WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar has continued to fall after Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens said the currency was too high.
At 0630 AEST on Friday, the local currency was trading at 93.47 US cents, down from 93.66 cents on Thursday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open higher following gains on Wall Street where both the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 reached record highs for a third straight session.
At 0645 AEST on Friday, the September share price index futures contract was up 27 points at 5,480.
ELSEWHERE:
PARIS - Leading global economies contracted in the first three months of 2014, as companies traded less and ordered fewer goods, and despite a slight rise in private consumption, the OECD said on Thursday.
WASHINGTON - US job creation picked up solidly in June, pushing the jobless rate down to 6.1 per cent, boosting confidence in the economy and sending stocks flying to new records.
WASHINGTON - US services sector output slipped in June but the economy's engine was still growing much better in the second quarter than in the start of the year.
WASHINGTON - The US trade deficit fell in May as US exports hit an all-time high, helped by a jump in exports of petroleum products.
PARIS - The International Monetary Fund has lowered its growth forecast for France this year and warned the country may miss its targets to cut its budget deficit.
MOSCOW - A Russian bank that loaned billions of dollars to build venues for the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi says it may face huge losses unless the government steps in with financial help, Russian media has reported.
WATERLOO, Ontario - BlackBerry is selling its research and development department in Germany to Volkswagen Infotainment, a subsidiary of the car maker that makes interactive technology for vehicle dashboards.
LONDON - Supermarket chain Asda is to cut 1,360 jobs as part of an overhaul of its store management structure.
SEVASTOPOL - Crimean fans of McDonald's have plenty to chew on after a Russian burger chain announced it was taking over the US food giant's restaurants in the annexed peninsula.
Share
