MARKETS

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It was a quiet session to start the week yesterday however ongoing speculation of upcoming interest rate rises and a 1% increase in job advertisements last month meant the Aussie Dollar steadily gained ground throughout the Asian session.

Among the major banks, National Australia Bank fell 20 cents to $27.64, ANZ lost 32 cents at $23.07, Westpac dipped 46 cents to $23.60 and Commonwealth Bank eased 45 cents to $52.20.

US import prices rose by 2.2pct in April, driven by a 7.2pct lift in petroleum prices. Export prices rose by 1.1pct. Economists had tipped a 1.8pct rise in import prices and 0.9pct lift in export prices.

The AUD has rallied overnight to be currently trading around USD1.0800 after a rebound in commodity prices lifted our local currency.

Whether it was simply mis-communication or over-eagerness on the part of the translator, the report last week that the Chinese government intended to invest in Spanish banks caused a small rift in Sino-European relations.

It was a quiet session to start the week yesterday however ongoing speculation of upcoming interest rate rises and a 1% increase in job advertisements last month meant the Aussie Dollar steadily gained ground throughout the Asian session.

- Ampella shares hit by concerns of unrest in Burkina Faso- Concerns overplayed in view of DJ Carmichael- Buy rating reiterated following recent share price weaknessBy Chris ShawAmpella Mining ((AMX)) is developing the Konkera gold project in Burkina Faso, a project stockbroker DJ Carmichael current...

China is both the world’s biggest producer of coal and the world’s largest coal consumer.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 45 points or 0.4% while the S&P gained 0.5% to 1346 and the Nasdaq added 0.

U.S. stocks climbed Monday as commodity prices recovered from last week's slump and a burst of deal activity helped overshadow concerns over Greek finances.

Hedge funds, as measured by the Greenwich Global Hedge Fund Index, gained across all major strategies in April. The GGHFI gained 1.69% compared to global equity returns in the S&P 500 Total Return +2.96%, MSCI World Equity +4.02%, and FTSE 100 +2.73% equity indices. 78% of constituent funds in the GGHFI ended the month with gains.

Hennessee Group LLC, an adviser to direct hedge fund investors, announced today that the Hennessee Hedge Fund Index advanced +1.36% in April (+3.85% YTD), while the S&P 500 advanced +2.85% (+8.43% YTD), the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased +3.98% (+10.65% YTD), and the NASDAQ Composite Index gained +3.32% (+8.32% YTD).

The Australian share market finished flat as investors backed off ahead of the release of the federal budget on Tuesday. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 13.8 points, or 0.29 per cent, at 4,756.8 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index was up 15.6 points, or 0.32 per cent, to 4,831.7.

Standard & Poor's downgraded Greece's long term-credit rating from B to BB-minus, citing that it saw an increased risk that Greece will need to restructure its debt. S&P said its projections suggested that a 50pct reduction in principal debt could be needed to restore Greece's debt burden to a sustainable level.

US non-farm payrolls rose by a much larger than expected 244,000 in April - marking the biggest increase in 11 months. The private sector created 268,000 jobs, with jobs growth in the retail sector (+57,000) marking the largest monthly increase in over a decade. However the jobless rate did rise from 8.8pct to 9.0pct in April.

A barrier to financial literacy is the use by some financial planners, fund managers and listed companies of unnecessarily complex language when communicating with their investors.

Some of the world's top billionaires have gathered in Arizona to discuss money and how to give them away.

The Philippines has invited one of Thailand's major oil players to invest in the country as part of government's efforts to bring down the spiraling cost of this very important commodity.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is calling on its 10-member-countries to come up with ways and means on how to address the ever increasing prices of goods and services.

After posting modest losses during the first half of April, US equity markets ended the month with positive performance. Commodities posted gains concentrated in precious metals while the US Dollar declined sharply. US treasury yields fell on analysts' negative outlook for US credit rating, while the environment for credit & corporate acquisition remained robust. Hedge funds posted gains for the month of April, with the HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index gaining +1.86% with positive contribut...

New York based CTA Systematic Alpha Management (SAM) has extended its contract with QuantHouse, a leading supplier of next-generation trading systems, to include QuantLINK, an advanced trading infrastructure interconnecting the heart of exchanges with proximity hosting at the source.

Hennessee Group LLC, an adviser to direct hedge fund investors, announced today that the Hennessee Hedge Fund Index advanced +1.3% in April (+3.80% YTD), while the S&P 500 advanced +2.9% (+8.4% YTD), the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased +3.98% (+10.65% YTD), and the NASDAQ Composite Index gained +3.32% (+8.32% YTD).

- RBS Australia re-initiates coverage on OceanaGold- Stock rated a Buy given strong cash flows and growth prospects- Dipidio project the major growth driverBy Chris ShawFollowing an absence of a few years, RBS Australia has re-initated coverage on OceanaGold ((OGC)) with a Buy rating.

U.S. stocks rose Friday as investors were encouraged by a bigger than expected increase in monthly nonfarm payrolls, but worries over Greece limited the gains.The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 54.57 points, or 0.43%, to 12638.74. Kraft Foods was the measure's best performer with a jump of 69 cents, or 2.1%, to $34.08, after the packaged-foods company's first-quarter sales and profit topped analysts' estimates.

The broker has been ranked number one in the Topfranchise survey rating Australia's best franchisors. The Topfranchise survey, launched three years ago by research company 10 Thousand Feet, has seen Smartline take top ranking each year. Smartline CEO Chris Acret said the ranking was particularly important as it reflected the sentiments of Smartline's franchisees.

Australian shares closed marginally weaker despite recovering from earlier lows caused by step falls overnight in commodity prices.

Asian-focused hedge funds posted steady gains in the first quarter of 2011, a volatile quarter for Asian financial markets dominated a continuum of dramatic developments, including economic, financial, environmental, social and secular.

The energy sector led U.S. stocks lower Thursday as crude-oil prices plunged and jobs data disappointed, hurting expectations for the government's upcoming employment report.