WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar is higher on the back of stronger commodity prices and rising global equity markets.
At 0700 AEDT on Monday, the local unit was trading at 71.07 US cents, up from 71.01 Friday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open higher following strong gains on Wall Street as as banking stocks spiked and commodity prices, especially oil, lifted.
At 0645 AEDT on Monday, the share price index was up 87 points at 4,785.
ELSEWHERE:
TEHRAN - Iran claims it has exported its first crude oil shipment to Europe since it reached a landmark nuclear deal with world powers.
WASHINGTON - US retail sales rose modestly in January, evidence that Americans kept shopping despite sharp drops in stock prices.
WASHINGTON - US consumer spending regained momentum in January as households ramped up purchases of a variety of goods, in a hopeful sign that economic growth was picking up after slowing to a crawl at the end of 2015.
ATHENS - There is no reason to believe that Greek banks will need further recapitalisation, after the latest round provided them with 14.4 billion euros ($A23.1 billion) of funding, the head of the European Central Bank's supervisory agency says.
BEIJING - Underground banks in China did more than 1 trillion yuan ($A215 billion)) in transactions last year and the government will step up efforts to combat the problem this year, state media report citing the foreign exchange regulator.
LONDON - The Bank of England has become the first major Western central bank to set out its stall for sharia-compliant deposit facilities as Britain seeks to pitch London as the pre-eminent global centre for Islamic finance.
FRANKFURT - Volkswagen group sales returned to growth in January thanks to demand in China, where core brand VW posted its best month ever despite the furore over the German carmaker's cheating of US diesel emissions tests.
FRANKFURT - A high-ranking employee warned senior Volkswagen managers in May 2014 that US regulators might examine car engine software as part of an investigation into pollution levels, two sources familiar with the matter claim.
Share
