The AUD has opened slightly firmer this morning after some nervousness from traders yesterday ahead of the US reporting season saw the AUD move back towards USD0.8700.
Australia's dollar fell from its highest level in almost three weeks to an intraday low near 87 cents on the back of a drop in imports of iron ore and copper by China, the nation's biggest trading partner.
The Obama administration prepared a new moratorium on deepwater oil drilling on Monday, seeking to make the industry safer while protecting thousands of jobs during the worst spill in U.S. history.
BP Plc is in talks with U.S. energy company Apache Corp and others to sell assets worth up to $10 billion as it grapples with the cost of the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
Britain's recession was deeper than previously thought, new data showed on Monday, while a top central banker warned that euro zone weakness and looming government spending cuts could send the recovery into reverse.
Britain is still in danger of losing its triple-A rating despite the ambitious fiscal tightening announced by the country's new coalition government last month, Standard & Poor's said on Monday.
Asian stocks rose on Monday as investors counted on the start of the U.S. earnings season this week to show firms were reaping strong profits and that the world's economic recovery was not losing steam.
The Aussie dollar traded within a 50 point range between 0.8725 and 0.8775 for the majority of Friday's offshore session and opens this morning towards the top end at 0.8770.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have chemically tested seafood from the oil spill-marred Gulf of Mexico and found them to be free from contaminants.
Britain's ambassador to Lebanon said she regretted any offence caused by her blog praising Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, an early spiritual mentor of Hezbollah who died on Sunday.
The Obama administration is preparing to unveil a revised deepwater oil drilling moratorium after a federal court refused on Thursday to reinstate an earlier ban imposed after BP Plc's massive oil spill.
The Obama administration is preparing to unveil a revised deepwater oil drilling moratorium after a federal court refused on Thursday to reinstate an earlier ban imposed after BP Plc's massive oil spill.
Banks lifted Britain's top shares on Thursday, with Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group top performers on reports that a new bid vehicle will seek to buy British banking assets.
The FTSE 100 .FTSE index was up 90.63 points, or 1.8 percent, at 5,105.45, rising for a third consecutive day. It closed up 49.82 points, or 1 percent, on Wednesday.
The Obama administration headed to court on Thursday to fight for the moratorium on deepwater drilling it imposed in response to the BP oil spill, while the British oil giant sought to dampen talk it could stop its gushing well this month.
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee kept interest rates at a record low 0.5 percent on Thursday, in an almost universally expected decision that likely reflects policymakers' concerns about the growth outlook.
World stocks rose on Thursday while the euro hit a two-month peak against the low-yielding dollar on rising expectations the forthcoming earnings season would show strong corporate performance.
The International Monetary Fund upgraded its 2010 global growth forecast on Thursday, citing robust expansion in Asia and renewed U.S. private demand, but warned the euro area's debt crisis posed a big risk to recovery.
BP dampened hopes that it could plug its leaking Gulf of Mexico well sooner than forecast on Thursday, while a battle between the U.S. government and the oil industry over a deepwater drilling ban heads to court.
The International Monetary Fund upgraded its 2010 global growth forecast on Thursday, citing robust expansion in Asia and renewed U.S. private demand, but warned the euro area's debt crisis posed a big risk to recovery.
BP does not expect to plug its leaking Gulf of Mexico well until August, a spokeswoman for the company told Reuters on Thursday, following press speculation that it could happen earlier.
No. 1 U.S. warehouse club operator Costco Wholesale Corp saw June sales at stores open at least a year rise 4 percent, marginally missing market expectations, as it was hurt by the Memorial Day holiday shift.
China bought a record $7.9 billion in short-term Japanese debt in May, a surge widely viewed as temporary while sovereign debt concerns buffet the euro, rather than a shift in China's long-term investment stance.
