BUSINESS

Australian companies are set to deal with higher finance rates as the major banks reprice business loans.

Giant aluminium firm Alcoa reported on Monday that its second quarter net income peaked to $155 million, far exceeding the company’s previously announced earnings guidance and improving from the quarterly loss it suffered from the previous year.

National Australia Bank may pump up to 387 million pounds ($A664.79 million) more into its British arm Clydesdale amid increasing pressures from UK regulators to aid local units .

Heavy equipment specialist Emeco Holdings Ltd said on Tuesday that the company’s annual net profit should reach the lower rung of earnings guidance previously announced, effectively matching its targeted range of $40 million to $41 million and only $3 million shy from the maximum $44 million earlier set.

Queensland premier Anna Bligh has confirmed industry talk the state government has been encouraging proponents to combine projects.

The recently established Dagong credit rating agency has made its first sovereign assessments, rating US bonds AA, Britain's AA- and Australia's AAA.

US Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, has indicated that improving small business access to finance is a key factor needed to support economic recovery.

U.S. stocks edged up Monday, led by technology stocks, including Microsoft and SanDisk, following ratings upgrades from analysts, although jitters over second quarter earnings reports and disappointing import data from China weighed on Alcoa and other materials stocks.

Canadian Ivanhoe Mines insists its shareholder rights plan does not violate any of British-Australian Rio Tinto's existing contractual rights.

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.

Alcoa's after-the-bell result beat expectations and that's all that matters. Wall Street went nowhere all session as it waited. Dow up 18.

On Wall St, US markets rose for a fifth straight session as analysts upgrades of technology stocks bolstered optimism ahead of the Q2 earnings season.

Australia's major banks are feeling the squeeze of rising funding costs but refuse to increase mortgage rates until after the federal election.

DuluxGroup Limited has performed solidly on its own in its ASX (Australian Securities Exchange) debut on Monday.

The Australian dollar opened higher today, strengthened by a positive close on Wall Street.

The total value of charge and credit card transactions, plus advances, posted at $19.631 billion last May, according to figures released by the RBA (Reserve Bank of Australia) on Monday.

Victorian Premier John Brumby today cut the ribbon on Unibic's new $44 million biscuit and cake facility, which will produce Unibic's whole range, including the new Harvest Kitchen Soft Centre biscuits.The new purpose-built facility is capable of producing 4.5 tonnes of goods per hour, and includes ...

New findings indicate that cocoa flavanols, the bitter antioxidants in cocoa beans, may be an important part of a healthy diet for people with cardiovascular disease, according to research by a team of researchers, including scientists from Mars.The study examined cells called CACs, circulating angi...

National Farmers' Federation President David Crombie today warned that food scarcity is a reality that all Australians will need to face.“Australians need to brace for a future of higher prices for life’s essentials. It’s an inevitable consequence of more mouths to feed and less food to go aro...

One of the largest global managers of fixed income securities, Pimco, says that Australia now offers the most investment opportunities in the developed world.During one of its regular updates to the global bond markets, David Fisher who runs global product management for Pimco also said there was a ...

A research analyst with Macquarie Equities Research says he believes that Australian banking major National Australia Bank will be the first lender to raise its rates after the election.According to The Australian, banks will likely raise their interest rates prior to the Federal election, but accor...

The first day of the new trading week saw stocks finishing slightly higher with the All Ordinaries index (XAO) rising by 0.3pct or 15pts to 4429.5.

The Australia 200 CFD Index was 0.3% higher at 4409, with energy and material names all outperforming.

Australian stocks ended firmer on Monday, overcoming a weak start to finish marginally higher on a quiet day when market players stayed mostly on the sidelines.

Morgan Stanley has foreseen that Australia's four largest bank institutions are about to flood the market with bond sales as they seek to refinance notes and fund lending initiatives, which in turn will push costs for the most indebted.

Mining industry service contractor WDS Ltd said on Monday that it has secured a two-year contract from BHP Billiton to carry out the resource giant’s longwall block management and outbye services of its Illawarra Coal’s Dendrobium mine site in New South Wales.

India's biggest coal importer, the Adani Group, was picked to develop an export fuel facility in Australia, reports said.

The first day of the week has not been well for the Australian currency because it traded lower from its three-week high. The Australian dollar and NZ currency faltered as speculations of economic recovery again spooked the market.

Australian mining firm Grange Resources Ltd said on Monday that it has sealed a considerable pricing agreement with BlueScope Steel Ltd for its magnetite iron ore pellets from the company’s Tasmanian mining site and deliverable within the September quarter.