WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar has dipped towards 76 US cents on the back of low oil prices and weak retail sales data.
At 0700 AEDT on Tuesday, the local unit was trading at 76.06 US cents, down from 76.28 cents on Monday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open flat despite a poor lead from Wall Street which fell as losses in commodity-related and industrial shares offset gains in healthcare.
At 0645 AEDT on Tuesday, the share price index was up two points at 5,982.
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ELSEWHERE:
WASHINGTON - Orders to US factories fell in February for the third time in the past four months and a key category that tracks business investment plans dropped by the largest amount in two months.
FRANKFURT - The unemployment rate in the 19 countries that use the euro inched down to 10.3 per cent in February in another token of the currency union's modest recovery.
YANGON - Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Myanmar in the fiscal year ending in March grew to nearly $US9 billion ($A11.74 billion), a government official says, after a rush of last-minute approvals before the handover of power to Aung San Suu Kyi's administration.
NEW YORK - Alaska Air Group is buying Virgin America in a deal worth more than $US2 billion ($A2.61 billion), creating a powerhouse airline with an expanded West Coast presence.
PARIS - The Yves Saint Laurent fashion house has appointed Anthony Vaccarello as creative director of its clothing line, replacing the departing Hedi Slimane.
AMSTERDAM - In one of the more unusual side effects of negative interest rates, at least one Dutch household will be receiving, rather than paying, a mortgage payment from their bank.
