COMPANIES

Hispanic investors have a strong appetite for financial education and more sophisticated investment knowledge, according to a recent Wells Fargo survey. A significant 45 per cent of surveyed Hispanics claim they did not received any education on how to save and invest (versus 31 per cent of U.S. investors overall), and three out of four (76 per cent) wish they had learned more about managing money when they were growing up (compared to 61 per cent of U.S. investors overall).

The law firm Maurice Blackburn filed on Tuesday a new class action suit before the New South Wales Supreme Court against ANZ, Citibank and Westpac over credit card late fees.

Mazda MX-5s limited edition 40 cars are now open for sale in Australia.

The smartphone market is being shaken up as the tech giants' dominant positions are challenged by Chinese phonemakers that offer lower-cost handsets. With cheaper units that offer similar features to the pricier iPhone of Apple and Galaxy Android units of Samsung, companies like Lenovo and Xiaomi are grabbing a bigger share of the smartphone market.

Entertainment website BuzzFeed got $50 million more for its future plan to become one of the major media companies.

U.S. luxury retail mall chains Nordstrom Inc. and Saks Fifth Avenue are cornering a piece of Canada's prime real estate for expansion, according to a report on The Financial Post.

Only a small proportion of fund managers active in infrastructure and real estate think that AIFMD regulations will have a positive impact on their firm and industry, following a recent survey of over 140 managers active in the asset classes.

Telecom giant Telstra opened a data centre at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) that would connect financial centres. The Australian Liquidity Centre (ALC) was built mainly to make available fast and reliable connectivity to other major financial centres.

A report has recently circulated that China has banned the use of Apple devices such as iPads and Macbooks in government. The Chinese government has allegedly excluded Apple from its list of authorised products for official use due to security concerns. In a Bloomberg report, government officials who requested not to be identified, said China has discontinued the procurement of ten Apple products. The items have been removed from a list distributed in July.

Amaysim, a budget mobile phone operator in Australia, is challenging Virgin, the fourth top carrier in Australia, by rolling out a new low-cost data plan that offers 5GB for $44.90 a month.

Malaysia Airline System suspended on Friday the trading of the company's shares on the Malaysian Stock Exchange as part of the restructuring plan of the air carrier that was financially hit by two air tragedies in March and July 2014.

Mining giant Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) reported on Thursday first half underlying profit of $5.1 billion despite falling iron ore prices by about 30 per cent. It is up 21 per cent compared to the same period in 2013. The boost in profit was the result of cost-cutting measures applied on capital projects and operating cost.

A study by data provider Greenwich Associates concludes that regulators are unlikely to achieve their goal of creating a fixed-income market that is less dependent on a few massive banks. The findings were made after Greenwich interviewed 1,067 institutional investors from North America.

In an attempt to convince former customers to return as well as existing clients to keep their accounts, telecom giant Vodafone has spent close to $1 billion investment in the past 12 months on 4G for its Australian market.

Microsoft sued Samsung as it demanded a royalty for each smartphone the South Korean company sells.

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi sold 15 million smartphone in China during the second quarter of 2014, beating the two other technology giants Samsung Electronics and Apple, according to a market research firm Canalys.

About 3,500 mining jobs would be lost, following the going into administration of Australian miner Bluestone Global. The company, listed in the Australian Stock Exchange, said in a statement on Tuesday that it failed to secure shareholder support to fix its balance sheet by merging with other companies.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba looms to become the fourth largest technology company in the world once it launches its initial public offering in New York in September. It will be behind Apple, Google and Microsoft, wrote Techtimes.

Another report says that Apple is on the go to manufacture around 70 million to 80 million units of the two upcoming iPhones which may lead to higher costs of goods and services. The mass production will start this coming August together with the Apple's manufacturing suppliers - Foxconn, Pegatron and Winstronn.

The last week of July was a big week for the U.S. stock market as 22 companies went public. The share launches was led by Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF), which is expected to raise $3.1 billion, making it the largest initial public offering (IPO) in 2014.

Fruits are ordinarily sold in boxes when offered in bulk. A Chinese shopowner thought of a brilliant marketing idea to move the fruit in his warehouse faster.

In a move to boost the company's finances, Australian air carrier Qantas is adding six economy class seats for 71 of its Boeing 737s. However, to give way to the added seats, the air carrier would have smaller lavatories and galleys. The current lavatories measure 3 x 3 foot.

Under the leadership of Tim Cook, Apple will make sure it has a device in every aspect of a person's life.

New Zealand is one of the first countries in the world to experience photo and video messaging app, Bolt, created by Instagram. The company has rolled out its latest app in New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa.

A rise in Qatar's real estate prices is no reason for investors to panic as it is unlikely to shake the country's economy, a Gulf Times report said.

Toyota rules the car sales market in the world in the first six months of 2014. The companies which it beat to be the No. 1 in the business are Volkswagen and General Motors in the United States.

Air New Zealand has given its stranded passengers NZ$1,000 or US$850 as compensation for enduring a three-night flight delay. Passengers aboard Flight NZ9 were due to leave late July 26 from Honolulu to Auckland when airline officials announced it was experiencing mechanical problems.

Here' s a list of the top 10 big bosses in tech according to the approval rating of their own employees.

Here' s a list of the top 10 big bosses in tech according to the approval rating of their own employees.