AAP

The corporate watchdog will investigate the $1.65 billion mystery takeover offer David Jones received from an obscure UK private equity firm.

Treasurer Wayne Swan says the eurozone's latest jobless figures highlight the deep-seated challenges facing the region, despite some progress in resolving its debt crisis.

Aurora Oil & Gas has moved closer to taking full control of takeover target Eureka Energy.

Woodside Petroleum says it has received the all-clear to sell part of its stake in the Browse gas project to Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsui & Co.

The Australian sharemarket has opened flat ahead of a holiday in the US and mixed overseas leads.

Younger Australians are more upbeat about the future than baby boomers while Labor voters are Australia's political pollyannas, a new poll has found.

US stocks have finished mixed after news that manufacturing contracted for the first time in almost three years in June, raising concerns about a key pillar of the US economic recovery.

The Australian dollar continues to trade above 102 US cents following concrete developments from a crucial summit of European leaders late last week.

The Australian sharemarket has closed higher, following gains on US and European markets in the wake of last week's summit of European Union leaders.

Mining and materials group OneSteel has officially kissed goodbye to its name and said it is on track to deliver a positive earnings result for its steel operations.

Lend Lease shares increased by more than five per cent after the company announced that it expects to post a modest rise in operating profit for its 2011/12 financial year.

Managing the completion of road, rail and port projects in the resources sector is critical to Australia retaining its share of the commodity exports market, a government report says.

A leading business lobby group has dismissed as a marketing exercise, a statement signed by hundreds of businesses backing the federal government's carbon tax.

Incitec Pivot has appointed Paul Brasher as chairman of the fertiliser and explosives maker.Mr Brasher, a former chairman of accounting firm PwC, replaces John Watson in the top role.

Hopes of a $1.65 billion takeover deal for David Jones have been dashed, with the mystery British private equity group behind the proposal making a quick retreat.

Australia's rate of inflation has fallen to its lowest level since the global financial crisis, a survey shows, giving the central bank room to cut interest rates further.

The Australian sharemarket has opened almost one per cent higher after European and US markets rallied on measures to fight the debt crisis in Europe.

Australia's central bank cut interest rates in May and June, but is not expected to make it three in a row when its board meets tomorrow.

Premier Colin Barnett says it's not too late for the federal government to halve its carbon price "to something around $10 a tonne", even though he does not believe it will reduce greenhouse gases.

The Australian dollar has climbed to a two-month high against its US counterpart after European leaders agreed to measures aimed at alleviating the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis.

US stocks leaped two per cent on Friday sparked by the dramatic measures adopted in Brussels to stem the eurozone crisis and stimulate growth, giving the markets a strong end to a rocky first half.

The Australian dollar has risen to its highest level in more than a week after European leaders announced a deal aimed at reducing borrowing costs for Spain and Italy.

Pacific Equity Partners is to acquire Nestle's Peters Ice Cream business for an undisclosed sum as the international food business shifts its range away from refrigerated products in Australia.

The Australian sharemarket has closed higher in the last trading session of the financial year, with investors heartened by the fact that European leaders looked like they had settled on a plan to

Outgoing police minister Rob Johnson says he doesn't know why he was axed ahead of next year's election and is disappointed by Premier Colin Barnett's cabinet shake-up.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart is likely to succeed in wresting control of Fairfax Media, but it could take at least six months of manoeuvring, an academic says.

Australia's federal and state governments are failing to ease a national housing affordability crisis, according to a new report.

The communications watchdog has slammed Telstra for publishing the personal details of more than 700,000 customers online for most of last year.

A federal-state government rescue package of more than $40 million will keep Alcoa's Victorian smelter open for at least another two years and most of its workforce in a job.

The Australian sharemarket has opened slightly down as investors look for signs of a solution in Europe on the last trading day of the financial year.

News Corp's Australian newspapers and pay TV companies will stay together while worldwide the media group's publishing assets are split off from TV and film under a restructure announced by the com

The Australian dollar has weakened as a meeting of European Union (EU) leaders begins in Brussels on the region's debt crisis.