WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar has lost some ground after a report showed that the recovery in the US housing market could be stalling.
At 0630 AEDT on Tuesday, the local unit was trading at 96.56 US cents, down from 96.73 cents on Monday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open slightly higher following a mixed performance on international markets as investors await key US jobs figures.
At 0645 AEDT on Tuesday, the December share price index futures contract was up six points at 5,342.
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WASHINGTON - US home sales fell 1.9 per cent in September after hitting a nearly four-year high in August as surging property prices put a crimp on demand, an industry group reports.
NEW DELHI - Global mining and energy giant BHP Billiton has announced that it has given up on nine Indian deep-sea oil and gas projects due to delays in carrying out exploration at the sites.
RIO DE JANEIRO - China's CNOOC and CNPC, Anglo-Dutch giant Royal Dutch Shell and France's Total have joined Brazilian state operator Petrobras in a joint bid to win the auction to develop the huge Libra oilfield.
OAK BROOK, Illinois - McDonald's says its third quarter profit rose five per cent, as the world's biggest hamburger chain benefited from a Monopoly promotion in the US and strength in the UK and Russia.
DALLAS - Halliburton Co has boosted third-quarter net income by 17 per cent on strong revenue from its international operations, which offset sluggish growth in North America.
NEW DELHI - India's Tata Steel says it has won a contract to supply rail track to Britain's railway infrastructure operator Network Rail for at least five more years.
PARIS - As two French energy giants clinch a deal to build Britain's first new nuclear plant for a generation, debate has been reignited over nuclear's cost to taxpayers and the legacy of delays at similar projects.
BEIJING - Starbucks has become the latest foreign firm to be roasted by China's state-run media, following a series of accusations it is overcharging consumers.
