WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar is lower and facing headwinds in coming days.
At 0700 AEST on Friday, the currency was trading at 74.64 US cents, down from 75.00 cents on Thursday.
And the Australian market looks set to open lower after Wall Street closed flat, as investors turned cautious ahead of key jobs data for April.
At 0645 AEST on Friday, the share price index was down 47 points at 5,219.
ELSEWHERE:
LONDON - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has cautioned Britain that a vote to leave the European Union in June's referendum on membership would make it less attractive for Japanese investors.
TORONTO - A wildfire in the Alberta city of Fort McMurray could cost insurers as much as $C9 billion ($A9.4 billion), making it by far the costliest ever Canadian natural disaster.
HONG KONG - Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. has reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $US832 million ($A1.1 billion).
RIO DE JANEIRO - A Brazilian judge has ratified the settlement Samarco and its owners, BHP Billiton and Vale SA, signed with the Brazilian government in March to cover damages for a deadly dam spill last year.
WASHINGTON - US mortgage giant Fannie Mae has posted net income of $US1.1 billion ($A1.48 billion) for the first quarter, down from a year ago.
LONDON - Australian businessman Craig Wright has backtracked on a promise to provide "extraordinary proof" he's the creator of bitcoin.
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