Breaking news business
Economy wide spending up in April
2:39am Spending rose for the eighth consecutive month in April, according to the Commonwealth Bank's Business Sales Indicator
Westpac drops fixed rate
5:20pm Westpac has lowered its one year fixed home loan rate to 4.79 per cent
Aust market tipped to open higher
Kylie Williams 1:09pm The Australian market is expected to open higher this week after strong leads from Wall Street.
Greek economy recovering but few jobs
Greece's long recession may be over by 2014 but the jobless rate will stay above 20 per cent for another three years.
Tiger Australia narrows quarterly loss
Tiger Australia expects to be better positioned to tap opportunities for further expansion following the ownership tie-up with Virgin Australia.
Qld govt approves Crown increase in Echo
Queensland's Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation allows Crown to lift its voting stake to above 10 per cent in Echo.
$A down and staying down
Evan Schwarten The Australian dollar appears to be settled for a long stay below the 100 US cent mark.
Australian slump affects Nuplex earnings
Nuplex shares have dropped nearly nine per cent after it cut its full-year earnings guidance again.
China buys into power network
Drew Cratchley A state-owned Chinese power company is set to take a major stake Singapore Power International's Australian assets.
Argyle offers rare red diamonds in 2013
Kylie Williams Rio Tinto's Argyle Diamond Mine has three rare red diamonds in its annual tender for the first time in its 30-year history.
Jobs, house prices boost NZ confidence
Paul McBeth More respondents in the ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence survey feel better off financially than they did a month ago.
Australian investor cuts Summerset stake
Quadrant Private Equity has asked Summerset Group to seek a trading halt so it can sell part of its shareholding.
Target's slide continues
Kylie Williams Target's slide continues with Wesfarmers downgrading its earnings forecast due to a warmer autumn, too many sales and restructuring costs.
WorleyParsons shares hit four-year lows
Greg Roberts and Drew Cratchley. Engineering firm WorleyParsons shares dropped to four-year lows after it said full year profit would be lower than forecast.
Aust bonds prices move higher
Australian bond futures prices are higher following disappointing US economic figures, but spent the local session trading in a narrow range.
S&P cuts outlook for NZ small banks
Paul McBeth Global credit rating agency Standard & Poor's cuts its outlook on eight of NZ's smaller local banks to negative raising the prospect of a rating downgrade.
Stocks to watch at noon on Friday
Stocks of interest on the Australian Securities Exchange at noon on Friday
Commodities markets summary
Commodities news from around the world
$A hits fresh low, heading lower
Evan Schwarten The Australian dollar has fallen to its lowest level in almost a year as traders continue to ditch the currency in favour of the US dollar.
Aust shares close higher
Greg Roberts The Australian share market closed higher on Friday, led by mining stocks that rebounded after heavy selling in recent days
International markets roundup
News from the world’s major stock markets
Metcash expands auto parts business
Metcash to buy wholesale auto truck and spare parts business to add to its wholesaling portfolio of businesses.
Aust needs more high-end tourists: Packer
Kylie Williams Billionaire casino tycoon James Packer wants more high-end tourists, especially from China, to visit Australia.
Phosphate group finds partner
Central Australian Phosphate's shares fell after Canadian gold miner Monument Mining withdrew from a takeover battle and instead agreed to a farm-in deal.
Virgin shares tumble after profit warning
Virgin Australia's shares have fallen by more than 17 per cent after the airline issued a profit warning.
Woodside eyes huge Mozambique gas field
Kim Christian Woodside Petroleum is keeping an eye on a massive offshore gas field in Mozambique as the oil and giant looks overseas at prospects in Israel and Burma.
Tabcorp takes Vic govt to court
Tabcorp is going ahead with legal action against the Victorian government to challenge a $42 million levy imposed on the gaming firm.
ANZ's Marriott joins Westpac
Former long-serving ANZ chief financial officer Peter Marriott is joining the board of Westpac.
Resources investment to peak at $85bn
Kim Christian Investment in Australia's resources sector is expected to peak at $85 billion in 2013 due to unprecedented spending in oil and gas as well as iron ore.
Clean Seas happy to predict $4-6m loss
Clean Seas Tuna shares are up more than 27 per cent after it predicted a full year loss of up to $6 million and said a profit was in sight.
