WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar has drifted lower following positive US unemployment data.
At 0630 AEST on Friday, the local currency was trading at 94.21 US cents, down from 94.38 cents on Thursday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open flat after little change on Wall Street where the S&P 500 inched toward another record high.
At 0645 AEST on Friday, the September share price index futures contract was up four points at 5,536.
ELSEWHERE:
WASHINGTON - The International Monetary Fund has lowered its 2014 global economic growth forecast, warning of "negative surprises" from the United States and China and geopolitical risks in Ukraine and the Middle East.
WASHINGTON - The International Monetary Fund has warned that recent economic sanctions imposed against Russia could have a severe impact that would ripple through the region.
BRUSSELS - The eurozone economy showed signs of a rebound in July after several months of sluggish activity, but France stood out as a laggard, a closely watched survey showed on Thursday.
WASHINGTON - New claims for US unemployment insurance benefits have tumbled to an eight-year low last week, pointing to a firming labour market, according to official data.
MADRID - The unemployment rate in Spain has fallen sharply in the second quarter slipping beneath 25.0 per cent, official data shows in a further sign that the country is pulling away from deep economic crisis.
WASHINGTON - Morgan Stanley has agreed to pay $US275 million ($A297 million) to settle US civil charges that it misled investors about risky mortgage bonds sold ahead of the 2008 financial crisis.
NEW YORK - General Motors has posted a sharp drop in second-quarter profit as it took heavy charges for safety recalls and a compensation fund for victims of faulty ignition switches.
DEARBORN, Michigan - Ford Motor Co has beaten Wall Street's expectations in the second quarter as it chalked up a record profit in North America and made money in Europe for the first time in three years.
MADRID - Spanish energy group Repsol has reported a big jump in quarterly profits, each boosted by income for assets sold or nationalised.
SEOUL - LG Electronics has posted a 165 per cent surge in second-quarter net profit from a year ago, on solid TV sales and a dramatic turnaround in its long-troubled mobile unit.
NEW YORK - Industrial giant Caterpillar has reported slightly higher quarterly profits as gains in its construction segment overcame continued declines in mining.
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