Japan: Gloomier Outlook From Industry
We had a big hint about the loss of confidence in Japanese business yesterday after the March 11 quake and tsunami, but not about the damage done by the Fukushima nuclear crisis which continues.
Read MoreWe had a big hint about the loss of confidence in Japanese business yesterday after the March 11 quake and tsunami, but not about the damage done by the Fukushima nuclear crisis which continues.
Read MoreAnother strong month for job ads according to the ANZ’s survey for March, but the reality is that it was a solid month for jobs advertised on the net.
Read MoreShares in Equinox Minerals jumped 29% yesterday after Minmetals Resources, the Hong Kong arm of China’s biggest metals trader, revealed a surprise $A6.3 billion offer.
Read MoreColes Group’s fierce price cutting counter attack in the past year seems to have resulted in Woolworths’ CEO Michael Luscombe retiring.
Read MoreJapan’s central bank updates its quarterly Tankan business survey today, taking into account post-quake responses.
Read MoreCommodities finished the week in a fairly convincing fashion, except for gold and copper, and look like having another reasonable week with the US dollar expected to be weak ahead of the European Central Bank meeting on Thursday which is seen as putting up rates for the first time in several years.
Read MoreA solid month for job creation in the US last month saw American shares end the first day of April with good gains, as did markets in Europe and parts of Asia.
Read MoreJobs and interest rates in Australia, interest rates in Europe, a revised look at business sentiment in Japan, the strong markets and more.
Read MoreNow the Fukushima nuclear disaster has the prospect to do real damage the Japanese economy and the country’s finances above and beyond what has already been estimated.
Read MoreMore all time highs this week for the Australian dollar against the US currency.
Read MoreIf the retail sales and private credit reports were a bit better than expected, the news from the housing industry was very much on the mixed side.
Read MoreRetail sales rose 0.5% last month, the biggest since last July, beating market forecasts and confirming that the industry is rebounding from the slump in the closing months of 2010.
Read MoreDespite the flood of bad news in the quarter, it has turned out rather well for most investors as markets, especially in the US and Europe, rediscovered risk and the joys of cheap money.
Read MorePrivate equity-owned retailer, Colorado Group has collapsed under the weight of $396 million of debt which left it unable to cope with the slowdown in retail sales in the past seven or so month.
Read MoreUS pharmaceutical giant Cephalon which has made a $A225 million offer for the locally listed ChemGenex has in turn copped a bid from a rival drug group in North America.
Read MoreAnd there we have it.
Read MoreGoldman Sachs said yesterday about the Qantas announcement:
Read MoreQantas Airways has finally joined rivals Virgin Blue, Air New Zealand in revealing a raft of cost-cutting measures including reducing capacity in response to rising fuel costs and the impact of natural disasters here and offshore.
Read MoreInvestors gave Murchison Metals the thumbs down yesterday after the company defended its decision not to inform shareholders about a $1 billion blowout in the estimated capital cost of its joint venture Oakajee Port and Rail development in Western Australia’s mid-west.
Read MoreGlobal miner Rio Tinto yesterday tried to negotiate with one of two major shareholders in Riversdale Mining to try and save its near $4 billion offer to secure a majority stake in the Africa-focused miner.
Read MoreAnother one bites the dust, or how to spin bad news by bribing the market?
Read MoreWhile Japan returned to a trade surplus and the outlook for consumers firmed in February, economists continue to warn of the growing downside risks to the export sector and the economy generally due to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which has paralysed production facilities, power supplies and distribution networks in north-eastern Japan and around Tokyo.
Read MoreThere were signs the Japanese economy was strengthening before the March 11 triple crisis.
Read MoreGermany is now back as the world’s biggest exporter, but for a country that should be outward looking and confident after surviving the credit crunch and global recession, it’s losing its way.
Read MoreGood news for the minority shareholders in Village Roadshow (VRL), with the company taking the money and running from Southern Cross Media’s bid for Austereo and using the cash to make a capital return of $1 a share.
Read MoreNo interim dividend from struggling rural products group, Nufarm, but at least the company lived up to last week’s improved earnings guidance.
Read MoreLife after the near death experience in 2010 for Sigma Pharmaceuticals as the company reported another 12 month heap of red ink, but the shares rose.
Read MoreDespite some optimism that Japan would bounce back quickly, there are now signs the recovery will take longer and the impact on the economy will be greater than expected.
Read MoreGold and silver prices fell last week following a positive report on the US economy, while oil prices bounced around a bit before a small gain on the day.
Read MoreA busy week here and offshore for economic data, while it will also see what has been a mixed first quarter end on Thursday (and the March half year for a number of local companies).
Read MoreHappy days are here again, according to global markets which had their best week since last December.
Read MoreBHP Billiton and its partners in iron ore and coal have committed to spending $US13 billion in total on a string of major expansion projects.
Read MoreRemember a couple of weeks ago when the Australian dollar dipped under parity with the greenback and then fell well under 98 USc?
Read MoreOil prices are still rising.
Read MoreProfit up at Brickworks, profit down at Washington H Soul Pattinson, once you strip out the distorting impact of the cross shareholdings in each other, and yet another big one-off profit.
Read MoreNew Zealand has avoided dipping into a second recession with news of an 0.2% rise in 4th quarter economic growth, according to yesterday’s report from Statistics New Zealand.
Read MoreSo now we have the worst of all worlds in Europe.
Read MorePortugal’s government is in danger of collapse as the country’s opposition parties oppose another austerity package, a move that could force the country to seek a bailout from the rest of Europe and the International Monetary Fund.
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