DESPITE the doom and gloom in the commodity sector, some big market names have had a bumper year.

AUSTRALIA’s economy won’t grow strongly enough next year to warrant an interest rate rise, RBA board member John Edwards says.

The chances that the release of Quindell’s accounts could quickly clear the air for Slater & Gordon have diminished.

It is an offence in Queensland to carry an unconcealed gel blaster in public from February 1, with police urging owners of the toy guns to be fully aware of their responsibilities or face harsher penalties including jail time.

The typical Australian is now worth more than $260,000, knocking Switzerland off the top of the global rich list.

THE crumbling Pie Face fast-food chain has been hit with a second lawsuit in the US.

The Australian dollar is slightly higher after oil prices started to stage a recovery.

An 80-year-old pensioner on Queensland's Sunshine Coast lost his life savings in an online scam, which uses identities like Dick Smith and trusted brands like the ABC to promote them.

Analysts say mounting energy insecurity concerns and high prices are behind increased investment in domestic oil and gas projects, sparking fears among environmentalists.

RUSSIA’S central bank has announced a dramatic hike of its key rate from 10.5 to 17 per cent to try to halt an out-of-control slide in the rouble.

Chinese retailer JD.com could disrupt not only Australia’s bricks-and-mortar shops but its online sector as well.

SUNRICE has forecast a 40 per cent lift in full-year profit.

CHINA’S gross domestic product turned out to be 3.4 per cent larger last year than originally announced.

The Reserve Bank is holding the line on low interest rates for years to come, but some economists warn the risks of an inflation "rebirth" are rising, an issue the US central bank will be discussing this week.

More than 1,000 people flock to the KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa in search of diamonds.