US stock markets brushed off rising tensions over Ukraine and Iraq to push through to new records, underpinned by easy money and steady growth in corporate profits.
The stock market has closed flat as the impact on miners of weaker iron ore prices, and falls by the retail giants, were offset by gains in other sectors.
Sharp timing on commodities stocks has helped drive a strong result for investment manager Katana Capital, with a 187 per cent increase in revenue to $8.3 million, from $2.8 million the previous financial year.
Perth-based financial services group Pioneer Credit has delivered full-year profit of $4.6 million in its first year as a publicly-listed company on the back of strong gains in customer payments.
The Australian share market has closed modestly higher after the S&P 500 index in the United States finished above 2,000 points for the first time, helped by more encouraging data on the US economy.
Financing group ThinkSmart has reported a six-month net profit of $11.3 million, up 391 per cent from its posted $2.3 million in full-year profit result in February.
The Australian stock market has opened higher following positive leads from US and European markets which have negated the downward effect of local stocks paying out their dividend.
The S&P 500 has finished above 2000 for the first time, capping a steep climb from 676 in March 2009, when the market hit bottom during the Great Recession.
The Australian share market has closed almost flat as modest gains among the major banks outweighed weakness in the big miners pressured by falling iron ore prices.
The Australian dollar is lower against the strengthened greenback after a neutral speech by US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen surprised the market.
US stocks enjoyed a week of solid gains following a batch of good economic data and mostly strong corporate earnings as concerns about geopolitical hotspots ebbed somewhat.
The S&P 500 has set a new record as US stocks powered higher, shrugging off geopolitical problems elsewhere and gaining from fresh signs of strength in the US economy.
