If Aussie children would have their way, most of the gifts they want to receive this Christmas would be techie gadgets and toys from popular cartoon or movie characters.
The Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Construction Index was 4.9 points stronger in November at 39.6, although it was still well below the 50 point level separating expansion from contraction. November marked the 18th straight month the national construction industry index has been in the red.
Chinese police said Tuesday that a Coca-Cola yogurt drink that killed a boy last month was deliberately laced with pesticide ingredients and was not contaminated at the soft drink maker's factory.
While Black Friday may be a great American tradition, Cyber Monday is proving to be one of the best ideas that Wal-Mart has ever had.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) had conceded defeat in the $215-million Metcash purchase of Franklins Supermarkets. After a prolonged legal battle, a Federal Court judge ruled last week in favour of Metcash despite opposition by the competition regulator.
U.S. stocks were ahead but off session highs Monday afternoon after a Financial Times report claiming that Standard & Poor's warned six triple A-rated euro-zone members that they may suffer ratings downgrades as a result of the deepening sovereign-debt crisis.
The owner of the Rivers Australia chain will appear in court on Wednesday in connection with the charges of indecent assault filed against him by a former employee.
From Craig James, Commsec Chief EconomistUS non-farm payrolls (employment) rose by 120,000 in November, in line with market expectations. Private payrolls rose by 140,000, the jobless rate fell from 9.0pct to a 2-1/2 year low of 8.6pct and average earnings fell by 0.1pct.
From Morrison Securities:
U.S. stocks finished barely changed in Friday's session to cap a strong week after the U.S. unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped and European leaders and central bankers redoubled efforts to tackle the sovereign-debt crisis.
British American Tobacco (BAT) asked Australia's High Court on Thursday to declare a plain cigarette packaging law as unconstitutional and invalid for violating its trademark.
From Morrison Securities:
U.S. stocks were little changed in afternoon trading Thursday, a day after a blowout rally, as headlines from Europe kept traders on the defensive but strength in the technology sector limited losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 6 points, or 0.1%, to 12049 recently, shaving off a sliver of the previous session's 490-point surge.
Industrial disputes filed by employees and workers in Australia rose to 66 during the September period resulting in more working days lost and industries paralyzed, according to the Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The Federal Court ruled on Wednesday in favour of Metcash in its $215-billion purchase of Franklins supermarkets. The decision was a humiliating defeat for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which opposed the takeover.
Manufacturing activity remained flat in November according to the latest Australian Industry Group - PwC Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI®). The Australian PMI® was broadly unchanged, up just 0.4 points to 47.8, to remain below the 50 points level separating expansion from contraction.
Minmetals Resources Limited (HKSE:1208) ("MMR") has appointed mining industry stalwart Anthony Larkin as an independent non-executive director of the company to further strengthen the board's project risk assessment capabilities.
France's Council of State, which hears cases against decisions of the national government, has annulled the 2007 and 2008 rules of the agriculture ministry suspending the planting of genetically modified corn in the country.
The present retail environment is generally dismal, according to Harvey Norman chair Gerry Harvey, as he predicted that the Holiday season will not be too rosy for Australian sellers despite high volume of merchandise movements they’re witnessing so far.
The Australian Retailers Association warned members Monday to brace for weak Christmas sales based on the performance of the retail sector for the last 18 months.
The cost-cutting measures initiated by Australians are affecting the bottomline of manufacturers. One of the food producers, Campbell Soup, admitted being hit by the weak consumer environment in Australia.
Black Friday in the U.S. means a lot of human traffic due to the number of people taking advantage of certain deals in different stores. Stores are definitely interested to find out which stores have more human traffic and which attracts more customers.
Retail store Harvey Norman has finally succumbed to the inevitable and has launched an e-commerce site.
For shoppers who don't want to get up at the crack of dawn and battle countless other buyers to look for the best discounts can do so from the comfort of their own homes.
From Stan Shamu, Markets Strategist, IG MarketsGlobal markets extended their losses overnight on deepening concerns about the European debt crisis, after a poorly-received German debt sale. Germany failed to find buyers for 35% of the bonds it offered at an auction. There was also a swathe of disappointing economic data, with European services and manufacturing output shrinking for a third month, US durable goods orders falling and unemployment claims topping forecasts.
Aussie business owners' dissatisfaction with the Federal Government has soared to a three year high with the majority of Aussie SMEs (56%) now dissatisfied, up from 31% in August 2010. This is the highest dissatisfaction level recorded by the Business Monitor since June 2008, accprding to the latest research from the MYOB Business Monitor Special Report released on Wednesday.
Giant American food processing firm HJ Heinz is ramping up its attack on what it calls Australia's unhealthy food retail industry that encourages private labels and significant price cuts on basic goods.
Philip Morris Asia, owner of Philip Morris Ltd. in Australia, is challenging Australia's plain packaging law for cigarettes before an international arbitration court hoping to suspend the legislation and obtain billions of dollars in compensation for business losses from the Federal Government.
Australia's leading Internet venture fund, Future Capital Development Fund (FCDF) has announced it has invested in another Internet company, TheAgendaDaily.com ("Agenda") - a hybrid media / commerce business which successfully offers customers engaging daily recommendations alongside exclusive member only sales.
Christmas is fast approaching and Kids as well as Kids at heart is making their list on what to expect during the Holidays.
The Australia Statistics Bureau showed that during the period 2000 to 2011, renting outpaced home ownership in the country.
. Both tablets are due to be released before the holidays with Amazon selling the Kindle Fire on November 15 and Barnes and Noble set to put its Nook Tablet on sale on November 17. So now consumers will have to make a difficult decision of what tablet to buy. Here are some of the strengths and weaknesses of each tablet that could make your decision easier.
