Vittorio Hernandez

Volatility is feeding erratic trading; headlines such as 'meltdown', 'rout' and 'collapse' increase volatile trading and are adding to the overall trade pressure.

In US economic data, retail sales fell by 0.9% in December, well below expectations for a 0.1% fall. Excluding gas stations and autos, sales were down 0.3%. Import prices fell by 2.5% in December and export prices fell by 1.2%.

Australian shares faded this afternoon to post the biggest tumble in a week, with the ASX 200 Index (XJO) slumping by 0.9 percent to 5353. The local market has now fallen for three consecutive days - with equities dragged lower by weaker commodity prices and a negative lead from Wall Street.

The U.S. presidential election is almost two years away, but political season has started with several politicians signifying their intent to replace U.S. President Barack Obama in the White House in 2017. One of the presidential wannabees, former Fox News commentator and ex-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, has started talking dirty by criticising the Obamas' parenting style, particularly allowing their daughters Malia and Sasha to listen to singer Beyonce.

From holding decapitated heads chopped off by their father, young Islamic extremists have moved up to doing the execution themselves, a new Islamic State (IS) video claims.

Australian shares are losing ground for the third day in what has been a volatile start to the session. The ASX 200 Index is down 0.1 per cent with weaker commodity prices and softer US markets not helping.

Feng, a 21-year-old Chinese woman caught her husband, 32-year-old Fan Lung cheating on her after she found out that he sent a photo to his lover, 21-year-old Zhang Hung of Shangqiu City, using her cellphone. To get even, Feng imitated what scorned American woman Lorena Bobbitt did 30 years ago, which was to chop off her husband's penis using a pair of scissors while he was in dreamland.

The five-day pastoral visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines on Jan 15-19 could have been another opportunity for local politicians to grandstand by erecting giant welcome banners for the pontiff with the names as part of the tarpaulin, but Vatican just doused cold water on that opportunity.

On Tuesday, February Brent crude went down again to $45.19 a barrel, the lowest since March 2009, just a day after Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal said it would never again return to $100 which was an artificial price.

The Australian Dollar has remained within the recent 0.8100-0.8200 range yesterday.

Plenty of risk, plenty of uncertainty and a good dash of fear has welcomed the markets to 2015.

In US economic data, a survey of small businesses - the NFIB business optimism index - rose from 98.1 to 100.4 in December. The JOLTS job openings index rose from 4.83 million to 4.972m in November. And chain store sales were up by 3.8% in the latest week on a year ago, down from the 4.3% gain in the previous week.

The market has managed to recover some of its earlier losses to finish the session in the middle of the day's range - helped by better-than-expected Chinese trade data. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) slipped 17 points or 0.3 percent to 5,382, while the ASX 200 (XJO) lost 18 points or 0.3 percent to 5,404. Eight out of the 10 sectors closed lower.

Even if the Middle East has lots of hot deserts and there is not much snow in the region, a Saudi Arabian saw in the snowman an enemy of the Islam faith. Sheikh Mohammed Saleh al-Munajid not only banned Muslims from making snowmen, he even issued a fatwa against it.

Australian shares are falling for the second day with a falling oil price holding back mining and energy sectors most. The ASX 200 Index is down 0.7 per cent following Monday's 0.8 per cent tumble.

Oil prices have again been the stand out story overnight. Who breaks the stalemate and cuts production first, OPEC or US shale producers?

There is no escaping crude's effect on global markets. A fresh five-and-a-half-year low in both West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent now see the oil prices well below US$50 barrel as it marches towards the expected support level of US$40 a barrel.

The Raffles Hotel in Perth has officially banned Lycra shorts on its premised. The prohibition was because of the complaint of hotel guests that many cyclists who wear Lycra biking outfits are sweaty and smelly.

BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) has sought the permission from the federal government to increase the height of the walls of its tailings dam at its Olympic Dam mine in South Australia by 10 metres from 30 to 40 metres.

Australian Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson points to restrictions under section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act as the reason why the country could not print the satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

In US economic data, the employment trends index rose from 127.83 to 128.43 in December.

The Australian sharemarket has followed US and European markets into negative territory today - putting an end to a two-session rally. The All Ords (XAO) has closed near the day's lows, losing 0.7 percent to 5,399. While the ASX 200 (XJO) fell 0.8 percent to 5,422.

Australian shares have kicked off the trading week in the red following the best gains of the year on Friday. The ASX 200 Index is down 0.4 per cent with all sectors losing ground. This follows global sharemarket weakness and a drop in commodity prices.

The Australian Dollar has opened around the .8200 level as US non-farm payroll numbers were better than expected but wage growth disappointed.

The US earnings season begins tonight and Australia's earning season begins in two weeks; expectations for the both are low at best.

Oneal Ron Morris, a Florida transgender woman, is facing seven charges for pretending to be a doctor and injecting people with dangerous materials who want bigger buttocks for $2,000.

The thousands of flowers that Australians offered for the two victims of the Sydney Siege weren't thrown into a regular landfill when New South Wales cleared the temporary memorial set up in Martin Place.

Myanmar Deputy Finance Minister Maung Thein announced over the weekend the formation of the country's first stock market by October, the Yangon Stock Exchange.

In US economic data, non-farm payrolls (employment) rose by 252,000 in December, ahead of forecasts for a gain of 240,000. The unemployment rate fell from 5.8% to 5.6%. And average earnings fell by 0.2%, short of forecasts for a 0.2% gain. And wholesale sales fell 0.3% in November with inventories up 0.8%.