MARKETS

Ahead: In Australia, the Consumer Price Index is released. In the US, the Federal Reserve hands down its monetary policy decision.

London Session: IMF is downbeat while the SNB stands firmBy Kathleen Brooks, Research Director UK EMEA, FOREX.

It shouldn't surprise that a mining company has reported that wet weather affected its business in the December half year.

As expected the International Monetary Fund has cut its forecast for world economic growth this year and next.

The interim results from consumer and industrial products supplier GUD Holdings just about says it all insofar as current soft business and economic conditions are traveling.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 33 points or 0.3% while the S&P lost 0.1% to 1314 and the Nasdaq gained 0.1%.

By Greg PeelThe ABC's Alan Kohler noted last week that 20 of 21 economists surveyed were expecting the RBA to cut rates again next month following cuts in November and December.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck, Editor FNArenaI spent most of my year-end break in New York with local citizens reminding me, every day, about the unusually mild weather.

Coal processing equipment manufacturer and engineer, Ludowici has agreed to be bought by a Danish firm in a bid worth a total of $267 million, an announcement that saw the shares jump 91% yesterday.

The growth in producer prices slowed in the December quarter, a development some economists reckon gives the Reserve bank room to cut interest rates a fortnight today.

So where will markets head now after the post Christmas rebound continued last week, defying the gloomy forecasts from the World Bank and other gloomy prognosticators?

Reshaping Tomorrow: What will India look like in 2025?By Ejaz GhaniWhat will India and other South Asian countries look like in 2025? The optimistic view is that India will achieve double digit growth rates but the pessimistic view is that growth will be derailed by several transformational challeng...

It will cost as much as some of the huge LNG projects currently planned or underway: at $20 billion and eight years, BHP Billiton's plans to expand its key iron ore port at Port Hedland, off the northern WA coast, will be gigantic by any measurement.

The Houston-based Apache Corporation, the oil and natural gas producer, has agreed to acquire closely held Cordillera Energy Partners III LLC for $2.85 billion in cash and stock, adding oil reserves in Oklahoma and Texas that can be exploited using hydraulic fracturing.

The Australian Dollar enjoyed some considerable upside movement yesterday, soaring above $US1.05 to a 12 week high against its US Counterpart.

Ahead: In Australia, Newcrest and Oil Search release production figures and GUD Holdings releases its half yearly result. In the US, the Federal Reserve meets and the Richmond Fed index is scheduled.

By Richard (Rick) Mills, Ahead of the HerdAs a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best informationOur agriculture system is concentrated on producing a very few staple crops - there is a very serious lack of crop diversity.

By Greg PeelRBC Dominion Securities notes that global uranium mining stocks rallied 13% on average last week, spurring investors into believing that a uranium bull market will shortly be upon us once more.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 11 points or 0.1% while the S&P was flat at 1316 and the Nasdaq lost 0.

FNArena is surveying investor sentiment in Australia in an effort to generate, over time, a similarly leading gauge as the AAII Investor Sentiment Survey in the US.

By Greg PeelAluminium is the costliest of the standard base metals to produce, with final smelting requiring significant inputs of water and power.

By Christopher Vecchio, Currency Analyst FXCMFundamental Forecast for Gold: NeutralGold posted a modest 1.

So where will markets head now after the post Christmas rebound continued last week, defying the gloomy forecasts from the World Bank and other gloomy prognosticators?

Australian inflation data for the December quarter dominates the coming week.

Fears about a surge in prices of beef and orange juice in the US, plus rising fears about the health of soybean corn crops on Brazil and Argentina, are starting to dominate commodity markets.

Strong earnings from International Business Machines (IBM) powered blue-chip stocks higher for the fourth-straight session, even as discouraging quarterly reports from other bellwethers kept the broader market flat.

By Marc Lichtenfeld, Investment U Senior AnalystWednesday, January 18, 2012: Issue #1689The workers at the restaurants and bars around Union Square in San Francisco have likely just about caught their breath.

Big global investors have started 2012 in a better mood than they were at the end of 2011.

In his first report for 2012, AMP Capital Investors' chief economist and strategist, Dr Shane Oliver peeks into his crystal ball.