BY STEVE LACKMEYER slackmeyer@opubco.com Oklahoman Leave a comment Oklahoma City likely will be asked to contribute “multiple millions” toward completion of the American Indian Cultural Center as two experienced fundraisers attempt to cover an $80 million funding gap....

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Crucial talks aimed at averting Greece's bankruptcy were held up early Thursday after leaders of the three parties backing the country's coalition government failed to agree to creditors' demands to make euro300 million ($398.22 million) cuts to state and private pensions. The talks broke up after a seven-hour meeting on austerity needed for the euro130 billion ($172.56 billion) bailout package. "There was very broad agreement on all parts o...

A suspected member of the Zetas drug cartel led Mexican authorities to mass graves at two ranches in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz where marines unearthed 15 bodies by Wednesday. The navy said its personnel detained...

Construction has tip-toed into South Florida’s economic rebound. Long a drag on spending, the construction industry has finally bounced off a horrid bottom when it comes to purchasing. State figures on taxable sales showed November was the fourth straight month of growth in construction spending for Broward, according to the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research. That brings Broward in line with Miami-Dade, where constru...

BEIJING - China's inflation rebounded in January as food prices soared, renewing pressure on the communist government to control surging living costs while it tries to boost slowing economic growth. Consumer prices rose 4.5 percent over a year...

Quarterly loss sends Groupon shares tumbling Groupon investors were expecting a better deal than the surprise loss the company delivered. The online deals site, reporting for the first time as a public company, said its fourth-quarter revenue nearly tripled, but it lost money and its shares fell $2.29, or 9.3 percent, to $22.29 in after-hours trading. Groupon's net loss totaled $42.7 million, or 8 cents per share, for the final three months ...

Pedestrians pass a Pizza Hut...

Workers categorizing...

The exhibition booth of ZTE...

Specialty mattress maker Select Comfort Corp. beat fourth-quarter earnings expectations by 5 cents a share Wednesday, and attributed much of the gain to national advertising that raised awareness of its Sleep Number product. The company earned $15.4 million, or 27 cents a share, in the fourth quarter, on...

A multistate settlement with five large U.S. banks over foreclosure practices would include as much as $17 billion in mortgage debt forgiveness and loan modifications and take three years to complete, according to a letter describing the deal. The settlement, which if finalized would mark the largest industry settlement since...

Europeans will take to the streets this weekend in protest at the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, an international agreement that has given birth to an ocean full of red herrings. That so many have spawned is, say critics, in no small part down to the way in which this most controversial of international agreements was drawn up. If the negotiating parties had set out to stoke the flames of Internet paranoia they could not have done a be...

By JONATHAN CLEGG London If you've paid even a moment's notice to the English Premier League, it won't be a surprise to learn that Robin van Persie, the Arsenal forward, has skipped and swerved his way to a preposterous 22 goals in 24 games this season, eclipsing last year's league-leading tally of 20 goals with more than a third of the season remaining. With three goals in Arsenal's 7-1 shredding of Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, Van Persie ...

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian stock markets fell Thursday after data showed inflation in China was heating up again, complicating efforts by Beijing to stimulate the world's No. 2 economy. Japan's Nikkei 225 index lost 0.6 percent to 8,962.21. South Korea's Kospi fell...

SINGAPORE (AP) — Oil prices hovered below $99 a barrel Thursday in Asia as U.S. crude demand lags the overall improvement in the world's biggest economy. Benchmark crude for March delivery was up 11 cents at $98.82 a barrel at midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New...

RIVER FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Candy company executive Nello Ferrara lived a sweet life. The man who brought the world Lemonheads and Atomic Fire Balls routinely serenaded the restaurants where he dined and held mandatory family dinners every Sunday, said his son, Salvatore Ferrara. Nello Ferrara died Friday at his home in the Chicago suburb of River Forest surrounded by his family. He was 93. The Forest Park-based Ferrara Pan company was started...

