MARKETS

Shares of ASX-listed mining firm Conquest Mining (ASX: CQT) has steadily climbed with the lifting of its trading halt that coincided with its announcement of securing a $45 million institutional placement.

U.S. stocks solidified their Federal Reserve inspired gains Tuesday as Wall Street embraced the latest indication that further monetary easing is ahead.

The minutes of the September FOMC meeting highlighted that Federal Reserve policymakers have the left the door open to a further round of stimulus in the near term. Interestingly the Fed viewed recent incoming data on the economy as better-than-expected.

The Australian Dollar has opened at USD 0.9855 this morning after announcements overnight by the US Federal Reserve that it was ready to provide more stimulus to the US economy "before long".

The Australian Dollar opens higher against the greenback today at 0.9860, recovering from a low of 0.9785 during yesterday's domestic session after a fall in business confidence.

The Australian dollar is still outperforming its peers as investors bet on higher yielding instruments and the U.S. equities are believed to boost Asian stocks.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 is expected to ease from its early rally this week, as investors are wary of China's economic performance. Analysts said though there will be a positive push from the turn of events in the US with the Federal Reserve's decision to temper its fiscal policy, this will not easily avert the dampened mood that may set in today.

Local stocks eased from five month highs today, due to a flat lead from Wall Street and selling in the Asian region.

The Australian share market closed lower after little direction from Wall Street where trading was thin due to a public holiday.

The Australian share market fell out of bed today, in line with the Asian region, all sold off hard despite a lack of obvious triggers.

Across Asia, regional markets were mostly lower following flat US leads where trading volumes were very light due to the Columbus Day holiday.

Australia's economic growth may be eroded by local banks' preference toward household lending over business loans, a National Australia Bank Ltd. executive warned.

The Australian share market is being sold off today, following a flat lead from Wall Street and general weakness in commodity prices.

With holidays in the US, Canada and Japan, overnight markets have had a very quiet trading session, with no major data was released.

China has lifted reserve requirements for six large commercial banks in order to slow the pace of the economy.

The Aussie''s parity push paused during local trade yesterday after the release of domestic home lending data.

China has lifted reserve requirements for six large commercial banks in order to slow the pace of the economy. The 50-basis point lift in reserve requirements to 17.5 percent is a temporary measure, expected to be in place for just two months.

U.S. stocks turned lower ahead of the close of Monday's regular session, as industrial stocks lost ground. The Dow Jones Industrial Average recently fell 7 points to 11,000 and the S&P 500 Index fell 1 point to 1,164.

On the Sydney Futures Exchange this morning, the share price index futures contract was three points higher at 4718 points. Trading overseas lacked luster as Wall Street closed almost unchanged.

In overnight trade in the US, the major indices finished largely unchanged, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing back above the 11,000 point level after falling early in very thin Columbus Day trade and ahead of a busy week of Q3 earnings.

The offshore session overnight was a bit of a non-event. Volumes were also down on Wall Street given the Columbus Day public holiday. The small amount of movement came from a lift in the US dollar Index. This contributed to a fall in both the price of copper and of oil.

The Australian share market closed at a five month high after firmer commodity prices drove gains in the resources sector.

The Australian share market made slight gains today after reaching a five month high in early trade.

Australian mining firm Indophil Resources NL jumped to the highest in 10 months in the ASX after one of the Philippines' s largest conglomerate San Miguel Corp. agreed a share placement worth $40-million in the company on October 8.

With the US unemployment rate steadying at more than nine percent and as investors fidget while anxiously waiting for the October board meeting minutes of the US Federal Reserve, the Australian bond market coursed through a flat start on Monday’s opening.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 11,000 Friday for the first time since May as a bleak jobs report boosted expectations that the Federal Reserve will move to stimulate economic growth.

US private sector payrolls (employment) rose by 64,000 in September, just short of expectations for a 74,000 gain in jobs.

On the Sydney Futures Exchange this morning, the share price index futures contract was 22 points up at 4717 points. Trading is expected to be influenced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) housing finance data to be released later this morning.

The relative strength of the Australian dollar against other currencies will not be bogged down by another round of interest rate increases. This was the assurance given central bank Deputy Governor Ric Battellino on Friday.