AAP

The majority of Australian home owners will be hit with higher mortgage repayments after the country's big four banks hiked their interest rates.

The Australian share market has opened stronger, buoyed by a lift in US and European shares after the European Central Bank suggested momentum for further economic stimulus is gathering pace.

Oil prices have slightly rebounded as traders hunted for bargains lurking in the prior day's steep fall.

The Australian dollar has climbed slightly higher after the European Central Bank kept interest rates on hold and flagged its readiness to step up its stimulus program.

US stocks have powered higher, lifted by dovish signals from the European Central Bank and strong earnings from McDonald's, Texas Instruments and others.

Gold has fallen to its lowest in more than a week, pressured by a strong US dollar and uncertainty over the timing of a US Federal Reserve interest rate rise.

News of a massive takeover offer for energy giant Santos has helped lift the share market.

Water Corporation staff and contractors working on a concrete water tank in the Wheatbelt region have potentially been exposed to deadly asbestos, the state government has confirmed.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia has joined Westpac in hiking interest rates for home owners.

Coles' food and liquor sales growth has eased further as the supermarket price war ramps up with German discounter Aldi's aggressive expansion.

The competition watchdog has given pay-TV giant Foxtel the thumbs up in its attempt to buy up to 15 per cent of Network Ten television.

BHP Billiton spin-off South32 aims to cut group costs by 25 per cent this financial year, as part of a broader target to strip costs amid a slump in commodities prices.

Shares in Santos have jumped after the struggling energy giant revealed it has rejected a $7.1 billion takeover bid this week.

The Australian share market has opened lower after a strong US dollar battered commodities' prices.

The Australian dollar has slipped as commodity prices lose ground.

Wall Street stocks have finished solidly lower following mixed earnings that included strong results from General Motors and disappointing figures from Yahoo.

Oil prices have fallen as an increase in US crude stockpiles provided fresh fuel for concerns about the global oversupply.

Gold has fallen almost one per cent for its biggest one-day loss in three weeks on technical selling and long liquidation as the US dollar recovered ground against the euro amid uncertainty over the timing of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike.

The Australian share market has lifted modestly as investors gain in confidence and await a catalyst for stronger movement.

The federal government has dropped its offer to spend $4 million on a research centre to be headed by climate change 'contrarian' Bjorn Lomborg.

BHP Billiton has posted solid production growth in the first quarter of the financial year, lifting iron ore output by 7 per cent.

The Australian share market has opened lower following a weak lead from Wall Street overnight and heavy losses among the local banks.

US oil prices have fallen as traders awaited the next day's US government report on commercial inventories, expecting an increase that would add to abundant global supplies.

Strength in the greenback has stripped away some gains made by the Australian dollar following upbeat comments from the Reserve Bank about the local economy.

US stocks have finished lower following mixed earnings, with the Nasdaq especially weak as a result of steep declines in biotech shares and Tesla Motors.

Gold has risen as solid lending data helps the euro rebound against the US dollar ahead of a European Central Bank meeting this week, which is expected to clarify the outlook for monetary policy.

Falls by the big banks, miners and energy producers have pulled the share market into the red.

Newcrest Mining shares have fallen 5 per cent as the gold miner's quarterly production fell, in part due to two deaths at its mines.

The Reserve Bank of Australia appears in no hurry to ease interest rates, despite rising market expectations of a rate cut before Christmas.

The Australian share market has opened lower as the government's response to the Murray review of the financial system weighed on the big banks.

The Australian dollar has failed to hold on to gains made in the wake of China's better than-expected growth data.

Oil prices have fallen sharply on renewed concerns about China's cooling economy after data showed the weakest growth in more than six years and falling industrial production.