BUSINESS

National Australia Bank (NAB) Chief Executive Cameron Clyne blamed on Wednesday the battle for deposits among Australian lenders for the high mortgage interest rates in the country. In effect, he belied claims by the other banks that the European crisis, which caused wholesale funding cost to rise, is the culprit.

The Qantas Monday announcement of the closure of the air carrier's Tullamarine Airport maintenance facility was just the tip of the iceberg. On Wednesday, Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce made an even bigger announcement of more revamps in the company.

From pandas to thoroughbreds, flying animals and wildlife is big business. But there is a dark side.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has called for stimulus policies that would boost the nation's slowing economic prospects.

The United States has allowed China to purchase government debt directly from the Treasury Department.

House prices in Kiev, Ukraine’s capital, rose sharply during the year to April 2012. But market experts doubt this can be sustained, with the economy slowing, and a political crisis over the incarceration of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down one point while the S&P was flat at 1316 and the Nasdaq fell 0.3%There are all sorts of troubles in Tech Land, with the Nasdaq last night's worst performer following Monday's big Apple-led rally.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday charged a former executive at Yahoo! Inc. and a former mutual fund manager at a subsidiary of Ameriprise Financial Inc. with insider trading on confidential information about a search engine partnership between Yahoo and Microsoft Corporation.

The corporate marriage between search giant and Android developer Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and former mobile phone leader Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. (NYSE: MMI) closed is now official.

China appears to be heading Japan's way as a Chinese conglomerate revealed on Monday a $US2.6 billion deal that would give the group majority ownership of AMC Entertainment Holdings, one of the biggest operators of cinema complexes in the United States.

The Coalition has downplayed reports that its likely win in next year's general elections would lead to a federal government that is not tax-friendly with tech titans maintaining local operations in Australia.

Arguably, Apple tops the list as one of the leading global companies, with its products desired by millions around the world, and a new study not only affirmed that stature but also crowned the American firm as the most valuable brand over the past 12 months.

An analysis by Bank of America (BofA) showed that Australian retailer David Jones would be a good buy for now following the drop in company shares at its lowest level since the global financial crisis.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck, Editor FNArena (currently traveling abroad)This week's Weekly Insights analysis triggered the question below from FNArena subscriber Stephen Sheldon.

Qantas confirmed on Monday that it will shutter is maintenance hub in Melbourne, which meant engineering jobs would be lost.

By Greg PeelOnly three transactions were conducted in the uranium spot market last week, industry consultant TradeTech reports, totalling 350,000lbs.

The ongoing strike by BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) miners is expected to reach a peak on Thursday with about 4,000 employees from six mines expected to walk off their jobs following a deadlock in enterprise bargaining discussion.

By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 135 points or 1.1% while the S&P gained 1.6% to 1315 and the Nasdaq surged 2.

The news of Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg getting married with his long-time girlfriend, Priscilla Chan is all over the news. Aside from the fact that Zuckerberg got married, the timing is also controversial as Mark Zuckerberg wed after Facebook's IPO.

Qantas Airlines, one of the largest airline carriers in Australia denies claim regarding the company's supposed credit card scam.

Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg updated his timeline last May 19 with a memorable event of marrying his girlfriend.

Automakers worldwide could be affected by slowing sales results in China as dealers see stocks of unsold cars rise, threatening price cuts.

The Volkswagen Polo R could be back on the table after the German manufacturer confirmed it would launch an "extremely sporty" variant of its light car before the end of next year.

America's automotive media has expressed enthusiasm and excitement at the announcement that the next-generation Holden Commodore will be exported to the US from 2013 to be sold and raced as the Chevrolet SS.

A 6.0 magnitude earthquake recently hit the north-central part of Italy which caused the death of at least 6 people and injured at least 50 individuals. The earthquake also caused the collapse of numerous historical architecture sites like castles, clock towers, and churches.

The nightmare of Qantas' aircraft maintenance engineers is about to happen as the flag carrier announces likely on Monday the closure of its maintenance bay at Tullamarine Airport. The shutter would lead to the axing of more than 400 jobs.

Head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, has warned that the consequences of Greece exiting the euro would be "extremely expensive and hard, and not just for Greece."

Gold demand in China expanded to record levels in the first quarter of 2012, with total consumer demand in China surging 10 percent to reach a new high of 255.2 tonnes.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia warned on Monday that Greece's expected exit from the eurozone may cause the Australian dollar to plummet below 90 cents. G8 leaders rushed over the weekend to battle the financial crisis to hit the region over the Greek debt.