MARKETS

Russia has echoed China's comments ahead of the G20 summit, saying the US should consult other countries before pumping cash into its economy.

The Australian sharemarket mirrored the U.S markets today after finishing relatively unchanged for the first day of the week. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) closed down by 0.4pct or 17.6pts to 4855.3.

The Australian share market has lost ground as investors cashed in on recent gains in the resources, financial and property sectors.

Equinox Minerals Ltd., the Australian copper producer has turned in some $71.2 million profits in the third quarter as production at its Lumwana mine in Zambia increased.

The latest KPMG Fraud and Misconduct Survey has revealed Australian and NZ finance companies are more vulnerable to lending fraud and bogus insurance claims for the last two years.

Australian coal hauler and transporter QR National Ltd. has received keen interest from foreign investment managers for its $5 billion dollar initial public offering (IPO) before its formal offering on November 22

Australian stocks are flat in early trade, but significantly managing to hold on to six month highs reached during Friday's trade.

The AUD remains very firm this morning after touching another post float high of 1.0175 on Friday night, as the US non-farm payrolls in October rose 151k, as compared to predictions of 60k.

U.S. stocks rose slightly Friday, extending their climb to fresh two year highs as investors were encouraged by a report of stronger than expected job growth for October.

The Australian Dollar reached highs near 1.0180 on Friday however almost a cent was wiped from the currency pair as the recent risk rally lost steam during Friday's European session.

US payrolls rose by 151,000 in October, well ahead of expectations for jobs growth of 60,000.

After receiving a very positive lead from Wall Street overnight, our market maintained its early rally to close 1.1pct or 55.4pts stronger to 4872.9.

The Australian share market climbed over one per cent to a seven month high as investors snapped up resources stocks amid higher metals prices and a greater appetite for riskier assets.

The Australian sharemarket is rallying strongly today, completely wiping out yesterday's slight falls.

Foreign banking institutions in Australia are eager to take advantage of a more competitive environment in the country's financial sector that the Federal government is considering to implement.

The AUD has opened higher this morning, touching a fresh post float high early.

U.S. stocks rallied to their highest level since their September 2008 plunge during the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers as investors applauded the Federal Reserve's latest effort to stimulate the struggling economy.

The Australian Dollar managed to hang onto its gains above parity yesterday despite softer-than-expected retail sales data. Australian retail sales rose just 0.3 per cent in September reducing expectations as to the pace of rate hikes in 2011.

US jobless claims rose by a larger than expected 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 457,000 in the last week.

A Qantas A380 plane has been forced to fly back to Singapore's Changi Airport after pilots found one of its engines malfunctioning and were forced to shut down.

The Australian share market closed at its highest level since late April as traders reacted positively to the potential blocking of BHP Billiton's $40 billion Canadian fertiliser bid.

Australian stocks ended at a fresh six month closing high today, as the US stimulus package boosted investor sentiment around the region. Qantas (QAN) shares were also in focus after one of the airline's A380 planes suffered a mid-air emergency before landing safely in Singapore.

The weak US dollar will continue to fuel the higher prices of commodities considered as the next safest forms of investment.

The Australian share market has soared to a six month high in early trade, following a strong lead from Wall Street which led to the Australian dollar breaching parity against the greenback.

US dollar selling is once again the name of the game following the overnight announcement from the US Federal Reserve of their intentions to pump more money into the US economy.

U.S. stocks bounced in and out of positive territory but are now rising, while the dollar and the 10 year Treasury plunged, after the Federal Reserve said it would buy $600 billion in longer-term securities by the middle of next year as part of its latest effort to prime the domestic economy.

The long-awaited and much-discussed stimulus measures in the US have been announced which has sent the Australian Dollar soaring above par with the greenback to 1.0045 at time of writing.

The US Federal Reserve has unveiled greater purchases of securities in order to inject fresh stimulus into the economy: ´´The Committee will maintain its existing policy of reinvesting principal payments from its securities holdings.

The Australian dollar has hit again the high note against the US currency as a result of the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to pour more money into the American economy in the coming months.