Christine Gaylican

Stocks inched forward Friday to cap their sixth straight weekly gain, finishing a hair short of multiyear highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 25.09 points, or 0.2%, to 13275.20, about four points shy of its mark on May 1, when it set a more-than-four-year high.

Australia: The AUD has been the beneficiary of global central bank and institutional buying in recent weeks. This has been due partly to Australia's relatively higher interest rates and yields on Commonwealth and state government bonds as compared to other developed economies.

The Catholic Church is again in another controversy. This time the ownership of a billion-dollar German media company that has been reported to be selling some pornographic materials, which is against its philosophy and teachings.

Authorities in the city of Shanghai have imposed a new rule on property ownership that had so far drawn criticism as it defies even the tradition of home ownership in China.

Technology stocks helped drive the biggest advance for the Dow in almost two weeks after investors took comfort in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's stated commitment to hold together the euro zone. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 85.33 points, or 0.7%, to 13250.11, and the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index added 9.98 points, or 0.7%, to 1415.51.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar moved modestly higher overnight as comments from German Chancellor Angela Merkel lifted sentiment in another quiet session.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar is slightly higher this morning, currently trading just below USD1.0500 despite some mixed data released during the offshore session overnight.

U.S. stocks finished the day roughly flat as investors juggled an unexpected contraction in domestic manufacturing activity and a mixed batch of corporate earnings. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 7.36 points, or 0.1%, to 13164.78. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index gained 1.60 points, or 0.1%, to 1405.53 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 13.95 points, or 0.5%, to 3030.93.

U.S. STOCK MARKETSConsumer stocks lifted the Dow industrials after Home Depot and a handful of high-end retailers posted upbeat quarterly earnings and July's retail-sales report topped estimates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.71 points, or less than 0.1%, to 13172.14.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar has managed to maintain levels close to USD 1.0500 following a mixed night in the markets.

Stocks ended mostly lower Monday, with the Standard & Poor's 500-share index snapping a six-session streak of gains, its longest rally since December 2010. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 38.52 points, or 0.3%, to 13169.43. The S&P 500 slipped 1.76 points, or 0.1%, to 1404.11, ending its longest run-up since a six-day stretch ended Dec. 14, 2010.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar maintained its levels above USD 1.0500 overnight in what was a listless and quiet session with little news or data flow.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar continued its firm tone this morning on the expectation there will be more bank stimulus in the US, ECB & China.

Stocks rallied into Friday's close, with the S&P 500 capping its longest streak of gains since late 2010, as investors shrugged off an unexpected drop in China's trade surplus. The Dow Jones Industrial average rose 42.76 points, or 0.3%, to 13207.95

The chairman and CEO of game developer Zynga Corp, Mark Pincus, has unloaded two of his properties in the San Francisco Bay Area worth $10.17 million not because of a lifestyle downgrade due to a recent stock plunge.

Stocks closed little changed, with the S&P 500 ending slightly higher in mixed trading for its fifth straight gain, the longest streak since March. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index added 0.58 point, or less than 0.1%, to 1402.80. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 10.45 points, or 0.1%, to 13165.19, and the Nasdaq Composite Index added 7.39 points, or 0.25%, to 3018.64.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: A quiet night of trade and subdued risk appetite capped gains for the Australian Dollar overnight.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The AUD had a relatively quiet offshore session last night and remains relatively range bound this morning.

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index topped 1400 for the first time in three months after a Federal Reserve official called for additional central bank stimulus. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 51.09 points, or 0.4%, to 13168.60, rising for a third consecutive session.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar is lower this morning, currently trading around USD1.0550, after mixed data from both sides of the Atlantic failed to provide any real direction during the offshore trading session.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The AUD is relatively unchanged this morning, currently trading at USD1.0560, ahead of the RBA's interest rate meeting today.

Stocks surged Friday, with the Dow industrials jumping to a three-month high, after U.S. nonfarm payrolls rose more than expected in July. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 217.29 points, or 1.7%, to 13096.17, its biggest percentage increase since late June.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar has maintained its firm tone this morning, after US jobs data on Friday night were higher than expected, fueling a jump in major equity indices in Europe and the US.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The local unit has openedlower after a volatile session as more rhetoric and no firm action from the ECB left markets disappointed.

MORNING REPORT (6am AEST)US initial jobless claims edged up by 8,000 to 365k in the final week in July. The 4-week average of jobless claims - a better indication of the underlying trend in the labour market - eased modestly to 365,500. US factory orders fell by 0.5pct in June, well below expectations for a 0.5pct rise. Orders for non-defence capital goods excluding aircraft - seen as a measure of business confidence and spending plans - slipped 1.7pct in June.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian dollar is trading just under 1.0500 and is well supported on any dips at the moment. Australia:

U.S. stocks finished a tumultuous day of trading a touch lower, as investors were whipsawed by the latest Federal Reserve policy statement and a raft of trading irregularities. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 32.55 points, or 0.25%, to 12976.13 after the Fed's statement. Before the announcement, the blue-chip Dow had been up about 30 points.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar is fairly much unchanged today after the currency markets played out a quiet session as they await the meeting outcomes of the FOMC and the ECB.

The Dow fell Tuesday, as investors looked past a host of positive economic signals and ahead to the Federal Reserve's policy-setting statement, though the blue-chip benchmark ended July with its ninth monthly advance in 10.