AAP

Dexus Property Group has notched up a 3.8 per cent rise in its half year net profit to $277.2 million.

OZ Minerals has announced a loss of nearly $300 million and the departure of its chief executive Terry Burgess.

Shares in Australia's largest building materials company Boral have shot up to a three-year high after a 73 per cent jump in half year profit, excluding significant items.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia has increased its half yearly profit by 14 per cent to $4.27 billion, but its chief is still warning of volatile global and domestic markets.

The Australian share market has risen on the back of the Commonwealth Banks' strong half year profit.

The federal government's steely resolve to make Australian businesses fend for themselves faces its next test when Qantas chief Alan Joyce visits Canberra.

Oil prices have traded sideways after the new head of the Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen, indicated the Fed would stay the policy course mapped by her predecessor Ben Bernanke.

The Abbott government is reportedly preparing to sell off Medibank Private for $4 billion without having received expert advice on whether to do so and how.

US stocks have jumped more than one per cent after new US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen confirmed she would continue existing Fed monetary policy.

The Australian dollar has rallied to an almost one-month high after US Federal Reserve head Janet Yellen said she would maintain policy set under her predecessor, Ben Bernanke.

Bradken shares have tumbled after the engineering firm announced its half yearly profit had dived 18 per cent.

The resignation of David Jones chairman Peter Mason could keep chief executive Paul Zahra in his job and pave the way for merger negotiations with rival Myer.

A double digit jump in ANZ Banking Group's first quarter profit has analysts predicting a sixth consecutive year of record earnings for the major banks.

The sharemarket has closed higher as strong profit growth by ANZ drove gains in the banking sector.

Australian farmers are on target to produce their second largest winter crop on record but the summer crop is heading for a significant decline because of drought and low rainfall, the federal government's commodity forecaster says.

Australian business conditions have risen to close to a three-year high, a private survey shows, while business confidence is up for the first time in four months.

The Australian share market has opened slightly weaker after the lost of manufacturing jobs and mixed earnings reports impacted investor confidence.

Grains marketer GrainCorp will close its Murarrie plant in Brisbane and cut 130 jobs.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott says there is nothing the federal government could have done to prevent the closure of Toyota and the end of car manufacturing in Australia.

US stocks have edged higher the day before new Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen gives her premier testimony to Congress, with attention focused on how she views recent employment weakness.

Gold futures have risen to their highest level in 12 weeks amid strong appetite from Chinese buyers and as concern about US economic health fanned demand for a haven.

The Australian dollar is slightly higher in quiet trade as investors wait for events later in the week before making any significant moves.

Australia's consumer watchdog says it would investigate the impact of a potential tie-up of David Jones and Myer on competition if the department store chains decided to pursue a merger.

Fortescue Metals Group chairman Andrew Forrest has lost a fight to prevent mining on his cattle station in the Pilbara.

Toyota will stop building cars in Australia by the end of 2017 in a decision which is expected to cause more than 2,000 workers to lose their jobs.

The Australian share market has closed higher in the wake of a positive lead from US markets, but investor focus is set to shift more towards the domestic company reporting season.

Rumour and innuendo is causing grief in Australia's renewable energy sector, an industry that craves certainty yet has found little in recent times.

Australian stocks have opened higher following a positive lead from Wall Street on Friday.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced the terms of reference for a royal commission into union corruption.

US stocks have recovered from an early-week swoon to close the week with net gains, picking up enough momentum mid-week to override Friday's disappointing US jobs report.

Gold prices have risen as a mixed US employment report forced investors to recalibrate their assumptions about the Federal Reserve's future monetary policy.

The Australian dollar hit a new four-week high after the US posted a solid fall in its unemployment rate.