Financial Services

Westpac Bank has beaten expectations by lifting its full year cash profit by eight per cent to $7.63 billion.

The Australian dollar has fallen to a one-week low as worries about economic growth in China and Japan escalate.

US equities have powered to fresh records after the Bank of Japan's surprise stimulus ignited a rally on global stock exchanges.

The share market has closed higher as the big miners rebounded from recent falls and ANZ's record profit helped the banks.

Mortgage broking wholesaler Australian Finance Group is set for a record run into Christmas, with expectations its new loan applications will soar beyond $5 billion as early as this month.

Wealth manager Macquarie Group's profit has surged by 35 per cent on the back of strong demand for fixed-income investments and a weakening Australian dollar.

Eight Western Australians, including five 40under40 winners, have made the 2014 BRW Rich List with a collective wealth of $337 million.

ANZ Banking Group's chief executive thinks the world can handle the end of US economic stimulus measures but warns that Australia's Financial System Inquiry may damage the local economy.

The share market has opened higher after a rise on US markets overnight and market heavyweight ANZ achieved strong profit growth.

The Australian dollar has followed US stocks higher as it recovers from its steep fall following the US central bank meeting.

Strong earnings by credit card giant Visa sent its stock soaring, almost single-handedly powering the Dow to a 1.3 per cent gain.

Strong demand for healthcare in Western Australia has provided a significant boost to St John of God Health Care’s revenue and resulting surplus.

The share market has closed higher as the big banks continued their strong run, despite a fall in profit for National Australia Bank.

Broking firms have made bids of almost $12 billion for the Abbott government's sale of health insurer Medibank Private.

National Australia Bank chief executive Andrew Thorburn says the company must get out of its troubled UK banking business to improve returns.

The Australian share market has opened higher despite a drop in US markets overnight.

The Australian dollar has dropped more than one US cent after the Federal Reserve issued an upbeat assessment of the American employment market.

Wall Street stocks have finished lower after the US Federal Reserve ended its quantitative easing stimulus program, but said it would continue to keep its benchmark interest rate low.

The share market is weaker as investors cautiously wait for the big banks to deliver their full-year results.

Suncorp's chief executive is calling on Treasurer Joe Hockey to tackle the competitive disadvantage of the smaller banks.

The falling Aussie dollar is starting to have an impact on the Australian economy, giving company revenues a boost.

The Australian share market has opened higher after Wall Street rose on upbeat US consumer confidence.

The Australian dollar has hit a three-week high after weaker-than-expected economic data caused a sell off in the greenback.

The Dow has jumped back above 17,000 following a strong report on US consumer confidence and another round of mostly solid corporate earnings.

Rules are costing Western Australians $37 billion every year and an average of eight hours a week complying with self-imposed red tape, a new Deloitte report has found.

The share market improved from a poor start but still closed marginally lower, due to weakness in sectors exposed to commodities.

The share market has opened weaker as another disappointing German business confidence reading reignited European growth concerns.

Wall Street stocks have finished little changed as the market absorbed losses in petroleum stocks while looking ahead to a two-day US Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting.

The Australian dollar is slightly lower after weak German economic data weighed on market confidence.

ANZ says "an abundance of caution" led it to request a stop to trading of its shares after the bank accidentally published its own profit data on its website.

The share market has made a strong start to the week, with a rebound by the banks pushing it higher.

The combined wealth of WA’s richest public company directors fell by around $3 billion in the past year, but some individuals bucked the trend.