BUSINESS

L'Oreal Chairman and Chief Executive yesterday criticised the French government's plans to introduce a 75 percent marginal income tax rate, arguing that it would make it difficult if not impossible for France to attract top talent should the plan go ahead.

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.

Everything is almost fresh on Nokia Lumia 920 – the operating system, the spritely bright shells and the wide-array of connectivity options – all attractive features that would convince buyers to go grab the new smartphone from Finland.

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.

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

Home prices continued rising in July across the United States. According to reports, home prices in the U.S. biggest cities have risen to the highest level in almost two years.

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.

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...

Microsoft’s Windows 8 won the nod of the man chiefly responsible in building up the vast Windows global market – Bill Gates.

Unfazed by the prevailing bleak prospect for the global PC market, Intel paraded on Thursday new mobile devices that draw power from its newly-designed tablet chip – the dual-core Atom Z2760.

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.

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 ...

Olympus Corp., which is a Japanese maker of medical equipment and camera, have admitted being guilty along with its three former executives on Tuesday, according to the reports.

Witnesses to the culling of some of the 21,000 Australian sheep rejected by Bahrain and Pakistan described the process as inhumane and brutal. The Karachi edition of The International News cited a video which showed the animals being clubbed, stabbed and buried alive.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 72 points or 0.5% while the S&P gained 1.0% to 1447 as the Nasdaq jumped 1.

The Australian sharemarket ended a little higher for the first time in four days, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) edging higher by 0.5 pct or 20.3 pts to 4402.8. Despite today's improvement, markets have been treading water ahead of the Spanish Parliament's release of the 2013 budget (first draft). The borrowing costs for the Spanish government are currently sitting at 6 pct, which is around twice as high as funding costs for our government.

Yesterday, the Australian share market closed lower for the third straight session, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) giving back another 13 points to 4,382 points.

Rovio Entertainment, maker of the popular Angry Birds game series, aims to sustain its profitability by ‘killing’ the aggressive winged creature this time around.

Intel labelled on Wednesday as ‘unsubstantiated’ earlier reports that company CEO Paul Otellini was wary of the glitches that would attend the Oct 26 launch of Microsoft’s long-awaited Windows 8.

Samsung is looking to capture more segments of the global tech business and it plans to do so by packing its handsets with attractions that would keep consumers from putting down their devices, like the bestselling Galaxy S3.

By Richard (Rick) MillsAheadoftheHerd.comAs a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best informationIncreases in taxes and, to a lesser extent, reductions in spending, the infamous $600 billion "Fiscal Cliff" that's looming in the new year, will reduce the US fede...

In the generally male-dominated world of mining, two resources queens are engaged in a court battle over ownership of the Hope Downs iron ore mine in Pilbara.

More major resources projects in Australia continued to be shelved as commodity prices remain low. The latest to be added to the list of postponed or cancelled projects is the $650-million ammonium nitrate plant of chemical giant Incitec Pivot.

Australian mining tycoon Nathan Tinkler is no longer number one on the BRW Young Rich List, which he has dominated since 2009. The former coal pit electrician at Hunter Valley, with his $400 million personal wealth, has slipped to second place.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 44 points, or 0.3%, while the S&P lost 0.6% to 1433 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.

The Australian sharemarket lost a little ground for the third straight day, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) easing by 0.3 pct or 13 pts to 4382.5. It could have been worse however; as American markets dropped by around 1 pct overnight. Charles Plosser, a Federal Reserve member from Philadelphia said that the U.S central bank's decision to stimulate the economy a few weeks ago is unlikely to help boost growth. This is the type of commentary that markets tend to not digest very well. Shares...

China's pool of wealthy citizens got a little poorer as the double whip of low global demand and the weakened property market diminished additional millions in earnings, the latest Shanghai-based group's Hurun Report indicates.

Fresh from delivering delight to Yahoo shareholders last week in the form of the $US7.5 billion deal with Alibaba Group, company CEO Marissa Mayer announced on Wednesday the appointment of a new key executive.

Yesterday the Australian share market lost ground for the second day in a row, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) off by another 13 points to 4,395 points. It was a day of 2 half for both the European and US markets. After strong economic numbers out in early US trade, showing US consumer confidence lifted to a 7 month high and better than expected housing data, key European markets pushed aside early global growth concerns and tracked higher. The US markets opened stronger but then fell away s...