Christine Gaylican

The Australian dollar is seen to receive a downbeat blow with the expected slowdown in the manufacturing output of China.

Australian mining firm Rio Tinto and Chalco today signed a binding agreement to establish a joint venture (JV) covering the development and operation of the Simandou iron ore project in Guinea.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor Allan Bollard is likely to raise interest rates in September and then take a respite to allow the economy to grow further amid a fragile global recovery, RBC Capital Markets today said in a forecast.

To help it sell five-year bonds, SPI (Australia) Assets Ltd., a unit of Singapore Power Ltd has acquired the services of Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Westpac Banking Corp.

Graeme Hunt, chief executive of Lihir Gold, says it is still possible to better the cash bid worth $9.7 billion by Newcrest Mining.

Graeme Hunt, chief executive of Lihir Gold, says it is still possible to better the cash bid worth $9.7 billion by Newcrest Mining.

Wayne Swan, Treasurer of the Federal Government, says he is encouraged by the newest figures indicating inflation was lower than expected for this June quarter.

The NBN Co. has finished the three initial stages of a primary software installation. The new software systems will upgrade its inventory tracking on fiscal management while the NBN is being built.

The Australian Mines and Metals Association says the construction workers, who number about 1,500 and walked out from their posts at the Pluto project at Woodside, Western Australia, must answer responsibly for their actions.

Cairns Airport has set its sights on Singapore as it continues to strengthen its international services network.

The QRC (Queensland Resources Council) says the state government’s appointment of its first commissioner for LNG will surely help in balancing domestic gas demand and prospects for export.

Billbergia Group has struck a deal with the liquidators of the Vision tower site at the CBD of Brisbane to buy the site for an unknown amount.

Insurance Australia Group is the most recent insurance firm to report a poor performance for the previous fiscal year, as the season for reporting profit has turned sour for investors in insurance shares.

Macarthur Coal has announced its achievement of high sales for fiscal year 2010, in spite of its poor posting for the second quarter of this year.

Telstra Corp. has been ordered by court to pay fines to the Commonwealth worth $18.55 million for violating the Trade Practices Act and its conditions for carrier licence by locking out other broadband companies from its telephone dealings.

The International Pilots Association has filed a case against Qantas, charging the major airline company of breaking the Fair Work Act.

The Australian government appointed the country’s first aircraft noise ombudsman, cutting the work out for the new official.

An economic analyst has suggested the hyped debate over Australia’s sustainable population has overshadowed the country’s problem on housing shortage.

A Coalition decision to shelve national broadband network project will ''take Australia back to 2004'' and lengthen Telstra’s hold on the market, Telstra’s rivals say.

A resumption of the publicity campaign against the Labor government’s Mineral Resources Rent Tax is part of political schemes aimed at the elections, Treasurer Wayne Swan claims.

Colin John Carleton, a Bendigo Bank manager of the Atherton branch in Queensland, has confessed to theft of bank funds worth about $3 million.

Wesfarmers says the market share of Coles supermarket lagged behind in the 2009-10 fiscal year and more work was required to make a successful recovery.

Perceptions of improving credit quality had been shown in the performance of Asia-Pacific corporate and sovereign bonds in the last five weeks

Australia's biggest insurer by market value QBE Insurance Group Ltd. recorded the biggest drop in Sydney trading in five months as it reported first half profits were off target.

At the top of their election campaigns, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott have engaged early on in a debate on the economy, taxes, and migration issues.

Rising on their strongest levels since May, the Australian and New Zealand dollars have recorded early gains today as interest rates talk and an improving global economic outlook.

Australian and Japanese and stock futures jumped as European banks hurdled the stress test reducing uncertainties that a global economic recovery is slowly happening.

Master trust funds have outperformed industry trusts in the fiscal year ending on June 2010, with return rates of 12 per cent compared to rates of 9.7 per cent for industry trusts.

The Gold Coast’s Oracle development will house prime luxury in two high-rise towers when the hotel opens some time before the year ends.