BUSINESS

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to leave interest rates on hold may be a sigh of relief for people with a mortgage, but it makes no headway in terms of making housing more affordable, said Australia’s housing sector.

Thanks to coal and ore, Australia's trade surplus in August improved remarkably and showed signs of continued recovery amid the summer floods that forced many mines to close and massive concerns of a global slowdown.

By Greg PeelThe minutes of the September RBA monetary policy meeting told us that the current setting "left the board well placed to respond to evolving global and domestic economic conditions".

Australian retailers on Tuesday expressed concerns with the Reserve Bank of Australia’s cash rate decision to maintain the cash rate at 4.75%.

More than a year after the plane crash that killed majority owner Ken Talbot, Sundance Resources is set to be taken over by Hanlong Mining Investment Ltd, a subsidiary of giant Chinese resource firm Sichuan Hanlong Group, with the suitor aiming to raise its present 18 percent stakes on the iron ore miner.

Another tough week is ahead of us. Central bank meetings here, in Japan, Europe and the UK, jobs data in the US, manufacturing surveys here and around the globe (except China) and of course the continuing fears about the stability of the eurozone and the markets.

In what is perhaps the most significant breaking news we've heard on the GMO front in a long time, an effort has just been announced in California that seeks to gather enough signatures to put an historical initiative on the ballot which would require the labeling of GMOs in foods.

I've decided that every time I read an article, study or blog post that talks about how people don't have meaningful access to flexibility, how managers don't support flexibility, and/or how flexibility policies don't match the actual practice in the business (this week here and here), I'm going to re-publish the following article on my blog.

Moderate gains were achieved in the manufacturing and construction sectors in the U.S. notwithstanding the persistent problems in unemployment and the rising concern regarding the ongoing debt crisis in Europe.

More regulations are facing tobacco companies as the Australian government studies measures to curb sale of cigarette and tobacco products across the country.

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.

MIDDAY REPORT (12.30pm AEDT)The Australian sharemarket is continuing to fall after a tough start to the new trading week yesterday. The ASX 200 index (XJO) is down 0.4 pct or 17.1 pts to 3879.9 while the broader All Ordinaries index (XAO) is 0.5 pct or 18.9 pts lower to 3941.8.

High-tech devices such as iPhones, iPads and camcorders topped the list of gifts that were given to New South Wales public officials. Next to the gadgets, also high on the list of bribe items masked as gifts were beach holidays, football tickets and gift vouchers.

It appears Apple is convinced that Samsung Electronics will not be able to market its Galaxy 10.1 tablet in Australia as the U.S. tech firm rejected Tuesday overtures by its South Korean rival for a settlement of their legal dispute.

- NAB expects slow US growth rather than recession- More significant QE measures unlikely in such an outcome- Australian growth should be solid in 2H11- This suggests no near-term rate cuts by RBABy Chris ShawNational Australia Bank head of research Peter Jolly has just returned from a two week trip...

Despite a continuing insider trading investigation, the pending takeover of Australia's Sundance Resources Ltd. by Hanlong Mining of China is almost as good as a done deal, lacking only signatures.

Economists said Tuesday that despite the stronger-than-expected international trade and building approvals figures for August, the Reserve Bank of Australia is unlikely to change the current cash rate.

The declaration made by Greek government officials that it will miss its fiscal deficit this year and probably be mired in recession for the rest of next year has triggered another cause for concern among Asia-Pacific economies.

National Australia Bank now offers the best one-year fixed rate among Australia’s largest banks, after it slashed its fixed interest rates by as much as 0.15% on Tuesday.

Stall owners at local markets are facing twin challenges today, that of a thinning market and skyrocketing rent. Traders agree to find ways to attract local shoppers back.

A faulty signature update for Microsoft Security Essentials and Microsoft Forefront made an error on Friday and classified the Google Chrome executable file for Windows as a malware, specifically a ZeuS Trojan.

Some mixed news for Emaar properties, one of Dubai's - state owned - master developers. That is, mixed news, not in a share of good and bad news, but rather in the fact that the bad news was tinged with goodness.

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) is offering exclusive games on PlayStation Network (PSN) every Tuesday starting this month. Gamers in North America who download games or make purchases worth up to $60 using their PlayStation Network/SEN Wallet can earn $10 store credits in November.

Bell FX Currency Outlook The AUD is looking vulnerable, currently holding just above USD0.9500, after reports that Greece will miss its budget deficit targets in 2011 and 2012.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 258 points or 2.4%. The S&P fell 2.9% to close at 1099, breaching the earlier August intraday low of 1101.

By Greg PeelUnlike the uranium spot market, which in recent weeks has been dominated by traders and hedge funds on both sides of the price, the uranium term market more represents legitimate supply deals between producers and utilities and is thus more representative of ongoing longer term uranium d...

Apple Inc. unveils the highly hyped fifth generation iPhone at its Cupertino, California headquarters. The event marks the first time Tim Cook will take center stage after succeeding the ailing Steve Jobs. While hoping to stride out from Jobs' shadow, he hopes to retain the Apple founder's magic in pitching new Apple devices. More than whether Cook will give the first impression that he is a showman and a visionary like Jobs, here are five things we'd love to see at the Oct. 4 but pr...

Woolworths is recalling 3 litre Homebrand Full Cream Milk for possible contamination of food-grade dairy cleaning solution. Food products containing cleaning solution may cause illness to some if consumed.

Woolworths has recalled some of its home-brand milk and has reassured its customers that the recall is just a precautionary measure.