(Reuters) - Groupon Inc shares slumped Wednesday as the daily deal company's first quarterly results since it went public stoked concern about limited disclosure and slowing growth. Groupon reported an unexpected fourth-quarter loss from a huge tax bill, most of which will likely not be repeated. While the tax bill caught Wall Street's eye, analysts were more unsettled by signs that Groupon's breakneck pace of growth from recent quarters may...

zAutos introduces an invaluable web resource to help consumers looking for a 2004 Ford. Irvine, CA (PRWEB) February 08, 2012 website zAutos.com presents an online tool to help consumers in their search for a 2004 Ford for sale. zAutos now offers a wide selection of over 167,700 used Fords for sale, including over 5,000 from the 2004 model year. Some of the most popular models for sale on zAutos.com include the 2004 Ford Mustang, 2004 Ford Ex...

, TheTravelVoucher.com kicks off its launch with Las Vegas vacation packages. New York, New York (PRWEB) February 08, 2012 is an interactive interface that allows users and businesses to share and gain information about travel locations. The network is designed to be stream-lined, aesthetically pleasing, and easy to use. Users can log-in with their FaceBook accounts, create a business page, or create an individual user account. In addition, ...

Scenios Realtime is now available – the most advanced cloud-based production tool ever released. New York, NY (PRWEB) February 08, 2012 Scenios announced today the immediate availability of Scenios Realtime, the most advanced cloud-based production tool ever released. The announcement was made by Scenios CEO Mark Davis, who was speaking live on stage at . “Many aspects of the production process are now moving into the cloud, and ...

Explore Talent's () Aspiring Actors and Actresses Sound Off on Their Opinions Regarding Stars and Make-up on the Facebook® Platform Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 08, 2012 , a premier online social-network for industry insiders, announced today the results of their poll, "Do You Think Celebrities Should Wear Less Make-up & Be Natural or Stay Glammed Up?" on the Facebook Platform. Explore Talent is a professional site that conn...

Link Building (linkbuilding.org) Company Polls Facebook Connect Users on Their Link Building Strategies Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 08, 2012 LinkBuilding.org, one of the best that provides and helps clients climb search engine rankings using , announced the results of the poll they conducted, titled, "What is the Best Link Building Strategy to Get a High Page Rank Website?" Anyone who is looking for cheap link building services to incre...

The Oklahoma car accident lawyers at the law firm of Atkins & Markoff, whose Web site URL can be found at the URL of , hereby alert the public of a bill that has been introduced to the state legislature that would allow police officers to pull over drivers in the state for failing to have proper auto insurance coverage based on information contained in a state-run database that checks for the existence of auto insurance policies. Oklahom...

Email Print Order Reprint Share This Share Text tool name tool goes here By MATT STEVENS - Los Angeles Times By MATT STEVENS LOS ANGELES -- Romance doesn't come cheap - at least not on St. Valentine's Day. A dozen red roses usually cost about $60, according to the Society of American Florists. But with Valentine's Day coming next week, most people will pay about $80, the trade group said. And although restaurant prices don't change, people t...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted a Romanian citizen on charges he hacked into 25 climate-research computers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. Tuesday's indictment charges Robert Butyka, 25, with one count of unauthorized impairment of a protected computer, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Los...

Circle your calendar for the last weekend in September – the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are coming back to Wichita after a two-year absence. They will be at McConnell Air Force Base Sept. 29-30. Tech Sgt. Cameron Camacho of Haysville, who is the noncommissioned officer in charge of communications for the Thunderbirds between the ground and the air, said he’s looking forward to doing a show for his hometown. The 1998 graduate o...

LONDON — The chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland said Wednesday that he had considered resigning over the political controversy surrounding his nearly 1 million pound ($1.6 billion) bonus. "I came to the conclusion that I thought it would be actually indulgent for me to resign, and that what I ought to do was to draw, if you like, on the reserves of strength I have and try and make RBS a success," Stephen Hester said in a...

NEW YORK — Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its long-term issuer credit rating on futures exchange company CME Group Inc., saying it was concerned the company might expand its obligations to guarantee customer...

