AAP

US stock markets scored robust gains Tuesday after the embattled Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, said he would resign after austerity measures are approved.

Silvio Berlusconi says he will stand down as Italian prime minister once key reforms aimed at calming market turmoil are adopted this month, after his coalition lost its majority in parliament.

The Australian dollar fell half a US cent amid concerns that Italy risked defaulting on its sovereign debt.

The leaders of Australia's energy and electricity companies have welcomed the new carbon pricing scheme, saying it might reduce rather than increase their costs.

The Australian share market closed firmer after a positive US lead but trading volumes were low as investors sat on the sidelines as anxiety over eurozone debt continued.

Westfield Group says its shopping centre business is performing well despite a mixed sales performance in the three months to September.

Economic activity softened in contrast with increased confidence in October, a private survey has shown.

Treasurer Wayne Swan says the government will argue for its proposed mining tax as strenuously as it did for the carbon price legislation passed by parliament today.

One of the world's largest investment management organisations has doubled its stake in Perth-based Cape Lambert Resources.

There is no reason why Qantas and its warring unions can't reach an agreement within their 21-day deadline, federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese says.

Recent trade figures reflect the continuing strength bolstered by the mining sector, economists say.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia expects subdued credit growth to continue into next year, and says gains in productivity will drive improvements in its performance.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has returned to Australia to find her government is more popular with voters than when she left a week ago.

Australian stocks have opened firmer, with the gold and metals and minerals sectors leading the broader market higher after a positive lead from Wall Street.

The Australian dollar has lifted this morning, on the back of positive economic news from the US, and optimism around local data due today.

US stocks jumped strongly in the last two hours of trade Monday to finish in the green after a day spent mostly in the loss zone under more clouds from the eurozone crisis.

More than half of Australians disapprove of the decision by Qantas last month to ground its domestic and international fleet, a new poll shows.

The Australian dollar fell almost half a US cent as traders awaited further developments on the resolution to Greece's sovereign debt woes.

Voluntary targets for female participation on company boards should be encouraged, the global head of a professional services network company says.

The federal government is talking up its efforts to achieve uniform rules on coal seam gas mining to protect the environment.

Australia's unemployment rate is expected to have risen in October as global economic uncertainties kept local employers from hiring new staff.

The Australian share market closed slightly lower after energy stocks lost ground and Westpac and Macquarie Group traded without a dividend.

The push for a new regional free trade deal will be at the top of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's agenda when she sits down with her Asia-Pacific counterparts in Hawaii this week.

Evolution Mining says one of its four Australian gold mines may beat its full year production forecast, but two could fall short.

Acting Prime Minister Wayne Swan says he believes sticking to the federal government's plan to bring the budget back to surplus in 2012/13 sends an important message to financial markets that there

Job advertisements have fallen for the fourth month in a row, suggesting that unemployment will rise in the coming months and adding to the case for lower interest rates.

Australian stocks have opened marginally lower, much less than the declines on offshore markets late last week.

Residential lot production in Perth is back on the upswing, after a sustained period of decline, according to a report released today.

The Australian dollar has dropped slightly after a disappointing conclusion to the G20 Summit over the weekend.

Oil prices gained on Friday as markets prepared for another weekend of mystery over the fate of the eurozone rescue plan.

Three Harvey Norman stores have been placed in the hands of administrators, two of them wholly-owned subsidiaries in Western Australia.

The Australian dollar rose around one and a half US cents as concerns over Greece's debt crisis eased.