AAP

The Australian dollar gained as much as one US cent in overnight trade after the US dollar fell against all the major currencies.

US stocks closed lower amid concerns about global economic growth and the US Federal Reserve's plans for unwinding its aggressive stimulus program.

The Australian dollar has fallen to its lowest level since October 2011 after the release of stronger US consumer sentiment figures boosted the US dollar.

Australian stocks finished flat despite the big miners coming back into favour amid weakness in the Australian dollar.

BHP Billiton is set to shut more mines and has all but ruled out an expansion of its struggling coal division.

The amount of completed building work in the first three months of the year unexpectedly fell, a sign that economic growth for the quarter could be weaker than expected.

Westfield Group chairman and Australia's second-richest person Frank Lowy has defended his right to receive directors' fees.

Qantas says flights out of Perth Airport haven't been disrupted by a 24-hour walk-off of security screening staff over a wage dispute.

Australian stocks have opened firmer after strong economic data in the United States resulted in a positive session on Wall Street.

The Australian dollar is lower after another batch of good US economic data cemented hopes of a winding down of economic stimulus measures by the US central bank.

The Dow has closed at a new all-time high after strong gains in US home prices and consumer confidence boosted stocks.

Security screening staff at Perth domestic airport's Qantas terminal have walked off the job after five of the employees were temporarily locked out of their workplace for attending a stop work mee

Oz Minerals has told frustrated shareholders that its near record low share price has no effect on the company's higher underlying value.

Wesfarmers chief executive Richard Goyder is hopeful the conglomerate will seek out new acquisitions offshore in the years ahead.

Australian shares finished slightly higher on Tuesday, stemming the market's five-day run of losses.

Qantas has announced a raft of upgrades and additional flights at Perth Airport, taking its total investment in Perth over the past four years to more than $100 million.

Australian shares have opened stronger as investors look to whether the United States will alter its massive economic stimulus program.

Australia would miss out on a once-in-a-generation liquefied natural gas boom unless it reduced costs by up to 30 per cent, says a new report.

The Australian dollar is almost unchanged after a night of quiet trade due to holidays in the United States and Britain.

Europe's stock markets closed on a positive note on Monday as market watchers said investors focused on profit-taking as both the London and New York markets were closed for holidays.

Property owner and manager GPT Group has dropped its $3 billion bid for Australand's commercial and industrial assets.

The Australian dollar has closed below US97 cents for the third straight session as traders continue flocking to the greenback.

Australian stocks closed lower on Monday, adding to a string of losses notched up last week.

The head of global energy giant Shell says rising costs are a challenge for doing business in Australia.

Excessive wage demands are threatening major energy projects in Australia, a federal Labor minister says.

Australia faces a hiatus in new liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects as buyers switch their focus to the United States.

Australia's oil and gas industry has defended its contribution to the economy, saying it will deliver $13 billion a year in taxes by the end of the decade.

Business leaders in Western Australia say there should be no rise in the state's minimum wage this year, with the WA Industrial Relations Commission set to hear the state wage case this week.

Live animal exports would be banned by 2017 under a private bill introduced by federal independent MP Andrew Wilkie, who says the industry has run out of "last chances".

David Jones says weak consumer sentiment and an unseasonably warm start to winter contributed to a 2.2 per cent fall in third quarter sales.

Australian stocks have opened weaker, with David Jones among the worst performers after the department store chain posted a decline in third quarter sales.

Perth's public transport network will undergo the biggest disruptions in its history when lines shutdown to allow work to be done on the Perth City Link project.