Latest market news
CBA posts $1.7b quarterly profit
Commonwealth Bank made a net profit of $1.7 billion for the three months to the end of March, but says its funding costs continue to rise.Draghi: Greece should stay in euro
The European Central Bank wants Greece to stay in the euro.Judge to lead Greece into new elections
Council of State head Panagiotis Pikramemos has been appointed head of a caretaker government ahead of new Greek elections on June 17.CSR says housing recovery hard to predict
Building products maker CSR expects the tough housing construction market to continue for the forseeable future and says it's hard to say when it will end.BHP won't spend $80bn on expansion: Nasser
BHP Billiton chairman Jacques Nasser says a tougher global economic environment means the mining company will not spend $80bn on growth projects.GE buys Aussie equipment company
General Electric has launched a friendly takeover of Australian mining equipment Industrea for $700 million.Electricity prices boost SP Ausnet profit
Higher electricity prices have helped Victorian power distributor SP Ausnet grow its full year profit to $253 million.Hourly pay rates rise in Mar quarter
Rising labour prices in the first three months of the year contrast with the central bank's reading of employment demand and inflation, economists say.Loan approvals up 5.2% in March
Total loan approvals rose by 5.2 per cent in March, including commercial and personal loans.Hourly pay rates up 0.9% in Mar quarter
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its labour price index.Toll shares plunge amid earnings gloom
Toll Holdings has warned of lower earnings for 2012 as it begins a strategic review of key businesses and announces writedowns.JPMorgan's CEO apologises over $US2bn loss
The CEO of JPMorgan Chase has offered an apology to shareholders for a $US2 billion ($A2.01 billion) trading loss.Germany helps eurozone avoid recession
The eurozone economy is flat compared with the previous three-month period, against expectations of a 0.2 per cent decline.Sluggish housing sector helped rate cut
Slowing economic growth and lower inflation helped the central bank board decide to cut the cash rate by 0.5 per cent in May.Nick Scali profit to drop by up to 22%
New store openings and a need for discounting are expected to cause a 22 per cent profit drop for furniture retailer Nick Scali.Cottee joins trouble-plagued Central
Conflict-riddled Central Petroleum has a new boss in Richard Cottee, who left Nexus Energy acrimoniously last yearHigher loan rates helped tip RBA's hand
Interest rate increases for loan from by lenders helped the RBA board decide to cut the cash rate by 0.5 per cent in May.Gunns sells hardwood business for $28m
Woodchipping company Gunns is selling its hardwood timber business for $28 million, but is yet to finalise its capital raising.Insurance costs rising for Suncorp
Floods and storms in 2012 have caused Suncorp's insurance costs to rise to $714 million for the first 10 months of the current financial year.New vehicle sales fell in April
Sales of new motor vehicles in Australia fell 0.7 per cent in April, official data shows.RBA sets scene for lower rates if needed
The minutes of the RBA's May 1 policy meeting did not explicitly flag the possibility of another round of interest rate cuts but still left the way open.Higher loan rates helped tip RBA's hand
Slowing economic growth and higher bank loan rates helped the central bank board decide to cut the cash rate by 0.5 per cent in May.CCA expects higher underlying profit
Coca-Cola Amatil says it is pleased with its operating performance in the year to date.Pac Brands says no takeover, for now
Clothing and footwear maker Pacific Brands says recent takeover interest from private equity is unlikely to result in a firm offer in the near term.Yahoo sends CEO packing without severance
Yahoo has ended Scott Thompson's four-month stint as its CEO without giving him a severance package, according to documents filed.JPMorgan chief investment officer quits
JPMorgan Chase chief investment officer Ina Drew will leave after more than 30 years at the company.RBA suggests investing in people's skills
The Reserve Bank has warned that the resources boom is no certainty to carry on indefinitely and Australia must invest in training and education.Alesco not a must-do deal: DuluxGroup
DuluxGroup says it will seek to take over Alesco only at the right price, and financial discipline will remain at the heart of its bid.Falling dollar won't hit prices yet
The Aussie dollar is slipping below the US greenback but our lower buying power doesn't mean the price of imports and holidays is going up straight away.Air Pacific new brand invokes past
