Financial Services

Australian shares added 1.1 per cent after positive Chinese trade data boosted markets already buoyed by positive US earnings and hopes for a pick up in local buyout deals. 

 Tree planter Carbon Conscious Ltd expects its net profit in the 2011/12 financial year to rise 309 per cent to $3.5 million.

The private equity firm interested in buying Spotless Group says it is unable to increase its offer without access to the Spotless books.

A takeover push for clothing and footwear maker Pacific Brands could mark the start of a buying spree among private equity firms in search of bargains, analysts say.

IAG confirmed today that its Direct and CGU businesses had received approximately 24,000 claims following the hailstorms and related severe weather which occurred in Victoria around Christmas Day.

Australian shares extended early gains after a positive start to the United States earnings season and news of more interest from private equity firms in local companies.

 US stocks managed modest gains Monday as Wall Street awaited the unofficial kickoff of the fourth-quarter earnings season and talks between France and Germany on Europe's debt crisis.

European shares fell on Monday in thin trade, dragged down by banking stocks after Unicredit's rocky start to its key rights issue and worries about prospects for the U.S. earnings season.

The Australian dollar fell after official data showed a continuing weakness in Australia's retail sector.

Australian shares close largely unchanged after a day of tepid trading as investors gear up for the start of the US earnings season.

Australia's big four banks are being given a run for their money by rival mortgage lenders snatching a greater share of the home loan market.

Industrial services company Spotless Group has requested its private equity suitor increase its takeover bid to $743 million.

Australian shares open slightly higher after strong US non-farm payroll data released on Friday buoyed hopes that the world's largest economy is on the mend.

Weak equity values and a slowdown in deal flow have resulted in Perth-based stockbroker and funds manager Euroz reporting a sharply lower profit for the half-year to December 2011.

Weaker-than-expected revenue combined with faster-than-planned spending growth have resulted in the state government’s projected budget surplus being revised down to $209 million.

Australian stocks ended 1.2 per cent lower as another slump in retail stocks and sagging investor sentiment over the eurozone debt crisis weighed on the market.

Australian stocks declined one per cent in thin trade after a muted reaction to the latest move to solve Europe's debt crisis took the shine off hopes for a Christmas rally.

Australian shares broke their two-day losing streak to end sharply higher after strong gains on offshore markets sparked hopes for a long-awaited Christmas rally.

St George Bank has cut its fixed home loan interest rates again as variable rates become more attractive.

Chief executive of market operator ASX Robert Elstone will join the board of Westpac Banking Corporation in the new year.

Australian stocks clawed back recent losses in early trade as sharp gains in offshore bourses sparked hopes for a long-awaited Christmas rally.

Australia is expected to remain a hot spot of merger and acquisition activity because of its cashed-up companies, in defiance of a worldwide slump in corporate deals, new research finds.

Australian stocks ended slightly weaker after a day of choppy trade as positive minutes from the central bank's meeting helped investors shrug off the ongoing economic gloom. 

Westpac Banking Corporation says it will defend a class action against all four big banks over allegedly unlawful fees.

The possibility of further interest rate cuts hinges entirely on developments in Europe's government debt crisis, economists say.

Perth-based junior Sunbird Energy announced today it has closed its $9 million initial public offering (IPO) early after being oversubscribed.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) says it expects global economic growth to stall in the coming year, keeping the door open for more cash rate cuts in 2012.

Australian stocks rose slightly as investors went bargain-hunting after a rout on the retail sector yesterday saw shares slump to a three-week low.

Australian shares ended near a three-week low as the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il brought more uncertainty to a market already riled by a slump in the share price of domestic retailers.

Four out of five Australians are worried about their ability to meet future debt repayments, a survey shows.

Superannuation funds have posted their worst performance since the height of the global financial crisis in 2008 as the eurozone's debt problems cut returns from capital markets.

Contractor Macmahon Holdings has upsized its syndicated financing facilities from $240 million to $475 million, following a successful half year with the confirmation of around $1.7 billion of new