AAP

Drought-hit farmers will start receiving funds from a $280 million pool set up by the federal government to provide cheap loans as soon as next week.

Spot gold fell to a near four-month low Thursday in subdued European trading hours.

The Australian dollar hit an almost two week high after official data showed business investment intentions for the coming financial year are getting stronger.

The battle between two giant meat processors over hot dog maker Hillshire Brands has helped boost Wall Street, lifting the S&P 500 to a new record.

The Australian share market has closed lower as falling iron ore prices weighed upon the resources sector.

Business investment has fallen for the second quarter in a row, weighed down by big falls in mining investment.

The Australian share market has opened lower on soft US leads and a further drop in iron ore prices.

Westfield's $70 billion restructure plan looks doomed with a significant number of investors voting against the move.

The Australian dollar remains steady in the absence of any major economic news or data.

The CEO of Exxon Mobil Corp says alternative fuels will grow but that oil will remain the world's leading source of energy for another quarter century.

Wall Street stocks have finished lower following mixed earnings reports as investors looked ahead to major US economic data releases.

In a landmark court decision, a judge has ruled against a Western Australian organic farmer who was suing his neighbour for allegedly contaminating his farm with genetically modified canola.

The Australian share market has closed in positive territory after touching a six year high in afternoon trade.

The competition watchdog is taking egg producers and their lobby group to court, alleging they tried to induce members to cull hens and dispose of eggs to reduce the number available to consumers.

Full details of the federal government's paid parental leave scheme will be released when negotiations with the states have been completed, a Senate estimates hearing has been told.

Woolworths may sell its chain of hotels and liquor stores, saying the move would be in line with its strategy of maximising shareholder value.

The Australian share market has opened on a positive note, led by the big banks, after an encouraging lead from the United States.

Qantas will close its call centres in Brisbane and Melbourne with the loss of about 450 jobs, as the airline moves ahead with a $2 billion transformation program.

The Australian dollar is steady after a quiet night of trade on currency markets.

The S&P 500 has notched a record close for the second straight session as US stocks rallied following some solid economic data.

Global oil prices have dipped after a successful presidential election in Ukraine over the weekend helped ease some concerns despite continued fighting in the pro-Russian east.

The Australian share market has closed flat, with few local and offshore leads.

Mining giant BHP Billiton may soon start axing jobs at its Worsley Alumina operations in Western Australia.

Premier Colin Barnett says the state's talks with China on iron ore issues are being negatively affected by billionaire Clive Palmer.

Suncorp boss Patrick Snowball is determined to keep the financial services group's problematic life insurance business despite it facing a $500 million writedown.

Rio Tinto has committed to plans to develop the $US20 billion Simandou iron ore project in Guinea, signing a deal with the West African nation's government and development partners.

The Australian share market has opened higher with both the mining and banking stocks up.

The Australian dollar has managed to hold its ground after getting some support from a positive session on European stock markets.

Italy has led Europe's stock markets in a robustly positive reaction to elections which have put conservatives in a leading position but given anti-EU forces a huge boost in France and Britain.

The Australian share market has pushed back above the 5,500 mark amid a quiet trading session that was buoyed by last week's gains on overseas markets.

A man has died while working at Stone Resources Australia's Brightstar gold mine near Laverton.

Private equity group Pacific Equity Partners has launched a $1.1 billion takeover bid for information services group SAI Global.