Vittorio Hernandez

Inflation risk is starting to creep into the psyche of US markets; the S&P just snapped out of its longest streak of weekly gains in 2014 on Friday, as all eyes turn to this Thursday's FOMC meeting.

In US economic data, retail sales rose by 0.6% in August and lifted 0.3% if autos are excluded. Both results were in line with forecasts. Consumer sentiment rose from 82.5 to 84.6 in September, above forecasts for a result near 83.3.

Transformer star Shia LeBeouf filed a guilty plea last week after charges were filed against the actor for causing a heated disturbance at the Cabaret performance at Studio 54. He allegedly stood up in the midst of the Broadway presentation and began to shout at the actors. When guards asked Shia to leave, he cursed the security personnel.

Biker Lance Armstrong used to be the poster boy of testicular cancer recovery, but his sports scandal has diminished his credibility and effectiveness since stories written about the athlete often focus on his doping problem and stripping of medals and relegate his beating the ailment to a small portion of the article. Thomas Cantley, a 31-year-old survivor of the same ailment, hopes to create awareness about the disease, sans a controversy, that could perhaps draw the proper attention to the ai...

Optus Australian subscribers could expect better TV, Internet, phone and data transmission with the successful launch of the carrier's Optus 10 satellite on Friday morning. The Ariane 5 rocket launched the satellite from the European space centre at Kourou, French Guiana.

The price of iron ore has hit a five-year low of $82.20 per tonne, spelling more bad news for Australia's top export commodity. Price of the key steelmaking-ingredient has been on a downhill trend since Dec 4, 2013 as the benchmark price of iron ore tumbled down 41 per cent.

BRW named on Friday a software firm about to launch a HipChat app for Apple watch as the best placed to work in Australia. The award is based on feedback from over 28,000 workers polled by BRW and a culture audit.

Fresh from his victory over Argentinean boxer Marcos Maidana, it looks like more women trouble awaits unbeaten American boxer Floyd Mayweather who appears to be in a relationship simultaneously with two females. This is on top of a lawsuit filed two weeks ago by ex-fiance Shantel Jackson.

American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr is just two more fights away from retiring professional boxing as he improved his record to 47-0 on Saturday after he won over Argentinean boxer Marcos Maidana in a unanimous decision.

Embattled carrier Malaysia Airlines has barely recovered from two major tragedies four months apart when a third tragedy almost hit the airline on Saturday. MH 198 which left Hyderabad on late Saturday bound for Kuala Lumpur had to turn back because of auto pilot defect.

The Islamic State is back on a beheading frenzy, claiming it third victim on Saturday just barely less than two weeks since it last decapitated American journalist Steven Sotloff.

Until American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr officially retires from professional boxing in late 2015, he would likely remain the highest-paid athlete since his Saturday rematch with Argentinean boxer Marcos Maidana has a $32 million guaranteed purse.

An online petition is collecting signatures to shutter the Naked Sushi catering company in British Columbia, Canada, because of its flagship service in which diners eat sushi that is piled on top of a naked female model's body. Feminist groups in Canada denounced the Japanese firm for treating women's body as just as object and only emphasises the sexual role of women in society

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and her family were involved in a drunken brawl on Saturday in Anchorage at the 40th birthday party of a champion snowmobile racer. The incident was triggered by daughter Bristol throwing blows at the host because another male guest, who used to date Willow Palin, was making a go at the former vice presidential candidate's daughter.

There's a 1992 song written by Queen guitarist Brian May titled Too Much Love Will Kill You. For a 23-year-old male Chinese medical student, the apt song title would have been Too Much Masturbation Will Kill You - that's because Zheng Gang died in February 2012 after he made his fourth sperm donation to a Hubei sperm bank in just 10 days.

In a picture that was much like Thursday, sellers continued to push the ASX 200 lower over the course of the afternoon. Initially the area around 5520 for the index provided some modest support, although by mid-afternoon the area gave way and new lows were plumbed. Counter intuitively, the Materials sector was the sub index that performed the best over the last session of the week. The improvement was a combination of seller's fatigue and the anticipation of a lower Aussie dollar, which would...

The Australian sharemarket is falling for the third straight day and for the fourth time this week, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) down 0.4 per cent. Should nothing change dramatically this afternoon, this has been the worst week for local shares in a month. Last night a report showed there were more people filing for unemployment benefits in the US last week than expected. The DOW slipped by 0.1 per cent while the broader S&P500 ended modestly firmer.

Telstra said on Thursday that as part of its expansion, the carrier's 4G coverage would be accessible to 90 per cent of Australians. The telco would also widen its 700MHz commercial trials to include selected zones in Sydney, Adelaide, Darwin, Bundaberg, Yamaba and Sarina when the 700Mhz offering is switched on next week.

Global equities seem to be in a holding pattern as we head into next week's FOMC meeting. Additionally resurfacing geopolitical risk from the Russia front seems to be keeping investors cautious. Perhaps the most significant development in overnight trade was further EU sanctions on Russia. The latest round of sanctions included moves like banning major Russian state-owned banks from any borrowing among other financial-related limitations.

In US economic data, jobless claims rose by 11,000 to 315,000. The treasury monthly budget statement showed a $129 billion deficit in August, in line with estimates.

A new U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration rule has rescheduled narcotic painkillers from Substance III to Substance II in a move to stop the rise in opioid abuse in the U.S., several reports stated.

Actor Robert Downey Jr, 49, shares his family's addiction problems in the October edition of Vanity Fair magazine. The star of the Toronto Film Festival entry The Judge gives more details about his personal demons as the cover story of the publication.

The rage now among men who love to live their sexual fantasies but probably couldn't find a female sex partner willing to do what they want is to buy a realistic love doll. Priced at a minimum of $2,000, the doll manufactured by a Japanese firm, Oriental Industry, may find competition within a decade from sex robots.

Because of a state-wide heroin and opioid epidemic, Ohio is locking up hundreds of non-violent, drug-addicted offenders yearly. For the 13-year period 2000 to 2013, the number of people accused of possession and petty theft tied to heroin or opioid use went up to 8.3 per cent from 1.6 per cent.

Unbeaten American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr confirmed on Thursday that he would hang his boxing gloves in 2015. He did not give a specific date for his retirement from professional boxing but said that his Saturday rematch with Argentinean boxer Marcos Maidana would be his third to the last fight.

The Australian sharemarket failed to recover this afternoon, with stocks falling for the second day. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) slipped by 0.5 per cent adding to Wednesday's similar pullback. The IT sector was the only improver with share registry Computershare (CPU) rising by 1.4 per cent.

Telco giant AT&T spent $20.6 billion in 2013 for a new plant and equipment in the US, topping the non-financial companies in the United States for capital spending. It was the third consecutive year that AT&T topped the list, according to the Progressive Policy Institute study.

The Global Commission on Drug Policy wants to go beyond the legalisation of marijuana but would recommend on Tuesday, Sept 16, the decriminalisation and regulation of the use of most other illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

The Australian market is adding to Wednesday's losses, with a sharp drop in the unemployment rate, subdued Chinese inflation and a positive lead from Wall Street not enough to inspire local markets. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is down 0.2 per cent, adding to Tuesday's 0.6 per cent slide. After interrupted trade across the region due to holidays, all major markets are trading normally today which is likely to see volumes return to normal.