BUSINESS

Upcoming geothermal firm Geodynamics Ltd (ASX: GDY) said on Friday that it is close to realising an operating heat exchanger which should affirm the geological model being utilised by the company on its joint venture Innamincka project in South Australia.

Two competing private equity groups are set to place their final bids on Friday for Australia's second-largest hospital owner Healthscope Ltd (ASX:HSP) in a $US1.6 billion ($A1.8 billion) deal, according to sources.

Westpac has found the majority of Australians believe house prices will rise in the next 12 months, but it's a smaller majority and price expectations have been tempered.

Kristina Keneally, Premier of New South Wales, has made a visit to Shanghai’s Bright Foods Store to see for herself how NSW’s Hunter Valley wine is doing in the Chinese market, currently the fourth biggest export line for Australia’s wine.

Conservationists and anglers have started scrutinising Japanese giant Inpex's draft environmental impact statement for its planned $12 billion Darwin Harbour gas plant.

Department store operator David Jones Ltd (ASX:DJS) said on Friday that it has agreed for a 20-year extension of the lease agreement for the company’s Karrinyup outlet in Perth, revealing that the new deal is “on attractive commercial terms in line with the more favourable David Jones leases.”

A joint statement released on Friday by the National Australia Bank Ltd (NAB) and AXA Asia Pacific Holdings (AXA-APH) revealed that the two companies are currently in talks to negotiate the terms of extending the period for NAB to satisfy competition concerns on its $13.3 billion takeover proposal for AXA.

Miner OZ Minerals (ASX:OZL) has substantially increased its guidance for gold production to 2012 after better than expected output in the June quarter.

Oil and gas explorer Advent Energy, a subsidiary of MEC Resources Ltd (ASX:MMR) said on Friday that subsequent tests on the newly-discovered natural gas resources off the New South Wales coast north of Sydney found that the reservoir could potentially yield twice the size from initial estimates.

Australian toll-road operator Intoll Group (ASX:ITO) has posted strong June quarter revenue and traffic growth on its two toll roads.

The AUD has opened slightly stronger this morning as ongoing concerns about the recovery in the US economy weakened the USD.

US jobless claims fell to two-year lows in the latest week, falling by 29,000 to 429,000.

Air New Zealand Ltd (ASX:AIZ, NZX:AIR) the nation's largest carrier, has dismissed speculations it is looking to acquire a stake in Virgin Blue Holdings Ltd (ASX:VBA).

US stock markets pared session losses Thursday to arrive at a mixed finish as the halted flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico offset poor economic data that dampened hopes for a rapid exit from recession.

The Chinese Government appear to be successfully slowing the economy and the hot housing sector without too much danger...

Now we know just how pessimistic the Federal Reserve has become about the American economy.A combination of comments an...

It's no wonder growth expectations among big global and regional institutional investors have slumped in recent months....

The takeover plays involving Healthscope and Sigma Pharmaceuticals are now looking a bit doubtful.That's after Sigma iss...

Agricultural chemicals supplier Nufarm is in trouble after its shares plunged 28% in trading yesterday after Wednesday...

Agricultural chemicals supplier Nufarm is in trouble after its shares plunged 28% in trading yesterday after Wednesday...

Agricultural chemicals supplier Nufarm is in trouble after its shares plunged 28% in trading yesterday after Wednesday...

Late news from both BP and Goldman Sachs turned Wall Street around from economic data weakness last night. Dow down 7.

Sales figures for Australian supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths (ASX: WOW) will be studied over the next two weeks to measure the effect of the marketing war waged between the two in the last six months.

Gold medals have been awarded at the 2010 Royal Queensland Food & Wine Show's Olive Oil Competition, held from 12-13 July at the RNA Showgrounds. Table olives were in competition for the first time, and alongside one of the leading figures in the Australian olive industry, Mrs Margi Kirkby, as c...

Melbourne-based OZ Minerals announced on Thursday that it is set to commence development works on its underground mine at Prominent Hill in South Australia, which is projected to yield an average of 25,000 tonnes of copper and 12,000 tonnes of gold every year.

China's iron ore miner Sinosteel Midwest Corporation has finished a feasibility study on its $2 billion flagship direct shipping ore project at Weld Range in Western Australia.

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (FMG) said on Thursday that lingering reservations on the proposed minerals resource rent tax were holding back the firm’s final decisions on two impending giant projects at Solomon and Western hub in Western Australia.

Sigma Pharmaceuticals Ltd has downgraded its profit forecast for the full year by around 31 percent as it strives to convince Aspen Pharmacare to up its takeover bid worth $A649.73 million ($US573 million).

China's Q2 data failed to re-assure investors that all is fine and will remain fine inside the Middle Kingdom.