AAP

Retail spending has had a quiet start to the year, struggling to make any significant gains, and economists don't believe it will change any time soon.

Seventeen months after Perth investor Anthony Grist left the board of Vocus Communications after failing to secure backing for a leadership shake-up, the three former M2 Group directors who retained control at that time have all resigned from the underperforming telco business.

The CFMEU is about to get another 'M' after the Fair Work Commission approved a merger of three of Australia's most prominent unions.

News Corporation and Telstra have struck a deal that will see Foxtel and Fox Sports will merge into a single company by the end of June, with current Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delaney at its head.

The Australian share market has opened higher after markets overseas regained some of the losses of last week which followed US President Donald Trump's announcement to impose hefty trade tariffs on imported steel and aluminium.

The Australian dollar is slightly higher, as the US sharemarket bounces back from recent losses made of the US government's announcement that it will impose trade tariffs.

Gold prices dropped on Monday as a stronger US dollar outweighed the impact of uncertainty created by Italy's unclear election result and fears of a possible global trade war.

Australian shares closed sharply lower on Friday after fears of a trade war were sparked by US president Donald Trump's surprise announcement of tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commissionhas asked operators of six liquefied natural gas facilities in Western Australia and the Northern Territory to publicly disclose maintenance schedule information they share with each other.

The competition watchdog is taking Woolworths to the Federal Court, accusing it of labelling its disposable picnic products as biodegradable when they are not.

The Australian share market has started lower for the third straight session, as fresh weakness on Wall Street overnight relayed through to local stocks.

The Australian dollar has rebounded to take some of the ground lost against its US counterpart since the new Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell signalled there could be more US interest rate ri

Oil has slumped more than one per cent, touching two-week lows under pressure from a retreating stock market and worries about surging US crude output.

Gold prices have fallen about one per cent and hit two-month lows during the session, pressured as the dollar shot to a six-week high and investors braced for expected US interest rate hikes after

Melbourne-based explosives manufacturer Orica has secured supply contracts in the Pilbara with BHP Billiton and Roy Hill, but expects operational issues and write-downs to cut its first-half earnings by nearly $400 million.

The Australian share market has fallen for a second straight day as Wall Street tumbled and several influential stocks traded without the right to their latest dividends.

The Australian share market has dropped sharply in early trade, dragged down by a sell-off on Wall Street and a number of local stocks going ex-dividend.

The Australian dollar has continued its decline against its US counterpart which has continued to strengthen following Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's hawkish comments to Congress.

Oil prices are lower but have pared losses, after data showing a build in US crude inventories was tempered somewhat by a drop in per cent crude production in December.

Gold prices have steadied after the previous session's more than one per cent fall following comments by the Federal Reserve's new chairman that fuelled views the US central bank would raise rates

The Australian share market's five-day winning streak has come to end as the possibility of accelerated interest rate hikes in the US again spooked investors, and market heavyweight Telstra traded

South Korean steel giant POSCO has signed a long-term offtake agreement with ASX-listed lithium miner Pilbara Minerals and agreed to invest in its upcoming project in Western Australia.

Furniture and electronics retailer Harvey Norman's half-year net profit has slumped with franchisees' earnings falling amid a souring of the group's dairy investments.

Virgin Australia has confirmed it will remain an ASX-listed company for now as the airline delivered its best half-year financial results in a decade.

The Australian share market has slipped in early trade, taking the cue from a sell-off on Wall Street, as the Federal Reserve chair's hawkish comments revived worries about US interest rate hikes.

The Australian dollar is nearly half a per cent lower against its US counterpart after new Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's congressional testimony sends the greenback higher.

Gold prices have fallen more than one per cent after the new US central bank chairman pledged to stick with gradual interest rate increases.

Oil has seen its first decline in five days, pressured by a firmer US dollar and expectations that upcoming weekly data will show an increase in US crude inventories.

The share marker is higher for a fifth straight session as positive offshore leads contributed to gains for miners and banks.

Mineral sands miner Iluka has lifted full-year revenue almost 40 per cent due to surging sales and higher prices for its products, but impairments have weighed on the bottom line.

Australian shares are off to a bright start in early trade, buoyed by strong trade on Wall Street and possibly heading for a fifth straight day of gains.

The Australian dollar is lower against its US counterpart which has been unable to sustain a rise in the US session.