BUSINESS

Tuesday next week is the slated U.S. debut of the trimmed down PS3 but Sony has insisted that the published prices for the new game console will stick amidst gamers’ complaints that the tags were way too pricey.

Local stocks are holding up relatively well in the early session, given a fairly subdued offshore lead. US and European investors were shaken by the weaker than expected manufacturing data out of China, however were also heartened by a successful Spanish bond auction. The Dow Jones Index finished up 0.1pct to 13596.9pts, while European shares were mostly lower. At lunchtime in the East, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 10.2pts or 0.2pct to 4430.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck, Editor FNArenaI joined Twitter. Not because I am curious what this celebrity has to say about her kids, or to read that another one is waiting for a connecting flight, impatiently.

Like their counterparts in other global cities, Australians lined up on Friday morning to buy Apple's iPhone 5 officially launched last week but made available only beginning Sept 21 in retail outlets in selected countries.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announced on Thursday that it registered a $1.076 billion profit in the last financial year. It is a turnaround from the $4.889 billion loss the central bank logged the previous financial year.

In the latest twist to the ongoing drama over the fate of the 21,000 Australian sheep in Pakistan, an independent veterinarian from the United Arab Emirates concluded the animals to be healthy, free from diseases and fit for slaughter for human consumption.

By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 18 points, or 0.1%, while the S&P was flat at 1460 and the Nasdaq lost 0.2%.My editor informs me there is much confusion in the market about how a purchasing managers' index (PMI) actually works.

The number of Asian millionaires surpassed that of North America's for the first time ever last year.

America's super high net worth individuals saw their net worth grow by 13 percent in the past year to $1.7 trillion, according to Forbes annual wealth survey.

The Australian sharemarket lost a little ground for the second time this week, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) slipping by 0.5 pct or 20.6 pts to 4419.8. The defensive healthcare and telco sectors ended higher, however all other regions of the market lost ground. Volume and value of shares traded was significantly higher than usual due to equity index expiry today.

Take note Qantas and Virgin Australia. U.S. carrier American Airlines has forged a partnership deal with Samsung that will see the Galaxy Note become a regular fixture on future flights of the airline.

Local stocks have come off the four month highs reached yesterday, as investors await Chinese manufacturing data coming through later this afternoon. The Australian share market rallied in afternoon trade yesterday after the Bank of Japan announced it would extend its asset buying program to 80 Trillion Yen. US and European markets also surged on the efforts to stimulate Japan's economy and tackle its deflation concerns. At lunchtime in the East, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is down.

Sony shrunk the PS3 and called it ‘Super Slim’. Following the superhot route taken by smartphone and tablet makers, the Japanese firm upgraded the ‘look factor’ of its half-a-decade old game console by shaving off unnecessary heft and weight.

National Australia Bank (NAB) launched on Wednesday nabtrade, its own online share trading platform which will mainly target investors in self-managed superannuation funds.

While Australian retail giant Harvey Norman is one of the leading voices calling for lowering of the general sales tax on items purchased overseas, the company's own chief executive, who is also the owner's wife, ironically buys from online shops abroad to save money.

Australia's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry placed on hold all sheep exports following the order by Pakistan authorities to cull 21,000 Aussie sheep tested positive for salmonella bacteria and actinomyces.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 13 points, or 0.1%, while the S&P gained 0.1% to 1461 and the Nasdaq added 0.

Local stocks rallied in afternoon trade, after the Bank of Japan followed the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank in providing more monetary easing to stimulate the global economy. Stocks had been trading only marginally higher before the announcement from the BOJ, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rising by 22.6pts or 0.5pct by close to finish at 4440.4, a four month high.

It took only a few months for new Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer to finalise an agreement with China’s Alibaba Group, which in the last two years has not come in to terms with the CEOs that came before her.

The Australian market opened slightly higher today but fell in and out of the red in the first few hours of trade. The by lunchtime the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) was only 7 points higher at 4,425 points.

Microsoft said on Wednesday that another fix on the freshly identified security hole in Internet Explorer will be dispatched in the next few days, insisting that the patch should temporarily protect millions of global users while engineers work for an IE update.

Kraft Foods Australia has been pleased with the market take up of its belVita Breakfast biscuits. Launched in March 2012, research conducted in June 2012 by AC Nielsen Homescan showed market penetration of 10.9% (or more than one in ten) Australian households having tried the product.

The New iPhone 5, the latest smartphone of Apple Inc., will go on sale at company's retail stores in the U.S. at 8 a.m. local time on the 21st of September.

Maybe we're making this whole investment caper too complicated. You can analyse interest rates and currencies. You can talk about sound money and fair value. And you can look at technical trends and fundamental factors. But in the end, maybe we should just all buy Apple stock and quit while we're ahead.

One hundred years ago, the Titanic slipped below the frigid waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. That's roughly the same moment when the US dollar also hit an iceberg. In 1913, one year after the Titanic disaster, the US government passed the Federal Reserve Act...and the dollar's value has been sinking ever since.

Samsung has become a brand that is preferred and trusted by consumers despite the legal setbacks that the tech giant has been getting lately.

Weak consumer spending continues to batter Australia's retail sector, causing a 40 per cent slump in profits for David Jones and some of the leading local retailers to considering moving out of the country.

Queensland miners have agreed to a compensation plan for the damage their dredging work cause to seagrass beds. The compensation would be used to protect the remaining healthy beds in other areas or restore damaged ones.

Pakistan is pushing through with the culling of 21,000 Australian sheep despite assurances from Canberra that the animals are healthy and a court injunction obtained by PK Livestock, the importer, which should temporarily save the lives of the sheep.