BUSINESS

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Balmer disclosed at the company's shareholder's meeting that sales of Windows Phone 8 were off to a great start. He attributes it to the combination of new software and more powerful hardware which resulted in four times as many sales compared to the same period in 2011.

With the recent release of Windows 8 and record-breaking sales, upgraders should be aware of at least five issues they may encounter as they move from Windows 7 to Windows 8.

Treasurer Wayne Swan reiterated on Wednesday that Australia's mining boom is not yet over despite falling prices of commodities in the world market and lower demand. He cited the $268.4 billion investment to major resources projects that mining companies had committed in the last six months to October.

By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 106 points, or 0.8%, while the S&P gained 0.8% to 1409 and the Nasdaq was also up 0.

The last 24 hours have been quite revealing in terms of the character of the market. From time to time the market discussion has turned to the matter of how well market sentiment is holding up in the face of US political uncertainty and the fiscal cliff. However this matter has been painted in a different light in the last day.The preceding 24 hours have largely been defined by good news. Common ground has finally been found between the IMF and Eurozone finance ministers in relation to the next ...

Australian tech retailer Dick Smith is joining the anticipated holiday push of Apple’s iPhone 5 via its exclusive unlocked offering for the popular handset, which starts selling Nov 28 at $788.

When the waters of Bondi Beach turned tomato red on Tuesday morning due to some "algal" infection of the waters, it elicited two types of reactions from the people who witnessed it. One was fear. But the others who were more hard-core adventurous, took a dip into the red waters. Now health authorities are worried those who swam in the infected waters could be at risk.

The local share market has followed Wall Street into the red in the early session. Sellers moved in on blue chip stocks in late trade in New York as talks between the Republicans and Democrats over the "Fiscal Cliff" issue stalled.

Without providing specifics, Microsoft said on Tuesday that it has identified the cause of the random reboots reportedly plaguing the Nokia Lumia 920 and the HTC Windows Phone 8X and a patch to repair the problem is set for a December deployment.

Amidst the ongoing management upheaval at Apple, the tech giant took some breather on Tuesday as new research data showed that the iPhone has snatched back the title as the bestselling smartphone, at least in the United States.

The euro increased on the 23rd of November, resulting in a rise in shares of Europe, following indications of progress in negotiations on offering aid to recession-hit Greece as well as the findings in an influential analysis which showed a significant increase in business sentiment in Germany. The increase in stocks of US and the world were prompted by the same reasons.

No group had more to be grateful for this Thanksgiving in America than the few people at the top of the pile. Over the last four decades, their wealth has soared...thanks largely to the feds.

The global economic crisis is worsening, especially in the hard-hit Eurozone, where nation after nation continues to struggle with a growing recession coupled with high unemployment, rising debt and low growth.

By Richard (Rick) MillsAhead of the HerdAs a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best informationAll through human evolution we have been harnessing increasingly effective forms of energy.

Windows 8 is just about to replicate the achievements of its immediate predecessor as Microsoft disclosed on Tuesday that around 40 million licenses of the new operating system have been sold a month after it was rolled out.

It was made public that Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of Canada, had been designated as the new governor of the Bank of England. It is a surprising move, yet Britain decided to reach for a foreigner as it struggles with its troubled financial system, which certainly needs to be reformed.

Japan's Renesas Electronics Corp. saw a marked growth in its shares following an authorization of a bailout worth approximately $2.4 billion which is led by the Government. The shares of Renesas, a chip making company of Japan, rose above 6 percent after the finalization of the $2.4 billion bailout.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar is steady, after markets in the US and Europe cautiously welcomed a bailout deal reached by the ECB/EU/IMF, on Greek loans and some better-than-expected US economic data.

Sold at $99 in Verizon, the LG Spectrum 2 is viewed by tech experts as a good buy for smartphones as mid-range. Expected to be its competition in the mid-range section is Samsung's Galaxy Premier slated for release the last month of 2012, although its price tag is unknown but expected also to be in the mid-range level.

Today let's start with the Australian dollar again. We promised to ask around the HQ and see if anyone had ideas on the relationship between the Aussie dollar and the All Ordinaries. Fresh off his 'Extinction Event' report, Murray chimed in.

On the last day of November, iMac 21.5-inch will go on sale in the United Kingdom. Apple announced on Tuesday that the ultra thin 21.5-inch iMac will be available in stores and online shop by Friday. For the larger version, which is the 27-inch iMac, techies would have to wait until December for delivery but could pre-order it also on Nov 30.

Facebook, the largest social media network in the world with over 500 million members, is cashing in on the Christmas spending mode of netizens by launching in the United States a section called Gifts.

Russia may be discreetly propping up Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria by helping to print bank notes that pays for Assad's soldiers and civil servants.

Asian financial markets and regulatory bodies need to understand and learn from the mistakes of the West or risk having their own interests trampled upon, said the chief executive of Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission.

Qantas suspended on Wednesday a $50 million marketing agreement with Tourism Australia over the alleged meddling of a consortium led by the head of the tourism body and former Qantas official.

While Australian retailers felt some form of relief with the apparent success of Click Frenzy on Nov 20, a major retailer forecasts a wave of retail collapses in 2013.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 89 points, or 0.7%, while the S&P lost 0.5% to 1398 (breaking solid technical support at 1400) and the Nasdaq dropped 0.

A more constructive tone was in place for local stocks on Tuesday, reflecting the general atmospherics for regional indices. Most stock indices throughout the region ended higher. The Shanghai index was conspicuous for its weaker finish, ending below the 2000 mark.Market participants remain wary of the technical picture around the Chinese index and the difficulty it's having consolidating at an important support level.

In response to a weekend news article that claimed mortgage brokers fail to adequately disclose to customers the commissions they receive from lenders, Mortgage Choice CEO Michael Russell, one of Australia's largest independently-operated firms, seeks to set the record straight.