BUSINESS

The Australian sharemarket is a little higher after a 0.6 per cent slump yesterday. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 0.2 per cent. Most sectors are higher; however significant weakness in the mining and energy sectors is holding the market back.

Sony launches PlayStation 4 in Australia and New Zealand

At least 19 areas in the Philippines' Luzon region have been put in a state of calamity following the onslaught of rains and floods brought by a Storm Trami-intensified southwest monsoon.

Mining giant BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) has committed $2.6 billion for the development of the Jansen potash project in Canada. The commitment comes at a time that BHP logged a 30 per cent drop in prices due to lower commodity prices and uncertainty over the market for this fertiliser ingredient.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 7 points while the S&P gained 0.4% to 1652 and the Nasdaq added 0.4%."On balance, with growth expected to remain below trend for longer and inflation to remain within the target even with the effects of a lower exchange rate, members concluded that a lower level of th...

After a flat start to the week, the Australian market lost ground, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) falling by 0.7 per cent and finishing well below 5100.0. It was always going to be challenging to buck the trend from last night, with both US and European equity markets losing ground. The Dow Jones Industrials fell by 0.5 per cent overnight, dropping for the 12th time in 16 sessions.

With Japan yet to roll out whatever plans it has to mitigate the damaging effects of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant which has already leaked highly radioactive water to its nearby ocean waters, a group of people has expressed their desire to turn the site into a tourist spot. Seriously. Would you go visit?

Effective November, China will cease harvesting the internal organs of its executed prisoners which has supported the requirements of its national organ donation system for years.

The Australian share market has come under selling pressure at lunchtime in the East, after Wall Street recorded another session of losses overnight and insurer QBE Insurance (QBE) missed expectations with its earnings result.

Tropical storm Maring (international name: Trami) may already be pressing the panic buttons of most residents in the Philippine capital of Metro Manila, but state weather forecasters continued to pacify the Filipino populace that the rains it dumped was still far off compared from those dumped by the fatal 2009 typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana).

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Budget iPhone, the iPhone 5C, replaces iPhone 5 but not iPhone 4S

By Greg PeelIt is not always easy to push a large order through an actively traded, exchange-listed market without having an influence on the price in that market.

Complex things are more fragile, says Nassim Taleb, author of the books The Black Swan and Antifragile. Your computer and its misbehaviours are daily proof. You can click on the same button as yesterday only to get completely different results. And encoded error messages are absolutely no help.

With the string of vehicular accidents in Canada caused by distracted driving, citizens believed it is about time to consider the behaviour liable for a criminal offense charge complete with stiffer penalties.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 70 points or 0.5% while the S&P lost 0.6% to 1646 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.2%.

The flat result for local stocks appears unflattering, although it was a solid result considering that Telstra and the CBA went ex-dividend , which took 20 points off the market.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPPL) might have other motives for releasing it budget iPhone, the iPhone 5C.

The Australian sharemarket is up by around 0.2 per cent at lunch, after a relatively flat few hours of trade.

Equity markets have survived the last few years on the mantra that 'bad news is good news'. Each time GDP slowed, unemployment rose or confidence crumbled, stocks surged.

The Philippine government was forced to suspend offices and classes in 14 provinces, including in the capital Metro Manila, as tropical storm Maring (international name: Trami) maintained its strength and continued to enhance the southwest monsoon early Monday. The state forecasting weather agency has advised the 14 provinces to brace for severe flooding.

WeWi Telecommunications, a Canadian company based in Ontario, will release on the last week of August a solar-powered laptop priced at $350. However, the device may also land in North America as a Chromebook, reported Computerworld.

The flagship device of the Taiwanese tech firm, HTC One, is coming to carrier Verizon on Aug 22, ending the long wait of techies wanting to own the device under better terms.

The uptrend has broken out but gains were not maintained. The uptrend enters its 9th week with resistance for the first time.

Samsung will unveil its smart watch, the Galaxy Gear, on Sept 4. The event will be held two days before the IFA Consumer Electronics Show in Berlin and six days ahead of the expected roll out on Sept 10 of the iPhone 5C and 5S, according to Bloomberg.

Another abusive boss who uses his position and power to force his employees to have sex with him in exchange for choice work assignment has been unmasked. The New York Post identified him as 45-year-old Nesim Zuberi, a banquet supervisor at the New York Athletic Club.

Are we getting closer to the end of QE? The US bond market certainly thinks so. Overnight, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rose 14 basis points, to 2.72%. Market interest rates are now hovering around their highest levels in years.

Australian stocks came under selling pressure on Friday, despite a strong rise on the Chinese share market. Another triple digit loss on Wall Street overnight impacted sentiment, while profit taking also seemed to be in vogue.

Chinese Kiwis in New Zealand are concerned about the country’s image in China in the wake of the recent botulism contamination scare. An analysis of social media in both countries has found an emerging group of Chinese residents in New Zealand vigorously defending the island nation from their fellow Chinese.

The Australian share market is under heavy selling pressure at lunchtime on Friday, after Wall Street suffered another triple digit loss overnight.