BUSINESS

Australia's Rio Tinto Mining Ltd has strengthened its bid obtaining 49.49 percent of all the shares of Riversdale Mining Limited (Riversdale), the company announced late Wednesday.

Microsoft and Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) have finalized an agreement to infuse digital capabilities into the Japanese auto maker's cars hosted in the Internet "cloud."

Goldman Sachs is plotting to take full control over third-ranked investment-banking market in Asia by buying out its Australian partners.

Australia's construction industry remained in the red in February, although the rate of contraction eased, with the Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Construction Index (Australian PCI) in conjunction with the Housing Industry Association, up 4.4 points to 44.6 (readings below 50 indicate a contraction in activity).

The strong Australian dollar together with weak domestic demand, rising overseas competition and the increasing cost of raw materials pushed the manufacturing sector back into the red in March according to the latest Australian Industry Group - PwC Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI). The seasonally adjusted index fell 3.2 points to 47.9 bringing it below the 50 points level separating expansion from contraction.

Steeper falls in activity, new orders and employment saw the national construction industry suffer a bigger fall in March.

The Australian Dollar has pushed to another post-float high above 1.0400 with the US Dollar sold right across the board and commodity prices surging.

After an initial breather it was AUD/JPY breaking through yearly highs and surging higher that saw AUD/USD off the lows. It was one way since then and we easily broke through the previous high of 1.0400, which now forms the base for which traders feel higher is the play. Watch the ECB decision, if there is no rate rise and EUR gets sold, AUD may also reverse.

The Australian Dollar has pushed to another post-float high above 1.0400 with the US Dollar sold right across the board and commodity prices surging.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 32 points or 0.3% while the S&P rose 0.2% to 1335 and the Nasdaq added 0.

- Oil expert Dian L. Chu believes investors/speculators are dominating the direction of oil prices- The thesis will be put to a test as futures contracts will roll over later this month- Chu believes persistently high oil prices will again attract the attention of market regulators Oil Market Specul...

The Australian dollar opens this morning at a rate of 1.0435 against the greenback after hitting a fresh post-float high of 1.0450 in offshore trade.

The Chicago Fed Midwest manufacturing index rose from 82.2 to 83.3 in February. An array of sub-sectors recorded healthy gains including auto´s, steel, and machinery manufacturers.

Global miner Rio Tinto Group (ASX: RIO) says its wholly-owned subsidiary Rio Tinto Jersey Holdings 2010 Ltd (RTJ) has obtained an interest in 49.49 per cent of all the shares of Riversdale Mining Ltd as of a short time ago

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck, Editor FNArena ****Hi Rudi, Greg and the team,I depend on the sensible, accurate and unbiased guidance and analysis that I get from FNArena to make my decisions.

Home loans plunged in February as the share of first-home buyers continue to decrease. This is home loan’s second consecutive month drop with New South Wales posting its biggest monthly decline in fourteen years.

Thinking of buying a commercial property? Here are a few areas every commercial property buyer should investigate:

Australian telco giant Telstra (ASX: TLS) says it is launching a new high-speed mobile Wi-Fi hotspot to enable Australians to connect multiple mobile devices to the internet when they’re on the go.

Flight Centre Ltd's estimated gross indicates growth of up to 20 percent, with guidance not materially affected by recent natural disasters.

In a NSW Supreme Court hearing, Channel Seven's commercial director Bruce McWilliam disclosed CEO David Leckie told him he sent James Warburton on "gardening leave" but did not imply an immediate employment termination.

- Norfolk has guided to solid full year results and stockbroker Moelis anticipates further earnings growth in FY12- No debt means growth options can be pursued- Moelis rates Norfolk a BuyBy Chris ShawServices provider Norfolk Group ((NFK)) is not due to report full year earnings until late May, but ...

About four-fifths (78 per cent) of prospective buyers consider commercial property a better venture than other investments, including keeping money in the bank or investing in shares, according to a realcommercial.com.au poll.

Core IncompetencyGuest commentary by Michael Pento, Euro Pacific Capital,For years the Federal Reserve has told us that in order to detect inflation in the economy it is important to separate "signal from noise" by focusing on "core" inflation statistics, which exclude changes in food and energy pri...

The Australian Dollar has eased off recent highs overnight, dipping below USD 1.0300, as equity markets reacted to the China Central Bank’s announcement to raise interest rates by 0.25%.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 6 points while the S&P was steady at 1332 and the Nasdaq added 0.1%.March purchasing managers' indices from the service sector were the focus around the globe yesterday.

- Libyan sweet crude oil production is unlikely to return to pre-war levels anytime soon- As the world struggles for alternatives, the price for gasoline is likely to remain high- Global shortage in sweet crude to coincide with seasonal uptick in demandWhy the Resumption of Libyan Oil Shipments Won&...

The Australian Dollar opens marginally lower today against the greenback at 1.0360.

The People´s Bank of China has lifted interest rates for the fourth time in six months, raising lending and deposit rates by 25 basis points or a quarter of a percent.

Leighton Holdings (ASX: LEI) subsidiary Leighton Contractors says it has been awarded a $148 million contract by BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) and Bechtel to deliver the Broadmeadow Sustaining Operations Project at the Broadmeadow mine in Queensland.