WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
A spike in global oil prices has turned around the fortunes of the Australian dollar.
At 0630 AEDT on Friday, the local unit was trading at 72.32 US cents, up from 71.84 cents on Thursday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open slightly higher after Wall Street gained as data showed an uptick in US manufacturing activity and oil prices turned around.
At 0645 AEDT on Friday, the share price index was up seven points at 4,846.
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WASHINGTON - More people sought US unemployment benefits last week, though the figure remained at a low level that suggests layoffs aren't widespread.
WASHINGTON - Orders to US companies for long-lasting manufactured goods advanced in January at the strongest pace in 10 months.
BRUSSELS - Official figures state inflation across the 19-country eurozone was lower than previously thought in January - a development that's likely to further strengthen expectations that the European Central Bank will unveil further stimulus next month.
LONDON - British American Tobacco Plc's chief executive does not expect any "big consolidation" among the world's top four tobacco companies in the next few years, quashing rumours that the maker of Dunhill cigarettes might bid for a rival.
LONDON - Lloyds Banking Group has rewarded investors with a surprise STG2 billion ($A3.86 billion) payout, underlying its intent to be the biggest dividend payer among Britain's banks and its recovery after a state bailout.
MADRID - Spanish energy company Repsol says it has posted a net loss of 2.06 billion euros ($A3.15 billion) in the fourth quarter of 2015 due primarily to a write-down of assets related to the slump in oil prices.
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Illinois - Sears Holdings Corp has reported a loss of $US580 million ($A804.83 million) in its fiscal fourth quarter.
BERLIN - A German environmental group says it has found traces of the widely used weed-killer ingredient glyphosate in Germany's 14 most popular beers, a potential blow to the country's reputation for "pure" brewing.
