WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar has dropped, following Chinese equities down.
At 0630 AEDT on Thursday, the currency was trading at 72.13 US cents, down from 72.50 cents on Wednesday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open lower following a mixed performance on international markets overnight.
At 0645 AEDT on Thursday, the December share price index futures contract was down 26 points at 5,213.
ELSEWHERE:
NEW YORK - Coca-Cola's profit and revenue fell in the third quarter as the world's biggest drink maker booked charges related to its cost-cutting push and took a hit from the strong dollar.
NEW YORK - Shares of supercar maker Ferrari rocketed as high as $US60 ($A82.60) as they first traded on the New York Stock Exchange, 15 per cent above the IPO price of $US52.
LONDON - China has vowed to take a one-third stake in Britain's first nuclear power plant in decades in a project led by French energy giant EDF, on the second day of President Xi Jinping's business-themed state visit.
NEW YORK - Global computer disk drive leader Western Digital has announced it will pay $US19 billion ($A26.16 billion) for flash memory specialist SanDisk, the latest mega-deal in computer storage.
NEW YORK - Boeing earnings soared in the third quarter and the company has hiked full-year forecasts as aircraft deliveries picked up to record levels on its huge backlog of orders.
NEW YORK - General Motors has reported slightly lower third-quarter profits as the costs of ignition-switch litigation settlements offset strong profits in North America.
NEW YORK - YouTube has announced a new paid-subscription service that will eliminate advertisements as the video service behemoth looks to better tap its vast commercial potential.