This may sound like a heartless thought, but Valentine's Day is tough on the wallet. Even if you skip buying bling for your beloved, the standard flowers and romantic dinner out can be a blow to your budget just when you're recovering from end of the year holiday spending. Consumers are expected to spend an average of $126 on gifts and treats for loved ones, up from $116 a year ago, according to...

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington state Legislature has voted to...

In a effort to speed airport security lines, a Transportation Security Administration program to pre-screen some passengers is being expanded to include 35 airports nationwide by year-end. The program, called TSA PreCheck, is already being tested at seven airports, including some American Airlines gates at Los Angeles International Airport. How does it work? ** U.S. citizens approved for pre-screening will have information embedded in their ...

Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington— A program that lets preapproved air travelers zip through faster security lines will be expanded this year to 35 of the nation's largest airports, Transportation Security Administration officials announced Wednesday. The pilot program, dubbed PreCheck, lets travelers who get TSA clearance avoid what have become the most annoying steps of post-9/11 screening: removing shoes, belt and coats. Pre...

Base price: $47,775 (including destination charge) Price, as tested: $50,910 Powertrain: 3.5-liter, DOHC, direct-injected V-6; six-speed automatic transmission with manual mode and paddle shifters Horsepower: 306 at 6,400 rpm Torque: 277 pound-feet at 4,800 rpm 0-60 mph: 5.7 seconds Curb weight: 3,795 pounds Wheelbase: 112.2 inches Overall length: 190.7 inches EPA fuel economy: 19/28 mpg city/highway Final thoughts: Walks the walk, but can't...

The nation's attorneys general appeared close to reaching a massive multistate settlement with major banks over faulty foreclosure proceedings Wednesday night, though California and New York remained in negotiations. Government officials were making arrangements late into the evening for a flurry of briefings and announcements Thursday, according to people with knowledge of the negotiations who wished to remain anonymous because they weren't...

Rick Santorum is back in the news thanks to winning primaries in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado on Tuesday. But although his success at the polls has buoyed his image (again), it has done nothing for his infamous Google problem. As it turns out, Santorum isn't the only Republican candidate whose search results turn up less-than-positive items -- but Santorum's problem is in a league of its own. On Wednesday afternoon, the offending site wa...

An insurer ran a scheme to avoid paying in-home care claims for potentially thousands of California's elderly, a lawsuit alleges. Senior Health Insurance Co. of Pennsylvania, or SHIP, had a claims process "designed to frustrate and confuse policyholders with needless demands for irrelevant information" in violation of its own policies and California law, according to the suit filed Tuesday in San Bernardino County Superior Court by the group...

San Francisco— Diamond Foods Inc. is replacing its chief executive and chief financial officer after an internal investigation found that the company improperly accounted for payments to walnut growers and needs to restate two years of financial results. The company has been embroiled in a dispute over the payments for several months. It announced Wednesday that its audit board found the payments were booked in the wrong period. The ne...

NEW YORK/CHICAGO, Feb 8 - Some American Airlines unsecured creditors increasingly feel the bankrupt airline should explore a deal with US Airways Group or another carrier, after hearing parent company AMR Corp's plan to remain independent, people familiar with the situation said. Members of the unsecured creditors committee -- which includes banks representing bondholders, labor, vendors and the U.S. pension protection agency -- are concerne...

Updated: February 8, 2012 8:28PM Student debt is looming as a national problem reminiscent of the mortgage crisis, says a new report by the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. “This could very well be the next debt bomb for the U.S. economy,” says William E. Brewer Jr., president of the...

BEIJING (AP) -...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House is ready to pass a Republican bill to ban thousands of federal officials from insider trading. The...

NUCLEAR SCRUTINY: Western pressure on Iran has brought scrutiny to South African businesses that...

