Financial Services

Poor earnings and forecasts from major US industrial firms have added to a global markets downturn to send US stocks plummeting, with DuPont losing 9.1 per cent on its earnings plunge.

The Australian dollar is marking time ahead of the release of key inflation data.

The Australian share market closed almost unchanged, as investors awaited key manufacturing data from China and more news on company earnings in the United States.

The Australian share market has opened flat.

A diminished sales forecast by industrial bellwether Caterpillar has clouded stocks, but a last-minute burst of buying pushed the Dow and S&P 500 barely back into the black for the session.

The Australian dollar is a third of a US cent lower as rising expectations of an interest rate cut in November put pressure on the currency.

Australian stocks have closed more than half a per cent lower, with the resources sector worst hit on a day of broad-based declines.

The Reserve Bank of Australia is introducing industry-wide reporting standards for mortgage-backed securities to boost investor confidence in the market.

Australian stocks have opened weaker, as a disappointing finish on Wall Street over the weekend prompted widespread selling at the start of the local trading week.

US markets sank on Friday, with the Nasdaq pulled down more than two per cent by a tech stock rout led by Apple and Microsoft as a raft of disappointing earnings and trimmed forecasts spooked inves

The Australian dollar is lower as traders took profits after a five-day rally led to a four-week high.

The Australian share market closed slightly stronger at a fresh 15-month high, ahead of a summit of EU leaders this weekend.

National Australia Bank has raised its provisions to deal with the impact of an economic downturn by $250 million, a move that will negatively impact its full year earnings.

Australian stocks have opened lower, dropping from near 15-month highs amid weakness in the resources and financial sectors.

The Australian dollar is slightly lower, as it retreats from a two-week high reached following positive Chinese data.

Google's shares have plunged after a surprise drop in earnings in a prematurely released quarterly report, but while the Nasdaq sank the Dow avoided being pulled down as well.

Luke Saraceni's Westgem Investments has been placed into liquidation, following a heated creditors meeting in Perth this morning in which leading insolvency experts argued over who should be appoin

The Australian dollar hit an almost three-week high after traders breathed a sigh of relief over China's latest economic growth figures.

Australian stocks have closed at near 15-month highs after gaining one per cent on good news from home and abroad.

Bank of Queensland's new management is confident an overhaul of its lending practices will prevent a repeat of its $17 million full year loss - the first posted by a local bank in two decades.

The federal Treasury anticipates sluggish global economic growth outlook for the next 12 to 18 months, a Senate hearing has been told.

The Australian market opened almost one per cent higher as rising iron ore prices led to strong opening gains for the mining giants.

US stocks have fought off early selling pressure linked to disappointing quarterly results from IBM and Intel to close broadly higher, extending two days of solid gains.

The Australian dollar rose past 103 US cents for the first time in two weeks, as Asian markets were buoyed by good news from Europe and the US.

Rupert Murdoch has survived a second shareholder push to oust him as News Corp's chairman, with the media mogul painting a rosy picture of the company's recent achievements and future under his gui

The Australian share market has climbed to its highest closing level since July 2011 as investors took heart from stronger US markets and fresh hopes that debt-ridden Spain will ask for some

Australian households have cut spending, paid down debt and are feeling more comfortable about their finances.

Australian shares opened higher on fresh hopes that Spain would formally ask the European Central Bank for a bailout.

US markets registered their best gains so far this month on good earnings reports from Mattel, Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson, as Citigroup rose 1.6 per cent after the shock resignation of its

The Australian dollar is almost half a US cent higher, following a strong lead from Asian stock markets.

The Australian share market has closed slightly higher after easing back from an earlier peak, with investors encouraged by a positive lead from United States markets and prospects of another cut t

Personal finance loans fell by 3.3 per cent in August, official figures show.