MARKETS

It would make more economic sense for Australia to pursue renewable energy rather than continue the use of coal, despite the possible availability of carbon capture and storage technology, according to a study by the University of New South Wales.

Aussie Market started off weaker than expected.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 6 points while the S&P rose 0.1% to 1655 and the Nasdaq added 0.2%.Bridge Street failed to fire yesterday despite a strong lead from Wall Street, with the July trade balance data weighing on sentiment.

The Australian sharemarket slid for the second straight day, despite the best improvements in a month in the US last night. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) fell by 0.4 per cent, with only the defensive healthcare sector, industrials and IT industries escaping the selloff.

Sneaky Germans may have found several ways to dodge the law on how to bring in foreign currency in the country from abroad, but border authorities usually detect the smuggling attempts.

The Australian share market remains in the red on Thursday, despite predictions of a solid session. Overnight, Wall Street recorded its best gains in more than a month, rising 0.7 per cent and setting the SPI futures up for a 0.3 per cent gain locally.

By Jonathan BarrattAt the moment our focus remains on Syria for the next move in oil. As mentioned, Syria does not produce any oil of note however investors see any military invention by the US as a regional issue and as such a premium is being built into the market.

By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 96 points or 0.7% while the S&P gained 0.8% to 1653 and the Nasdaq added 1.1%.

Yesterday's data dump was a non-event. Retail sales rose 0.1%, the current account deficit widened a little, and the RBA didn't change interest rates. The ASX200 followed suit with its own dramatic move, rising 0.16%.

By Chris Weston, IG MarketsEvery now and then the market picks a currency, throws it firmly in the spotlight and runs with it.

The Australian share market closed in the red today for the first time since last Wednesday as concerns of a US led invasion into Syria jittered investors around the globe and saw a slide in commodity prices during Asian trade.

The Australian sharemarket is slipping for the first time in five trading sessions, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) down 0.6 per cent at lunch. Continued tensions in Syria and an increased probability of QE tapering in the US later this month are catalysts.

The continued protest by Romanians over the proposed grant of a mining permit to dig gold and silver from Europe's largest gold mine to be given to Canada's Rosia Montana has led Romanian President Traian Basescu to suggest on Tuesday the holding of a referendum on the issue.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 23 points or 0.2% while the S&P gained 0.4% to 1639 and the Nasdaq added 0.

Stock markets predict the outcome of wars. At least legendary investment banker Barton Biggs reckons so. We're reading his book Wealth, War and Wisdom in preparation for the Syrian attack.

Apologies to Chris Leithner for using and abusing the title of his excellent book in our headline. But The Evil Princes of Martin Place are at it again - they're fixing the interest rate and creating inflation. We're calling it the evil pincers of Martin Place, which is where the Reserve Bank of Australia is based.

As the release date of iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C is drawing near, retail outlets are slashing the prices of the devices in their inventory. The latest in this line is Wal-Mart which has started to carry the iPhone 5 and third-generation iPad at a steep discount, at least for Apple products.

The Australian sharemarket edged higher, with the ASX200 Index (XJO) cracking through 5200pt mark for the first time since the middle of May. The closure of US markets overnight due to the Labor Day holiday kept investors a little quieter than usual however.

Mining giant Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) revised on Monday its production forecast for iron ore over the next five years amid lower volume of orders for the key steel-making ingredient from China.

The Australian share market is slightly firmer at lunchtime following solid gains on European markets on the back of positive manufacturing data there. Wall Street was closed for Labor Day.

By Greg PeelThe spot market for uranium was never of much interest until the big surge took prices up well over US$100/lb in 2006.

About 2,000 Romanians took over the streets of Bucharest on Sunday to protest the government plan to allow Rosia Montana Gold Corp, a Canadian miner, to dig for gold and silver in the country.

Beside their regular cabin duties, flight attendants of Etihad will perform also nanny duties on long-haul flights.

By Greg PeelSo much for expecting a quiet session on Bridge Street yesterday with Wall Street closed last night.

The Australian share market had a solid start to the trading week, on the back of strong Chinese manufacturing data released on the weekend.

The Australian market has shrugged off the weakness from global markets on Friday, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 0.7 per cent. Some better than expected signs for China's manufacturing sector on Sunday are helping lift equities at lunch. The XAO remains well above 5100.0pts.

Before we get stuck into today's Daily Reckoning, just a reminder to watch out for a special report from Gowdie Family Wealth editor Vern Gowdie tomorrow. Vern makes some pretty big claims. We won't go into it here, but if you think we're bearish, check out Vern's well-reasoned analysis for a comparison.

According to reports Vodafone Group and Verizon Communications are in advanced discussions about a sale of the holding for about $130 billion. Vodafone Group Plc (VOD) is in talks to sell its 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless to U.S. partner Verizon Communications Inc. in what would be the biggest deal in more than a decade.

The uptrend has held for a 10th week. The market remained flat as the uptrend stop was tested for a second week in a row.