Here is a summary of recent earnings and reports for selected technology companies and what they reveal about the state of spending and the overall economy: Jan. 18: EBay Inc. says its net income grew sharply in the fourth quarter, helped by a gain from the sale of its remaining investment in Skype. Its results beat Wall Street's expectations, boosted by strong holiday sales at its namesake website and growth at PayPal, its online payments b...

Here is a summary of reports for selected telecommunications companies and what they reveal about their own and the industry's prospects: Jan. 4: Leap Wireless International Inc., the parent of the Cricket service, says it added about 175,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter, roughly in line with analyst expectations. Leap will issue its full quarterly...

PROFITS UP: Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. said net income in the final quarter of 2011 rose nearly...

NEW YORK -- Facebook's top executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are eligible for twice-a-year bonuses of up to 45 percent of their base salaries and other earnings, according to a Wednesday regulatory filing. Facebook...

BEIJING -- China's inflation rebounded in January as food prices soared, renewing pressure on the communist government to control surging living costs while it tries to boost slowing economic growth. Consumer prices rose 4.5 percent over a year earlier in January, up...

GEISMAR, La. -- An engineering firm with an office in Baton Rouge says it has received a contract from Methanex Corp., a...

SYDNEY -- Australia's largest telecommunications company, Telstra Corp., has reported a 23 percent first-half profit increase to $1.47...

Frederick Darren Berg is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday morning for what prosecutors consider to be the largest Ponzi scheme ever prosecuted in Washington state. Berg, who ran the Meridian Mortgage investment...

Microsoft is resurrecting one of its oldest franchises, "Flight Simulator," with an entirely new game called "" that's debuting on Feb. 29. But instead of a new installment of the that mostly appealed to flight enthusiasts, Microsoft built a smaller, more accessible game that's going to be offered online for free. Planes can be flown simply by moving a mouse around, though enthusiasts can also use more realistic and complex controls. It's al...

Amid what appears to be interminable rounds of patent feuding, Microsoft, Apple and Google each produced statements or letters on where they stand regarding patents. Microsoft issued today saying it "will always adhere to the promises it has made to standards organizations to make its standard essential patents available on fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms." Microsoft said that means it would not seek an injunction against...

New York/Paris - Airbus's huge A380 is showing cracks in its wings while Boeing's Dreamliner has problems with its rear fuselage. The companies may dismiss these as teething difficulties, but they also represent the latest in a long series of setbacks and delays to the two showcase aircraft. Recent innovations in the aviation world have almost always been plagued by problems resulting in huge costs to their companies alongside long delays, w...

Thursday, 9 February 2012, 2:33 pm Press Release: New Zealand Wool Services International Wider Wool Interest New Zealand Wool Services International Limited’s General Manager, Mr John Dawson, reports that the North and South Island auction this week comprising 20,000 bales saw an 81.6 percent clearance with a wider...

Thursday, 9 February 2012, 2:31 pm Press Release: Woburn International Shanghai Pexquin could have done with a little PR The clear left and right divide over the purchase of the 16 North-Island Crafar Farms (7,900 hectares) by the joint venture of Landcorp and the Milk New Zealand Holding (a subsidiary of Chinese investor Shanghai Pexquin Co Ltd.) created media frenzy. It is purported that the joint venture agreement has Landcorp managing fa...

* S-Oil says "highly unusual" deal to ensure stable supply * Deal comes as Seoul faces possible Iran oil disruption * S.Korea's Lee visiting Gulf to secure stable crude supply (Adds details and quotes) SEOUL, Feb 9 (Reuters) - S-Oil said on Thursday it signed a 20-year contract to buy crude from Saudi Arabia as South Korea seeks to secure supplies and reduce dependence on Iran under pressure from the United States to halt doing business with...

* January consumer inflation 4.5 percent year-on-year * Food prices jump during Lunar New Year holiday * Producer prices rise 0.7 percent year-on-year * Seasonal distortions make data hard to read BEIJING, Feb 9 (Reuters) - China's annual inflation rate accelerated to 4.5 percent in January, well ahead of market expectations and breaking a five-month trend of easing price pressures as consumers ramped up spending during the Chinese Lunar New...

