MARKETS

The Australian sharemarket managed to benefit from the strength in offshore stocks overnight, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rising by 0.9 per cent and closing back above the 5300pt mark. US shares have more than doubled in value from the lows hit in 2008, closed above 16,000pts for the first time on record overnight and the DOW is 22 per cent firmer this calendar year.

After four straight days of weakness, the Australian sharemarket is surging higher, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up by 0.9 per cent. All sectors are in the black with the energy stocks the standouts. US stocks closed above 16,000 pts for the first time on record last night - American shares have more than doubled in the past five years.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck, Editor FNArenaI joined Twitter. Not because I am curious what this celebrity has to say about her kids, or to read that another one is waiting for a connecting flight, impatiently.

By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 109 points or 0.7% to 16,009 while the S&P gained 0.8% to 1795 and the Nasdaq jumped 1.

There was a continuation of US dollar strength as unemployment claims and the US flash manufacturing PMI readings came in ahead of consensus. Unemployment claims fell to 323,000 and this reading was also well below analysts' estimates of 333,000. Effectively this brought the 4-week average claims down 7,000 to 339,000. This saw the continuation of the tapering talk theme and resulted in the dollar index holding its ground above 81. At the same time US 10-year yields traded at the highest leve...

In US economic news, new claims for unemployment insurance fell from 344,000 to 323,000 in the latest week, below forecasts for a result near 335,000. Producer prices fell 0.2pct in October, in line with forecasts. Excluding food and energy, prices rose by 0.2pct, ahead of forecasts for a 0.1pct gain. The Philadelphia Federal Reserve index eased from 19.8 to 6.5 in November. And the Markit flash manufacturing gauge rose from 51.8 to 54.3 in November.

The Australian sharemarket fell once again, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) ending 0.4 per cent lower by the close. This makes it the longest losing streak for local stocks in five months. Minutes from the last Federal Reserve meeting were issued overnight and showed that the US central bank hasn't ruled out the possibility of a reduction in stimulus in the 'coming months'. This together with a weaker than expected reading on the health of China's manufacturing sector this aftern...

Nowadays we all know it as term for mad discounts and shopping craziness, but above all, when it comes to business, as billions worth Black Friday deals.

The Australian share market is in the red for the fourth time this week, despite hopes we would see a rebound today.

The central banks of Japan and the US are killing the private market for government debt. The massive and unprecedented bond-buying programs for Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs) and Treasuries have driven yields so low that investors are now simply stepping aside from involvement in that market entirely.

Yesterday we promised to take a look at the Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory (WCB) takeover. It's one of Australia's largest listed dairy companies and it's the subject of a bidding war between Canadian, New Zealand and Australian dairy interests. (Nick Hubble's Money for Life Letter did quite nicely out of a pre-bidding war WCB tip.)

Blurred language out of the Fed has again poured cold water on the markets understanding of where it stands on the monetary stimulus component of its quantitative easing policy.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 66 points or 0.4% while the S&P lost 0.4% to 1781 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.3%.

In US economic news, advance retail sales rose by 0.4pct in October, ex autos, gas & building materials sales lifted by 0.5pct. Headline CPI inflation dipped 0.1pct in October to be up just 1.0pct over the year - the smallest rise in four years. Core CPI inflation held steady at 1.7pct over the year. Existing home sales fell by 3.2pct in October, weighed down by higher mortgage rates and tight supply. But the median price of a previously owned home was up 12.8pct on a year ago.

Unlike in the U.S., German companies have a two-tier board structure, with a management board around the chief executive that runs the day-to-day operations and a supervisory board that is similar to a U.S. board of directors.

Guide:The Short Report draws upon data provided by the Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC) to highlight significant weekly and monthly moves in short positions registered on stocks listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

The Australian sharemarket lost ground once again, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) easing by 0.8 per cent. This takes the losses for the week so far to 1.7 per cent. The OECD cut its growth forecasts for the Australian economy from 3.2 per cent to 2.6 per cent for 2014. The DOW fell back from 16,000 points, after cracking through on Monday.

The Australian share market is being sold off for the third time this week, down 0.8 per cent at lunchtime in the East despite only modest falls on the US Dow Jones Index overnight.

By Peter Switzer, Switzer Super ReportIn December, I always try to work out if a Santa Claus rally is in train for the festive season.

The global pullback looks to be starting; European markets are moving back from five year highs, the S&P continues to shift away from its intraday all-time high as the DOW continues to shift sideways.

The OECD cut its global growth forecasts for this year and next as emerging-market economies including India and Brazil cool. The world economy was expected to expand by 2.7pct this year and 3.6pct next year, instead of the 3.1pct and 4pct predicted in May. Australian economy growth was expected at a sub-trend pace of 2.5pct and 2.6pct in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

The Australian share market closed lower again today, despite the US Dow Jones Index hitting a record high overnight.

Samsung scored yet another court victory against competitor Apple when a U.S. federal appeals court upheld on Monday the decision of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California denying Apple's request to ban sale of Samsung phones in the U.S.

Despite another record high on the US Dow Jones Index overnight, the Australian share market is once again being sold off.

By Greg PeelAustralia's leading pure-play uranium miner, Paladin Energy ((PDN)), has been undertaking an extensive cost-cutting program.

It was a very interesting trading session in the US, with the S&P and the Dow jumping over key psychological marks of 1800 and 16,000 points respectively (both record highs).

In US economic news, the NAHB housing market index held steady at 54 in November, down a little off its recent September quarter peak, but clearly still indicative of a increasingly strong housing market. Net long-term TIC flows returned to positive inflow in September of $25.49b. There was a net inflow of $27.8b. into treasury securities

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 14 points or 0.1% to 15,976 while the S&P lost 0.4% to 1791 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.

Despite improving gradually as the day wore on, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) still finished 0.3 per cent lower by market close. At its worst, the XAO was down by 0.78 per cent (at around 10.30am AEDT). All sectors eased, with the financials and energy stocks amongst the biggest drags.