WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar is up half a US cent after the Federal Reserve's chief appeared to be in no hurry to raise the central bank's interest rate.
At 0630 AEDT on Wednesday, the local unit was trading at 78.23 US cents, up from 77.70 cents on Tuesday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open higher following rises on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve chief indicated the US central bank was in no hurry to raise its interest rate.
At 0645 AEDT on Wednesday, the March share price index futures contract was up 27 points at 5,912.
ELSEWHERE:
BRUSSELS - Eurozone finance ministers have backed a four-month extension to Greece's financial lifeline after approving a list of reforms demanded by creditors to keep the country afloat and in the single currency.
WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen says the US labour market still shows cyclical weakness and inflation continues to fall, making any interest rate hike unlikely before June.
NEW YORK - US consumer confidence dipped in February, as consumers expressed less optimism about the short-term outlook, but remained upbeat overall about the economy, the Conference Board says.
WASHINGTON - US home price increases levelled off in December, reflecting a weak sales environment and a small number of homes for sale.
PRETORIA - South Africa's growth rate fell to 1.5 per cent in 2014, official data says, as strikes and power cuts hobbled Africa's second-largest economy.
NEW YORK - The United States is reportedly probing major banks over possible manipulation of precious metals markets.
NEW YORK - JPMorgan Chase has unveiled plans to eliminate hundreds of retail branches and some $US100 billion ($A128.27 billion) in deposits, as it announced nearly $US5 billion in cost cuts in the next three years.
LUSAKA - Workers at Barrick Gold's Lumwana mine have resumed work after staging a one-day strike over plans by the Canadian company to pull out of copper-rich Zambia, a union official says.
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