HONG KONG, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Hong Kong shares were set to open lower on Thursday, with HSBC Holdings Plc the top drag on the Hang Seng Index as the benchmark retreated from chart resistance ahead of the release of China's January inflation data. The Hang Seng Index was set to start down 0.46 percent at 20,922.29. The China Enterprises Index of top mainland listings in Hong Kong was indicated to open down 0.68 percent at 11,625.73. (Reporting...

HONG KONG, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Trading in shares of Alibaba.com Ltd was suspended on Thursday, pending clarification of speculation in relation to a transaction involving the controlling shareholder of the company, according to a filing on the Hong Kong exchange. No further details were immediately available. Yahoo Inc Chairman Roy Bostock and three other directors will step down as the struggling company ploughs ahead with an internal overhau...

ATHENS, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Greece will be given one extra year until 2015 to produce a primary surplus of 4.5 billion euros under the terms of a new bailout agreement with the European Union and the IMF, an official at one of the Greek coalition parties said on Thursday. Previously Athens had to achieve the surplus, which excludes interest payments, by 2014 so this gives the government a little extra breathing space on tackling its budget pro...

By Katharina Bart ZURICH, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse will be scrutinized for any sign it is padding reserves to pay a fine to the U.S. over its role in offering hidden Swiss offshore accounts to wealthy Americans, when the Swiss bank reports fourth quarter results on Thursday. Investors are likely to press Credit Suisse for its view on the U.S. probe after Julius Baer said on Monday it was prepared to pay a fine to escape the escalating...

SEOUL, Feb 9 (Reuters) - South Korean refiner S-Oil said on Thursday that it had signed a long-term contract with Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company, to receive crude oil for 20 years. The deal comes as energy-hungry Asia's fourth-largest economy grapples with possible disruptions to oil supplies from Iran on toughened U.S. sanctions. The long-term supply contract is "highly unusual" in a market where one-year supply contra...

NEW YORK, Feb 8 (TheWrap.com) - NBCUniversal cable networks will join together tonight for a...

LOS ANGELES, Feb 8 (TheWrap.com) - Yahoo Sports remained the most popular U.S. online sports site...

AFP - Failed Spanish savings bank Caja Mediterraneo announced losses of 2.713 billion euros ($3.6 billion) in 2011, in a financial statement released Wednesday. The bank known as CAM, formerly Spain's 10th biggest, was taken over by Banco Sabadell as part of a...

Pacific Safety Products Inc. (TSX-V:PSP) won a three-year contract from the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services concerning ballistic personal soft body armour systems. The Anrprior-based soft-armour maker estimates the deal is worth $12.5...

Critics are calling for the ouster of Trustwave as a trusted issuer of secure sockets layer certificates after it admitted minting a credential it knew would be used by a customer to impersonate websites it didn't own. The so-called subordinate root certificate allowed the customer to issue SSL credentials that Internet Explorer and other major browsers would accept as valid for any server on the Internet. The unnamed buyer of this skeleton ...

WASHINGTON — The watchdog agency for the accounting industry said Wednesday that it has fined big firm Ernst & Young $2 million for alleged lapses in three audits of a pharmaceutical company. More business news Atlanta police hoping to hire Norcross tennis club where Oudin trained is sold Equifax business up as banks loosen credit Feds add $2.5M to Savannah River dredging Sprint posts deeper 4Q loss on iPhone costs Delta Air Lines news...

Some developments related to Google Inc.'s new privacy initiative: More business news Atlanta police hoping to hire Norcross tennis club where Oudin trained is sold Equifax business up as banks loosen credit Feds add $2.5M to Savannah River dredging Sprint posts deeper 4Q loss on...

Are you looking for a job? The Atlanta Police Department may be looking for you. More Atlanta/Fulton news » Arrest made in alleged kidnapping Atlanta police hoping to hire Atlanta beating victim speaks out: ‘I'm going to face it' Vestal...

