MARKETS

FNArena has added another video to its Investors Education section on the website. In this educational broadcast, ATW's Jerry Simmons suggests all is not necessarily lost for equities just yet.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 44 points or 0.4% while the S&P gained 0.9% to 1172 and the Nasdaq starred with a 1.

U.S. stocks notched a second-straight day of gains Tuesday, led by the industrial and technology sectors, even as investors kept a cautious eye on the latest developments regarding Europe's debt woes

For six months after Fukushima nuclear power plant started leaking prompting an evacuation of 80,000 residents, a major part of northeast Tohoku region is almost deserted.

A survey by the National Australia Bank showed that business confidence in Australia dropped 10 points to minus eight in August.

- Cochlear recalls Nucleus 5 implant- Full financial and reputational impact difficult to assess- Brokers cut price targets on lowered earnings assumptions- Ratings also downgradedBy Chris ShawFollowing a limited number of cases where its Nucleus 5 implant has stopped working due to what are believe...

Now isn't a good time to be announcing bad news, or news that the jittery investors take as being bad.

By Richard (Rick) MillsAs a general rule the most successful man in life is the man who has the best informationAccording to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (ODEC) the combined economies of Germany, France and Italy will grow by under one percent this year.

- Solid earnings growth outlook for Flight Centre- Early FY12 trading in line with guidance- Stock offers value according to Moelis- Buy ratings dominate broker viewsBy Chris ShawIn FY11 Flight Centre ((FLT)) delivered earnings per share (EPS) growth of 22%, a result that followed on from better tha...

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 68 points or 0.6% while the S&P gained 0.7% to 1162 and the Nasdaq jumped 1.

It was another volatile session for U.S. stocks, which erased a steep loss late in the day Monday after reports that China may come to the aid of the embattled euro zone.

- What exactly is a credit rating?- How do relative sovereign ratings stack up?- Should the UK not be the next downgrade contender?By Greg PeelIt is interesting to note the new state government of NSW has now budgeted for a fiscal deficit, part of which will be funded by the issue of infrastructure ...

By Justin Dove, Investment U ResearchCobalt has been used as a pigment in glass and porcelain for centuries.

The Australian Dollar has opened up this morning at 1.0438, as the weakness on international equity markets spreads, after attention was again focussed on the woes of the Eurozone on Friday.

US wholesale inventories rose by 0.8pct in July, slightly above forecasts, and compared with a 0.6pct rise in June. Meanwhile China´s trade surplus narrowed to US$17.8bn with imports up 30.2pct on a year earlier with exports up 24.5pct.

U.S. stocks closed sharply lower due to fresh worries of a Greek default, the surprise resignation of a European Central Bank executive board member and concerns about President Barack Obama's jobs plan.

Reports that France's three major banks are about to see their credit ratings cut this week will make for a rough volatile start to trading this week after the surprisingly nasty sell-off on Friday that saw markets across Europe and the US slump.

What was looking to be a quieter week in business and finance will now be noisier and more fraught thanks to the outbreak of tension and volatility on Friday.

While markets took a hit late last week from another upsurge in fears about the euro and especially Greece, the August economic report from China was reassuringly benign.

Amidst the soaring threats of striking another global recession and skyrocketing prices in fuel, consumers in Indonesia manage to cultivate a growing penchant for cars, commodity gladly perceived prolific by Asia's largest car manufacturer, Toyota Motor Corporations.

AFTERNOON REPORT (4.30pm AEST)The local share market has finished the trading week on a positive note, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) adding 7.6pts or 0.2pct to 4277.4 and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (XJO) firmer by 6.7pts or 0.2pct to 4194.7.

- CLSA report suggests strong growth in Asian HNWIs- China a major driver, Indonesia tipped for highest rate of growth- Industries creating positive economic value to benefitBy Chris ShawWith the Asian region growing strongly so too is the number of high net worth individuals according to a report b...

FNArena Editor Rudi Filapek-Vandyck will be giving a two-hour presentation at the University of New South Wales, on the 15th September (next week Thursday).

The US trade deficit narrowed from $53.1 billion to $44.8 billion in July. The 13.1pct decline was the biggest monthly drop since early 2009. US exports rose 3.6pct while imports eased by 0.2pct in July.

The Australian Dollar fell against all of its 16 major counter-parties after a government report released yesterday showed the Official Unemployment Rate unexpectedly rose to 5.3 percent

U.S. stocks declined Thursday, eroding some of the prior session's advance, as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's remarks failed to calm investor jitters over the state of the economy.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 119 points or 1.0% while the S&P lost 1.1% to 1185 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.8%.

The local share market closed marginally higher today, although off earlier gains due to a disappointing jobs report. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) gained 6.9pts or 0.2pct to close at 4269.8 after reaching a high of 4297.9 in early trade.

The World Economic Forum listed China as the world's 26th most competitive nation on its Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 released on Wednesday.