AAP

Small businesses remain pessimistic about trading conditions, with concerns about the Chinese and European economies and the high Australian dollar hurting confidence.

US stocks closed lower on Tuesday as worries about Greece's debt crisis and the US "fiscal cliff" took the shine off strong quarterly results from home-improvement giant Home Depot.

New rules for reporting mineral and hydrocarbon resources and reserves will improve consistency and transparency in the Australian share market, federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says.

Two women who suffered life-threatening burns during the disastrous 2011 ultramarathon race will receive $450,000 each in an act of grace payment from the West Australian government.

 Property prices are showing signs of life but there will be no repeat of a 1990s-style housing boom, a senior Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) analyst says.

The Australian share market has closed sharply lower after its biggest one-day fall in four months.

Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury has defended the federal government's decision to set up a business tax working group, even though it failed in its mission.

 Mining giant BHP Billiton says it is confident cost increases for existing and new projects are being brought under control.

Shares in fertiliser and explosives maker Incitec Pivot have gained more than five per cent after it lifted its annual profit by 10 per cent and increased dividends.

Australian shares opened slightly lower following lacklustre trading on European markets and Wall Street.

The employment outlook may not be as bleak as some forward indicators suggest, with a new report predicting 137,000 jobs will be added to the economy by August next year, led by demand in the minin

US stocks closed flat on Monday as persistent fears about the looming "fiscal cliff" of spending cuts and tax hikes at year-end cast a cloud over encouraging China trade data.

Australian shares have closed lower, dragged down by weakness in the mining and energy sectors.

The federal government has appointed Chris Jordan as commissioner of taxation for a seven-year term starting in January 2013.

Shares in global insurer QBE have fallen sharply after the company downgraded its earnings expectations in the wake of superstorm Sandy in the United States.

The Australian Greens have put forward a plan to phase out live animal exports, as federal Labor prepares for a showdown on the controversial trade at its next caucus meeting.

A rise in monthly home loan data shows Australians are beginning to take advantage of interest rate cuts.

The corporate watchdog has launched a campaign to reunite Australians with $677 million in unclaimed money.

Chemicals manufacturer Orica's annual profit has fallen by 37 per cent, but it expects an improvement in its underlying performance the year ahead.

The Australian market opened lower as investors waited for signs that the US would be able to avoid the looming fiscal cliff.

BlueScope Steel has scrapped a previously announced offer of $US300 million in notes to institutional investors.

The cost of a liquified natural gas project in Papua New Guinea part-owned by Santos and Oil Search has increased by $US3.3 billion to $US19 billion.

US stocks ended a roller-coaster week lower, hitting a big election-day rally Tuesday only to plunge after President Barack Obama defeated Republican challenger and Wall Street ally Mitt Romney.

The Australian dollar is higher after Chinese economic data showed strong growth in the country's retail sector.

 The Australian share market closed lower, with negative global headwinds reducing investors' risk appetite.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard stands by forecasts for the budget to return to surplus but says she is concerned about the implications for the Australian economy from the "fiscal cliff" in the Unite

Bank of Queensland's chief executive was paid $1.8 million, including a half million dollar bonus, in the same year the company made a loss.

A third of Australian businesses face a "short fuse, big bang" scenario which will offer them little time to adjust to the major changes brought by the digital economy, a new report says.

Budget projections by an independent forecaster that see federal budget deficits for the remainder of the decade are "out of whack" with the views of leading global institutions, Assistant Treasury

Health ministers from Queensland, Victoria and NSW reacted angrily when their federal counterpart gate crashed their media conference in Perth, fuelling a heated argument about state health fu

The settlement of a class action against the National Australia Bank relating to the bank's heavy losses over toxic subprime home loans in the United States sends an important message to corporatio