Vittorio Hernandez

More record prints for the S&P as it's now within eight points of 2000, a psychological milestone.

In US economic data, weekly claims for unemployment insurance fell by 14,000 to 298,000, below forecasts for a result near300,000.

Labor leader Bill Shorten admitted on Thursday that he was accused of rape by a young woman. The crime allegedly happened in the 1980s. However, he said that based on information from the Victoria Police, there was no case and no charges were laid.

The conservative outlook in life of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott once more got the better over the Liberal leader as he indicated unwillingness to join the YouTube trend of being doused with a bucket of ice-cold water.

In anticipation of the roll out of the iPhone 6 by Apple in September, supermarket giant Walmart is clearing its stock of the iPhone 5C that it is almost giving away the units for free.

The Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), demanded a $100 million ransom payment from the US government in exchange for the release of American photojournalist James Foley, the New York Times reports. However, because of a US government policy not to pay ransom to terrorist groups, the jihadists went ahead and beheaded Foley who had been missing since mid-2013.

The winning streak continued with shares hitting fresh six-year highs, rising for a third day and remaining above the key 5600pt level. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) improved by a modest 0.1 per cent despite mixed performances from global markets overnight. The US economy expanded at a faster than expected 4 per cent annual pace in the June quarter, while comments by the US central bank relating to inflation has increased the market's expectations of an earlier rate rise. The default of Arge...

Vodafone Hutchison Australia will buy from Ericsson millions of dollars worth of equipment as the giant telco builds a new core network as it moves toward the creation of the country's newest mobile service.

Due to the sheer size of the initial public offering (IPO) of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) in New York in September, other companies planning public listing had postponed their launches.

The Australian share market has continued to build on recent gains on Thursday. The positive tone in early trade was informed by gains on Wall St overnight which stemmed from the release of the minutes from the most recent US Federal reserve meeting. The minutes suggested that FOMC members had been encourage by recent developments in the US economy, particularly in the jobs market. A the same time members indicated that more evidence was required before an increase in interest rates was warrante...

British Prime Minister David Cameron was on a summer holiday when news of the beheading of American journalist James Foley sparked an international search for the man with a British accent who decapitated the newsman. Mr Cameron cut short his vacation and lead the hunt for the jihadist.

There is still a lot of gloom being written about in the financial world. We are hearing about mass over valuations, that the ease of credit is going to create bubbles, and that global economies are teetering on the edge of disaster.

According to minutes from the last Federal Reserve meeting some members were encouraged by recent developments: "Labor market conditions had moved noticeably closer to those viewed as normal in the longer run." But then the report noted: "Most Fed policymakers wanted more evidence before changing rate views."

More small business owners n the US claim that their present financial situation has improved but remains negative on their prospect for 2015. This was the finding of the latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index which found that the overall Small Business Index score increased slightly to positive 49 (+49) in July.

The US National Institute of Health said it is developing a new system to monitor emerging drug trends that will help health experts respond quickly to potential outbreaks of illicit drugs such as heroin and to identify increased use of designer synthetic compounds

Justin Bieber's misbehaving ways continue to haunt the Canadian singer. On Tuesday, shareprices of scent maker Elizabeth Arden tumbled down 24 per cent for its fourth quarter, while sales plummeted 28.4 per cent from the past 12 months to $191.7 million.

The British accent of the man who beheaded American journalist James Wright Foley is the key to tracking the terror group identified with the Islamic State of Iraq and Levants (ISIL). Intelligence agencies are trying to know the identity of the executioner who hid his face using a black cloth.

By the end of the day, the ASX 200 (XJO) both finished 0.19% up 10.8 points at 5637.6. US consumer prices rose only 0.1% in July, just below expectations. Housing starts up by 15.7% at 1.093 Million annual rate for July, well above the forecasted 969,000. US shares finished with solid gains, the Dow and S&P 500 up 0.5% and the Nasdaq up 0.4%. Iron ore and steel prices continue to fall in China, with traders unimpressed by the Chinese government's efforts to boost construction demands.

Cupertino-based tech giant Apple suffered a doubly whammy in the Australian tablet market after tablet sales dipped 28% or 500,000 less units sold for the first six months of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013.

The momentum in equities has continued with further gains through European and US trade. It seems investors are still responding to downgraded geopolitical risk, with a further kicker coming from signs of improvement in the US housing market. Heading into the FOMC minutes I thought we'd actually see a bit of caution being exercised, particularly considering the developments from the last meeting where Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser dissented.

In US economic data, both headline and core measures of consumer prices rose just 0.1% in July, just below forecasts. Housing starts rose by 15.7% to a 1.093 million annual rate in July, well above forecasts centred on a result near 969,000. And weekly chain store sales were up 3.7% on a year earlier, down from 4.8% in the previous week.

After reportedly beheading American photojournalist James Wright Foley, ISIL terrorists are threatening to do the same to another American journalist, Steven Sotloff, who appears to have witnessed the decapitation of Foley.

Another study confirmed Australia's high-quality of life after the city of Melbourne was named on Tuesday by the Economic Intelligence Unit's yearly Liveability Survey as the most liveable city in the world. It is the fourth consecutive year that Melbourne was recognised as the best city in the world where to live.

Another papal conclave may take place if Pope Francis decides to follow the path that his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, took and retire instead of die as pontiff of the 1.2-billion strong Roman Catholic church.

From corporate executive such as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to singer Justin Timberlake, the ALC ice bucket challenge has moved to professional athletes such as footballer Cristiano Ronaldo who wowed the world because he did the challenge wearing only skimpy skivvies.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Tuesday that Canberra and Jakarta would sign by the end of August the Code of Conduct, an indicator that the diplomatic rift between Australia and neighbour Indonesia would formally end.

Doctor of Chocolate - it would be a degree that fictional character Willy Wonka should pursue. In real life, the Cambridge University in UK announced on Monday the opening of such a graduate degree programme that would run for three and a half years, fully paid for.

The winning streak continued with shares hitting fresh six-year highs, rising for a third day and remaining above the key 5600pt level. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) improved by a modest 0.1 per cent despite mixed performances from global markets overnight. The US economy expanded at a faster than expected 4 per cent annual pace in the June quarter, while comments by the US central bank relating to inflation has increased the market's expectations of an earlier rate rise. The default of Arge...

European telecommunication companies are on a buying mode, and they are targeting telcos in North and South America.