BUSINESS

By Marc Lichtenfeld , Senior Analyst Thursday, March 24, 2011: Issue #1476I recently received an e-mail from a reader in his fifties who plans to retire in four years. He told me he’s just getting started in investing and wanted some ideas for “rapid growth.” Yikes! Hopefully, he’s got a large 401K, a pension, or an inheritance. Four years isn’t enough time to get you...

U.S. stocks gained Thursday as investors largely looked past the deepening political crisis in Portugal to focus on encouraging earnings from technology companies and U.S. jobs data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 89 points, or 0.7%, to 12175 in late afternoon trading, led by a 2.3% rise in Home Depot. The Nasdaq Composite gained 1.4% to 2736. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index added 0.9% to 1310, lifted by its consumer discretionary and technology sectors. Boosting technology stock...

By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 84 points or 0.7% while the S&P gained 0.9% to 1309 and the Nasdaq added 1.4%.What just happened? Nothing apparently. Wall Street has now completely discounted the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear scare in taking the S&P back over the psychological 1300 mark and back above the point at which it fell on the March 11 earthquake news. Next stop the February high marke...

The Federal Government’s ban on exit fees will lessen competition in the mortgage market, add to the cost of home loans and may even cause higher interest rates, according to Australia’s leading mortgage broker, Aussie Home Loans.

Leighton Contractors says it has been awarded two new gold mining contracts, one in Western Australia and one in the Northern Territory, totalling $317 million.

Oil prices are still rising.That's forced the AMP's Chief Economist, Dr Shane Oliver to take another look at the likely impact.After a dip last week on the back of the tragedy in Japan the US West Texas Intermediate oil price is back above $US105 a barrel and Asian Tapis oil prices are around $US120 a barrel.(first graph here world oil prices still on the rise)Increasing tensions in the ...

So now we have the worst of all worlds in Europe.Portugal, the third of the PIIGs (Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Greece), has lost its government and there is now no one there to ask for a bailout, should one be needed, or to make the decisions to stave off one.José Socrates, Portugal's prime minister, resigned on Wednesday night after losing a crucial vote on austerity measures. That was the ...

Oil prices are still rising.That's forced the AMP's Chief Economist, Dr Shane Oliver to take another look at the likely impact.After a dip last week on the back of the tragedy in Japan the US West Texas Intermediate oil price is back above $US105 a barrel and Asian Tapis oil prices are around $US120 a barrel.(first graph here world oil prices still on the rise)Increasing tensions in the ...

Fairfax Media has appointed Craig Frost as Real Estate Director - Domain in Melbourne within the company's new Marketplaces division.

The cities of Beijing and Chongqing, China have recently issued a rule banning outdoor advertising that tends to promote high-end lifestyles and may trigger social unrest.

Japanese authorities will distribute bottled water to some 80,000 families dislocated by the earthquake as that tap water may not be safe for drinking in areas near the Fukushima nuclear plant.

The Australian mobile phones market continue its climb and latest figures from IDC Australia showed that almost 13 million units were snatched by local consumers in 2010 alone, coming from the 10.99 million handsets sold in the previous year.

The Australian banking system has continued to perform better than those in many other countries, consistent with the relative strength of the domestic economy over recent years, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Following the move of the United States, Australia also imposed restrictions on some food products from Japanese prefectures near the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant.

Qantas Airways Ltd, Australia’s national carrier, says it would again increase domestic, regional and Tasman air fares sold in Australia as part of its ongoing response to high oil and jet fuel prices.

- Fleetwood enjoying growth in recreational vehicles demand- Manufactured accommodation division being hurt by strong $A- Fair value at current levels according to Moelis By Chris ShawFleetwood Corporation ((FWD)) has been one of a number of Australian mining services companies to benefit from the commodity price boom. This has been reflected in solid share price performance, Fleetwood's price ris...

Australia’s emerging mobile commerce (m-commerce) registered total sales of up to $155 million in 2010 despite consumer concerns on security of online purchases, according to a new survey conducted by Nielsen.

- Fleetwood enjoying growth in recreational vehicles demand- Manufactured accommodation division being hurt by strong $A- Fair value at current levels according to Moelis By Chris ShawFleetwood Corporation ((FWD)) has been one of a number of Australian mining services companies to benefit from the commodity price boom. This has been reflected in solid share price performance, Fleetwood's price ris...

Qantas Airways has announced that it would further increase domestic, regional, and trans-Tasman flights for the second time after the forward adjustment made in February due to higher fuel prices.

Deakin University and Chinese steel giant, Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) Corporation (WISCO), have entered into a partnership to set up a research center to map the future of the global car manufacturing industry.

- Many small time investors have been burnt in FX trading recently as the Yen changed direction- Despite gigantic marketing efforts from trading platforms, FX trading is not a guaranteed win-win- Investment U's Alexander Green offers some wise advise By Alexander Green , Investment U’s Chief Investment Strategist Monday, March 21, 2011: Issue #1473Pity the average investor…He got burn...

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 67 points or 0.6% while the S&P rose 0.3% to 1297 and the Nasdaq added 0.5%.Wall Street opened lower last night on the release of the US February new home sales, which fell 16.9% from January and 28% from a year ago to 250,000. Economists had expected a slight rise to 290,000.The disparity and the size of the drop led many to question what is always a highly volatile ...

Guest commentary by John Browne, Euro PacificWhile the world's attention has been focused on the physical destruction wrought by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the desperate attempts to contain the fallout from the shattered Fukushima Daiichi plant, and the daunting problems that Japan faces in rebuilding its infrastructure, few have truly illustrated how long-lasting and widespread the radi...

It's just on a fortnight since the terrible earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis shook confidence in Japan and world markets, and you'd be entitled to think that all is right in the world.Share prices have bounced back, commodity prices have firmed and risk aversion has again been relegated to the backburner.But Japan weakened yesterday after early strength.The Nikkei fell in late trad...

Portugal's government is in danger of collapse as the country's opposition parties oppose another austerity package, a move that could force the country to seek a bailout from the rest of Europe and the International Monetary Fund.According to media reports, the situation in Portugal was due to come to a head last night.The Financial Times reported:"Portuguese opposition parties have ref...

John Holland, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leighton Holdings Ltd (ASX: LEI) has secured a $150 million subcontract for the construction of marine offloading facilities as part of Gladstone LNG’s proposed Curtis Island LNG facility.

The Federal Government's ban on mortgage exit fees passed into law Wednesday and will apply to all new home loans from 1 July 2011.

National Australia Bank (ASX: NAB) today showed it support to the government’s plan to ban exit fees saying that the removal of mortgage exit fees is good for bank customers and competition and would also benefit those lenders who are offering their customers the fairest value and most competitive interest rates.

The Australian Parliament has approved the Commonwealth Government's Flood and Cyclone Levy Bill, which has earmarked some $5.6 billion in funds for the reconstruction of severely damaged townships.