MARKETS

The Australian share market has managed to finish higher for a second consecutive session, despite another night of selling on Wall Street and generally weaker sentiment across the Asian region. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) finished the day's trade up 18 points or 0.3 per cent to 5288.2pts.

The resolve of yesterday's buyers has been tested today in early trade on Thursday. Similar circumstances to Wednesday were in place at the open of trade after US stocks ended lower for a 5th day on the trot. The declines for US indices weren't sinister, although the related statistics were less than encouraging, for example the SP 500 finished at the lows of the day; more importantly the index settled below the 1700 mark. As a result the local market saw selling from the outset, at its wo...

The Australian Dollar is higher as the greenback is feeling the pressure over the approaching federal budget.

By Kathleen Brooks, Research Director UK EMEA, FOREX.comThe next four weeks are a critical test for Washington: will they avoid a government shutdown and the first even US credit default or not? First up is the budget tussle.

By Jonathan BarrattIf you told the market in Sept 2010 that stimulus was going to remain in play for the foreseeable future, the gold price would have rocketed head.

We've seen a slight squaring off of risk plays, with equities marginally lower. Despite the minor selling, most asset classes just continue to maintain some fairly tight ranges as global markets remain in a lull phase. US fiscal negotiations are also keeping some investors at bay and prompting some caution in most asset classes. There was limited reaction to a US durable goods report which came in at +0.1% versus 0% expected. New home sales data also came in relatively in line with consensus....

In US economic news, orders for durable goods - goods expected to last more than three years - rose by 0.1pct in August, in line with expectations. Excluding defence and aircraft, orders rose by 1.5pct, just short on the 1.9pct expected rise. New home sales soared by 7.9pct in August to a 421,000 annual rate, in line with forecasts.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 61 points or 0.4% while the S&P lost 0.3% to 1692 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.

Having learnt its lessons from the botulism scare caused by tainted milk products made by Fonterra, New Zealand is not taking any chances this time and immediately halted the export of another major agricultural product.

Apple Inc's shares may just reach $600, following reports that the company sold 9 million units of new iPhones in three days. The speculations over a deal with China Mobile may also fuel Apple's stock surge along with recommendations from some of the most respected market analysts.

The Australian share market closed higher on Wednesday, following three sessions of losses and after a mixed night on global share markets. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) added 40.6pts by close to 5270.1pts, just 7 points lower than the intra-day high.

The ASX200 has started in strong fashion in Wednesday ignoring the weakness seen in the US overnight. The initial setup for local trade was less than optimistic after the Dow closed around the worst levels if its session.

The Australian Dollar is slightly lower amid more signs that the US economic recovery may not be all that strong.

Japan looks east instead of south.

In US economic news, consumer confidence fell from 81.8 to 79.7 in September, short of forecasts for a result near 79.9. The Case Shiller home price index rose 0.6pct in July to be up 12.4pct on a year ago. The FHFA home price index rose 1.0pct in July and8.8pct over the year and the Richmond Fed composite index eased from +14 to zero in September. The Redbook chain store sales index also was 3.6pct up over the year, compared with a 3.4pct gainin the previous week.

By Peter Switzer, Switzer Super ReportWith the Dow Jones index now in record high territory and the All Ordinaries Accumulation Index also at levels never seen before, the key question for many is ? how long does this bull market run for?Let's face it, if we thought it was, say for only one yea...

South Australia is targeting to increase by eight times its iron ore exports through the development of the $5-billion Braemar Bulk Export Project.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 66 points or 0.4% while the S&P lost 0.3% to 1697 and the Nasdaq was flat.

By Chris Weston, IG MarketsThe talking point on the floor today has been firmly around the outperformance of the Australian market, despite a slightly weaker lead from the S&P, a flat day's trade in China and a softer Nikkei.

The Australian share market ended in the red for a third consecutive session on Tuesday, weighed down by mining stocks and ongoing confusion over the US Central Bank's expected tapering policy.

The Australian share market is in the red for a third consecutive session, after US stocks closed lower and most commodity prices were sold down.

By Greg PeelIn July last year, Japan restarted its Ohi 3 and 4 reactors and so brought to an end the post-Fukushima period of zero nuclear energy production in the country.

CN Rail proposed in March to Natural Resources Canada for the government body to allow it to move Alberta's bitumen to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, by train, instead of transporting the tar oil through pipelines.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 49 points or 0.3% while the S&P lost 0.5% to 1701 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.2%.

Sellers had the market in a headlock in early trade although the balance shifted following the release of the HSBC flash reading on Chinese manufacturing. The only release of note in regional trade today saw sellers pause as they considered the bigger picture. The Chinese HSBC Flash PMI came in at 51.2 in August, above a consensus forecast of 50.9 and the prior reading of 50.1. Chinese figures released most recently point to the Chinese economy turning a corner which could have positive ramifica...

These ominous words hit the finance sphere this week. If you've tuned in to the Daily Reckoning lately, you might think it was Family Wealth editor Vern Gowdie repeating his warning of a 90% stock crash. But these words actually belong to William White.

The stock market isn't just about how much money the Federal Reserve is printing. US earnings season is less than three weeks away. And expectations aren't pretty, reports our sister publication in the US, the 5 Minute Forecast.

The obstacle of Fed tapering appears to be out of the way for the time being and at face value it seems as though the markets finally have some clear air. Although the price action of the markets most recently suggests that in the absence of any Fed temperance in relation to Q.E, investors are erring on the side of caution and calculating that tapering is a matter of when rather that if.

FNArena is surveying investor sentiment in Australia in an effort to generate, over time, a gauge similar to the AAII Investor Sentiment Survey in the US.