.7 to 52.2 in June- the lowest level since Feb 2009 and does suggest that momentum in the US economy is slowing. Interestingly the employment sub-index recorded a healthy improvement. The labour market remains the key.

Oil Premium Not Warranted

By Jonathan BarrattAs we mentioned at the beginning of the Bulletin, oil prices have taken out significant levels of resistance on the back of concerns in Egypt.

Mining Exports Up Leading to 4th Straight Month of Trade Surplus

Although some of Australia's numbers are down, such as its currency now trading at U.S. 90 cents, others are improving, particularly its trade data. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Wednesday that the country's balance of trade registered a surplus of $670 million in May, up from $171 million in April. The fourth straight monthly surplus was because exports went up 4 per cent while imports rose only by 2 per cent.

Australian Stock Market Report – Afternoon 7/3/13

Local stocks saw their best gains in 19 months on Tuesday. That improvement was a distant memory on Wednesday with the index handing back the lion's share of yesterday's gains. It would be convenient to invoke weaker economic news locally and selling for regional markets as some of the factors informing todays selling, although the case would struggle to hold water on that basis alone. What is clear is that the neck wrenching volatility that has characterised recent days has left investors...

Intel (INTC) To Release Monster Chip Skylake, Haswell Processors Outdated Already?

Intel's (INTC) Haswell chips have changed the standards for portable computing. They offered incredible improvements, especially in speed and battery efficiency of laptops. The processors doubled their peak floating point throughout but Intel has a knack for bringing for surprising the industry. Their latest Skylake offering is a monster than will blow up standards once more.

Retail Spending Lower-Than-Expected But New Home Sales Signals Recovery

Retail Shares were down in early trading on Wednesday after reports confirmed a lacklustre 0.1 per cent growth in the sector. In another report indicating the strength of the economy, sales of new homes were up 1.6 percent in May adding to a cumulative increase in the last four months.

Australian Dollar Continues to Weaken Despite $670 Million Trade Surplus

The Australian dollar weakens further despite rallying slightly after the nation has posted a fourth consecutive month of trade surplus. On Wednesday, the Australian dollar traded at 91.62 U.S. cents, lower than Tuesday's exchange rate of 91.83 cents. Official data indicates Australia's trade balance last May maintained its positive streak for four months in a row with a surplus worth $670 million.

Australian Stock Market Report – Midday 7/3/13

The Australian market continues on its bumpy ride this week, with investors not keen to back up yesterday's stellar rise. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is down 1.8 per cent, with all sectors trading in the red. Despite the big falls, keep in mind that Tuesday was the best day for local shares since October 2011. The miners were the standout performers yesterday, but are slumping most at lunch. Last night, most markets eased despite FOMC President Dudley reaffirming his previous comments that...

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