Latest Finance News



New home sales pick up in January

The number of new home sales increased by 0.5 per cent in January, after a small fall in December, data from the Housing Industry Association (HIA) shows. January's new home sales were also up 17 p..

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NAB cuts fixed home loan rates

The National Australia Bank has cut its fixed interest rate for two-year terms to the lowest level in more than 20 years. The bank cut its two-year fixed interest rate by 0.05 per cent to 4.84 per ..

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Australian market set to open higher

The Australian market looks set to open higher after the S&P 500 hit a new record peak with investors were generally optimistic about growth in the US economy. At 0645 AEDT on Monday, the March..

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AMP chairman Mason to step down

AMP chairman Peter Mason will step down at the company's annual general meeting in May. Mr Mason, who has been chairman of the company for eight years, will be replaced by former Macquarie Group ex..

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Possible war in Ukraine drags $A down

The Australian dollar is weaker as escalating tension between the Ukraine and Russia dilutes appetite for riskier assets. At 0700 AEDT on Monday, the local unit was trading at 89.01 US cents, down ..

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Cheese maker doubles half year profit

Canadian owned Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory says international demand for dairy commodities remains strong. The company says its outlook for the remainder of the 2013/14 financial year rem..

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James Hardie rides US housing recovery

James Hardie is rewarding shareholders with a special dividend after more than doubling its profit as the US housing market picks up. The building products maker made a net profit of US$286 million..

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Credit growth picks up, but still slow

The value of credit outstanding to the private sector has risen 0.4 per cent. That rise, for January, was marginally slower than the 0.5 per cent rise in December, but it has still produced the big..

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Australian share market trading flat

The Australian sharemarket is flat at midday in the wake of a record session on United States markets overnight. "It is fairly flat but not a bad effort," Lonsec senior client adviser Michael Heffe..

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Virgin boss attacks Qantas over losses

Virgin Australia's boss has blamed Qantas for the air war that has left both airlines bleeding money and says its rival does not deserve government help. Virgin slumped to a first half net loss of ..

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Bulls drive S&P 500 to fresh record

The S&P 500 has set a new record close as buyers pushed up stocks helped by a cautiously positive view of the economy from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen. The Dow Jones Industrial Average a..

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Weak investment data weighs on shares

The sharemarket has fallen due to a worse than expected fall in business investment in the December quarter. Trading was also marked by a sharp fall in the value of Qantas shares, after the airline..

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Joyce says he’s the man for the job

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce says he's the right man for the job of overseeing the tough measures needed to return the airline to profit. He said their plan to axe 5,000 jobs, defer buying or ..

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Optus boss Russell quits

Optus chief Kevin Russell will step down at the end of March, just over two years after taking the post. Paul O'Sullivan, currently group consumer chief executive at Optus' parent company Singapore..

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Mining investment boom has peaked

Australia's mining investment boom is well and truly over, but other parts of the economy aren't quite ready to pick up the slack. Total new capital expenditure (capex) was down 5.2 per cent in the..

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Transfield returns to profit

Maintenance and project management firm Transfield Services says activity levels in Australia and New Zealand remain subdued leading into the second half of the financial year. But there may be sig..

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$A falls after investment data

The Australian dollar has fallen more than a third of a US cent after the release of worse-than-expected business investment figures for the December quarter. The Australian dollar was trading at 8..

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Business investment falls

Business investment in Australia had an unexpectedly large fall in the last three months of 2013, led by a big drop in mining related investment. Capital expenditure (capex) was down 5.2 per cent i..

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Cashed-up Seven hunts for growth

Billionaire Kerry Stokes' cashed-up Seven Group has shrugged off a forecast 30-40 per cent fall in full year profit, declaring it is chasing growth and takeovers. The media, industrial services and..

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