US stocks have closed higher after Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke gave a gloomy assessment of the economy to Congress and said the Fed would act if the situation gets worse.
The Australian dollar rose to its highest level in almost two weeks after the Reserve Bank of Australia showed some optimism about the economic outlook.
The Australian share market has closed higher, boosted by commentary from the nation's central bank that there were recent positive signs for the Australian economy.
When the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia met on July 3, its members saw no case to cut the cash rate again and gave no hint that a cut was in the pipeline.
US stocks have closed lower after an unexpected fall in retail sales in June, the third consecutive drop that fuelled concerns about the strength of consumer spending, a key driver of the economy.
The Australian share market finished higher, with investors feeling more confident about taking risks following positive Chinese economic data last week.
Westpac Banking Corporation is raising $500 million through the issue of subordinated notes.Westpac said the notes would be offered at an issue price of $100 each.
The Australian share market has opened almost one per cent higher as investors snapped up resources stocks following commodity price rises and gains on Wall Street.
US stocks broke a six-day losing streak on Friday, helped by better-than-feared JPMorgan Chase results that bared a $US5.8 billion ($A5.7 billion) loss on its bungled London derivatives trading ope
The Australian dollar has pulled back a bit after dropping to its lowest level in two weeks overnight ahead of the release of key Chinese economic data.
The Nasdaq stock index led Wall Street lower Thursday, as traders shrugged off data showing US unemployment claims fell to their lowest level since March 2008.
US stock markets ended lower, continuing the euro and data-inspired drop seen the day before as markets gave a muted response to the latest news from the Federal Reserve.
The Australian share market has closed relatively flat as investors await key economic data and commentary from the United States and more figures on China's economic growth.
The banking system was not transparent enough and had to be more tightly regulated in the wake of recent global scandals, says Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) deputy governor Philip Lowe.
US stocks closed sharply lower Tuesday as investors digested a positive start to earnings season, a eurozone deal to help support Spain and its banks, and disappointing Chinese trade data.
