Financial Services

The Australian share market has closed higher, boosted by a 10 per cent rise in the shares of Woodside Petroleum, which announced a $520 million return to shareholders.

The Australian market has opened higher, lifted by a positive session on Wall Street and gains for Woodside Petroleum.

US stocks have moved higher amid mixed earnings reports, bouncing back after last week's losses.

The Australian dollar has started the week on the back foot, after losing more than three quarters of a US cent late on Friday.

The Australian share market closed higher, led by resources stocks that rebounded after being battered last week due to falling commodity prices.

The Australian market has opened higher with gains across the board except in retail stocks.

The Australian dollar is lower as its US counterpart rallies amid concern about the weak global economic growth.

US stocks eked out a gain on Friday but it wasn't enough to keep the week from ending in the red.

The Australian dollar is higher after gains on stock markets and in the gold price overshadowed a warning from the International Monetary Fund about the currency's value.

The Australian share market has made feeble gains, after resources stocks were spared a further pounding.

Australian stocks have opened firmer, as investors defied a negative lead from Wall Street and took advantage of recent declines to get back into the local market.

The Australian dollar is lower as gloom about the global economy continues to weigh on stock markets.

US stocks have fallen for a second day in a row amid mixed earnings reports and gloomy sentiment over recent economic indicators.

The Australian share market has closed lower, led by sharp losses among the big miners.

Australian stocks have opened lower, with market players getting out of the resources sector and pouring into the big banks.

US stocks have closed sharply lower in the wake of disappointing earnings reports and a 5.5 per cent plunge in Apple shares, along with dreary economic sentiment in Europe.

The Australian share market turned positive again after two days of losses, with investors buoyed by strong overseas leads.

Australian stocks have opened firmer, with the strong start to the trading day underpinned by gains among the big four retail banks and defensive sectors.

US stocks have rallied strongly as investors took Monday's market rout as a buying opportunity.The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 157.58 (1.08 per cent) to 14,756.78.

The Australian dollar is trading lower in the wake of falls on global share markets and the Boston bombings.

Australian investors were left confused after $7 billion was wiped off the value of the sharemarket, taking the losses in two days to more than $22 billion. 

The Reserve Bank of Australia is ready to push interest rates lower if that's what the economy needs.

The Australian market was lower at open as investors became risk averse in light of the disappointing economic data out of China and the fatal bombings in Boston.

Deadly explosions in Boston and disappointing China economic growth have rocked US stocks, sending the broad-market S&P 500 down more than 2.0 per cent.

The Australian share market has closed sharply lower as commodity price falls and weak economic data from China sparked a major sell off.

Australian stocks have opened weaker, with the big miners leading the broader market lower after commodities prices, particularly gold, were hit hard in offshore trading.

There has been plenty of recent ammunition to feed scepticism in the bull market of 2013 - yet stocks continued to float higher, racking up solid gains for the week.

The Australian dollar has pushed higher, helped along by continued strength on share markets.At 1700 AEST, the currency was at 105.56 US cents, up from 105.21 US cents yesterday.

Australian shares closed marginally higher on Friday to complete their biggest one-week gain since last October.

Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest says Australia will be left behind if efforts aren't made to make Sydney a strategic trading centre for Chinese currency.

The Australian share market has opened higher after Wall Street hit fresh record highs overnight.

US stocks have pushed to new record levels after the government's weekly report on jobless claims came in better than expected.