Financial Services

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.

Macquarie Bank paid $20 million for a one fifth stake in Perth-based financial services group Homeloans.

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 City of Swan is leading new legal action against Standard & Poors to recoup financial losses stemming from the collapse of Lehman Brothers Australia.

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.

The artificial currency, Bitcoin, won’t trigger the next crash, but its mere existence is a sign of the problems facing financial markets.

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.

The Australian dollar hit a fresh 10-week high following gains on US sharemarkets, but lost some ground after disappointing jobs figures.

The Australian share market has bounced back to close above the key 5,000 point mark for the first time in a month amid hopes that local interest rates will fall.

Australian stocks have opened higher, led by strong gains from the big banks and supermarket chains.

US stocks powered to new record highs on Wednesday after Federal Reserve meeting minutes suggested the Fed's easy-money policies would remain in place for a while longer.

The Australian dollar has rallied to its highest level in more than two months, helped along by Chinese trade data.