BUSINESS

The ASX200 has started in strong fashion in Wednesday ignoring the weakness seen in the US overnight. The initial setup for local trade was less than optimistic after the Dow closed around the worst levels if its session.

Smartphone shipments in the world's biggest market China has been forecast to hit more than 450 million units in 2014, according to research firm IDC. The jack up will be triggered by the government's issuance of 4G licences as well as the foreseen Apple (AAPL) - China Mobile alliance. Will Tim Cook's company finally regain its bruised share in the China market pie?

Apple Inc may have reported a record-breaking iPhone sales weekend for the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, but 9 million iPhone units sold don’t necessarily warrant rave reviews for some analysts. For Apple Inc investors, analysts said they should be careful in factoring in Apple’s iPhone opening-weekend sales to future growth expectations. In 2013, Apple has launched two new versions of the iPhone for the first time.

The ongoing 2½-year political disaster in Syria has expanded to include food crisis, affecting children who are now on the verge of malnutrition.

The Australian Dollar is slightly lower amid more signs that the US economic recovery may not be all that strong.

Japan looks east instead of south.

In US economic news, consumer confidence fell from 81.8 to 79.7 in September, short of forecasts for a result near 79.9. The Case Shiller home price index rose 0.6pct in July to be up 12.4pct on a year ago. The FHFA home price index rose 1.0pct in July and8.8pct over the year and the Richmond Fed composite index eased from +14 to zero in September. The Redbook chain store sales index also was 3.6pct up over the year, compared with a 3.4pct gainin the previous week.

People wanting to live longer and breathe in fresher, cleaner air may want to get out from mega cities in China, India, Indonesia and Europe and migrate to other regions in the world. A map recently released by NASA has specifically and graphically pinpointed where air pollution is at its deadliest around the globe.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is still the coolest brands topping Chanel, Prada and Alexander Mc Queen

Apple had just announced its updates on Apple iMac

By Peter Switzer, Switzer Super ReportWith the Dow Jones index now in record high territory and the All Ordinaries Accumulation Index also at levels never seen before, the key question for many is ? how long does this bull market run for?Let's face it, if we thought it was, say for only one yea...

South Australia is targeting to increase by eight times its iron ore exports through the development of the $5-billion Braemar Bulk Export Project.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 66 points or 0.4% while the S&P lost 0.3% to 1697 and the Nasdaq was flat.

By Chris Weston, IG MarketsThe talking point on the floor today has been firmly around the outperformance of the Australian market, despite a slightly weaker lead from the S&P, a flat day's trade in China and a softer Nikkei.

The Australian share market ended in the red for a third consecutive session on Tuesday, weighed down by mining stocks and ongoing confusion over the US Central Bank's expected tapering policy.

Apple has reportedly refunded the credits on iTunes to customers, who had bought the pass to download the episodes from season 5, of the hit TV show “Breaking Bad.” The decision comes after there was some confusion following AMC’s decision to split the season into two.

There seem to be no respite for troubled Indian drug manufacturers Ranbaxy. Reports say that, after facing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) action last week for manufacturing lapses, the company, acquired by Japanese drug maker Daiichi Sankyo in 2008, now faces regulators agencies in Australia and Europe who are also assessing if drugs manufactured and exported by the Indian firm to their regions are affected.

Apple iOS 7 release paves way to a new craze – the Japan Porn Craze

The Federal Reserve's surprising decision to keep QE going at its current rate is still front page news. While the US fiddles with monetary policy to meddle with house prices, the Australian government is set to interfere with banks in order to manipulate mortgage lending. If you've been reading the Daily Reckoning for a while, you know we are sceptical that government action like this produces the intended outcome.

The Australian share market is in the red for a third consecutive session, after US stocks closed lower and most commodity prices were sold down.

Authorities in China arrested a 16-year-old youth to strike a message and elicit fear to those who commit online rumour mongering. But the outcry of the public, manifested also through online furor, wilted the officials' convictions enough for them to release the youth they had alleged as troublemaker. Epic fail.

Ultrabooks improve by the day. HP’s latest Envy Leap Motion challenges products like MacBook Pro especially with their latest sensors and apps. Now, people can control their programs or interface elements just by waving over the notebook. MacBook Pro, on the other hand, features better display through the Retina Display technology. Which ultrabook should people go for?

Good thing Qantas Airways staff discovered the 20-centimeter (8-inch) snake way even before passengers boarded its plane bound for Tokyo. Otherwise it would have been chaos equivalent to the 2006 American action thriller film 'Snakes on a Plane.' Imagine combining aerophobia, the fear of flying, and ophidiophobia, the fear of snakes.

Australia is one of the cheapest places in the world to buy an iPad

By Greg PeelIn July last year, Japan restarted its Ohi 3 and 4 reactors and so brought to an end the post-Fukushima period of zero nuclear energy production in the country.

Microsoft unboxed on Monday the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 in New York. However, tech experts appear not impressed by the two devices, whose predecessors bombed at the cash register.

Fisher & Paykel, a brand identified with quality kitchen appliance, is also into healthcare. The company's Healthcare unit rolled out a new product, the Pilairo Q nasal pillows mask, to treat obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).

CN Rail proposed in March to Natural Resources Canada for the government body to allow it to move Alberta's bitumen to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, by train, instead of transporting the tar oil through pipelines.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 49 points or 0.3% while the S&P lost 0.5% to 1701 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.2%.