Finance News

Employment expected to remain steady

Most economists are expecting unemployment in Australia to remain steady at 5.3 per cent.

NZ dlr touches 5-week high ahead of rate decision

* Kiwi NZD=D4 opens local session around & #36;0.7060 level after touching a high of & #36;0.7098 in the offshore session, the highest since Feb. 3, as risk appetite increases demand for higher yield currencies.

Banks keep gains from card customers

Movements on credit card interest rates over two years show banks have kept 85 per cent of the net benefit gained from the Reserve Bank interest rate cuts.

Atlas eyes second takeover after Aurox

Cashed-up miner Atlas Iron is considering another acquisition in addition to its proposed & #36;143 million takeover of junior iron ore explorer Aurox Resources.

Huge land deals threaten poor country farmers: UN expert

GENEVA (AFP) – Subsistence farmers in developing nations are at risk because farmland equivalent to the total amount available in France has been negotiated away to foreign investors since 2006, a UN expert said Monday.

Dock strike hits key industries in Finland

HELSINKI (AFP) – A Finnish dock workers’ strike that has crippled the export-reliant Nordic country’s foreign trade entered its fifth day Monday, with major companies saying they were forced to temporarily halt operations.

Mirabela raises & #36;37m through placement

Mirabela Nickel Ltd says it has raised & #36;37.8 million through a placement of 16.4 million shares at & #36;2.30 to mostly institutional investors.

Airport chaos as system goes down

A system malfunction at Melbourne Airport has left thousands of Virgin customers stranded during the busy Christmas travel season.