BUSINESS

Australia’s Best Value iPhone 4S Carrier Plans

Australian customers lined up around Apple stores and other retailers Friday to get the new Apple iPhone 4S, but for budget-conscious consumers, the new smartphone could be too much for their wallets to handle.
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BHP to Launch Global Ore Trading System By Year End

Iron ore prices are set to get more competitive in the following months as BHP Billiton, along with other iron ore miners and steel producers, mull the creation of a new iron ore global pricing system by year-end or early 2012.

Australian Stock Market Report – Midday 10/14/2011

The Australian sharemarket is pulling back for the second time this week, with the All Ordinaries index (XAO) down 0.9 pct or 39.2 pts to 4266.8. Almost all sectors are lower with the defensive telecommunication sector one of the lone regions of the market to be gaining some ground. Telstra (TSL) is up 0.16 pct or 0.5 cent to $3.08.

Steel: More Growth Forecast

Good news for the Australian iron ore and coal industries, and of course the country's balance of payments for the next 18 months or so.

Global Markets Overview –10/14/2011

The financial sector led U.S. stocks lower Thursday following less than stellar results from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., although strength in technology stocks kept the broader market's losses in check. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 59 points, or 0.5%, at 11459 in Thursday afternoon trading, after earlier dropping as much as 141 points.

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning 10/14/2011

The US trade deficit narrowed marginally from $45.63 billion to $45.61 billion in August. US exports fell 0.1pct while imports were flat. The trade gap with China widened to a record $29 billion in August. US jobless claims fell by 1,000 to 404,000 in the past week. The four-week moving average of claims (considered a better measure of labour market trends) fell by 7,000 to 408,000.

iPhone 4S Out Today: Top 10 New Features

Apple Stores, resellers, and carriers in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom are opening their doors today, Oct. 14, to people eager to be the first to get their hands on iPhone 4S.

Virgin, Singapore Deal Gets ACCC Nod

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has granted the alliance between Virgin Australia group of airlines (ASX: VBA) and Singapore Airlines draft approval.

Unit Rental Prices Soaring, Nearing House Prices

Even with a subdued quarter for rental prices, annual growth figures show rental prices for units are approaching that for houses in most capital cities, according to a new report released on Thursday.

iOS 5 Update: Top Ten New Features in the iOS 5

Apple released the iOS 5 today and its perhaps the biggest update to the software. The iOS 5 comes with over 200 new features and it has been released for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Virgin Increases Services to Pilbara amid Resources Boom

In support of the booming mining sector, Virgin Australia announced today it will provide more than 1,000 additional seats each week from Perth to Port Hedland and Karratha in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. The increase in services will commence on November 21 and end in March next year.

Kogan Rejoins Australia’s Heated Tablet Computer War

As more consumers shift to upgrades of modern electronic devices such as tablet computers and smartphones from laptops and 3G phones, more companies are launching their own versions of the devices in a bid to get a slice of the growing market - notwithstanding risking a lawsuit from Apple.

Australian Stock Market Report - MIDDAY 10/13/2011

The Australian sharemarket is gaining for the sixth time in seven sessions, with the All Ordinaries index (XAO) up 0.6 pct or 27.4 pts to 4293.8. Today's improvement can be partly attributed to the impressive gains out of European markets overnight, thanks to progress being made on a viable debt solution.

ACCC: Singapore Airlines – Virgin Australia Alliance OK To Fly

The proposed alliance between Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia is almost as good as a done deal as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced on Thursday it is finalizing necessary paper works that will ultimately conclude and seal the integrated network aviation alliance between the two airlines.

Brokers Still Like JB Hi-Fi

- JB Hi-Fi AGM offers sales update- Group sales higher, like-for-like sales down- Tough macro outlook impacting on earnings- Brokers remain broadly positive on the stockBy Chris ShawAt its annual general meeting yesterday JB Hi-Fi ((JBH)) indicated like-for-like sales for the first quarter of FY12 w...

Market Insight: All About Banks

With the final eurozone vote now in for the EFSF, the next step is to leverage up that fund to allow governments to shore up the capital positions of their respective banks.

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