Air Pacific has gone back to the past by announcing a name change to Fiji Airways as part of a wider turnaround strategy.Coalworks board rejects takeover offer
Coalworks has urged its shareholders to reject a $142 million takeover offer from Whitehaven Coal because it undervalues the company.Housing activity stabilising - economists
The number of new home loans rose in March, which is a sign the housing sector is stabilising, economists say.$A falls below parity
The Australian dollar has fallen below parity for the first time in almost five months.Loan figures confirm housing in doldrums
Finance figures on Monday confirmed demand for housing is in the doldrums, with the trend in lending weak and average loan size down.Strike action hurts Paladin's production
A strike by local workers in Malawi has stopped production at a uranium mine owned by Australia's Paladin Energy.Home loans rose 0.3% in March
The Australian Bureau of Statistics releases home loan approvals data for March.Safety improved for petroleum industry
Minister for Resources and Energy Martin Ferguson has announced plans to improve safety measures for the offshore petroleum industry.Incitec Pivot profit drops 13%
Lower prices for fertilisers have caused a 13 per cent drop in first half net profit for explosives and fertiliser producer Incitec Pivot.Yahoo CEO departs amid resume error
Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson is leaving the company after coming under fire over a computer science degree in his resume that he never received.EU predicts economy to contract 0.3%
With 17 countries in recession, the European Union predicts the eurozone economy will contract 0.3 per cent this year.NSW Govt gives nod to Newcastle gas plant
The NSW Government has given AGL approval to build its controversial $310 million gas storage facility at Tomago near Newcastle.ANZ cuts home, business rates
ANZ becomes the last of the big four banks to pass on to home loan and business customers part of the RBA's cut to official interest rates.Speciality Fashion appoints board members
Speciality Fashion Group, which owns women's clothing store chains Katies, Millers and Crossroads, has made two new board appointments.Alesco asks shareholders not to act on bid
Alesco has repeated its advice to shareholders not to act yet on Dulux Group's $188 million takeover offer.JPMorgan Chase admits $2b trading loss
JPMorgan Chase shares have plunged more than six per cent in late electronic trading after it announced a multibillion dollar loss.Hopes rise for Greece power-sharing talks
A glimmer of hope has emerged in negotiations for a new Greek government.Sony reports record annual loss
Sony has returned a fourth straight year of losses with a record $5.73 billion setback.Greek Socialist leader finds 'good omen'
Greece's Socialist party leader is sounding confident about the prospects of having the numbers to form a government.Dulux starts wooing Alesco shareholders
Dulux Group has released its bidder's statement for its $188 million takeover offer of Alesco Corporation.Greek uncertainty sends $A towards $US1
The local unit has fallen four US cents in the past two weeks, as uncertainty grows about Greece's future in the euro zone.Stop tinkering with our super: AMP chair
AMP's chairman Peter Mason says the federal government should stop making constant changes to Australia's superannuation system.Optus appeals to High Court in sports row
Optus says it will take its fight over showing sports matches on mobile phones all the way to the High Court.Unemployment trending down: economists
Australia's unemployment may have peaked, with jobs data likely to continue its positive trend, according to economists.Aussie jobless rate falls to 4.9%
Australia's jobless rate fell in April, surprising analysts.Centro moves on after legal settlement
Shopping centre owner Centro Retail Australia says it can move on after a $200 million settlement of a class action against it.Rio Tinto chairman more confident
Global miner Rio Tinto's chairman Jan Du Plessis has painted an upbeat outlook for the next six months despite Europe's financial uncertainty.Leighton wins $800m water, gas contracts
Leighton Holdings expects $800m gas and water contracts it has been awarded in Queensland will create about 1,000 jobs.Caltex sees improvement in refining arm
Caltex is expecting to see an improvement in second quarter earnings at its troubled refining business, which is under review.Optus reports $787m profit after tax
Optus has lifted its annual net profit by 1.5 per cent but says it has been facing intense competition from its rivals.NAB first-half profit down to $2.05bn
NAB says its first-half profits have fallen more than 15 per cent, to $2.05 billion, due to underperforming UK operations.
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