BUSINESS

On Wall St overnight, US stocks gained after an early slide amid speculation the Federal Reserve will take further steps to stimulate the economy. Treasuries pared gains and higher oil and copper prices helped lift the commodity players.

The central bank has warned that macro-regulation proposals under the new Basel III bank rules could hit economic growth, although not as bad as some banks fear.

Australia's 35,800 trades job vacancy predicted in the mining sector by 2015 will likely be occupied by migrants as resource companies deal with the effects of not hiring the expected number of apprentices in an industry as big.

Solid growth in the number of passengers will fuel continued expansion of Tiger Airways' Australian operations after a loss of $S600,000 ($496,941) in 2009-10, according to the airline's annual report.

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VicHealth has today welcomed a bid to introduce a mandatory levy on alcohol and junk food advertising, in light of research that shows the overwhelming majority of Victorians want these industries to be accountable for the harm they cause."A levy on junk food and alcohol advertising would shift the ...

A glance through the latest expert views and predictions about commodities, with Macquarie seeing lead as better placed than zinc and positives for both iron ore and platinum prices.

The Australia 200 CFD Index added 1% today, with material and consumer discretionary names leading the index higher.

The Australian share market closed higher on Tuesday, boosted by some positive commentary from Australia's central bank and a lift in the Shanghai bourse. Major mining stocks led the gains on the local bourse.

The Australian share market posted solid gains today, recovering much of yesterday's losses, on the back of a positive lead from Wall Street and suggestions US markets will open strongly again tonight.

iiNet has announced the release of its bonded ADSL service offering, making it the first internet service provider in Australia to provide such optimized services. The deployment of the bonded DSL technology, which can likely double network speeds by integrating two copper wire pairs, is aimed at the SME market.

In Asia, regional markets are mostly higher this Tuesday, taking their leads from gains on Wall St. However, the Nikkei 225 is lower, down 1% with technology names under pressure following the disappointing revenue numbers from Texas Instruments and IBM.

A strong rally in Shanghai has prompted a surge in the Australia share market this afternoon.

Macquarie bank (ASX:MQG) is the chief creditor to the TPG-Carlyle consortium buying Australia's second-largest hospital owner Healthscope, with the banker having about $150 million in committed funds out of total funded facilities of $1.2 billion and another $300m in committed but undrawn funds.

Uranium miner Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) said on Monday that negotiations are underway with NGM Resources Ltd (ASX: NGM) for a possible takeover agreement on the latter’s mining operations in Australia, West Africa and Madagascar.

Barry Frank Jennings, a financial adviser based in New South Wales, has been barred from providing and offering fiscal services by the ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) after allegedly giving advice to SMSF investors to place their money on unlicensed products.

A Queensland bank in the far north has called in the authorities to investigate the disappearance of more than $3 million as they also continue to look for the branch’s manager who has been missing since the previous week.

The Australian bourse showed modest increases by early afternoon as investors took in cautious comments from the central bank. The mining sector led the upward movement.

The July 6 Policy Meeting minutes confirm what investors should know already: the RBA has no intention of raising the cash rate beyond 4.5%, unless it has to.

The Reserve Bank of Australia will wait for key inflation data before it gives a ruling on its benchmark interest rate next month, according to the minutes of the central bank's July board meeting.

Paladin Energy Ltd, the Uranium mining firm, has said that it is thinking of making a takeover bid to NGM Resources Ltd.

Australian companies begin reporting FY10 results next week. FNArena provides some useful tips for the small investor ? what to look out for, and what traps not to fall into.

Oz Minerals reported better than expected gold output and solid copper numbers for the June quarter but analysts are questioning where growth will come from in coming years.

Chevron says it has cut a deal with Korea Gas Corporation for the sale of gas and an equity stake in the massive Wheatstone project located about 90 miles off Carnarvon Basin in Western Australia.

The Australian share market is making modest gains in early trade, on the back of a positive lead from Wall Street. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 11.8pts or 0.3pct to 4384.5.

The Australian stock market opened slightly higher today, led by the overnight US market.

Authorities are investigating the insertion of a car bomb under the vehicle of an Xstrata senior executive at the firm’s Tahmoor Colliery site in New South Wales.

Underground coal gasification (UCG) plant operator Cougar Energy Ltd (ASX: CXY) said on Tuesday that company securities were suspended from further trading as exchange authorities await the decision of Queensland government on whether to allow the resumption of its pioneering Kingaroy operations or to stay its current shuttered status.

High-end department store giant David Jones Ltd (ASX: DJS) said on Monday that it would have an early exit from its Toombul Centre lease in Queensland in order to focus on the richly profitable Chermside store in the Westfield Shopping Centre, which is about five kilometres from Toombul.