BUSINESS

Australia isn't going through a housing bubble, says ANZ chief executive Phil Chronican, but state and federal governments aren't doing enough to address serious housing issues.

Easy access to rail connections, buses and trams is the overwhelming prioritty for househunters when choosing a property.

By Richard (Rick) MillsAhead of the herdAs a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best informationPure gold deposits are increasingly difficult to find.

- Germany has declared it will phase out nuclear power by 2022- The short term impact will not be substantial- The medium term impact will not be substantial either By Greg PeelGermany is a world leader in the pursuit of renewable and other forms of ?green? energy and as such has spent a good deal o...

US factory orders fell by 1.2pct in April, broadly in line with economist forecasts. US claims for unemployment insurance (jobless claims) fell by 6,000 in the latest week to 422,000. Economists expected a result near 415,000.

Sony Corporation, still reeling from a hacking attempt last April, has another of its websites attacked this Thursday. The group of hackers compromised SonyPictures.com and accessed the personal information of more than 1 million Sony customers.

Australia's services sector showed poor signs of improvement, according to the latest Australian Industry Group/Commonwealth Bank Australian Performance of Services Index (Australian PSI®), the seasonally adjusted index fell 1.6 points to 49.9 after a strong lift the previous month (readings below 50 indicate a contraction in activity).

U.S. blue-chip stocks dropped for a second straight session Thursday after another dose of soft economic data worried investors as they readied for a key jobs report.

Expect a lacklustre trading today at the Australian stock market because of negative to mixed leads derived from offshore trading overnight.

The release of worse than expected U.K. manufacturing data coupled with a media report which claimed that a scheduled IMF payment to Greece would be withheld has led to a broad sell off in the Pound Sterling and the common currency Euro, respectively.

No wonder the likes of Fitch Ratings and Moody's, one of its rivals, are increasingly wary of the impact of the Fukushima nuclear power station crisis in Japan.

Equity markets in the U.S. that had moved higher yesterday despite worse than expected economic data have now flipped back into negative territory.

Microsoft previewed its latest version of the Windows OS at the All Things D conference in Taipei and it is a marked departure from every version of Windows that's preceded it. The new generation Windows 8 has a completely new tile-based interface that is more touch based than any version of Windows.

Incoming chairman of Fortescue Metals Andrew Forrest is being hounded by issues that the board under his leadership will just be merely a rubber stamp and will not question his decisions, according to the Australian Shareholders Association.

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) announced today that its upcoming award-winning SnapdragonTM family of smart mobile processors, including the MSM8960TM with integrated 3G/LTE modem, is designed to power devices running the next version of Windows.

Software giant Microsoft Corp on Wednesday unveiled the next version of Windows, internally code-named "Windows 8," to help the partners build devices that take advantage of the new user experience at the 2011 Computex.

Stardeals, a shopping website that offers a daily deal on the best local goods, services and cultural events as part of the global Groupon Inc. network, this week began offering deals for the first time in Perth.

Australia’s current iron ore prices are at risk from competition with the coming of Brazil and Africa as market players, warns a new report from an international journal.

U.S. stocks plunged Wednesday, suffering their biggest drop in almost a year, as a slew of downbeat reports prompted fears the economic recovery was running out of steam

The Australian sharemarket is having a very tough day today after receiving a weak lead from global markets overnight. The All Ordinaries index (XAO) is down 1.7 pct or 81.9 pts to 4706.7. All sectors are currently lower, with the financials, miners and energy stocks the worst.

The retail sector saw improvements in the month of April as its sales chalked up better numbers that signaled a better outlook for the local economy, according to the latest data issued on Thursday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The Australian sharemarket slumped in early trade today after receiving a weak lead from global markets overnight.

In 2009, more than 132,710 households in Australia are millionaires, according to a Boston Consulting Group survey. In 2010, personal wealth fell in spite the mining resources boom.

Australian airline Qantas (ASX: QAN) was forced to ground a plane after flight attendants discovered five rats inside medical equipment just minutes before passengers were due to board.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 279 points or 2.2% while the S&P lost 2.3% to 1314 and the Nasdaq dropped 2.3%.

Tasmanian timber group Forester Gunns Ltd was a market star yesterday with a surprisingly strong surge in its share price after it issued a short statement that on repeated reading was actually a statement of the group's corporate strategy.

- GDP negative 1.2% worst since 1991- consumers still saving but wages pressure growing- business investment is back- not a lot to sway the RBABy Greg PeelI've come to appreciate that following economist forecasts of an upcoming quarterly GDP result is just like watching an auction on eBay.

Excessive self-belief: a leader needs to be assured and act decisively. However, don't become like Caligula or Kim Jong-Il of North Korea, who believe they have superior knowledge and decision-making ability despite lack of supporting evidence. On your team, how many people will question your opinions, offer contrary views or suggest other options? More positively, do you seek out other perspectives and evidence to check your thinking?

It can be argued that Fortescue Metals Group Ltd's Andrew Forrest retirement yesterday boosted the value of the company by around $600 million, with some 30% of that improvement flowing to his already huge fortune.