MARKETS

The good news is, it's easy to predict what will happen to the world economy in the next few years. The bad news is, the governments won't let it happen. And who knows what they'll come up with instead?

Carlsberg witnessed a decline in its quarterly profits as sales slumped in the Russian and Northern European markets. Similarly, shares of the company shrank following lower-than-expected fourth quarter earnings and high beer making expenses.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron arrives in India on the 18th of February with the biggest ever trade mission and will take part in three-day talks with Indian authorities.

A study by the University of Queensland released on Tuesday said that Australia would have to include coal in its power generation mix until 2035. Coal is one of the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions and supplies 80 per cent of Australia's current power requirements.

By Andrew NelsonUranium trading was pretty steady last week, with six transactions reported and just under one million pounds changing hands.

By Greg PeelThey met in Moscow on the weekend to declare there "is no Currency War". With the meeting out of the way, the War resumed last night.

Local stocks have started the trading week on a positive note, boosted by hopes of good results during the busiest week of reporting seas. European markets were weaker on Friday while US markets closed flat. Locally, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) added 28.3pts or 0.6pct to 5082.9pts, its highest level since September 8, 2008.

The Australian sharemarket is improving by 0.6 per cent or 31.4 pts to 5086, adding to five straight weeks of gains. Global markets were mixed on Friday night, however U.S equities (shares) edged higher by a modest 0.1 per cent. Global investors could remain a little cautious today to overcommit due to the President's Day public holiday in North America. U.S shares will be closed on Monday however will return to trade normally on Tuesday.

The confidence is back as several mergers have been announced. And what is more, the acquisition of Heinz was announced. Warren Buffett and Jorge Paulo Lemann decided to go into the ketchup business by acquiring H.J. Heinz Co. for over $23 billion. The acquisition of Heinz is believed to be the biggest takeover in the history of the food industry.

At last, the merger of American Airlines and US Airways is said to be announced on the 14th of February.

New Rio Tinto CEO Sam Walsh is gearing up to cut costs as the world's second largest mining company has just informed that it posted a $3 billion full-year loss.

The Australian share market opened slightly lower this morning after a mixed night on overseas markets. Overnight European indices were hit by the news that growth in the Eurozone had contracted by 0.6% in the final quarter of 2012. This was not good news after a report earlier in the day showed the Japanese economy also contracted in the December quarter of 2012.

While the world ponders and debates on the real reason behind the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, another rampage has heated up, this time a sale storm where souvenir relics of everything related to the 265th Pope must go and be sold.

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 Peter Switzer, Switzer Super ReportThe outlook for the Australian share market is still strong, even if some are already saying it's overvalued.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 9 points, while the S&P was flat at 1521 and the Nasdaq was also flat.The ASX 200 made 5000 look very much like "just another number" yesterday after the index surged through the psychological level.

Mining giant Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) continues to reap the negative impact of the bad business decisions made by outgoing Chief Executive Tom Albanese, who was forced to resign over losses suffered by the company. On Thursday, Rio reported $3 billion losses for 2012.

Local stocks performed well again today, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) closing at its highest level since April 2011 and the ASX200 (XJO) at its best level since September 8, 2008.

Local stocks are managing to hold onto yesterday's impressive gains in the early session, despite US blue chip stocks easing overnight. The NASDAQ however closed firmer while European markets were lifted by upbeat corporate results.

Love is in the air as Valentine's Day is getting closer, it is just one day and the big craziness will start. Retailers are gearing up heavily for Valentine's Day as it means more business for them.

By Jonathan BarrattAt the moment we can see there is a lot of pulling and pushing on behalf of the market to try and work out which economy will grow the fastest and which economy will fall by the way side.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 35 points, or 0.3%, while the S&P ticked up a point to 1520 as the Nasdaq gained 0.

By Olivier Blanchard, 13 February 2013Optimism is in the air, particularly in financial markets. And some cautious optimism may indeed be justified.

The local market managed to hold fast to its gains recorded at lunch, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rising by 0.9 per cent or 43 pts to 5024.5. The XAO along with the ASX 200 index (XJO) both closed above the 5000.0 point mark; something which hasn't happened in years. In fact, today was the highest close for the XJO since September 2008.

Singapore, a land area of approximately 710 square kilometers, is one of the easiest places to do business in the world and it is the better business destination. So there is no surprise that Singapore has been ranked as one of the best places to do business in many rankings. Certainly, the small area of the country does not have a negative impact on its economic status whatsoever. Moreover, Singapore it is Asia's startup hub.

As singer-songwriter, Aimee Mann, poetically observes, 'The moth [will] beat his wings 'til he burns them black'.

On the 11th of February, Hakon Invest AB informed that Royal Ahold NV had decided to get rid of its 60 percent stake in ICA for as much as 21.2 billion Swedish crowns, or slightly over $3 billion.

The Australian sharemarket is having its best day in a fortnight, with the ASX 200 Index up 0.9 per cent or 44.8 pts to 5003.8. This is the first time the evasive 5000.0 mark has been breached by the index since April 2010. The local market is now up 7.6 per cent since the start of this calendar year. Global markets ended mostly higher overnight, with both the French and British markets the standouts after rising by close to 1 per cent.

By Marco Annunziata, Chief Economist and Executive Director of Global Market Insight, General Electric Co.