BUSINESS

A flat start for local shares on Friday has given way to broad selling for the ASX 200. At the best levels of the session the AS 200 was ahead by almost 21 points. However at lunchtime the market was around session lows with a loss of 26 points or 0.5%. The was no clear direction offered by US and European markets overnight.

Falling oil prices will have a major impact on the global economy with some countries benefitting while others struggle.

WestJet Christmas Miracle: Spirit of Giving is a beautiful heartwarming video where even in a place with no snow, it is possible to have a snowy Christmas experience.

Kantar research shows Apple’s improved market share and Android’s decline in August-October time frame.

The Australian Dollar made new four year lows last night amid expectations of interest rate cuts early next year.

2015 will remain a year of mass monetary accommodation; what will change is where the money printing and record low rates will come from. The ECB is clearly gearing up for a broad-ranging stimulus package in 2015. ECB President Mario Draghi stated clearly that the Board 'won't tolerate' low inflation and announced that officials had discussed all measures barring gold to support the economy at last night's meeting. It will allot another round to its current corporate bond buying prog...

In economic data, jobless claims fell by 17,000 to 297,000 last week. The 4-week moving average - a better gauge of underlying trends - rose to 299,000, the highest in 10 weeks.

Goldman Sachs predicts Australia's economy will face crucial challenges in 2015 as the country struggles with declining mining investments and plunging prices of commodities.

The ASX 200 spent the afternoon consolidating having reached session highs in the latter part of morning trade. Materials and Industrial stocks were the best improved sectors and investors gave the defensive utilities sector a wide berth which saw that group lagging the most.

Early trade on Thursday has seen local shares continue to build on the gains of recent sessions. The ASX 200 opened the day with a gain of 5 points before pushing on to the best levels of the morning when the market was ahead by 52 pts. Investors have been encouraged by the positive tone of US economic news released over night. European shares were generally higher on Wednesday on hopes that the European Central Bank would inject more stimulus into the economy on Thursday. The FTSEurofirst 300 i...

Falling oil prices and slowing down of growth has got many investors concerned about a global recession hitting the markets.

The Australian Dollar is lower after yesterday's weaker-than-expected GDP data from around 0.8460 to 0.8400 and after some intra-session variation overnight, that's about where it sits this morning.

In a slight surprise this week, the PBoC did not use the reverse-repo operation to drain the excess liquidity in the market. Most had forecast this would take place considering the fiscal policy changes currently underway. To my eye, this signals intent that 2015 will be a growth supporting year; interest rate cuts, reserve requirement ratios and further disbursements will be a theme from China in 2015.

In US economic data, the ISM services index rose from 57.1 to 59.3 in November, above forecasts for a result near 57.5. The ADP survey showed that 208,000 jobs were created in November, just short of expectations for 221,000 job growth. The mortgage market index fell by 7.3% in the latest week, dragged down by a fall in refinancing.

Australian shares maintained most of their gains with the ASX 200 Index rising by 0.8 per cent; trading above 5300pts and adding to yesterday's 1.4 per cent surge. Energy and mining sectors improved by between 0.7 per cent and 1.2 per cent despite a slump in oil, gold and iron ore prices.

Male Ebola survivors have been told to abstain from sex for three months and practice masturbation instead for the meantime.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a product recall against the Your Fresh Market meat product over concerns of E. coli O157 bacteria.

Local shares saw a mixed start to trade on Wednesday after the strong gains of the previous session. The ASX 200 opened with a loss of 20 points, however those levels found buying support and over the ensuing hours the market was able to fight its way back into positive territory. At the best levels of the morning the index was up by 50 points and as lunchtime loomed every ASX sector was in positive territory.

North Korea’s motive for hacking the servers of Sony reportedly involves the release of "The Interview,” which the country called as an “act of war.”

The Australian Dollar has slipped back below USD 0.8500, being driven by a strengthening US Dollar, concerns over Australia's economy and uncertainty about the Reserve Bank's next move.

2015 is gearing up to be the stress test of the Australian economy for the millennium.

The Airline of the Year for 2015 has been given to Air New Zealand.

Australian cities may be one of the top places to live or raise a family, but when it comes to being a vacation spot, only one Australia place was included in a bucket list made by Flight Center.

In US economic data, chain store sales fell by 0.6% in the latest week but the annual growth rate of sales rose from 4.2% to 4.8%. Construction spending rose 1.1% in October, ahead of expectations for a 0.6% gain. And the ISM New York index rose from 657.2 to 663.4 in November.

Thanks to quick thinking and adept skills, a Norwegian aircraft pilot was able to dodge a Russian fighter jet when it suddenly zoomed in its path from out of nowhere.

The economists were right again. As they predicted, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept on Tuesday for the 16th straight month the overnight cash rate at the record low 2.5 percent.

Australian shares are being led higher by the mining and energy sectors with the ASX 200 Index rising by 0.7 per cent. Despite today's rise, the local market had its worst day since 10 October yesterday, hit a 1.5 month low in the process and slumped by 3.5 per over two sessions.

The viral “I Hate Thailand” video turns out to be a part of Thailand's tourism campaign.

Intel bought the Canadian start-up for an undisclosed amount.