BUSINESS

The Australian share market has fallen victim to profit taking, after a recent bull run. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) lost 26pts or 0.5 per cent on the close to 5421 with weakness from mining, energy and financial players.

A bad week for Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) as its dipping continues with analysts saying the stock now a poor investment

State-owned New Zealand Post has announced it will be axing more jobs in the coming months as it struggles to keep operations alive and well.

Coffee drinkers seeking to reduce their consumption of the beverage may want to seriously ponder on that plan. Prices of coffee in the world market are expected to increase, spurred by droughts resulting from climate change.

The ASX 200 skidded lower at the open of trade plumbing a low of 5412 or a loss of 15 points. Whilst the market found some support in that region sellers were still keen to press their claims, meaning that the index showed little sign of recovering over the morning session

It was another turbulent six months for Australian flag carrier Qantas which reported on Thursday a half-year loss of $252 million. The embattled airline also confirmed rumours that it would cut 5,000 jobs over the next three years.

It was once again another choppy session for US equities, with early gains fading towards the end of the session. Geopolitical concerns also resurfaced on the Ukraine front, and this, along with some encouraging US economic data helped underpin the greenback. New home sales data came in much better than expected at 468,000 (+9.6%) versus an anticipated 406,000. AUD/USD extended its losses after having recovered significant ground following yesterday's sharp sell-off. The pair is back below 0....

In US economic data, new home sales soared by 9.6% in January to a 5-1/2 year high of 468,000. Economists had tipped an annual rate of sales near 400,000. But the weekly mortgage market index fell by 8.5% to 348.5 in the latest week with refinancing down 11.4% and new purchases down 3.5%.

Coffee and doughnut shop Tim Hortons is determined to win the coffee war in Canada and the U.S. by an aggressive expansion progamme it announced on Tuesday.

Many Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 and 1964, are already contemplating the question of where to spend their retirement years as most of them approach the end of their careers.

Local shares held on to modest gains by the close, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rising by 3pts or a little less than 0.1 per cent. The energy sector surged, while the miners were the biggest drag on trade.

Hedge fund manager J.C. Parets of Eagle Bay Capital compares Apple Inc. (AAPL) stock performance with BlackBerry Ltd (BBRY)

Officials from the U.S. Department of Energy continued to maintain the nuclear leak that came out from a nuclear waste plant in New Mexico poses no hazards to the health of nearby residents, even as levels of airborne radioactivity had been found to be "slightly elevated."

A few months ago, BlackBerry's board changed its mind and said the embattled Canadian company would no longer be sold. However, this week, BlackBerry CEO John Chen that for $19 billion, he would be willing to sell the company to any corporate giant. He made the statement during an interview with CNBC at the MWC, obviously referring to the amount that Facebook shelled out for WhatsApp.

Water samples collected off the coast of Canada had revealed traces of radionuclides linked with the radiation leak at the crippled Japanese nuclear plant Fukushima.

The Australian sharemarket has been shooting the lights out in recent weeks; with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 4.67 per cent since the start of February. This makes it the best month since July 2013. The XAO is largely flat at lunch.

With the smog enveloping Beijing already on its sixth consecutive day, the World Health Organisation said the current levels of air pollution in China has reached a crisis.

Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) stocks continue to stay within the $490 and $550 range with analysts saying the company may not be doing so well since the last time it announced its earnings report. Several analysts have predicted that Apple shares will continue to move within a certain range. OCBC Investment Research analysts said that Apple Inc stocks could decline as low as $490 and will not go beyond $550 in for some time in the foreseeable future.

Some interesting developments are starting to take place in China at the moment, as we witnessed its central currency tumble yesterday.

In US economic data, the S&P/Case Shiller home price index rose by 0.8% in December to be up 13.4% on a year ago. The FHFA home price index was up by 7.7% on a year ago. Consumer confidence eased from 79.4 to 78.1, short of forecasts centred around 80.0. And the Richmond Fed composite index eased from +12 to minus 6 in February.

After shaking up Apple's stocks, billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn has shifted his attention to eBay. He released on Tuesday an open shareholder letter to the popular ecommerce site, hitting its corporate governance and pushing that it separate from PayPal.

The skyline of Melbourne's central business district will soon change with the addition of five residential towers with over 2,000 apartments worth $557 million.

The Australian federal government would provide embattled flag carrier Qantas with a debt guarantee. It would be part of the Abbott government's plan to permit larger foreign ownership of Qantas to have access to international capital and compete with Virgin Australia.

Despite hitting fresh five and a half year highs earlier today, the Australian sharemarket has fallen for the first time since 13th February this afternoon. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) lost 0.2 per cent; however is still up by 4.5 per cent so far in February. This makes it the best month for local stocks since July 2013.

The Australian share market is tracking higher for the eighth consecutive session, following a positive session on Wall Street and generally upbeat company forecasts.

Rich Chinese affected by Canada’s dumping of its investor programme turn to Australia to invest

For the first time in 25 years, Pope Francis has led the overhauling of the Vatican's financial system. On Monday, he announced the creation of an economics secretariat to control all economic, administrative, personnel and procurement functions of the Holy See. Australian Cardinal George Pell will man the post and report directly to the pope.

Australians planning to travel anytime soon to the Philippines were reminded to take necessary precautions before proceeding to the Southeast Asian country. Western Australia has reported a growing number of measles cases from those who just recently came from the Philippines.

Overnight the S&P made a record intraday high and closed in the black (year-to-date) for the first time in 2014. It's a very rare thing to see the US markets underperforming the rest of the world, and this does provide market upside.