Financial Services

Australian shares have lost ground as weak iron ore prices weighed on the market.

The Australian share market has opened slightly lower as weak iron-ore prices and concerns China's softening economy overshadows Wall Street's new highs.

The Australian dollar hit an almost two week high after official data showed business investment intentions for the coming financial year are getting stronger.

The battle between two giant meat processors over hot dog maker Hillshire Brands has helped boost Wall Street, lifting the S&P 500 to a new record.

Perth-based biotech firm Orthocell has confirmed it intends to list on the ASX after outlining plans for an $8 million initial public offering.

The Australian share market has closed lower as falling iron ore prices weighed upon the resources sector.

The Australian share market has opened lower on soft US leads and a further drop in iron ore prices.

The Australian dollar remains steady in the absence of any major economic news or data.

Wall Street stocks have finished lower following mixed earnings reports as investors looked ahead to major US economic data releases.

The Australian share market has closed in positive territory after touching a six year high in afternoon trade.

The Australian share market has opened on a positive note, led by the big banks, after an encouraging lead from the United States.

The Australian dollar is steady after a quiet night of trade on currency markets.

The S&P 500 has notched a record close for the second straight session as US stocks rallied following some solid economic data.

The Australian share market has closed flat, with few local and offshore leads.

Suncorp boss Patrick Snowball is determined to keep the financial services group's problematic life insurance business despite it facing a $500 million writedown.

The Australian share market has opened higher with both the mining and banking stocks up.

The Australian dollar has managed to hold its ground after getting some support from a positive session on European stock markets.

Italy has led Europe's stock markets in a robustly positive reaction to elections which have put conservatives in a leading position but given anti-EU forces a huge boost in France and Britain.

The Australian share market has pushed back above the 5,500 mark amid a quiet trading session that was buoyed by last week's gains on overseas markets.

The Australian share market has pushed above the 5,500 mark at the open on the back of a positive lead from markets in the United States last week.

The Australian dollar has drifted lower against a stronger greenback amid an improving US economic outlook.

US stocks have finished a bumpy week on a high note as technology and small-cap equities shook off the blues from recent weeks and led the overall market higher.

The Australian share market has closed slightly higher as investors bide their time ahead of developments in the US and Europe.

The Australian share market has opened higher after markets in the United States lifted overnight and iron ore prices stabilised.

The Australian dollar is lower after a rally sparked by strong Chinese data fizzled out during the offshore session.

Wall Street stocks have finished higher following mixed US economic data as a closely watched index of small-cap equities outperformed the broader market.

The Australian share market has closed higher on signs Chinese manufacturing activity has picked up significantly.

The share market has made a strong start to trade, with all sectors higher after a positive session on Wall Street.

The Australian dollar is slightly higher after bouncing from a three week low.

Wall Street stocks have finished with sharp gains following mixed retail sector earnings and Federal Reserve policy meeting minutes that showed little change in policy.

The Australian share market has climbed back from early losses to close slightly higher.

The share market has opened lower as further falls in the price of Australia's largest export, iron ore, hit the mining sector.