Business

Dull sales figures show growth of just 1.4 percent as cautious consumerism bites.

Australian media group Fairfax Media Ltd has reported a first half loss of $365 million, a 23% decline on the same period last year.

According to a small business 'stress survey' commissioned by Microsoft Australia more than a third (38 percent) of Australian small business (SMB) owners and managers report their business is currently struggling or worse, when compared to this time last year. Of those, nine in 10 say the health of their business is having a negative impact on their personal lives.

Samsung has reported a net income of 9.64 trillion won (AU$9.34 billion) for 2009, with the company attributing this increase to strong flat screen TV and mobile phone sales, as well as higher prices for memory chips.

HTC has revealed sales figures for the first half of 2010 showing record sales for the most recent three months.