BUSINESS

By Greg PeelAt first glance the RBA's August monetary policy statement appears very similar to July's until one looks a little closer.

Sony Computer Entertainment announced Tuesday that long-time partner Sucker Punch Productions is joining the global development operation of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS).

According to a research firm, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has moved ahead of Finnish handset maker Nokia, with its flagship Galaxy S II product performing well. But Samsung's overall performance was underwhelming, considering the opportunities offered by the upheaval at Nokia, according to research firm Canalys.

Adobe, the software company famous for its Flash software running the online animation, video and graphics on most computers, unveiled a preview of its latest software called Adobe Edge.

One of Norway's largest retailers, Coop Norway announced last week that they will pull 51 games and toy brands from their stores after the Oslo and Utoya shootings killed 77 people in a government building and a youth camp.

Finding suitable and qualified tradespeople has re-emerged as a major challenge for the automotive sector in South Australia. A 2011 skill shortage survey by the state’s peak automotive industry group, the Motor Trade Association found that 69 per cent of respondents had experienced difficulty in attracting suitable people. This compares with 57 per cent the year before.

Apple's iCloud website went live Monday but only as a "beta" version and is only available for existing MobileMe customers with the Mac OS X on their desktops and notebooks.

Low-cost solar power is increasingly becoming the focus of solar-cell manufacturers, new research shows.

By Greg PeelLast week saw seven transactions completed in the spot uranium market, notes industry consultant TradeTech, totalling 700,000lbs.

The prohibition of marijuana in the US has led to an "underground" cannabis industry in Mexico run primarily by violent gangster cartels like the ones wreaking havoc at the southern borders of Texas, Arizona, and California.

The $4.7 billion takeover proposal dangled on Macarthur Coal by Peabody Energy and ArcelorMittal meets the minimal expectations of the world’s largest coking coal miner but the firm maintains that considering more options is the best path so far in attracting its desire bid.

Organisations are misfiring when attempting to drum up employee loyalty and performance, by using increasingly elaborate company perks to retain staff.

Research released this week has revealed that the demand for 10,000 skilled workers has closed to just 1,000 since March this year.

Spreading rumours at work is indeed a sackable offence, with the decision to sack a Global Cranes worker who spread “salacious” rumours being upheld by the workplace watchdog.

Harvey Fresh has been awarded the contract to supply Coles brand milk in Western Australia for the next three years.

Australians will have to wait for quite a while before they could get their hands on the new Samsung Galaxy tablet computer as the South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer decided to suspend its local sale, at least until the company’s legal dispute with Apple has been resolved.

The pea and thimble trick in Washington to resolve the debt ceiling problem, or the two surveys of Chinese manufacturing that clearly confirm the most important economy for Australia isn't tanking?

So there's an agreement on the US debt ceiling and spending cuts?

The US ISM manufacturing index slumped to a 2-year low of 50.9 in July, down from 55.3 in June. All major components of the index were weaker expect exports. But US construction spending hit a six month high in June, rising 0.2pct.

U.S. stocks fell but finished above session lows, as weak manufacturing data and worries of potential downgrades to the U.S. credit rating overpowered investor relief over the weekend's debt-ceiling deal.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 10 points or 0.1% while the S&P lost 0.4% to 1287 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.

U.S. Treasury debt prices rallied on Monday as a troubled outlook for the U.S. and global economies whetted appetite for safe-haven government debt, sending yields to their lowest in more than eight months.

Commonwealth Bank today announced a new online game that will help gamers invest money without risking real life money to do so.

Nokia's woes continue to grow as it was dislodged from the top of the smartphone market for the first time in fifteen years. Apple and Samsung Electronics vaulted over Nokia to gain the first and second rankings respectively at the smartphone sales rankings, according to Strategy Analytics this Friday.

Australia’s new home sales in June 2011 saw their biggest monthly decline in five years, amidst weakening confidence in the economy and concerns about higher interest rates.

Dairy Farmers are worried changes in Woolworths’ milk supply arrangements will negatively affect farmgate prices. Parmalat recently won the contract to supply Woolworths’ house brand milk products in NSW. This contract was previously held by Lion (formerly National Foods), which sourced around 100 million litres of milk from Dairy Farmers Milk Co-operative (DFMC) members in NSW to supply Woolworths.

Leighton Contractors said Monday it had been selected by Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to deliver the final stage of the Southern Sydney Freight Line (SSFL) in an Alliance contract worth $150 million.

Tiger Airways remain grounded as a scheduled Federal Court directions hearing of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority's application to continue the suspension of the Singapore budget carrier has been adjourned for a third time. A Federal Court directions hearing had been scheduled for Monday 1 August 2011, but the matter has now been adjourned to Wednesday 3 August 2011.

(This story was originally published on Wednesday, July 27, 2011. It has now been re-published to make it available to non-paying members at FNArena and to readers elsewhere).