BUSINESS

More Discounting For Retailers

- Christmas will be very competitive- Retailer inventory levels high- Discounting to be unprecedentedBy Eva BrocklehurstOnce again, retailers are expecting a very competitive Christmas shopping season.
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Qantas Divests StarTrack Freight Business to Australia Post

Australia Post, wanting to capture majority of the pie that caters to the growing online shopping activities of Australians, will acquire 50 per cent of Qantas Airways Ltd's freight business StarTrack for A$408 million ($422 million).

Australian Stock Market Report – Midday 10/2/2012

Today, the Australian share market followed the lead of the US and European markets higher, with the gains in oil and gold helping the material sector run higher in early trade. By lunchtime the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) had held on to early gains up 28 points to 4,436 points.

Bingo! Governments Lie About Inflation

Two percent is what the Bureau of Labor Statistics says. But the quants are massaging the numbers so hard, they're breaking their backs. The real rate is probably closer to 5%. Maybe 10%. Who knows? You might say "it depends on how you mis-measure it".

Apple Set to Unveil iPad Mini on Oct 17

The buzz on the recently rolled out iPhone 5 has yet to die down and now reports are out that another Apple gadget, the iPad Mini, will hit the market very soon, likely late October or early November.

Oz Property Prices Near Bottom

By Andrew NelsonWe were doing all right after the GFC. It wasn't comfortable, but comfort could be taken from having a look at Europe and the US.

RBA Blames The World

By Greg PeelAt today's monetary policy meeting the board decided to cut the RBA overnight cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.

Australian Stock Market Report – Afternoon 9/28/2012

After a slow start to trade this morning, the Australian sharemarket managed to edge higher by the close of business. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rose by just 0.1 pct or 3.5 pts to 4406.3; however still finished the week lower by around 0.5 pct. This makes it the first weekly loss for the Australian sharemarket in four weeks. Volume was also higher than usual due to equity option expiry yesterday.

Slowing China Affects Nike’s Profits

For the first time in three years, Nike Inc. reported its earnings for its fiscal 2013 first quarter ended August 31, 2012 had dipped 12 per cent, spurred by declining orders from China, prompting shares to immediately tumble on Thursday.

Banks Versus the Farms

We spent yesterday in Perth presenting at the Pastoralists and Graziers Association (PGA) annual convention. It was a packed house in the morning session.

Tesla Struggles with Production as it Plans to Sell its Shares

Tesla Motors Inc., the electric car maker, faces a revenue drop as it struggles with supplier problems and delays in ramping up production of its Model S. According to the company statement, Tesla Motors Inc.'s sales will be around $45 million, which is far below estimates of $80 millions.

Australian Stock Market Report – Midday 9/28/2012

After a slight improvement in markets yesterday, Australian shares are a touch weaker at lunch. The All Ordinaries Index is down 0.1 pct or 5.7 pts to 4397.1. Last night, the Spanish parliament released its first draft of a tough 2013 budget. Around €39 billion of spending cuts were announced, which is an 8.9 pct reduction in spending compared to this current year. Perhaps this can be summed up as being good news for markets (over the very short term) and bad news for those living in Spain. The...

A Familiar Sequence: Print, Spend, Crash

What a big, chaotic, sprawling place. How does it work? São Paulo is huge... stretching out in all directions. It has some of the world's richest people - with two Ferrari dealerships and countless private helicopters - and some of the world's poorest people, too.

Private Dick And The Implications For Retail

By Greg PeelIt was not lost on the media yesterday that Woolworths' ((WOW)) final sales price for the Dick Smith Electronics business, after having put the For Sale sign out eight months ago, was $20m ? the same price Woolies paid Dick Smith, the man, for Dick Smith, the business, thirty years ...

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