WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar is trading lower with investors bearish ahead of the Reserve Bank's rate decision next week.
At 0700 AEST on Friday, the local unit was trading at 76.26 US cents, down from 76.46 cents on Thursday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open lower after Wall Street fell as the Bank of Japan's shocking call to cap monetary stimulus continues to rattle investors while a late day decline in Apple shares on remarks by billionaire investor Carl Icahn added to selling pressure.
At 0645 AEST on Friday, the share price index was down nine points at 5,192.
ELSEWHERE:
WASHINGTON - US economic growth has braked sharply to its slowest pace in two years as consumer spending softened and a strong US dollar continued to undercut exports, but a pick-up in activity is anticipated given a buoyant labour market.
NEW YORK - Comcast is buying DreamWorks Animation for approximately $US3.55 billion ($A4.68 billion).
DEARBORN - Ford Motor Co's net income more than doubled to $US2.5 billion ($A3.30 billion) in the first quarter on strong sales of trucks and SUVs in North America.
LONDON - Lloyds Banking Group has insisted it delivered a "robust" performance in the first three months of the year despite posting falling profits.
TRENTON - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co trounced Wall Street's first-quarter profit expectations as soaring sales of key new medicines offset higher expenses and a big hit from generic competition.
OAKVILLE, Ontario - Burger King's parent company said the fast-food chain's sales rose during the first quarter, boosted by the addition of hot dogs to the menu in the US.
RICHMOND, Virginia - Altria, the owner of cigarette maker Philip Morris USA, said its first-quarter profit rose about 20 per cent as it shipped more cigarettes and other tobacco products.
WOLFSBURG, Germany - Volkswagen's emissions test cheating scandal could cost it much more than the $US18 billion ($A23.73 billion) earmarked so far and it might have to sell assets to foot the bill, the German carmaker says.
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