AAP

The annual rate of inflation is staying well below the Reserve Bank's two to three per cent target, weighed down by falls in utility prices.

The Australian share market has opened flat.

The Australian dollar has lifted against the greenback, which fell after weak US wage growth data raised concerns an expected Federal Reserve rate rise could be delayed.

Gold has reversed earlier losses as the dollar US fell after weaker-than-expected US data, but prices remain on course for their biggest monthly decline in more than two years on expectations the Federal Reserve will soon raise interest rates.

The story of this reporting season will be a familiar one: companies with offshore earnings or exposed to the booming housing market doing well, while miners and the companies that service them suffer.

Federal MP Don Randall has been farewelled at a funeral service in Perth.

Australia's biggest lender to landlords has hiked interest rates for investors to meet the regulator's "speed limit", aimed at taking some of the heat out of the housing investment market.

The share market has overcome weakness in the mining sector to post its third straight day of gains.

Perth-based uranium miner Paladin Energy plans to continue slashing costs in its bid to break even as uranium prices remain weak.

The Australian share market has opened higher.

US oil prices have dipped, snapping a two-day streak of gains after a top official with OPEC reiterated that the cartel has no plans to cut petroleum production.

The Dow has been dragged lower by weak Procter & Gamble results Thursday, but the Nasdaq gained as food giant Mondelez raised its forecast after better-than-expected earnings.

Gold has fallen one per cent to a near five-and-a-half-year low as the US dollar rose after data showed that the US economy had improved in the second quarter, supporting views that the Federal Reserve would lift rates by year-end.

The Australian dollar has slumped to another six-year low after the greenback rallied on US economic data.

Qantas long-haul pilots have backed plans for an 18-month pay freeze, putting the airline a step closer to expanding its fleet of hi-tech Dreamliner planes.

The Australian share market has closed higher, with the big miners boosted by a rise in commodity prices.

Building approvals have suffered their largest setback since September 2014 as the huge surge in high-density dwellings eases.

Households are going without food and medicines and are unable to pay bills as cost of living pressures take hold, welfare advocates say.

The share market has opened higher, with gains in all key sectors.

Employment figures are due next week and may go some way to resolve the mystery of jobs growth that appears too strong to be consistent with an economy growing at less than its normal pace.

Oil prices have rallied as an unexpected weekly fall in US crude oil inventories somewhat eased worries about demand in the world's largest economy.

US stocks have risen after the Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate at near-zero per cent and gave no fresh clues on the timing of a long-awaited rate hike.

The Australian dollar is weaker against a greenback that has been strengthened by positive comments from the US Federal Reserve.

Gold has edged higher but remains near its recent five and a half year low, after a US Federal Reserve statement raised uncertainty about the timing of a possible interest rate hike, leaving the door open for September.

AMP Bank has stopped lending to investors as mortgage brokers warn interest rate hikes for landlords could lock out first-time buyers, but lead to further discounts for owner occupiers.

The Australian share market has closed higher after being galvanised by strong leads from overseas markets.

Australian companies risk falling behind their overseas rivals because investors' demands for large dividends stymies investment in innovation.

Virgin Australia is on the cusp of returning to profitability, after lower fuel prices and improved market conditions helped the airline rein-in its full-year loss.

Western Australia is leading national trials in the farming of quinoa, with the crop a potentially lucrative export in the future.

Programmed Maintenance Services says its performance in the first three months of the 2015-16 financial year reflects the major transition occurring in the economy.

Banking giant ANZ will pay an extra $500 a year to women employees with low superannuation balances in an effort to close the gender gap in retirement savings.

Australia won't sign up to the massive trans-Pacific partnership trade deal if it can't get a better agreement for sugar farmers and clear up issues surrounding medicines and the rights of companie