BUSINESS

The Australian stockmarket fell to its lowest in three weeks on Thursday after weak building data encouraged steep end of month profit-taking, particularly in bank shares.

An Adelaide mall in South Australia is set to commence extended weeknights trading on Tuesday next week as a city shop union workers called on retailers to only employ staff who wilfully volunteered to work additional hours.

The Reserve Bank of Australia should lift rates if local mining investment boom continues to be Australia's main economic driver, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said in a report published Thursday.

There are more job vacancies in the three months to August, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) published today.

Toll operator RiverCity Motorway Group (ASX: RCY) reported on Thursday that the group should be able to extend its current cash holdings through September next year to keep Brisbane’s Clem7 tunnel operating until that time.

Finally, Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation formally came out on Thursday and denied media reports that it has abandoned its Australian partner, Murchison Metals Ltd (ASX: MMX), on their joint venture of constructing the Oakajee port and rail project in Western Australia.

August's Rismark Home Value Index of the real estate research firm RP Data shows a slight drop in the value of houses in Australia's capital cities.

Still reeling from the series of its financial and operational woes, Cougar Energy Ltd (ASX: CXY) came out scrambling for the right solutions as the company announced on Thursday that it is currently conducting discussions that could lead to an alliance in developing further underground coal gasification (UCG) projects.

Australian demand for construction or improvement of home building has declined in August as higher interest rates turned off would-be borrowers.

Hobart was the best-performing capital city in the three months to August, according to a leading supplier of commercial and residential property information services.

The Australian dollar dipped on Thursday noon after disappointing domestic building approvals data gave investors an excuse to sell into some of its recent hefty gains.

The Australian sharemarket is trading sharply lower at Thursday noon after receiving some mixed local data and negative leads overnight.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) found the Australian financial system to be strong and profitable.

The New South Wales Supreme Court ruled in favor of grocer company Metcash Limited's (ASX: MTS) position against its former supermarket chief.

Figures were flying high for Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) as the company reported on Thursday that travellers using the airline’s services have risen by 8.5 percent in August though the company’s revenue seat factor has retreated a bit by 0.9 percent to 79.6 percent for the year.

Australian home prices in August continued a downward trend since the market peaked in May, according to RP Data-Rismark's capital city home value index.

The new director of Sigma Pharmaceutical Limited (ASX: SIP) warned of a 12 month recovery period for the company.

Mining services firm Asciano Group (ASX: AIO) said on Thursday that it has been awarded a 10-year $550 million hauling contract by Centennial Coal Company Ltd to transport some 4.5 million tonnes of coal from Centennial’s mine site in the Southern and Western Coalfields regions of New South Wales.

Global ratings agency Fitch Ratings will conduct several stress tests on Australian banks so as to determine what is likely to happen if mortgage defaults rise as much as eight percent and property prices slump by 40 percent.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Wednesday that the Australian economy is robust enough to absorb global financial shocks as the world body praised the country’s economic managers for bringing it into budget surpluses while noting that it is one of the few advance economies which emerged largely unscathed from the global financial crisis.

The nation's largest telecommunication company is prepared for operations without the National Broadband Network deal.

The recent rally in the AUD continued overnight with the local unit breaching USD0.9700 to record its highest level since July 2008.

US mortgage applications fell by 0.8pct in the past week - marking the fourth straight week of declines. However the MBA purchase index (a early indicator of home sales) rose 2.4pct.

Stocks stumbled modestly as declines in the more economically sensitive materials and financial sectors offset a rise in oil prices and energy stocks.

Early yesterday it appeared as though we were in for another quiet Asian session with the AUD/USD sitting contently within a 25 pip range for the majority of the day.

Australian researchers were able to identify specific targets for future breast cancer treatments through a sophisticated new protein screening technology to profile basal breast cancer.

On the Sydney Futures Exchange this morning, the share price index futures contract was five points lower at 4668 points.

The surging Australian currency held ground to nudge closer to a 2008 peak on Wednesday noon, as US dollar weakness persists and traders balance concerns about global risk factors.

The Australian sharemarket closed lower on Wednesday after it was led down by a weak financial sector during afternoon trade.