WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar is soaring as positive US jobs figures helped boost risk sentiment.
At 0700 AEDT on Monday, the local unit was trading at 74.04 US cents, up from 73.17 cents on Friday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open higher following gains on Wall Street after US employment data allayed investors' concerns about a sluggish economy without bolstering fears of an imminent interest rate rise.
At 0645 AEDT on Monday, the share price index was up 36 points at 5,121.
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:
BEIJING - China's economy isn't headed for a hard landing and isn't dragging on the global economy, China's top economic planner says.
WASHINGTON - US employment gains have surged in February, the clearest sign yet of labour market strength that could further ease fears the economy is heading into recession and allow the Federal Reserve to gradually raise interest rates this year.
DUBAI - Iran expects economic growth of more than five per cent in 2016 after the lifting of sanctions on the country, state television quoted the central bank governor as saying.
LONDON - British finance minister George Osborne has dropped plans for a pensions overhaul which had run into opposition in his Conservative Party, already split over the country's European Union membership referendum, media reports say.
WASHINGTON - The International Monetary Fund says it will separately identify China's yuan currency in its official foreign exchange reserves database starting on October 1.
WASHINGTON - The US Federal Reserve has put forward new rules aimed at addressing one of the primary causes of the 2008 financial crisis - the financial exposures that the biggest banks had with each other.
LONDON - RWE's British business npower plans to cut about 2500 jobs as it seeks to improve its financial performance, a source close to the matter says.
NEW DELHI - US seed giant Monsanto has threatened to pull its genetically modified crop technology from India if the government goes ahead with its plan to cut the company's royalty fees.
