MARKETS

- Woodside hands out dividend presents- Brokers question implications for growth- Woodside will now out-yield the banks- Fresh pressure on BHP and Rio?By Greg PeelThere are two things we can claim to be certainties in the stock market of 2013.

If you're in a card game and you look around the table... if you can't figure out who the fool is, he might be you. Then, you get nervous. You start rubbing your hands or scratching your forehead. The other players will see that you've lost your nerve.

While the Australian market ignored the slow implosion of its big neighbour to the north yesterday, it held a party for Woodside, who boosted its dividend payout ratio from 55% of earnings to 80%, and promised to hold it there for the next few years. The stock price jumped nearly 10%.

China's manufacturing activity for April certainly embittered analysts and markets as the preliminary reading showed that the factory activity expanded at a slower pace than initially expected, adding to signs that the world's second economy was slowing down. There are still many various obstacles ahead of China which is trying to get back on the growth track.

The Australian share market has closed 1.6 per cent higher as a lower than expected inflation report excited investor expectations of an interest rate cut in the near term. A majority of sectors registered strong gains. The Financial, Industrial, Health and Utilities sub-indices all gained more than 2%.

Australian shares are 1.2 per cent higher at midday following a strong end to trade overnight and a weaker than forecast inflation reading. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is currently higher for the fourth straight day, making it the second longest winning streak of the year. The index is also above 5000.0 points.

- Market leading container position- Broker sentiment positive- Moelis sees further upside availableBy Andrew NelsonRoyal Wolf ((RWH)) is a stock that has begun to garner increasing attention since listing in 2011.

Greg PeelThe Dow rose 152 points, or 1.1%, while the S&P gained 1.0% to 1578 and the Nasdaq added 1.1%.

It was an almost counter intuitive day for the local share market on Tuesday which managed a solid improvement of 1% not withstanding a weaker than expected reading on Chinese manufacturing.

Australian flag carrier Qantas Airways is planning to enter a fourth strategic alliance with Latam Airlines in a bid to boost its international business, particularly on the thriving Latin American market.

By Andrew NelsonThe low volume drop in uranium prices booked the week before last drew out some new buyers last week.

By Peter Switzer, Switzer Super ReportMe old mate Craig James of CommSec says the answer to all questions is pretty well "China!" Our high dollar, our budget deficit, lower commodity prices, even the current lower share prices are all linked back to China.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 19 points, or 0.1%, while the S&P gained 0.5% to 1562 as the Nasdaq added 0.

By M. Ayhan Kose, Prakash Loungani, Marco E. TerronesThe Great Recession has been followed by a 'Not-So-Great Recovery'.

Monday saw a fairly constructive tone of trade to start a holiday shortened week. Weekend developments helped lift the spirit of investors. There was relief that the Italians had formed a Government at long last. Asian markets specifically were relieved that the G20 Communique presented no obstacles to the ambitions of the Bank of Japan in relation to its quantitative easing program.

The Australian sharemarket is improving for the second consecutive session, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 0.2 per cent. Most major global markets ended higher on Friday night which is helping lift equities this morning. Local shares have just had their second worst week of 2013 however.

Fortescue Metals (ASX: FMG), the third largest iron ore miner in Australia, is forecasting the rise of iron ore prices between $139 and $140 a tonne in the short term due to low iron stocks, particularly in China.

The Australian share market made a modest gain today, in a week in which investor sentiment was impacted by a sharp sell-down in the gold price, worries about Chinese economic growth and a downgrade for global growth from the International Monetary Fund. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) added 0.2% today, but was down 1.9% on the week.

The Australian sharemarket is partly making up for the worst day in a month for local shares yesterday. At the close of business on Thursday, the mining sector was having its worst week since September 2011, with the miners down 9 per cent over just four sessions. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 0.2 per cent or 10.1 pts to 4,921.4.

Newest figures on UK retail sales are certainly unsatisfactory. The unprecedented chilly weather in March had a negative impact on retail sales as it significantly discouraged British customers to go shopping. Thus the ONS survey also added to disturbing signs about the UK economy.

It was out of the blue when Hargreaves Services informed that would be backed by institutional investors, to the tune of £42 million, to once begin mining in England.

Even giants such as Diageo Plc are vulnerable to hard economic conditions in crisis-hit Europe. The newest findings of the London-based drinks company showed, however, that weak demand in the EU was partially offset by a strong results recorded in the US market.

by Marc Lichtenfeld, Investment U Senior AnalystLast Friday, John Waggoner wrote in USA Today that he didn't believe Treasuries were in a "bubble.

Certainly, the Dish Network's rival bid for Sprint Nextel Corp. was a big surprise for SoftBank Corp. which thought that its offer was a safe bet. Everything indicates that we might see a steadily growing escalation of a competition between SoftBank Corp. and Dish Network Corp.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 81 points, or 0.6%, while the S&P lost 0.7% to 1541 and the Nasdaq dropped 1.

An afternoon of accelerated selling on rising volumes saw local stocks end with a substantial loss. Investors remain concerned about the outlook for commodity prices in the face of rising supply and falling demand against a backdrop of a weakening global growth pulse. Bringing a sharper focus to these concerns in the last 24 hours has been the head of the German central bank who warned that the European recovery may take up to a decade. These themes drove the aggressive selling seen for mining s...

Yesterday's brief reprieve for the Australian market was short-lived, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) down 0.7 per cent at lunch. This is the third session of falls this week, with the mining sector the major industry to blame.

Marine Park Tour Operators in Australia are questioning the exclusion of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia by travel guide Lonely Planet. At the same time, some groups are questioning the inclusion of smaller dive sites in the list.

-CIMB doesn't like recent acquisitions-Macquarie isn't sure-Citi has some reservations-Moelis sees share price upsideBy Andrew NelsonM2 Telecommunications ((MTU)) looks like a real puzzler as far as analyst perception goes.