BUSINESS

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck, Editor FNArenaA few years ago I spent my December holidays traveling through Zimbabwe, to study a widely unknown economy recovering from a decade of hyperinflation.

Local stocks edged higher in a session that delivered few insights, although the overarching tone for markets appears reasonably constructive. At face value it appears as though the main risk would be skewed towards investors being underweight (local) stocks as prices grind higher. This view will be put to the test later in the week with several key data releases locally and elsewhere, in addition to the 2nd week of the US reporting season and a Bernanke speech, all of which could have a durable...

Effective March 15, 2013, Microsoft will no longer be using Windows Live Messenger and instead advised users to log in using Skype.

Australian gambling critics are up on their toes after a virtual poker machine game has been named as the country's highest-grossing phone and tablet app.

Fans would have more reasons to snap up the Galaxy S3 Mini, following reports from Samsung operations in France that the smaller version of the hugely popular Galaxy S3 now comes in six colour variants.

An independent review that looked into cycling in Australia has urged to its governing body to implement stricter anti-doping testings in the wake of scandals that marred the sector in 2012, also relatively linked to those of U.S. cyclist rider Lance Armstrong.

The strengthening price of iron ore in the global market which resulted in share prices of three major mining companies go up has led to speculations that Australia's mining boom may be making a comeback.

Nexus 4 is almost the ultimate handset ladled by Google and LG into a mouth-watering single-plate serving. It is a beauty and a brute that is easy on the pocket, nudging the handset to phenomenal global acceptance barely two months after its debut on the Google Play store.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck, Editor FNArenaI joined Twitter. Not because I am curious what this celebrity has to say about her kids, or to read that another one is waiting for a connecting flight, impatiently.

By Peter Switzer, Switzer Super ReportBob Doll used to be chief equity strategist at BlackRock, the biggest fund manager in the world but now is at Nuveen Asset Management.

The Australian sharemarket has kicked off the week in positive territory, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 0.2 per cent or 10.6 pts to 4744.4 at lunch. Japanese markets are closed today for Coming of Age Day; a day which celebrates those in Japan turning 20. Mixed performances from global markets last week, with shares in the U.S (Dow) up 0.4 per cent, Australia's ASX200 slipped by 0.38 per cent while French and German shares slipped by 0.5 per cent.

Smartphones will only get bigger in the next few years because consumers are embracing the trend, Samsung said, hinting too that its current success rides high on the level of satisfaction the company delivers to global gadget users.

Dropbox for Android released an update to make sharing of photo or collection of photos easier. The feature allows the user to create new album from any image within the Dropbox and share it throughout the Android intents system. Dropbox can now share folders or individual pictures inside to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Gmail, and more.

ZTE Nubia Z7 and Huawei Ascend Mate which will have 6.3-inch and 6.1-inch of screen displays, respectively, will soon be released. Apparently, it is now the trend for larger, bigger, and "HD-er" screens to show which smartphones offer powerful and dominant features among the different models available in the market.

For all users of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 in both 10.1 and 7.0 variants, the much-awaited Android 4.1 Jellybean update has been released for both devices.

Shape developed an All-in-One Instant Messaging app which supports several chat servers in one location. The app is called IM+ which is available to Android, Blackberry, and iOS platforms in both trial and paid versions.

While most reality TV contestants like those in Big Brother get booted out one by one until the last few finalists battle it out for the top prize, winners in a reality TV with a trip to Mars as the prize will get booted out of Earth permanently.

There is now more pressure for Australian banks to pass in full to borrowers any overnight cash rate cuts that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) would make in 2013.

The analyst principally responsible for the production of this research report is: Howard Humphreys, Director & Lead Research Analyst, Seismic ResearchStocks rally amid bets of improving Chinese economyAsian stocks rallied today, with the regional MSCI index heading for its third gain in four days a...

The next batch of Nexus 4 shipment is on the way and each unit will deploy with Android JellyBean 4.2.2, fresh blog reports said.

Chicago, Illinois-based hedge fund manager AM Capital Advisors outperformed its peers and gained 62% in volatile 2012 versus the DOW index +7.22%, NASDAQ +13.62%, and S&P 500 index +13.29%, AM Advisors president Mr. Aaron Miller said in an emailed statement.

Local stocks closed lower today, after Chinese inflation rose more than expected and as concerns about damage from Cyclone Narelle weighed on mining stocks. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) ended the day's session down 11.4pts or 0.2pct to 4733.8pts, a fall of 0.2% over the week, following last week's 1.2pct gain.

The iron ore price is quickly becoming a focal point in the dispute between resource bulls and bears. It's kind of like a Rorschach blot test for investors. What you see in the price may tell you more about yourself than it tells you about iron ore.

A new report from Forbes suggested that U.S. kids are fast outgrowing the gadgets that inspired the global mobile device explosion and are gravitating instead toward the competitions

Airline travellers taking Virgin Australia this weekend may have to come in early at the airport and expect some disruptions as the airline carrier effects a new check-in and booking system.

LG Optimus G on Sprint is set to receive a minor update patch via OTA, which the U.S. telco said has started rolling out, to improve certain features of the phone and solve previously reported bugs.

It's the banks, not their customers, who actually wind up owing each other money...

The large rally over the last six months is beginning to have its desired effect. Investors sitting on the sidelines are now being forced into the stock market due to their fear of missing out on further upside.

Another Galaxy phone is coming down to Earth, courtesy of Samsung, which announced on Thursday the commercial availability of the Galaxy S2 Plus.