BUSINESS

Three days before the start of the 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, a new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims Apple will unveil a brand-new Mac notebook equipped with a Retina Display, which is simply being referred to as MacBook. The computer will reportedly be offered alongside the updated MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac and Mac Pro models set to debut next week.

Lower U.S. demand for crude oil and petroleum products in April helped shrink the nation's balance-of-trade deficit from the previous month, the Commerce Department said Friday, but the trade deficit with China worsened.

Thousands of software and application engineers have already sold out next week?s developers conference mounted by Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company. Here are four key highlights.

Without a stronger effort by the central banks -- in the form of a coordinated quantitative easing measure to correct the ailing European banking system -- the global economy (at best) will only limb along.

On June 22, Cricket mobile will begin selling Apple's flagship iPhone 4 and 4S without a contract. Buy the phone from Cricket (for $399 and $499, respectively) and pay a $55 monthly charge for unlimited calls, data and messaging. Don't like the deal anymore? Then just cancel.

As a weakening economic recovery and cheap gas lead Americans to curtail international vacations, domestic tourism is poised for a solid summer.

The world's economies have fallen to their weakest level since the recession officially ended in 2009. German and U.S. bonds actually charge buyers interest rather than pay buyers interest. The euro zone's survival appears at genuine risk and China's red-hot economy, the second-biggest in the world, is not so red hot any more.

After George Soros, the influential hedge fund manager, posted a speech he gave at an economics conference in Italy last week, the financial blogosphere lit up. It got lots of praise as the best analysis yet of the ongoing fiscal debacle in Europe. But at over 4,400 words, it's definitely not for the ADD-challenged. Which is why we've turned it into a handy illustrated video.

Apple has been officially reprimanded over its misleading advertising in Australia of the term 4G for new iPad 3. No considerable penalty here: According to The Australian, Apple has agreed to a $2.25 million settlement in Australian courts after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) won a battle alleging the Cupertino, Calif.-based company misled customers about the new iPad's touted features.

Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK), the nation's second largest natural gas producer, is seeking to patch its $22 billion shortfall brought on by dropping natural gas prices by selling its midstream pipeline assets to Global Infrastructure Partners for $4 billion, the company announced Friday.

The Federal Reserve is proposing that U.S. banks, large and small, abide by a rigorous interpretation of an international capital standards agreement known as Basel III.

The 2010 Gulf Coast oil spill may prove to be a jobs booster for the region, if money paid in damages is spent to restore the Gulf's coast.

Prime Minister David Cameron endorsed the law, calling forced marriage completely wrong and tantamount to ?slavery.?

Logitech International Logitech International SA (Swiss: LOGN), the Swiss computer mouse maker, said Friday it will eliminate about 13 percent of its workforce, or 450 jobs, as part of its restructuring program after lowing profit outlook three times in less than a year.

Shares of Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social networking site, rose sharply Friday trading after a preliminary report by comScore (Nasdaq: SCOR) that its advertisements are effective.

Sprint Nextel Corp.'s Virgin Mobile announced Wednesday that it would start selling contract-free versions of Apple iPhone 4 and iPhne 4S with prepaid plans ranging from $30 to $50 a month, starting June 29.

Among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Friday are: Molina Healthcare, China TransInfo Technology, Strategic Hotels, France Telecom, Barrick Gold, Rio Tinto, Randgold Resources, Alcoa and Bank of America Corp.

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Friday resumed talks in Vienna, hoping to sort out the differences on conducting investigation into the alleged nuclear weapon program in the Islamic republic.

Asian markets fell Friday as investors were disappointed with U.S. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's lack of a commitment to additional monetary easing measures in his congressional testimony on the country's economic outlook.

Crude oil futures declined Friday as the lack of explicit hints about further quantitative easing from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke disappointed investors.

Chinese shares edged higher Friday after the People's Bank of China lowered benchmark interest rates for the first time in three years to boost economic growth.

Japan's economy grew more than the initial estimate in the first three months of the year from the preceding quarter, indicating that the country is slowly regaining the growth momentum.

Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell Friday as lack of indications of more monetary stimulus in the U.S. by the Federal Reserve undermined the interest rate cut by China.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Thursday were: Molina Healthcare, Centene Corp, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, Ivanhoe Mines and MGIC Investment Corp. The top aftermarket NYSE losers were: Cooper Companies, Ellie Mae, FleetCor Technologies, Flotek Industries and Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.

U.S. crude oil futures fell more than $2 on Friday, pressured by uncertainty about the fragile economic recovery in the United States .

An increase in the spurt of mortgage applications, following low mortgages rates and a rising demand for refinancing activities

Fiat S.p.A. plans to close its headquarters in Mirafiori, Italy for eight additional working days this summer to save ?8 million ($10.1 million) following lackluster European profits for the company.

Not a chance.

I own a small business that imports products from overseas, what advice do you have for managing international payments?