Australian stocks are on the back foot following the Malaysia Airlines crash in Ukraine, but the local market has so far avoided the bigger sell-offs seen in other parts of the world.
The Australian dollar is lower amid fears a Malaysian Airlines flight was shot down in rebel-held east Ukraine in what is being called a "terrorist" attack.
The Australian share market has firmed slightly to reach 5,522.4 points, its highest close in around six years, which was boosted by strength in the resources sector.
Four hundred global business leaders gathered in Sydney to reach consensus on a pathway for jobs growth will hear from Prime Minister Tony Abbott this morning.
The Australian dollar has moved little overnight, despite US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen saying interest rates could be raised sooner than expected.
US stocks have finished mostly lower with the Nasdaq dropping more than 0.5 per cent after the Federal Reserve warned that some technology stocks appear to be overvalued.
Supermarket giant Coles is taking on the big four banks by offering customers the ability to pick up loans and other personal finance products at the same time as their groceries.
Global investment bank Pareto Securities has opened its first office in Perth, with plans to supply bond finance to resources companies based in Australia.
FEATURE: Takeovers are a powerful way of delivering short-term returns to investors, as the Total Shareholder Return data released by Morningstar and applied to 700 companies on the Business News BNIQ database.
Gold prices slipped Friday as traders locked in profits after a sharp rally the day before, but the metal ended the week higher, for a sixth straight weekly gain.
Australian stocks finished the day higher but the market was down for the week after three days of losses from Monday to Wednesday, with the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index 22.4 points, or 0.41 per cent, higher at 5,486.8.
The Deloitte WA Index declined in June after positive performance in the previous month, with the market capitalisation of Western Australian listed companies decreasing by 3.1 per cent to close the month at $149.3 billion.
At 1010 AEST on Friday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 19.2 points, or 0.35 per cent, at 5,445.2., while the broader All Ordinaries index was down 18.0 points, or 0.33 per cent, at 5,4
The Australian sharemarket ended a three-day run of losses with modest gains, despite a rise in the unemployment rate, with the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index 11.9 points, or 0.22 per cent, higher at 5,464.4.
