WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar has soared after comments from the head of the European Central Bank boosted prospects of further stimulus.
At 0700 AEDT on Friday, the local unit was trading at 69.87 US cents, up from 68.92 cents on Thursday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open higher after Wall Street rallied after a hesitant start as oil prices surged towards their biggest gain this year and ECB president Mario Draghi raised hopes of further stimulus.
At 0645 AEDT on Friday, the share price index was up 17 points at 4,844 points.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
ELSEWHERE:
FRANKFURT - Turmoil in financial markets and concerns over China and other emerging markets will prompt a March review of the European Central Bank's monetary policy, President Mario Draghi says, holding out the prospect of further loosening.
FRANKFURT - The European Central Bank has left interest rates unchanged as expected, holding them at record lows as it prints money to lift the economy and raise inflation.
WASHINGTON - The number of people seeking unemployment benefits in the US rose last week to the highest level since July, though applications remained at historically low levels.
HONG KONG - Barclays will cut about 1,000 jobs in investment banking worldwide and close its cash equities business in Asia as new Chief Executive Jes Staley tries to reduce costs and boost returns.
FRANKFURT - Deutsche Bank says it expects an annual loss of 6.7 billion euros ($A10.59 billion) for 2015, compared with a net profit of 1.69 billion euros the previous year.
