WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar is lower, backing away from the previous day's highs as traders sell the currency to take profits.
At 0630 AEDT on Wednesday, the local unit was trading at 91.28 US cents, down from 91.86 cents on Tuesday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open lower following mixed performances on world markets overnight.
At 0645 AEDT on Wednesday, the December share price index futures contract was down 12 points at 5,371.
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ELSEWHERE:
GENEVA - Negotiators holding marathon talks in Geneva have failed to produce a deal to put on the table at a crunch summit next week, World Trade Organisation chief Roberto Azevedo says.
WASHINGTON - US consumer confidence, which plummeted in October amid the partial government shutdown, has continued to slide in November.
WASHINGTON - US home building permits surged in October to the highest level in five years, suggesting stronger momentum ahead in the recovering housing market, government data shows.
MADRID - Spain says it has completed its program aimed at raising 121 billion euros ($A180 billion) from the debt markets to finance the state in 2013.
ATHENS - European Parliament President Martin Schulz says he is in favour of providing additional aid to Greece if the debt-wracked country achieves a primary surplus.
PRETORIA - South Africa's economy grew at its slowest pace in four years last quarter, as Africa's biggest economy struggled to contain a wave of automotive strikes.
RIO DE JANEIRO - A Rio court has granted bankruptcy protection to Brazilian tycoon Eike Batista's debt-laden shipbuilding company OSX.
FRANKFURT - German fashion house Hugo Boss has said it will not achieve its targeted profit margin by 2015, sending the group's shares into a tailspin on the Frankfurt stock exchange.
NEW YORK - Tiffany and Co's third-quarter net income climbed 50 per cent, buoyed by strong sales in the Asia-Pacific region.
PARIS - Shares in Remy Cointreau have nosedived after the French drinks giant issued a profit warning in reaction to a sharp slowdown in cognac sales to China.
