The AUD has opened slightly stronger this morning as ongoing concerns about the recovery in the US economy weakened the USD.
Investors have muted expectations for Google Inc's second-quarter results, as economic clouds and shifts in the company's strategy dampened hopes that it will beat Wall Street estimates.
(Corrects analyst's affiliation in last paragraph to ThinkEquity instead of Kaufman Brothers)
Ford Motor Co has named Jim Farley its first head of global marketing, sales and services and appointed the head of Volvo to run its European operations when it completes the sale of the unit to China's Geely
A strike has broken out at a south China factory supplying parts for Japan's Honda Motor, the latest in a string of stoppages by Chinese workers demanding a bigger piece of the country's economic wealth.
China's press watchdog has threatened to shut down more than 120 websites offering pornographic fiction, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.
Gold rose on Thursday, benefiting from a retreat in risk appetite after soft U.S. economic data knocked stocks, the dollar and industrial commodities lower.
Spot gold was bid at $1,211.70 an ounce at 1528 GMT against $1,207.50 late in New York on Wednesday. U.S. gold futures for August delivery rose $5.40 to $1,212.40.
Oil reversed earlier gains to fall below $76 a barrel on Thursday after falls in U.S. equities and weak macroeconomic data curbed expectations for future demand growth in the world's largest oil consumer.
By 1416 GMT front-month U.S. crude was trading down $1.50 at $75.54 a barrel, after earlier jumping to $77.66. ICE Brent was down $1.25 at $75.52 a barrel.
Gold rose in Europe on Thursday as the dollar slipped to a two-month low against the euro, under pressure after minutes from the June Federal Reserve meeting heightened concerns over the U.S. economy.
Spot gold was bid at $1,213.20 an ounce at 1144 GMT, against $1,207.50 late in New York on Wednesday. U.S. gold futures for August delivery rose $6.60 to $1,213.60.
Stock index futures were higher on Thursday after better-than-expected quarterly profits from JPMorgan Chase & Co allayed concerns about the strength of the financial sector.
Oil reversed early losses and rose toward $78 a barrel on Thursday after a bounce in equities overshadowed earlier news pointing to flatter economic growth in the world's number two oil consumer China.
European shares turned positive after JP Morgan Chase & Co reported second-quarter earnings, adding to evidence of the strong correlation between oil and equities.
Agricultural Bank of China's $19 billion IPO made a lackluster debut in Shanghai, weighing on the market and underscoring the difficulty other Chinese banks will face tapping investors for billions more.
The United States and Europe are slowly pulling out of the economic crisis, General Electric Co chairman and chief executive Jeffrey Immelt told la Repubblica daily in an interview on Thursday.
Wall Street is set to open lower on Thursday, with economic growth worries flagged up by the Federal Reserve and by Chinese data, and with investors eyeing results from JP Morgan as the second-quarter earnings season gathers pace.
The dollar hit a two-month low against the euro and a basket of currencies on Thursday after dovish U.S. Federal Reserve minutes triggered concerns about the outlook for the U.S. economy.
Federal Reserve officials slightly revised down their economic growth outlook, while minutes from the central bank's June 22-23 meeting said further policy stimulus may need to be considered if the outlook worsened.
China's economy cooled in the second quarter, a slowdown that is likely to extend over the rest of the year as Beijing steers monetary and fiscal policy back to normal after a record credit surge to counter the global crisis.
China's economy cooled in the second quarter, a slowdown that is likely to extend over the rest of the year as Beijing steers monetary and fiscal policy back to normal after a record credit surge to counter the global crisis.
World stocks slipped from a three-week peak on Thursday while the low-yielding yen rose after the Federal Reserve suggested additional measures may be needed to combat a weakening economy.
Oil fell for a second day on Thursday to below $77 after a slowdown in Chinese economic growth in the second quarter and U.S. Federal Reserve minutes renewed concerns about the recovery of the world economy.
The Australian dollar fell on Thursday, as selling by model-based funds weighed on the currency against the yen, while it took in stride data that pointed to a mild slowdown in China, rather than a deeper one as some had feared.
Gold edged up on Thursday after China's growth data for the second quarter was slightly weaker than expected, helping revive the precious metal's allure as a hedge at a time of economic uncertainty.
Meanwhile, economists expect Beijing to make no dramatic policy response to Thursday's data, which is seen as positive for the precious metal's demand in China, analysts said.
Gold prices gained momentum, from weak Chinese growth data for the second quarter, in Asian trade Thursday after dropped overnight on profit taking.
Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $1212.67 an ounce at 12.00 noon Singapore time while U.S. gold futures for August delivery was at $1212.76 an ounce.
