BUSINESS

Australian one dollar coins surround a U.S. one dollar note in this photo illustration taken in Sydney July 27, 2011. Australian consumer prices rose by more than expected last quarter while underlying inflation proved alarmingly high, reviving pressure f

RBA Hints Aussie Dollar Could Dip to US75c

The Australian dollar hit a four-year low on Thursday at US82.15c but it recovered and closed at US83.20c. Reserved Bank of Australia (RBA) officials warn that the Aussie dollar could further depreciate to US75c.
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A worker walks at the Nahr Bin Umar field, north of Basra, southeast of Baghdad, November 16, 2014. OPEC producer Iraq expects to base its 2015 budget on an oil price of $80 per barrel, Oil Minister Adel Abdel Mehdi told parliament on Monday. Picture take

Global Markets Overview – December 11, 2014

Global markets continued to slide as oil slipped further and Greek bond yields spiked. Crude oil inventories released in the US showed a surplus of 1.5 million when the market was expecting a deficit of 2.6 million. This saw WTI slump over 4%, with oil prices trading at their lowest since mid-2009.
A woman walks past a stock quotation board outside a brokerage in Tokyo September 2, 2013. Asian shares climbed to a two-week high on Monday, and the Australian dollar and copper gained, as China said its manufacturing expanded in August at the fastest pa

Australian Stock Market Report – Afternoon December 10, 2014

The second half of Wednesday's session saw buyers make some pact on the market, taking advantage of prices that were discounted over the course of the morning. The ASX 200 bottomed out late this morning when it was down by 60 points. By the end of trade this deficit had been wound in and the index ended with a loss of 23 points or 0.45%
A man is reflected on a window of the Australian Securities Exchange building with a board showing the ten most heavily traded stocks for the day in central Sydney June 13, 2013. Australian shares earlier fell 1 percent to a fresh 5-1/2-month low as persi

Australian Stock Market Report – Midday December 10, 2014

Wednesday has seen sellers continue to dictate terms for the ASX 200. The market started the session with a gain of 5 points, although positive territory was a fleeting experience and within the first quarter hour the index was down by 40 points. As lunchtime neared the market showed little evidence of consolidation as it continued to make new lows. The weaker tone locally reflected a similar experience in the US and Europe overnight. European shares fell to a two-week low overnight, led down by...
Kiva robots move inventory at an Amazon fulfilment center in Tracy, California December 1, 2014. Amazon.com Inc has installed more than 15,000 robots across 10 U.S. warehouses, a move that promises to cut operating costs by one-fifth and get packages out

Australian Stock Market Report – Morning December 10, 2014

In US economic data, wholesale inventories rose by 0.4% in October after an upwardly revised 0.4% gain in September (previously reported as a 0.3% rise). Wholesale sales lifted by 0.2% in October. An ISM industry report on the US manufacturing sector expected revenue to rise by 5.6% in 2015, with capital investment expected to lift by 3.7%.
Office workers are reflected as they walk past the Australian Securities Exchange building in central Sydney April 8, 2011. Singapore Exchange Ltd has terminated its $8 billion bid for Australia's ASX Ltd after the Australian government formally rejected

Australian Stock Market Report – Midday December 9, 2014

Australian shares are wiping out all of yesterday's gains with the ASX 200 Index down by 1 per cent. This should come as no surprise following a 4 per cent slump in the oil price, disappointing economic news in China and Japan on Monday, the worst performance for US shares since October overnight and a credit downgrade for Italy.
Dollar notes

Australian Dollar Outlook – December 9, 2014

More pressure for the Australian Dollar as China, Australia's largest trade partner, showed a surprise fall in imports, pushing the trade surplus to a record USD 54.47 billion and oil prices continued to slide.
An investor looks at information displayed on an electronic screen at a brokerage house in Shanghai, December 8, 2014. Asian stocks eked out gains on Monday in wake of much stronger-than-expected U.S. employment numbers, although sobering data highlighted

Global Markets Overview – December 9, 2014

Gains from Friday's jobs numbers were short lived as renewed global growth concerns and declining oil prices came back to haunt global markets. Yesterday's disappointing Japan GDP and China trade balance set off the global growth alarm bells once again.
n office worker walks past an Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) window showing the main losses for the day in central Sydney July 23, 2012. Australian shares slumped 1.7 percent on Monday, the biggest one-day fall in seven weeks, as investors fled from

Australian Stock Market Report – Midday December 8, 2014

Local stocks have started the second week of December on a strong footing. The ASX 200 opened flat, although buyers were waiting in the wings and the market was well supported over the course of the morning. The upward momentum for the market ebbed when the index hit the 5380 but prices remained well supported around these levels into the afternoon.

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