WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar is slightly higher after the US Federal Reserve announced a small winding back its economic stimulus program.
At 0630 AEDT on Thursday, the local unit was trading at 89.15 US cents, up from 89.04 cents on Wednesday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open higher after the Federal Reserve said it would reduce its monthly bond buying program in the new year.
At 0645 AEDT on Thursday, the December share price index futures contract was up 43 points at 5,144.
ELSEWHERE:
WASHINGTON - The US Federal Reserve says it will begin to taper its massive stimulus program next month as it sees improvement in the local economy and the ailing job market.
FRANKFURT - The German economy has ended the year in "festive mood", new data suggests, but not enough to light the fireworks for the eurozone as a whole just yet, analysts say.
LONDON - British unemployment has hit a four-year low, official data shows, but the Bank of England hinted that record-low interest rates would remain on hold for some time.
WASHINGTON - US builders broke ground on homes at the fastest pace in more than five years, evidence the housing recovery is accelerating despite higher mortgage rates.
BRUSSELS - The European Commission has opened an investigation into German help for large companies amid its green energy shift, sparking a warning from Chancellor Angela Merkel that Berlin would fight back.
BRUSSELS - The European Commission says it will ban meat from cloned animals, but has stopped short of imposing restrictions on produce from the offspring of such animals, a potentially sensitive issue in EU-US free trade talks.
SHANGHAI - The virtual currency Bitcoin has crashed in China, falling nearly 50 per cent after the country's biggest trading platform BTC China banned deposits in yuan following new restrictions reportedly imposed by the central bank.
NICOSIA - Bank of Cyprus (BoC) has announced a nine-month net loss of 1.94 billion euros ($A3.02 billion), mostly on the back of provisions for winding up its Greek operations and bad loans.
LONDON - Plastic bank notes are to be issued by the Bank of England for the first time when the new STG5 ($A9.19) note featuring Sir Winston Churchill appears in 2016.
CHICAGO - Archer Daniels Midland Company says it is moving its global headquarters to Chicago, but the agribusiness giant could still set up a new technology centre in another state after failing to win millions in tax breaks.
