MARKETS

While constructing sector is not in the best shape, UK-based giant JCB Ltd informed that it noted record annuals earnings in 2012. It is not surprising at all that the company trots out its outstanding profits as the global construction sector is indeed going through tough times. The JCB's results were mainly driven by increased demand in regions such as Africa and the Middle East.

Apparently, the days for Fresh & Easy, TESCO's foray in the US, are numbered; so are the present operations for many of the TESCO's own outlets across the UK and Europe.

Local stocks are once again under selling pressure following yet another slump in the price of gold, and explosions at the Boston Marathon which are being treated as a criminal investigation. US stocks sold off sharply in the final hour of trade following the explosions, with the Dow Jones Index falling 60pts in a matter of minutes.

Analysts blamed on Tuesday the April 12 decision of Cyprus to sell the bulk of its hold for the bear market on the yellow metal. For long considered a safe haven, gold logged its biggest one-day percentage drop in three decades.

By Andrew NelsonMost of the uranium world gathered for the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle conference last week in Singapore.

A New South Wales Land and Environment Court judged favoured grapes over coal on Monday when he upheld a government ruling that stopped the expansion of mining giant Rio Tinto's (ASX: RIO) coal mine in the country's famous wine-growing region of Hunter Valley.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 265 points, or 1.8%, while the S&P lost 2.3% to 1552 and the Nasdaq dropped 2.

By Peter Switzer, Switzer Super Report[Note: This report was written on Monday, ahead of the fall on Wall Street overnight and the news from Boston.

The price of gold continued to slide over the weekend as fund managers exited their positions on speculation it has run too hard, too fast. Influential American investor George Soros didn't help matters, telling the South China Morning Post that gold is no longer a safe haven for investors. Gold futures are holding at US$1501.40 an ounce, and have fallen by over 5 per cent over the course of the week.

Surprisingly, Marks & Spencer Group Plc released its data on the quarter ended March showing that the company enjoyed the best quarterly sales in two years. However, the UK-based retailer witnessed a discouraging drop in clothing which was, however, offset by an outstanding jump in food sales.

International Data Corporation (IDC) issued the findings of its report, showing a staggering 13.9 percent drop in sales in Personal Computer (PCs) in the three-months period ended March on a year-on-year basis.

Surprisingly, the Bank of Korea did not decide to cut rates as it was widely expected. Neither the mounting political pressure nor increasing North Korean threats were enough to push the central bank of South Korea to change interest rates.

News from the British Retail Consortium bodes well for UK retail and designer merchandisers. Struggling in the past few months, the news of 3.7 percent growth in March is certainly promising. The same-store sales climbed by roughly 1.9 percent on a year-on-year basis, but still the figure is encouraging.

Shares are slightly higher for fourth time this week. The Australian market has been improving modestly for most of the session, however has been flirting with negative territory over the past 30 minutes. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up by 2.3 per cent since the start of the week. This makes it the best week on the local market since October 2012. Note that March was the worst month for the All Ords since May last year.

Australia's target to become the top liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter in the world could be at risk following reports that a major LNG venture would no longer push through because the project would no longer be financially viable.

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.

The Australian Dollar hit highs overnight that we have not seen since January after recovering from the 1.0500 level after a poorer than forecast March jobs number yesterday morning.

- Picture better than a year ago- US recovery slow, EU flat- Chinese growth stable- Japan may lose momentumBy Greg PeelIt is a truth now universally acknowledged that one of the most reliable ways to get a handle on the strength or otherwise of an economy is to regularly survey a sample of purchasin...

By Jason Jenkins, Investment U ResearchHave you heard the news? The ever-evolving world of science, scarce resources and population explosion will alter the world we live in by 2030.

Once again, confidence seedlings are taking root and sprouting. Overnight, weekly jobless claims reversed last week's awful print to beat estimates, falling by 18,000 claims to 342,000. This better-than-expected news was coupled with reports US retailers are experiencing stronger sales (ahead of the official numbers tonight), and allowed US retail shares to step onto the escalator.

In US economic news, new claims for unemployment insurance plunged by 42,000 to 346,000 in the latest week, well below forecasts centred on a result near 365,000. The March budget deficit was $107 billion, near forecasts of $112.5 billion. And export prices fell 0.4pct in March with import prices down 0.5pct.

By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 62 points, or 0.4%, while the S&P gained 0.4% to 1593 and the Nasdaq added 0.

Australian shares advanced today, following record highs recorded overnight on the US Dow Jones and S&P 500 Indices.

The Australian market has completely made up for yesterday's modest falls at lunch. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up by around 0.5 per cent. Today was the first time since the start of April that the XAO cracked through he psychologically important 5000.0 point mark.

BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) found a significant amount of copper at Succoth, an isolated outback in West Australia. The discovery is sufficient to open the area for more resource development.

The Australian Dollar has found renewed strength again hitting highs well above USD 1.0500 with the AUD trade-weighted index hitting its highest level in 28 years yesterday.

Risk assets extended their gains with US markets closing at fresh closing highs. There were several factors at play yesterday, but the move in risk was certainly triggered by some positive developments in Europe. The major European bourses traded sharply higher on hopes that Italy is closer to forming a government, and a successful Italian bond auction. The Fed minutes didn't have too much of an impact on sentiment, as investors feel the recent signs of strain in the US labour market will be ...

Besides seizing deposits from account holders of the Popular Bank of Cyprus, Nicosia will also sell the bulk of its gold holdings as its contribution to the international bailout. The sale, which comes at a time that gold prices are down, aims to raise €400 million.

In US economic news, the FOMC minutes from the March 19/20th meeting were released. Some FOMC members still believed that asset purchases should be tapered later in the year and stopped by year end. But of course the FOMC meeting took place in March before evidence of softening momentum in the US economy started to emerge. We continue to believe that the bond buying program will run into early 2014 at the very least.