BUSINESS

US FOMC minutes saw Fed members having a generally cautious outlook. The minutes made it clear that a number of members believe the unemployment rate alone does not fully capture the amount of slack in the labour market, while also claiming it was too early to confirm that the economy is moving to sustained above-trend growth.

Australian oil and gas giant Woodside Petroleum is no longer interested in buying one-fourth of the largest natural gas field in Israel for $2.6 billion after talks with a consortium collapsed.

China was the largest trading partner of Australia in 2013 when Canberra exported $102 billion worth of products and services.

McDonald's has recently released a new character named Happy, who serves as a new addition to McDonald's Happy Meal team of characters like Grimace and Hamburgler.

Apple Inc's higher-than-expected iPhone sales had surprised investors after the release of its latest earnings report last quarter. Many analysts have speculated on the catalysts of the company's revenue as Apple's stock finally crossed the $600 mark.

Despite predictions of a 0.6 per cent fall on our market today and a shaky start, local stocks managed to close flat. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) added 2.2 points or 0.04 per cent by the close to finish at 5403.9 points, supported by gains in energy stocks and defensive player Telstra (TLS).

Reports from Taiwan based newspaper claims that Apple Inc. tapped Innolux as its supplier

Concerns of the impact a weaker iron ore price could have on the economy is pushing the sharemarket lower for the second time this week. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is down 0.7 per cent, taking the losses over the past three days to 1.8 per cent. A triple digit loss for the Dow Jones Index is adding fuel to the fire.

Some 32 children and one adult were burned alive on Sunday after the bus they were riding erupted in flames. Twenty-four other kids were injured. Charges of aggravated manslaughter will be slapped against the driver and church leader.

It is without doubt that the "boy child" El Niño has definitely stirred the whole world. While most dread its potential impact, some however gladly await its arrival. El Niño induces droughts in some parts of the world, while it could drench other nations.

Discretionary spending is always the first part of the economy to suffer in nervous markets. Consumer sentiment globally is just starting to slip, after having run up very solidly over the past three to four months, and it this now shifting to discretionary earnings.

US Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Plosser spoke on Tuesday, commenting that the $2.5 trillion in reserves accumulated by banks could be the trigger for more rapid inflation if banks start lending money quickly in an improving economy. Plosser said it was the ´´natural tendency´´ for central banks to wait too long to raise rates. He believes there was increasing evidence that rates should be lifted from the current zero levels ´´if not now, then relatively soon´´, particularly in light of ...

Local stocks recovered this afternoon, managing to rise slightly for the first time in three trading sessions. Continued concerns about an oversupply of iron ore and weaker than expected property price growth in China was put to one side, following Monday's 1.3 per cent plummet.

Analysts at Motley Fool say there are only two marijuana stocks worth taking investment risk - GW Pharmaceuticals and Medbox.

Air Canada has received its very first 251-seat Boeing 787 Dreamliner over the weekend. Air Canada has ordered a total of 37 of the new passenger jets. It will be used to open a route between Toronto and Haneda airport in Tokyo starting July.

Auckland has modified its tourism targets by 20 per cent through 2021 because the city's visitor economy was booming, Mayor Len Brown said.

"The Voice" coach Adam Levine has decided to try his hand at racing cars. The multi-talented performer was shocked to learn about actor Patrick Dempsey's acting career and was inspired by the discovery.

The Australian sharemarket is slipping for the third straight session, with Chinese property market concerns keeping iron ore prices weak. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is down 0.2 per cent and remains below 5400pts, making it the worst start to a week in three and a half months.

Apple Inc’s shares reached another new high at $607, will this be a real breakout or just post-news buyout ahead of the stock split

The U.S.' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has scrambled to reopen and review the policies and procedures it used to combat and manage the deadly 2003 SARS after the third patient in the country got infected with the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) through person-to-person contact.

The original Apple logo with rainbow colours is going for auction in June 2014. The logo was used by the company from 1976 to 1997.

AT&T has officially announced acquiring DirecTV for $48.5 billion on May 18.

The eerie quiet discussed yesterday is certainly playing true; overnight the US markets experienced one of the quietest trading sessions of 2014, with shares volume trading 25% below the 90-day average. Risk assets saw the light trade as a chance to bounce off the lows seen last week, but volume throughout the market suggests the bears where resting, rather than a conviction buy move.

US San Francisco Federal Reserve President Williams and Dallas Fed President Fisher spoke at a monetary policy conference. Both speakers agreed that the super-easing monetary policy conditions could have adverse consequences in the long run - resulting in excessive asset price growth and encouraging investors to take on too much risk. However Williams doesn´t believe rates should rise till the second half of 2015.

American drug giant Pfizer's plan to create the world's biggest pharmaceutical firm was thwarted on Monday when British medicine manufacturer AstraZeneca turned down Pfizer's offer of $119 billion.

Iron ore prices are again going down. On Friday night, spot price for the key steelmaking ingredient closed at $100.70 per tonne after a substantial decline in Chinese steel rebar futures which hit a record low.

Apple Inc has scored high in Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)'s privacy report. The digital rights advocator gave Apple a perfect mark of six stars in its effort to protect user data and policies towards government data requests. Apple has been given a perfect rating three years after a poor performance in user data protection.

The Australian share market started the trading week heavily in the red, falling 1.3 per cent on the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) as fears of a burst in China's property bubble impacted mining players and investor sentiment.

Energy Online makes UFO Sighting an advertising campaign for cheaper electricity services.