MARKETS

There's some considerable carnage in DR headquarters this week. A Christmas flu has not only taken out your regular editor Dan Denning but a good chunk of the staff as well.

As the chart below displays, the Federal Reserve has, since 1913, destroyed roughly 97% of the [US] dollar's value. And that, despite (or perhaps because of) a mandate to maintain the same currency's integrity and stability.

- Chinese economy on the turn- Exports finally improving- Property market risks contained- Intra-Asia trade a big growth driverBy Greg PeelSigns have emerged that the Chinese economy has finally bottomed out begun a recovery after a long slow-down.

The battle for supremacy in Australian skies continues as Singapore Airlines joins the frenzy to get a larger slice of the aviation market by announcing on Wednesday a fourth daily service to Melbourne and the scaling up of services to Adelaide.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 98 points or 0.7% while the S&P lost 0.8% to 1435 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.3%.

The local share market rallied again today, with both the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) and S&P/ASX 200 Index (XJO) reaching 2012 and 17 month highs.

Investing in the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China) is so yesteryear. Myanmar and Laos are, like, so yesterday. No, the real investment opportunity for your financial future lies in North Korea.

The question has haunted savants, wives and bartenders throughout the ages. But at least we have a hypothesis.

How much of the world's woe is the fault of people who claim to know things they don't really know...and to be able to do things they can't really do?

The Australian sharemarket continues its stellar run, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) improving modestly once again. Of the last 23 sessions, the Aussie market has ended higher on 17 occasions and has only finished in the red once in 9 trading days. The XAO is up by 0.5 per cent or 22.6 pts to 4633.1.

U.S. firearms makers see their stock slump as a result of Newtown shooting. Investors are in rush to sell of their shares in firearms makers as speculation is circling around possible new gun restrictions.

- Chinese growth to expand in 2013- US growth to be modest- Europe to remain a risk- Australia to lose its lustreBy Greg PeelIt all hinges on the fiscal cliff.

The Uranium Council has warned in a high-level advisory report to Australian energy and resources ministers that the country's position as top supplier of the mineral is at risk. The council blamed the development on domestic restrictions in shipping uranium.

By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 115 points or 0.9% while the S&P gained 1.1% to 1446 and the Nasdaq added 1.5% (Apple up 2.

After briefly losing its footing yesterday, the Australian sharemarket rose for the seventh time in eight sessions. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) edged higher by 0.5 per cent or 22.5 pts to 4610.5. The energy sector and property trusts were the only losers today.

The Australian share market has started the day's trade on a positive note, following strong gains on Wall Street overnight on hopes a deal to avert the fiscal cliff will be reached soon.

By Greg Peel"Members noted that global currency markets had also been relatively quiet in November, with exchange rate volatility low, although the Japanese yen had depreciated by around 3 per cent against the US dollar.

Fortescue Metals is selling is 40 per cent stake in its rail and port infrastructure business in a bid to raise up to $4 billion. Reports said the company is negotiating with several potential buyers to cut Fortescue's debt burden which has reached $12 billion.

The Aussie was generally weaker on Monday in part because of its strong rise towards the end of last week and also because of the general market expectations for the release of the RBA minutes later today

By Andrew NelsonFrom July 2011 to July this year the uranium spot price range traded between US$55-US$50 per pound with no real signs of life.

By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 100 points or 0.8% while the S&P gained 1.1% to 1430 as the Nasdaq jumped 1.3%.

Sellers were able to impose their will on regional markets today in quiet trade. Most indices ended the session lower, although there was limited conviction on the part of buyers and sellers.

So the Fed is doing exactly as expected, but the anticipation was much more fun than the reality. After rallying for weeks on 'hopes' of ever greater QE, last night US markets turned down. Exactly the same thing happened back in September when traders and computer algorithms alike hung precipitously of Bernanke's words...only to lose their grip hours later.

Local stocks have started the trading week in the red, despite reports the US House of Representatives could be one step closer to averting the Fiscal Cliff.

- Mid companies return to record confidence- Transport most confident, mining not so- Investment plans remain mutedBy Greg PeelA fiscal cliff, a slower China, European uncertainty, government spending cuts, the strong Aussie dollar ? all are these are factors which one might expect to be weighing on...

There's a fair chance the RBA will drop rates again when they next meet in February.

Qantas's loss is the gain of Middle Eastern air carrier Etihad Airways and Australia's second major airline, Virgin Australia, after the two aviation companies signed three-year marketing deals with Tourism Australia.

Global resource companies BHP Billiton and ExxonMobil will expand the Longford gas plant at the Gippsland region in Victoria at a cost of $1 billion.

John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the US house of Representatives, addressed the media in Washington in US time last night. Not for the first time he said President Obama was not committed to making serious spending cuts and as a consequence the US economy will go over the fiscal cliff. With 18 days left in which to strike a deal, the language still being used in public exchanges between the two parties is less than inspiring. Global markets have recognised the latest salvo as being more o...