AAP

Australia Post has returned to profit despite a record decline in letter volumes.

The Australian share market has opened lower.

Oil prices have risen one per cent on US-Iran military tensions in the Gulf and speculation the US dollar will fall on a monetary policy speech due from the US Federal Reserve chair.

The Australian dollar is slightly lower against the greenback as traders wait for US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen to speak at a global central bankers meeting.

Gold has hit four-week lows, under pressure from upbeat US data in the run-up to a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen this week that will be watched for clues on monetary policy.

Resource heavyweights, including Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, weighed on the Australian share market on Thursday amid another wave of mixed company earnings results.

A judgement ordering One Nation senator-elect Rod Culleton and his wife to pay former Wesfarmers director Dick Lester more than $200,000 in damages has been upheld.

Nine Entertainment has negotiated its way out of a costly contract to broadcast US TV shows and is refocusing on local content in response to disappointing ratings.

Businessman John Poynton has denied interfering in Premier Colin Barnett's leadership of the state government amid an outcry about a poll commissioned by powerful businessmen showing the Liberal Party on track to lose the March election.

Woolworths has slipped to a $1.23 billion full-year loss after a big decline in earnings from its Australian food and drink business and more than $2.6 billion of write-downs.

Diversified miner South32 has slumped to a net loss of $US1.62 billion ($A2.13 billion) in its first full year as a listed company, after taking heavy write-downs in its manganese, coal and alumina operations to reflect the downfall in commodities prices.

The Australian share market has opened lower.

Gold has dipped one per cent to a four-week low as the US dollar has strengthened and markets look ahead to a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen that will be closely watched for further clues on US interest rate policy.

The Australian dollar is trading higher against the US greenback as the market considers the prospects of a US interest rate rise ahead of a highly anticipated speech by US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen.

The share market has edged higher as gains by the banks and resources giants offset falls by Wesfarmers and Telstra amid a raft of earnings reports.

Evolution Mining will pay Glencore $880 million in a deal to take an interest in the Ernest Henry copper and gold mine in Queensland.

Perth's residential rental vacancy rate has reached a record high of 5.2 per cent with 10,738 homes currently untenanted, according to property group SQM Research.

Woolworths has announced its exit from the home improvement sector, with all of its Masters stores to close in early December and the properties to be redeveloped by a private consortium, while its Home Timber & Hardware business is to be sold to Metcash.

Strong profit results from Wesfarmers' Coles and Bunnings stores have been overshadowed by hefty write-downs linked to Target and its coal assets.

Qantas shareholders will receive another $500 million of capital after Australia's biggest airline delivered an 84.7 per jump in annual net profit to $1.03 billion, thanks to benefits from its operational overhaul and lower fuel prices.

The Australian share market has opened flat.

The Australian dollar is down after optimism about US housing sales increased optimism about a rate rise in the world's largest economy.

Oil prices have risen after reports that Iran was sending positive signals it may support joint OPEC action to prop up the market, before the market pared gains on trade data showing a surprise build in US crude stocks.

Gold is largely unchanged as markets shifted focus from hawkish comments by a Federal Reserve official over the weekend to a meeting of global central bankers later this week that might provide hints on the timing of a US interest rate increase.

The Australian share market has closed higher across most sectors, driven by gains in banks and health stocks.

Vocus Communications is targeting the consumer market and has its sights on becoming Australia's "most loved telco", after its full-year profit more than trebled in the wake of mergers with M2 Group and Amcom.

The collapse of Dick Smith has highlighted the trends and challenges facing Scentre Group's Westfield shopping centres.

The Australian share market has opened higher.

The Australian dollar has rebounded after US treasury yields and the greenback fell as oil prices dropped about three per cent.

Gold prices have hit a two-week low as upbeat comments from Federal Reserve officials on the US economy boosted expectations that the central bank could lift interest rates sooner rather than later.

Oil prices have fallen more than 3 per cent on supply worries, while US Treasuries rose and stocks flattened as markets awaited more clarity later this week from the Federal Reserve on when it might raise US interest rates.

The Australian share market has closed lower amid mixed company earnings reports and a firmer expectation that the US central bank will lift interest rates this year.