WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar is firmer after US stocks rallied strongly overnight as appetite for riskier assets rise.
At 0655 AEDT on Tuesday, the local unit was trading at 90.42 US cents, up from 89.66 US cents on Monday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open strongly higher after gains on Wall Street and European bourses fuelled by signs of solid business activity and stable eurozone inflation.
At 0645 AEDT on Tuesday, the March share price index futures contract was up 44 points at 5,467.
ELSEWHERE:
KIEV - Ukraine's new masters have called on the West to urgently organise a financial rescue for their listing economy, saying they need $US35 billion ($A39 billion) to stave off default, while jilted Russia threatens economic punishment.
BRUSSELS - Eurozone inflation has held steady at 0.8 per cent official data show, easing concerns of deflationary pressure on growth.
ATHENS - EU-IMF creditors have begun a new audit of Greek finances, with Athens hoping for a deal in two weeks to help it meet debt repayments.
FRANKFURT - German business confidence hit the highest level for more than two and a half years in February, as the outlook for Europe's biggest economy continues to hold up, data shows.
LONDON - HSBC has warned about emerging markets volatility after struggling in Latin America last year, but Europe's biggest bank still managed a 15.5 per cent jump in annual net profits.
FRANKFURT - Airbus is demanding 900 million euros ($A1.3 billion) in compensation from Germany for cancelling an order for a batch of 37 Eurofighter jets, according to a newspaper report.
STOCKHOLM - Minority shareholders of Swedish truck maker Scania say they are hesitant about Volkswagen's 6.7-billion-euros ($A10.3-billion) offer to take over the rest of the company.
NEW YORK - US industrial conglomerate General Electric says it will boost spending on environmentally friendly energy research by $US10 billion ($A11.17 billion) by 2020, including on fracking technologies and wind turbines.
NEW YORK - EBay says it's sticking with PayPal, whether minority shareholder Carl Icahn likes it or not.
