WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar has bounced after hitting a two-week low overnight, as traders started buying the currency again.
At 0700 AEDT on Tuesday, the local unit was trading at 89.13 US cents, up from 88.50 cents on Monday
And the Australian share market looks set to open lower following the lead of international markets amid quiet holiday trade.
At 0700 AEDT on Tuesday, the March share price index futures contract was down 13 points at 5,313.
ELSEWHERE:
BEIJING - China has announced the results of a long-awaited debt audit, revealing that liabilities carried by local governments ballooned to 17.9 trillion yuan ($A3.3 trillion) as of the end of June.
LISBON - The European Union is ready to offer Portugal further aid once its current bailout expires in May, Economics Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn says.
ATHENS - Greece will exit its EU-IMF bailout agreement as scheduled in 2014 and will require no further loans, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras says.
WASHINGTON - US pending home sales rose slightly in November, ending five consecutive months of declines, the National Association of Realtors says.
WASHINGTON - US bank Wells Fargo has reached a $US591 million ($A668.8 million) settlement to resolve mortgage claims with state-controlled lender Fannie Mae, the two companies say.
NIWOT, Colorado - The company that makes Crocs shoes is getting a $US200 million ($A226.3 million) bailout from a private equity fund, and its CEO is retiring.
COPENHAGEN - Danish brewer Carlsberg said it has bought the owner of eight Chinese breweries for 1.4 billion kroner ($A292 million) as it continues to grow outside the sluggish markets of western Europe.
FINDLAY, Ohio - Cooper Tire & Rubber Co is calling off its proposed $US2.2 billion ($A2.4 billion) buyout by India's Apollo Tyres, a deal that would have created the world's seventh largest tyre company.
