Sharon Olalia

The Australian Dollar took a break yesterday, moving in a very quiet 30 pip range against the USD after recent volatile trade.

Australian stocks touched a one week high on Wednesday, with the mining and financial sector leading the broader market.

Local stocks soared today, as investor sentiment was boosted by a strong offshore lead and positive momentum in the Asian region.

Australian stocks rallied 1.7 percent on Wednesday, the biggest gain in five weeks, joining offshore markets in bets that central banks will turn on the cash spigots to boost flagging economic growth worldwide.

The chairman of coal to supermarkets conglomerate Wesfarmers (ASX: WES) has joined the BHP CEP in supporting the idea of a carbon tax but thinks Australia should wait for other countries to introduce a levy first.

McDonald's cannot open a store in the Barossa Valley, a major wine-producing region and tourist destination of South Australia, the Development Assessment Panel has ruled.

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ASX: ANZ) announced it will pay primary-caregivers a $4,000 childcare allowance as part of new measures to "attract and retain talented women."

U.S. stocks rallied to a five month high Tuesday, boosted by encouraging services sector data and hopes that global central banks will follow Japan's lead in stimulating economic growth.

The US ISM services index rose from 51.5 to 53.2 in September.

The recent rally of the Australian Dollar took a major hit yesterday as the RBA announced its decision to keep interest rates on hold at 4.5%.

What a rollercoaster ride the past 24hrs have been for currency markets, starting yesterday with the RBA leaving the official cash rate unchanged at 4.50%.

The Australian currency continued to fall against the greenback after the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) decided to leave its cash rate steady at 4.5 per cent at its Oct 5 board meeting.

The Australian stock market hardly reacted to the Reserve Bank of Australia's surprise move to keep interest rates on hold for the fifth straight month, and are still trading lower, after US and European equities ended weaker.

The Australian dollar plunged more than one US cent after the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) surprised markets by leaving the cash rate on hold.

The Australian stock market staged a late-session recovery on Tuesday to finish 0.4 per cent lower as the Reserve Bank of Australia's unexpected move to hold official rates steady helped shares move out of their hole.

Activity in Australia's services sector slowed for the fifth consecutive month in September, according to data released on Tuesday.

Cafes and restaurants, which are again leading the charge with an increase to retail figures of 0.3 per cent, cloud the reality of a low 0.1 per cent rise for the rest of the sector, according to the Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA).

The Reserve Bank of Australia surprised the market on Tuesday by keeping the official cash rate at 4.5 per cent and granting borrowers a reprieve.

After holding onto recent gains above 0.9700 at yesterday's open, the Australian Dollar has let slip and made a move back towards support at 0.9650.

Investors sold off U.S. stocks and helped the dollar recover some ground as the market awaited guidance from official jobless numbers and the start of corporate-earnings season.

US pending homes sales rose by 4.3pct in August after a 4.5pct lift in July and ahead of expectations for a 3pct gain.

The Australian dollar jumped on Friday after surprisingly strong Chinese manufacturing data countered concerns about the global outlook and augured well for demand for Australia's resource exports.

The Australian currency held firm on Friday, buoyed by surprisingly strong Chinese manufacturing data and intense speculation the Reserve Bank of Australia will lift interest rates next week.

The Australian stock market closed slightly lower on Friday after investors used an early rise to book profits and sold out of the major banks.

The Australian bourse has erased morning gains but is still trading higher on the first day of the new quarter, despite negative offshore leads overnight.

Analysts are predicting that Australia's major lenders will lift rates regardless of the outcome in the Reserve Bank of Australia's policy meeting on October 5.

Activity in the Australian manufacturing sector contracted in September due to the strong local dollar, increased raw material costs and weaker demand, a survey showed.

The Australian currency retreated on Thursday after disappointing domestic building approvals data gave investors an excuse to sell into some of its recent hefty gains.

The Australian stockmarket fell to its lowest in three weeks on Thursday after weak building data encouraged steep end of month profit-taking, particularly in bank shares.