Business Markets

The rebound in commodity prices and first production from newly commissioned projects is expected to underpin a 17.5 per cent increase in BHP Billiton’s June year profit to $US12.6 billion.

Despite the profit lift from $US10.72 billion in 2009, the expected result – based on the consensus of more than a dozen local and overseas analysts – will still fall short of the record $US15.3 billion profit BHP posted for the 2008 June year.

The record 2008 year had the benefit of pre-global financial crisis price craziness in commodities. Commodity prices crashed in the wake of the GFC but have since returned to levels that remain well above long-run averages.

Like Rio Tinto before it, BHP’s earnings are benefiting from particularly strong iron ore and coal prices. BHP also gets the advantage of strong manganese prices and oil prices that remain as much as $US60 a barrel above its full cost of production.

BHP is due to report its June year profit after the close of trade next Wednesday (August 25).

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Facebook announced what can clearly be called a “me too” location check in function yesterday, but hey, when you have half a billion people using something, even a copied innovation can have huge immediate impact. Facebook Places is a smart-phone location check-in feature that allows users to their location, find the location of their friends, and discover new places based on other Facebook user recommendations – much like Loopt, Foursquare and Yelp! provide.

To get started, you’ll need the most recent version of the Facebook application for iPhone. (As of last night you had to search and download as it was not showing up as an update) You also can access Places from touch.facebook.com if your mobile browser supports HTML 5 and geolocation. A lot o

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Sales of existing homes in the territory covered by the Sarasota Association of Realtors dropped nearly 48 percent from June to July after the window to take advantage of the tax incentives for first-time homebuyers and for those selling a home to buy another closed on April 30.

Sales fell 30 percent in Manatee County and 23 percent in Charlotte County-North Port, according to initial reports on sales data collected by the community’s respective associations.

The Manatee and Sarasota markets have not seen a collective decline since June 2009.

Coupled with a big spike in foreclosure filings reported earlier this week by California-based RealtyTrac Inc., Southwest Florida’s real estate market could be in for a choppy ride in a new reality that lacks the bolstering power of federal tax credits.

“We anticipated a change, but we didn’t anticipate this much of a change,” Erick Shumway, president of the Sarasota Association of Realtors, said Friday.

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The sixth Digital Citizens event, Startups, small shops and bootstrappers: the real value in social media and digital PR for small business will discuss the benefits and the pitfalls of using the social ’social media’ to reach customers.

Drawing on the experience of small business owners as varied as an international transcription service, a mobile phone accessory company, a designer swim wear range and a steakhouse, Digital Citizens six will discuss their success stories and mistakes they made along the way using social media and digital PR to build successful small businesses.

Small businesses are increasingly using social media and digital PR to speak directly with customers in a way that faceless big businesses struggle with. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and blogging will all be discussed and how best a small business owner should look to leverage these similar but unique social media options.

Small business using social media is not all smooth sailing, with real dangers to your businesses reputation if mistakes are made. Wit

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You may remember back in May when Sarah Ferguson’s financial problems surfaced. The Duchess of York was caught trying to accept money in exchange for access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew. The pair divorced in 1996 after a ten year marriage. Reports claim that Fergie’s debts have reached 5 million pounds, a massive total despite being given millions by her ex. Officials close to the Duchess say her debt is closer to two million pounds, debt created largely by failed business attempts.

Other newspapers reported that Ferguson’s large staff could be to blame. Reports claim that Ferguson hasn’t been able to pay her employees. One former assistant told the Daily Mail, “Every night she demands a whole side of beef, a leg of lamb and a chicken, which are laid out on the dining room table like a medieval banquette. But often

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BUSINESS groups are split over whether the ALP’s high-speed national broadband network or the Coalition’s cheaper internet plan would deliver better results for companies.

The Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce and Industry will not endorse either major party’s broadband policy, arguing ”the truth lies somewhere in between” the positions on offer.

Although peak bodies representing Australia’s $100 billion-a-year information technology sector have thrown their support behind Labor’s $43 billion fibre-to-the-premises plan – while deriding the Coalition’s $6.3 billion policy as inadequate – broader business groups have been more impartial.

VECCI chief economist Steven Wojtkiw said the Coalition has a bet each way on a mix of fibre, copper and wireless, whereas ”Labor’s plan has committed $43 billion to a project without a proper business case in an area where technologies change quickly”.

”There is no denying broadband is an issue for business,” said Mr Wojtkiw, who quoted a survey showing ”50 per cent of businesses cite internet access as a major or moderate issue” while ”57 per cent cite internal costs as a major or moderate issue”.

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Commercial Mortgages

Listed in order are the mortgagor, mortgage holder, amount mortgaged, instrument number, or book with page number and the location of the mortgaged property filed in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

SARASOTA COUNTY

Harvest Tabernacle of Sarasota Inc. and Sarasota City, $153,657, 2010092231, Lot 16, Block B, Sevilla.

HB Property Group Inc. and New Tech Downhole Inc., $60,369.17, 2010092843, Lot 349, Ridgewood Estates.

Tropics Software Technologies Inc. and Achieva Credit Union, $1,500,000, 2010094457, Unit 2, Lot 11, Lakewood Ranch Corporate Park, Phase II.

MANATEE COUNTY

Christ AR Presbyterian Church Inc. and Grow Financial Federal Credit Union, $347,445, 2347 3859, In Sect. 29, Tws. 34, Rng. 19.

USA C & L LLC and Horizon Bank, $145,000, 2347 3402, 1116-1118 60th Ave. Dr.

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