BUSINESS

The Lumia 920, according to Nokia, represents improvements from all the shortfalls found on previous Nokia handsets, potentially making the new Windows smartphone an inviting prospect for consumers planning to indulge on new tech toys come the holiday season.

You may of already had your fill of electoral madness so how about some central banking madness?

Larry Summers, bless his heart, is back on the Financial Times editorial page. He's arguing for more stimulus...more spending...more Barack Obama. We should send him a 'thank you'. He's been great for business.

Richard Koo knows what's going on. At least, to a point. He's a fool, but not an idiot. In Bastiat's terms, he sees the effects of a debt deflation. As for the unseen consequences of the government's efforts to fix it, he doesn't even bother to look.

Today, we Americans will enter voting booths all across the nation to pull the levers that will shape our destiny. Either we embrace the big, expensive promises of the Left or we embrace the big, expensive promises of the Right.

More than 500 personnel from the engineering department of Qantas Airways have been sacked as part of the company's restructuring operations.

Local stocks have followed global markets into the red, as investors bailed out of equities overnight. The Dow Jones Index recorded its worst trading session for 2012, with investors concerned about how the US government would tackle the so-called "fiscal cliff" and help avoid America heading back into recession. Uncertainty over the Greek parliament vote on austerity measures also contributed to a sell-down. Early this morning, the Greek government secured enough votes in parliament to ap...

Apple and Samsung have been battling across the market and in legal matters to prove which is winner, iOS or the Android OS. However, the real winner is determined by sales of its devices, including new releases.

By Greg PeelAs of today we have a Democrat in the White House, a Republican majority in the US House of Reps and a Democrat majority in the Senate, just as we had the day before.

Acting on the recommendations of industrialist Louis Gallois, France will grant businesses 20 billion euros ($25.7 billion) in annual tax credits as a way of boosting the country's economic competitiveness.

A fifth Australian bank will likely soon join the ranks of the Big 4, the monicker for Westpac, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and ANZ Bank.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Tuesday once again ruled out possibility of his government requesting a bailout from the ECB this year at least; and said that his country can return to economic growth by 2014 as long as it stuck to a policy of fiscal austerity.

Australians will likely be reading more juicy details of the Rinehart family court feud in 2013. On Wednesday, New South Wales Supreme Court Justice Paul Brereton adjourned the multimillion dollar lawsuit over the family trust to March 2013 for pre-trial directions.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 312 points, or 2.4% to 12,932, while the S&P dropped 2.4% to 1394 and the Nasdaq lost 2.

The Simpson Desert in Australia's southwest Queensland has claimed the life of a 25-year-old man after the four-wheel drive that carried him and his partner bogged down. His partner is still in recovery.

The Australian share market closed higher today, receiving a spike in the last hour of trade as news networks called the 2012 US Presidential Election a Democratic victory. Barack Obama himself tweeted "Four more years", with the projected decision sending the market up 0.7pct.

Giant miner BHP Billiton, currently the largest mining operator in the world, has refused to categorically confirm reports that the company’s CEO, Marius Kloppers, is on his way out after more than five years of stay that was mostly characterised by incredible growth and expansion.

Doha-based airline carrier Qatar Airways has launched a massive three-day global sale of attractive fares to more than 100 global destinations, including Australia.

A fourteen-year-old Australian with autism spectrum disorder has topped the Commonwealth Bank Australian Maths Challenge.

Struggling Nokia was afforded major boosts in Australia and the United States thanks to giant telcos opting to support new Windows-powered smartphones that the mobile phone maker said will begin rolling out early November.

The Australian sharemarket is improving for the fourth straight day and for the seventh time in eight sessions, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 0.3 per cent or 12.3 pts to 4516. Almost all sectors are higher; however volume of shares traded remains light ahead of the results from the U.S Presidential elections.

By Marc Lichtenfeld, Investment U Senior AnalystThis weekend, I was at a boxing match, talking with someone affiliated with the show.

Microsoft is fully embracing the $USUS8.5 billion internet communication technology that came with its Skype acquisition in 2011, disclosing on Tuesday that the messaging client would be its sole application for hundreds of millions of global users to connect via PCs or mobile devices.

The yearend holiday is fast approaching and this early, some people are drawing up their Christmas shopping list. People, after all celebrate Christmas not only with food, decorations, events, and travel, but also with gifts. Today's techie generation inevitable includes high tech gadgets and devices as much appreciated Christmas gifts.

Australia's livestock export sector has never been at a more precarious situation as the industry battles brutal and inhumane ways that the animal imports undergo in other countries.

By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 133 points, or 1.0%, while the S&P gained 0.8% to 1428 as the Nasdaq dragged with only a 0.

The Australian sharemarket rose for the third straight session and for the sixth time in seven days. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) edged higher by just 0.2 per cent or 10.1 pts to 4503.7. Despite the improvement, investors weren't overly interested in equities with the Melbourne Cup demanding much of the attention. There were only $2.7 billion worth of shares traded today; around 25 per cent less than yesterday.

Were you watching the markets yesterday, Fellow Reckoner? Well, you might have saved yourself the time. Stocks were flat. Oil and gold both rose, but each by less than half a percent. A virtually uninterrupted snoozefest, in other words.

In order to exercise control over the population, governments throughout history have made people dependent on government largess. A government can make an increasing number of people dependent on its generosity by providing more and more benefits to a larger and larger share of the population.