By ANGUS LOTEN And SHAYNDI RAICE Facebook Inc., with an eye toward future business relationships, wants to be friends with more social-media start-ups. So it is going after those start-ups' investors. Facebook's new fbStart program is open to early-stage business investment groups, also known as "seed funds" and business "accelerators," that have social-media developers in their portfolios. Developers at companies supported by the fbStart pa...

The bid by Hong Kong-listed Wah Nam International to mop up the shares in iron ore explorer Brockman Resources that it does not already own has been approved by the Foreign Investment Review Board...

Update News Corp has reported second-quarter profit increased 65 per cent on higher television subscriber fees and advertising, but warned the cost of the high-profile phone hacking scandal remains an unpredictable issue which will hurt future profits. News settles more hacking claims Earnings spotlight: Telstra and more Net income gained to $US1.06 billion ($982 million), or 42 US cents a share, from $US642 million, or 24 US cents, a year e...

Tough economic conditions will contribute to at least $US350 million ($A325.52 million) in falling revenue in News Corp's publishing business, which includes Australian newspapers. News Corp.'s profit beats estimates Earning spotlight: Telstra and more News Corp's chief operating...

A further 15 politicians, sportsmen and celebrities reached settlements with the British newspaper arm of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp over a phone hacking scandal that has rocked his global media empire. The development increases the chances that the publisher may yet avoid further embarrassing details of its conduct from being publicly aired in court - although at least one of the claimants, Charlotte Church, has not yet reached a deal. A ci...

Wagering and gaming firm Tabcorp beat market expectations this morning after lifting its first half underlying profit by 14.1 per cent to $189.3 million and forecasting a similar performance for the remainder of the year. Consensus analyst estimates expected a profit of $181 million for the six months ending December 31, with earnings before interest and tax of around $309 million. Tabcorp reported EBIT had increased 5.6 per cent to $316.9 m...

Scrap metal recycler Sims Metal Management has written down the value of its North American business by $614 million. Sims shares plunged as much as $1.77, or 12 per cent, to $13.49 in early trading. The impairment charge relates to the goodwill, or the value of a...

Property group Stockland's first-half net profit has fallen by 28 per cent due to tough economic conditions, but the company expects a better performance in the remainder of the financial year. Stockland reported a net profit of $307.6 million in the six months to December 31, 2011, down from $425.1 million in the previous corresponding period. Stockland shares were down 2 cents, or 0.6 per cent, to...

Foxtel has announced an increase in subscriber numbers for the second half of 2011 despite a tough consumer market. Subscription revenue increased by 5.1 per cent as the number of households opting for Foxtel's pay TV service jumped...

US stocks advanced, pushing the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index to a seven-month high, as Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos began talks with political leaders on terms required for a bailout. Financial and technology shares gained the most in the S&P 500 among 10 groups. Bank of America Corp. rallied 3.6 per cent to the highest price since Aug. 31. Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. rose 7.6 per cent as billionaire investor ...

Greece will pledge permanent spending cuts, including lower pension payments and a 20 per cent reduction in the minimum wage, as the economy contracts this year at a faster pace than originally estimated, according to the draft of a new financing deal with the European Union and International Monetary Fund. “To restore competitiveness and growth, we will accelerate implementation of deep structural reforms in the labor, product and ser...

Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos summoned the country’s international lenders for further discussions after he failed to get full agreement from his coalition supporters on economic measures needed for a second aid package. Mr Papademos and the three party leaders “agreed on all the points of the program with...

Facebook’s top executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are eligible for twice-a-year bonuses of up to 45 per cent of their base salaries and other...

“You know the craziest thing of all?” says the bloke sitting next to me on the road, half way up Mt Buffalo in the Victorian Alps. “It’s not that we do this – it’s that we pay money to do it.” I nod and grimace in mute agreement. Behind me, as I swig water and try to will my heart rate to drop below 120 beats per minute, a scattered line of cyclists is toiling up the 1000-metre climb. The tar on the ...

