BUSINESS

Australian consumers are becoming more optimistic on the general outcome of the economy, but the most important aspect of spending is still something that they are holding back.

Steve Jobs made headlines all around the world with every launch of Apple's new products but more recently, the creative genius made his final headline when he passed away due to pancreatic cancer last Oct. 5.

You know you've made in the tablet market when you get sued. The Amazon Kindle Fire hasn't been released but it already has its first patent infringement lawsuit against it.

Australia Post registered a net profit of $241 million for the year that ended June, up compared to the $90 million net profit for the same period last year.

The move of eBay Australia to strike a partnership with premier clothing brands and launch a dedicated fashion gallery has opened up more options for consumers across the country.

The worsening economic outlook in developed countries has pushed the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to slash its global oil demand growth projections.

Although there was a drop in phone and on-course betting, Australian wagering and gaming company Tabcorp Holdings logged an 18 per cent hike in its online betting revenue in the past year.

Oil futures dropped for the first day in the New York Mercantile Exchange, cracking a six-day longest gains run this year.

The Australian sharemarket is pulling back for the first time this week, with the All Ordinaries index (XAO) down 1 pct or 42.2 pts to 4246.6. Most sectors are lower, with the miners the worst performers in percentage terms.

Australians' love for playing video games continues even if they have moved from their teens into adulthood. They have been playing video games for at least two decades, which explains why a new study found that 92 per cent of Australian households are into video games.

Australia's business and other industry groups are now on the quandary as to the passage of the carbon tax legislation in Congress now waiting for the final stamp of approval in the Senate.

The crude-oil output by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) fell in September, as member-nations Saudi Arabia and Nigeria voluntarily decreased production.

By Alexander Green, Investment U's Chief Investment StrategistIn his new book, The Great Crash Ahead, self-styled "economic futurist" Harry Dent warns equity investors to cup their groins.

There are some things that you do not know about Apple’s newest service, iCloud. Here are some of the things that you ought to know.

Australia’s non-alcoholic beverages industry has vehemently rejected concerns over juice safety, following a story that recently aired on Channel Seven’s Today Tonight program.

Teachers Credit Union, one of Australia’s largest and most successful mutual banking groups, plans to rebrand as “Teachers Mutual Bank”, subject to member approval. The credit union will put its proposals to its members at its AGM on 26 November. APRA approval would also be required.

The brain and kidney of a Newcastle nurse was damaged after she drank a native Bali cocktail laced with methanol during her holiday trip to the Indonesian island.

It was seven months to the day yesterday since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan, which then triggered the Fukushima nuclear crisis and crunched the economy.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 16 points or 0.1% while the S&P was steady at 1195 and the Nasdaq gained 0.7%.

U.S. stocks bounced between small gains and losses a day after the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its biggest advance in two months. The Dow shed 16 points, or 0.1%, to 11417, in Tuesday afternoon trading, following a 330-point surge Monday.

US chain store sales rose by 4.8 per cent in the latest week compared with a year earlier according to Redbook Research but sales so far in October were down 0.6 per cent on September.

Way back in 1997 when Steve Jobs had re-taken control of an Apple in dire straits he outlined a vision for the company in the annual WWDC

The British Chamber of Commerce (BBC) described that the economy of the UK started weakening during the third quarter of 2011 and is now displaying signs of declining further.

Apple and Samsung may face another patent battle with the antenna of the new iPhone 4S.

The local share market made it five wins in a row today, notching up the longest string of advances since early April. Hopes European leaders are closer to a long-lasting solution to the sovereign debt crisis gave investors a positive offshore lead, while sentiment was also boosted by a pick-up in business conditions and confidence, and ahead of the US reporting season which kicks off tonight. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rose 26.5pts or 0.6pct to 4288.8 while the S&P/ASX 200 Index (XJO) added...

Iron ore miner Sundance Resources said on Tuesday that it expects no delay in the Foreign Investment Review Board's (FIRB) decision on the $1.65-billion takeover bid by China's Sichuan Hanlong Mining.

A number of unofficial Apple resellers have sprung up in China, and the tech giant has no immediate power over them.

Analysts and individual investors may be caught in an instant frenzy whenever there's a decline posted in the prices of commodities, but the low rates are attractive enough leading to higher transport costs to stockpile on these commodity products.

Millions of BlackBerry users in three continents were left without Internet services on Monday night following a major breakdown in Research in Motion services.