AAP

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.

The Australian share market has pushed above the 5,500 mark at the open on the back of a positive lead from markets in the United States last week.

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen has rejected suggestions Labor is taking a "wrecking approach" to the government's budget.

The Australian dollar has drifted lower against a stronger greenback amid an improving US economic outlook.

US stocks have finished a bumpy week on a high note as technology and small-cap equities shook off the blues from recent weeks and led the overall market higher.

Cleaning and catering services firm Spotless Group has made a strong return to trading on the Australian Securities Exchange.

The Australian share market has closed slightly higher as investors bide their time ahead of developments in the US and Europe.

The Drumstick and Choc Wedge ice-creams could be about to go the way of iconic Australian brands Victoria Bitter and Victa Lawnmowers and be sold overseas.

Australian beer drinkers are shunning traditional brands like VB, Carlton Draught and Crown Lager due to high-end competition and less demand for tap beer.

The Australian share market has opened higher after markets in the United States lifted overnight and iron ore prices stabilised.

The Australian dollar is lower after a rally sparked by strong Chinese data fizzled out during the offshore session.

World oil prices slipped on Thursday as dealers took profits from the previous day's bumper gains that were driven by signs of strong US crude demand.

Wall Street stocks have finished higher following mixed US economic data as a closely watched index of small-cap equities outperformed the broader market.