BUSINESS

This is one of those rare days when there are so many interesting stories in the financial world that we can hardly decide which one to write about.

The US is the place to be. That's what everybody says. America has all the advantages: the strong US economy, a younger population, cheaper energy, and a central bank more ready to print money as necessary.

On the 10th of December, General Motors Co.'s Adam Opel AG informed that the car plant in Bochum, Germany would be closed. The decision to cease auto production in one of four car plants located in Germany was caused mainly by the decline in the European auto market. Adam Opel AG unit made a decision as it tries to restructure its unprofitable operations in the region.

Christmas is closer everyday... Suspense is increasing as presents are being sent out. Without a doubt the holiday season, namely the holiday shopping season, is the busiest period for shipping companies and postal services all over the world.

On the 11th of December, HSBC Holdings PLC informed that it decided to pay approximately 1.9 billion in settlement with U.S. regulatory authorities to end a long and embarrassing American criminal probe into money laundering allegations against the Europe's biggest bank. The amicable settlement, which is to be paid by HSBC Holdings PLC , will be the largest fine paid by a bank in the history.

The new Blackberry 10 which is scheduled to be released in Q1 of 2013 will include features of a platform-wide flow interface, new intelligent keyboard and camera application.

Instagram is getting better with its new update for both iOS and Android. The popular photo sharing app has been known for its many filters and functionalities with photo editing.

China's exports increased in November slower than initially estimated, with growth in imports dropping to zero, the government said on the 10th of December. Data is certainly a cold shower after weekend results which suggested that the world's second economy is recovering from a slowdown.

Diamond Capital Management LLC, which was one of several hedge funds implicated in the U.S. investigation into insider trading on Wall Street, informed that it would close down after receiving redemptions request amounting for more than 25 percent of its assets. Clients of Diamond Capital Management LLC asked to take out as much as $520 million in capital.

One of the Samsung flagship mobile devices which started the phablet line up devices just got an update of its Android version. Galaxy Note 2 was released only in October 2012.

After Indonesia, Bahrain and Pakistan, Israel is the new headache for Australia's live cattle export industry. ABC aired on Tuesday footage taken by Israeli journalist Ronen Bar, which were proof of the brutal and inhume way that Australian cows were slaughtered at the abattoir.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 78 points, or 0.6%, while the S&P gained 0.7% to 1427 and the Nasdaq added 1.

Local stocks continued to move in a positive direction today, boosted by positive offshore moves and firmer commodity prices. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) gained 18.9pts or 0.4pct by close to finish at 4581.3pts, its best finish since mid-October. The ASX 200 closed at 4576pts, its highest close for 2012.

The Nexus 4 is a definite magnet especially for Android power users but since this signature Google smartphone will not resume shipment until January 2013, looking out for the alternative this Christmas is the best way to taste its flavour.

A survey of 25,000 Australian high school students has found that alcoholic drinking among younger teens 12 to 15 years dropped. However, those considered older teens aged 16 to 17 continued to consume alcohol in much riskier levels.

LG is in celebration mode following the South Korean firm’s announcement at the start of the week that over 10 million units of the Optimus L smartphone lines have reached global consumers since the device was launched this year.

The Australian sharemarket at lunch is improving for the third day running and for the ninth time in 12 sessions. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 0.5 per cent or 21.2 pts to 4583.6. The defensive healthcare and telco sectors are slipping modestly but all other industries are improving, with the miners the standouts.

Google has good things going for its Nexus gadget lines, which mostly led to stock outs since their debut, but glitches in the Android system appears to be hampering the products’ total commercial breakout.

Nokia’s Lumia 920 will soon deploy on more carriers and retailers in the United Kingdom beginning January 2013, the Finnish mobile phone maker said this week, adding that the supply problems bogging down the handset’s global distribution will be resolved at around the same time.

The tech world is definitely excited for the Consumer Electronic Show 2013 scheduled on Jan 7-13 in Las Vegas. The show is expected to be different from previous editions as Microsoft steps away from its long-running keynote, and Samsung and QuallComm step in to fill the gap.

- Lynas in trading halt- Malaysia insists on LAMP waste export- Rare earth prices continue to fall- Beijing reacts with industry assistanceBy Greg PeelAustralian rare earth hopeful Lynas Corp ((LYC)) sent another shiver down the spines of beleaguered investors this morning in requesting yet another ...

Google announced an update to the Google Maps API which will make it easier to insert vector-base maps into applications. This will provide developers better and more comprehensive set of tools to integrate maps into Android Apps.

American International Group Inc. informed that it would sell an 80.1 percent stake in its International Lease Finance Corp. to a group of Chinese investors for as much as $4.2 billion. The acquisition is expected to be the China's biggest purchases of an American company. What is more, the group of Chinese investors has an option to buy an extra stake of 9.9 percent, which would give them as much as a 90 percent stake in ILFC.

The coming year, 2013, promises to be exciting times for the smartphone marker as innovations of hardware components and advance software features for smartphones are rolled out. Flexi phones, rolling screen, wireless control over drones, cars, and security cameras are what consumers should expect for the next 12 months in the mobile industry.

Boarding the Train of Opportunity

The joke over the royal prank call is not just on the British monarchs and the hospital where Kate Middleton is confined but has hit Southern Cross Austereo, the Australian company that runs 2Day FM. Reports said that as a result of the apparent suicide of Jacinta Saldanha, the nurse who answered the prank call from DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian and gave medical details, shares of the Southern Cross plummeted up to 8.1 per cent on Monday while the radio station is losing $100,000 a day in ...

By Andrew NelsonJust when we thought the uranium market was settling down for a quiet holiday season, we are greeted with a busy week of year-end buying and selling.

Australian miners are now resorting to tapping ants and termites - considered as pests by many households - to lead them to undiscovered gold deposits. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) research scientist Aaron Stewart explained that these small insects stockpile traces of heavy metal, including gold, on ant mounds, particularly located in deep underground nests in the Australian Outback.

Is the Australian Economy in Recession?