The Australian sharemarket has opened weaker with the stocks of major companies BHP Billiton and Telstra weighing on sentiment after weaker-than-expected profit results. In early trade, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 12.5 points, or 0.3 per cent, at 4278.2, while the broader All Ordinaries index was down 11.2 points, or 0.3 per cent, at 4352.5. Australia’s largest telco’s net profit for the six months to December 31 ...

The Australian dollar has dropped during another day of quiet trading, ahead of key Chinese data and European bank meetings. Around midday, the local currency was trading at 107.57, down from 108.18 on Wednesday afternoon. Commonwealth Bank currency strategist Joseph Capurso said the local currency was still trading quietly, but could move on Chinese inflation data due during...

BHP Billiton may consider selling about $US10 billion ($9.3 billion) of aluminum, nickel and coal mines and smelters as it trims its portfolio, Deutsche Bank says. The $US4.7 billion Cannington silver, lead and zinc mine and the $US1 billion Worsley alumina smelter in Australia are among the possible candidates, Deutsche Bank resources analysts Paul Young, Kaan Peker and Grant Sporre write in a report. Chief executive Marius Kloppers said in...

As the nation considers bank profits and the appropriateness of interest rate settings this week, it is important to understand the dynamics at work. Australia's banks are being squeezed by higher funding costs, which are adversely affecting their margins on new lending. If they are pressured into absorbing these lower margins then they may be forced to reduce the availability of credit in the economy. This view was supported by the release ...

Australian business conditions improved last quarter as an industry survey found a pick-up in sales, profitability and employment, while firms also became more optimistic on the outlook for the coming 12 months. National Australia Bank's (NAB) quarterly survey of more than 900 firms showed its measure of business conditions rose to 2...

Author Kim Kiyosaki. Photo: Supplied. Kim Kiyosaki is an entrepreneur, author and, yes, wife of Robert Kiyosaki, the man behind the worldwide Rich Dad, Poor Dad phenomenon. Like her husband, she is passionate about financial education, particularly among women, and has just released the book It's Rising Time! What it really takes for the reward of financial freedom. The focus of the book is about building wealth. Specifically about making th...

Matt Barrie, 37, is chief executive of Freelancer.com: a giant outsourcing marketplace connecting 3 million professionals from around the globe. Last year, the website racked up $US35 million in turnover. The site ranks in the world's top 250. Read last week's story: Making $40 million with just 14 staff Freelancer.com debuted in January 2009 when Barrie bought GetAFreelancer.com: a Swedish marketplace with 500,000 users ranked the 5000th bi...

Telstra shares are off a touch after the telco’s profit announcement showing revenue and earnings are slightly below analysts expectations, but the $1.5 billion result shows that CEO David Thodey’s plans for the group are on track. Thodey took over in 2009 and in 2010 he sharpened Telstra’s pricing offer, in mobiles and broadband products particularly. The question was not whether this strategy would generate higher market ...

Australian shares lost ground as investors eyed disappointing Telstra results and on-again, off-again talks to resolve Greece's debt crisis. 12.43pm: The rebound in Chinese consumer prices follows a weeklong holiday in January which saw spending and food price gains. But not everyone expects the price growth to continue, or even hold steady. Advertisement: Story continues below ‘‘Inflation will moderate in coming months and fall ...

Telstra, Australia's largest phone company, reported first-half earnings of almost $1.5 billion, a touch below analyst expectations, as a jump in mobile subscribers was countered by a fall in sales at its Yellow Pages Sensis business. Profit misses targets Mobile subscriptions jump Sensis still struggling No special dividend No decision on buyback Shares drop at open Telstra added almost one million new mobile services in the six months endi...

Attorneys general appeared close to reaching a massive multistate settlement over faulty foreclosure proceedings Wednesday night, though California and New York remained in negotiations, a person not authorized to speak publicly on the matter said. If reached, the proposed $25-billion deal would be the largest since the 1998 settlement with the tobacco industry. Much of the settlement is expected to go to people struggling to pay their mortg...