BUSINESS

Westfield, the country’s biggest retailing title-holder, has launched the nation’s first online shopping mall on a 50 meter runway set up outside of Sydney’s Customs House. Overall, 100 models graced the launch with Jessica Gomes at the rudder.

- BOQ is in and not too bad- Mac Bank will probably meet guidance- For ANZ, NAB and Westpac it'll all be about margins and disaster debts- Valuations are not stretchedBy Greg PeelIt was always going to be a poor first half result for Bank of Queensland ((BOQ)) given the regional impact of the Queens...

BP, the largest supplier of fuel to Australia’s mining and industrial sector, says it has plans for a $20 million expansion of its Largs North fuel terminal in Adelaide. This will allow the company to continue to grow its business in South Australia and provide customers with even greater security of supply.

Bank of Queensland (ASX: BOQ) Chief Executive David Liddy will step down at the end of 2011 and the bank has started a search for his replacement, the Australian regional lender said on Friday.

- Tabcorp delivers strong March quarter revenue result- Star City a good performer- Brokers broadly see value leading into de-mergerBy Chris ShawTabcorp ((TAH)) delivered revenue for the third quarter of $1,061 million, the result a 5.

Consumer confidence in Australia is far higher in the rural areas than those in the urban parts these past two to three months. This has been revealed in the the Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index published today.

- Soaring food prices have created instability in countries across Northern Africa and the Middle East- The odds seem in favour of further rises for food prices- Current estimates anticipate the world's population will grow by 4.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 7 points while the S&P was flat at 1314 and the Nasdaq rose 0.6%.The Dow opened up 72 points higher last night, suggesting the oil-related pullback experienced this week is now being discounted and focus can re-settle on earnings reports.

The AUD traded in a pretty quiet fashion around the USD 1.0500 level during the offshore session. Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Glenn Stevens delivered a considered speech in New York overnight, and somewhat predictably didn’t provide any real insights that could be construed as relevant, to short to medium term monetary policy in Australia.

The release yesterday of the Westpac Consumer Confidence Survey showed that consumer confidence bounced modestly for the month of April with the survey of 1200 people demonstrating sentiment rising to 1.2% from a previous negative reading of 2.4%.

US retail sales rose by 0.4pct in March, after an upwardly-revised gain of 1.1pct in February (previously +1.0pct).

Ford and Toyota have separately announced production suspension at their plants in the Philippines due to parts shortages

For the first time in a little over a month, the first commercial aircraft landed in the airport of Sendai, the largest city in the northeast of Japan devastated by a powerful 10-meter high tsunami.

A snapshot of rental properties advertised over the weekend shows only 42 properties out of a total of 14,211 across greater Melbourne were affordable for low income singles and families.

Rio Tinto is heading for sharp slowdown in first half profit after revealing sharper than expected falls in iron ore and coal production and exports in the three months to March.

Asian regional markets are mixed in the last hours of trading in Australia, Singapore, and Japan as investors kept a "wait and see" attitude and bearish sentiments spilled from European and U.S. markets.

Australian insurance companies sent their key officials to London last week to meet with sponsors and urge them to renew their July reinsurance contracts.

Citi has appointed Scott Southall to the role of Head of Global Transaction Services (GTS) for Australia and New Zealand.

Microsoft Bing is seen overtaking Google as more users are making the switch to the Bing powered research on the Internet.

Australian brand development powerhouse, lime door brands has signed a global deal with international burlesque star and fashion icon Dita Von Teese.

The Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) is seeking clarification from Qantas management on behalf of the travelling public over whether the QF50, which made an emergency landing at Sydney airport today, was actually a Qantas flight or not.

Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) says its operations were affected by ongoing weather-related issues during the first quarter.

Airlines in the Asia Pacific region lead “absolute growth” in planned capacity levels worldwide for April, according to the latest update by aviation industry monitoring group OAG.

- Higher oil prices will impact on global growth this year- Current prices already offer some evidence of demand destruction- Goldman Sachs identifies market sectors likely to be impacted in AustraliaBy Chris ShawGeopolitical tensions, loose monetary policy and an ongoing US economic recovery combin...

Japanese machine tool orders increased for the 16th consecutive month in March to 113.36 billion yen, although the 49.5 percent growth from the year-ago level represented a slowdown from previous months' expansion pace

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced its first trade finance agreements with Georgia that will provide guarantees and loans through banks in the central Asian country.

Australian renewable energy company, CBD Energy (ASX: CBD), has disclosed to the ASX it would finalise its joint venture with two of China's largest renewable energy companies and pursue A$6-billion worth of renewable energy projects in the coming years.

A key measure of Australian consumer confidence bounced modestly in April as people grew more optimistic on the economy for the year ahead and felt better placed to buy major household items.

The US trade deficit narrowed by 2.6pct to $45.8 billion in February. US imports fell by 1.7pct in February, while exports fell by 1.4pct.