WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar has been dragged lower by struggling commodity prices ahead of the Reserve Bank's interest rate decision.
At 0630 AEDT on Tuesday, the currency was trading at 71.34 US cents, down from 71.40 cents on Monday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open higher following a strong performance on Wall Street on the back of strong earnings reports.
At 0645 AEDT on Tuesday, the December share price index futures contract was up 59 points at 5,189.
ELSEWHERE:
WASHINGTON - The US manufacturing sector, under pressure from the strong dollar that makes exports more costly, has continued to grow in October but just barely, a private survey shows.
WASHINGTON - US construction spending hit a seven-year high in September after a modest rise in the previous month, the Commerce Department has reported.
WASHINGTON - US environmental regulators say that Volkswagen also included "defeat devices" to skirt emissions rules on certain larger diesel engines, in addition to the smaller 2.0 litre engines reported earlier.
LONDON - Dublin-based pharmaceutical group Shire says it has agreed to buy Dyax, a US company specialising in rare diseases, for $US5.9 billion ($A8.28 billion).
NEW YORK - US credit card issuer Visa Inc said it was to buy back its former subsidiary Visa Europe in a 21.2 billion euros ($A32.84 billion) deal.
PARIS - General Electric has announced it has finalised a deal to acquire the energy assets of France's Alstom for 9.7 billion euros ($A15 billion).
PARIS - The Paris stock exchange is bracing for its biggest IPO of the year after Europe's largest asset manager Amundi said it would go ahead with a stock listing that could value the firm at nearly 9 billion euros ($A13.94 billion).
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