BUSINESS

Local stocks managed a small win today, despite a negative lead from the US Dow Jones Index and as European shares eased from four month highs. Defensive stocks led the gains locally, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) adding 7.9pts or 0.2pct by close to finish at 4317.

The Australian sharemarket is improving for the second straight day, despite a weaker start to trade this morning. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 0.2 pct or 8.1 pts to 4317.6 at lunch. Most sectors are gaining modest ground, with the exception of the miners and financials.

Google has commenced reengineering efforts on Motorola Mobility, signalling serious intents on the part of the tech giant to turnaround at the soonest possible time an ailing firm it bought for more than $12 billion in May this year.

By Prof. Francesco GiavazziSpain looks set to turn to the EFSF for a formal bailout subject to stringent conditionality.

Along with the return of its chief executive, ING Direct launched on Monday a new TV advertisement that features male backside as its catch-on.

By Greg PeelBHP Billiton ((BHP)) is currently reviewing its portfolio of large scale capex projects intended to carry the company into the future.

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) is making renewed efforts against insider trading by launching a number of cases involved leaked information during the merger and acquisition phase of businesses.

By Andrew NelsonLast week was yet another slow and fairly uneventful week on the uranium spot market. Volumes were thin, transactions were few, and the spot price slipped a little more after a seller cracked under the weight and gave in to a lower bid.

Although small- and medium-enterprises (SME) in Australia are recognising the inevitable need to have online presence, their actual online activity leaves much to be desired.

When you're at school, history is just a bunch of stuff that's already happened. When you enter the real world (after university) history becomes rather useful.

Do you feel that in the air? It's the rustling of politicians all over the world, ready to meddle. It's coming. They've been pretty quiet over the North American summer. But that's probably about to change. The task of today's Daily Reckoning is to figure out what kind of change...and whether it's the kind of change you embrace...or flee with monster truck force.

Housewives With Frying Pans Protest Japan Tax Hike as Debt SoarsAbout 200 housewives marched down a shopping street in central Tokyo, beating pans with ladles and shouting slogans criticizing a government plan to double Japan's 5 percent consumption tax.

Qantas is on a roll. After winning Fair Work Australia's nod in its labour row with unions, the flag carrier is attempting to recover lost market sharing with the launch of three daily flights to Gold Coast.

Ford Motor Co.'s second-quarter earnings dropped more than half, even though the company has large profits in America. The decrease is high mainly due to losses in Europe and other parts of the world.

China's economic macro data published last week in Beijing set the table for another major round of economic stimulus by the Chinese government.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 38 points or 0.3% while the S&P lost 0.1% to 1404 and the Nasdaq was flat.

Giant tobacco firms are attempting to re-invent their products in the face of relentless onslaughts coming from government regulators and health experts, which have been actively pushing to limit the world’s smoking incidence in the past decade, report said.

And Australia's most expensive night out destination award goes to Perth, which, according to TripAdvisor's TripIndex 2012, would charge $430.83 for two people just to spend a night at a four-star hotel, tour the city on a round-trip via taxi, get to enjoy cocktails at a five-star hotel bar and enjoy dinner with wine.

The Australian share market started off stronger this morning up 23 points after a strong close on Wall Street on Friday. The US markets closed higher for the 5th straight week and European markets closed just off recent highs. The volumes traded on the overseas markets were still quite low and are expected to stay that way throughout this week as most major European official departments will remain closed until the 20th of August this year. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) held on to an 17 point ...

With seven gold, 16 silver and 12 bronze medals, Australia, with a deflated ego, accepted its final tenth standing on the medal table at the closing of the 2012 London Olympics on Sunday.

A permanent point man for Facebook in Australia should be appointed soon, the giant social media firm said on Monday following its confirmation that an interim head has been tapped to run the company’s local operations on daily basis.

Google intends to employ new search algorithm that would shore up the appearance of legitimate web content providers to the tech giant’s search pages, boosting what the company said chances by music, movie and software producers to lure more buyers away from bootleg sources.

Manchester United debuted Friday on New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and ended up garnering total market value of $US2.3 billion yet beneath the impressive numbers, analysts feared that the hugely popular Red Devils could go the same way that Facebook’s IPO did – fizzling out too soon.

By Richard (Rick) Mills, Ahead of the HerdAs a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best informationOur groundwater is being used up at record rates and claims to ownership are becoming increasingly contentious.

Due to dining and retail establishments push to scrap the penalty rate for Sunday work, unions have launched a counter offensive by launching the Save our Aussie Weekends campaign.

Hong Kong based billionaire Mr. Li Ka-shing, who controls a group of companies, has agreed on buying a UK based Gas Company named Wales and West Utilities. The agreement has been settled for 645 million pounds or 1 billion dollars. This latest acquisition by the tycoon will greatly boost his gas portfolio in Britain.

Yahoo Inc. and Facebook Inc. have finally agreed to settle their heated up patent lawsuits and tie up for a licensing and internet advertising partnership according to reports laid out on Friday.

Dairy farmers from Queensland and New South Wales (NSW) are not taking the sides of either Coles or Woolworths in the two supermarket giants' price war. They instead urged on Sunday the boycott of the two supermarkets' branded milk at the ongoing Ekka, Queensland's largest public event which attracts over 400,000 visitors.

Richard Schulze, the co- founder of Best Buy Co. (BBY), has offered to buy the company and this way make it private. It would be the fourth-largest U.S. retail takeover in the history. Richard Schulze remains the electronics chain's main investor. He has sent a letter to the board with a purchase proposal of $24 to $26 a share, thus he valued the company at $9.5 billion including net debt.