WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar continues to rally on better-than-expected trade figures.
At 0630 AEDT on Friday, the local unit was trading at 89.71 US cents, up from 89.60 US cents on Thursday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open higher following strong gains on Wall Street ahead of a much-watched US labour market report and amid mixed trade and labour data.
At 0645 AEDT on Friday, the March share price index futures contract was up 34 points at 5,116.
ELSEWHERE:
WASHINGTON - The US trade deficit widened sharply in December as exports slumped amid a sluggish global economy, government data shows.
WASHINGTON - New claims for US unemployment insurance benefits fell back to the longer-term trendline last week after a surge in the previous period, the US Labor Department says.
FRANKFURT - The European Central Bank played down deflationary fears and held its key interest rates steady on Thursday, but vowed to do whatever was needed to get the eurozone economy back on its feet.
LONDON - The Bank of England has voted to freeze its main interest rate at a record-low level of 0.50 per cent, where it has now stood for nearly five years.
MADRID - Bankruptcy filings soared to a record high in Spain in 2013, official data shows, with the construction industry in particular still reeling five years after a property market crash.
NEW YORK - Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox has reported a drop in quarterly profits while revenues rose at the film and television conglomerate.
NEW YORK - The New York Times Co says core earnings in the past quarter have lifted by gains in online subscriptions, helping offset declines in print and digital ad revenues.
NEW YORK - Twitter shares have gone into a nosedive after the company's first earnings report shook up investors expecting strong growth at the messaging platform.
NEW YORK - General Motors has reported a modest increase in quarterly profits, but badly missed analyst expectations on weak performance in its international operations.
