WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar is higher after the release of strong Chinese trade figures over the weekend.
At 0710 AEST on Tuesday, the local unit was trading at 93.54 US cents, up from 93.37 cents on Friday, before the Queen's birthday long weekend.
And the share market is set to open higher after Wall Street continued its winning streak amid a fresh burst of merger and acquisition activity on Wall Street.
At 0700 AEST on Tuesday, the March share price index futures contract was up 14 points at 5,492.
ELSEWHERE:
BEIJING - China's trade surplus surged in May as exports rose and imports showed a surprise fall.
OTTAWA - Australia and Canada have agreed to step up a push for an Asia-Pacific free trade deal at the end of talks between the two countries' leaders.
SAN FRANCISCO - Virtual currencies and the blurring between financial institutions, telecommunications and technology companies could pose big challenges for global regulators.
NEW YORK - US meat giant Tyson Foods has won a bidding war to take over sausage maker Hillshire Brands, with its sharply increased bid forcing Brazilian-owned rival Pilgrim's Pride to pull out.
NEW YORK - US pharmaceutical giant Merck says it's buying Idenix Pharmaceuticals to expand its portfolio of hepatitis C drugs in a cash deal valued at $US3.85 billion ($A4.17 billion).
TOKYO - Japan's economy grew 1.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2013 before a sales tax rise, posting the strongest expansion in more than two years, revised data shows.
WASHINGTON - US employers created more than 200,000 jobs for the fourth straight month in May, showing the country can still muster solid growth despite the weakness in Europe and other regions.
BRUSSELS - The European Central Bank will wait until the end of the year to assess fully the wave of measures intended to bolster growth and prevent deflation, an ECB board member says.
WASHINGTON - Standard and Poor's has held its US debt rating unchanged at AA+, nearly three years after dealing Washington a historic cut to its top-flight rating.
OAK BROOK, Illinois - McDonald's global sales rose slightly in May as business in China rebounded after last year's worries about avian flu.
LUSAKA - Zambia is seeking help from the International Monetary Fund, after its currency the kwacha lost about a fifth of its value and prices of its key export commodity copper slumped, the Fund says.
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