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.
US stocks have scored moderate gains following a solid kickoff to earnings season from Alcoa, and Federal Reserve meeting minutes signalling an end to its bond-buying program in October.
The Australian dollar is higher on greenback weakness after the US Federal Reserve's policy committee said it would not begin raising interest rates for "a considerable time".
Australian stocks fell heavily on a day where the negative mood among US investors overnight carried into local trading, with the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index closing 58.4 points, or 1.06 per cent, lower at 5,452.5.
Perth broker Euroz Limited has more than doubled its annual net profit to $26.5 million, after the acquisition of Blackswan Equities lifted its profit guidance for the financial year.
