Internecine civil wars are underway almost everywhere within the West, and most virulently in the United States of America. They are not yet kinetic wars, but wars of grinding prepositioning, the kind which lead to foregone conclusions without a shot being fired. They are wars of survival, nonetheless, because the basic architecture for national strength is being altered incrementally or dramatically. And, in many cases, consciously.
A burst of corporate acquisition activity in Asia shows that executives throughout the region are gaining confidence in their financial outlook and expansion strategy, with cross-border deals on the upswing.
Australia's Centennial Coal Co Ltd agreed to a $2 billion takeover offer from Thailand's Banpu Public Co Ltd , giving the Thai group a beachhead in Australia it has long sought.
The Australian Dollar has opened up in the high 0.8300's this morning after struggling on Friday evening's trade to fall short of 0.8500, following the new Prime Minister Julia Gillard announcement of a compromise position on the RSPT (Resource Super Profits Tax) which became the MRRT (Mineral Resource Rent Tax).
Cancer specialists in Australia are calling for a national policy on genetic testing of cancer patients in public and private hospitals to identify who can receive particular drugs that work only in the presence or absence of a particular gene.
Wall Street indexes were trading around the break-even point on Friday after government data showed employment in the United States fell in June for the first time this year but not as much as some had expected.
Gold rebounded 1 percent in Europe on Friday as physical buyers in particular took advantage of the previous day's price fall to buy into the market, with traders now looking ahead to a key U.S. jobs report due later.
Stock index futures were slightly higher after a four-day slide as investors keenly awaited the government's employment report for key insight into the state of the economy.
The S&P 500 and Dow index futures were little changed on Friday after a four-day slide as investors keenly awaited the government's employment report for key insight into the economy.
World shares eked out gains for only the second time in nine sessions on Friday but the rise was likely to be contingent on key U.S. jobs data due later.
The dollar steadied on Friday after steep losses the previous day on growing concerns about the U.S. economy, with key monthly non-farm payrolls data looming.
The greenback hit its lowest this year against the yen below 87 yen on Thursday as market players covered short cross yen positions.
Australia ended a damaging dispute with global miners on Friday by dumping its planned super profits tax for a lower resources rent tax backed by big miners, clearing a major hurdle to calling an early election.
The dollar steadied on Friday after steep losses the previous day on growing concerns about the U.S. economy, with key U.S. non-farm payrolls data looming.
The greenback hit its lowest this year against the yen below 87 yen on Thursday as market players covered short cross yen positions.
Sstock index futures pointed to a mixed open on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.1 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.12 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.03 percent at 0745 GMT.
The dollar was on the back foot against the euro and slipped against the Aussie on Friday after a big euro short squeeze ahead of U.S. jobs data, while the yen lost ground all round as the squeeze spilled into Asian trade.
The dollar was on the back foot against the euro and slipped against the Aussie on Friday after a big euro short squeeze ahead of U.S. jobs data, while the yen lost ground all round as the squeeze spilled into Asian trade.
The AUD has opened slightly firmer today after it was announced the government and the mining industry had reached a deal on the new profits tax late yesterday.
Asian and European manufacturing output growth cooled further in June, with China hitting its slowest pace in more than a year -- further evidence that the global economic recovery is moderating.
Asian stocks and commodities fell while U.S. Treasury futures rose to a 14-month high on Thursday, after manufacturing data showed China's rapid economic growth was slowing, increasing fears of a global double dip.
The euro hit a record low against the Swiss franc and the Australian dollar also fell on Thursday as weaker-than-expected Chinese data added to doubts about the strength of the global recovery.
The Chinese data sparked selling in higher-yielding currencies, with one trader saying low liquidity and short-term speculators taking punts on the euro against the Swiss franc and the Australian dollar against the yen added to the volatility.
Asian stocks and commodities began the second half of the year on a sour note on Thursday, with Japanese stocks sliding to a seven-month low after manufacturing data showed China's rapid economic growth was slowing.
Health regulators will soon be taking out baby bottles that contains chemicals in Australian stores.
