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Retail spending rose for the eighth straight month in March as consumers overcame a lack of confidence in the economy and spent more of their money on services such as entertainment.

US stock markets were modestly lower Thursday, with US unemployment data and a successful Spanish debt sale giving little direction to trade.

The Australian share market has closed at a fresh eight-month high, buoyed by resource stocks and investors punting on China undertaking new moves to boost its economy.

The Australian dollar is slightly lower in quiet trade as investors sit on the sidelines awaiting the outcome of a Spanish government bond auction.

Land developer Stockland will cut executive bonuses after a review of its remuneration policies.

Commonwealth Bank boss Ian Narev has set out his vision for Australia's largest bank, but refused to put performance targets on his key aims.

Personal fraud is on the rise in Australia, with a whopping 1.2 million people falling victim in 2010-2011.

Climate change sceptic Ian Plimer has stepped in as chairman of Ivanhoe Australia, replacing Canadian billionaire Robert Friedland who quit the gold and copper miner following a power tussle w

The biggest humpback whale calving area in the southern hemisphere will be protected within a new marine park to be created on the Kimberley coast by the state government.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has accused Premier Colin Barnett of not doing enough to help people outside the resources boom.

Land sales figures for the December quarter have highlighted serious issues with state and national government policies, the Housing Industry Association says.

Rifts between Australia's farming community and the Australian Greens over the carbon tax have been "wildly exaggerated", says the party's new leader Christine Milne.

Fortescue Metals Group says axing the federal government's diesel fuel rebate for miners will cost the company up to $US150 million ($A145.30 million) a year.

Pancontinental Oil and Gas has announced it will raise $50 million to fund ongoing exploration in Kenya and Namibia.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has acknowledged movements in the official cash rate lie in the hands of the independent central bank.

Telstra Corporation chief executive David Thodey says the telco would look at increasing its stake in Foxtel should James Packer decide to sell out of the pay TV company.

Andrew Forrest has stepped up his battle with the federal government over the mining tax by releasing details of a compromise package he says was negotiated with former prime minister Kevin Rudd.

The Southern Metropolitan Regional Council has applied for a lifeline for its Canning Vale waste facility, the largest in the state, after the Department Of Environment and Conservation moved to sh

Business conditions in Australia improved slightly over the first three months of 2012, a private survey shows.

Perth-based mining contractor NRW Holdings has won $125 million worth of Pilbara contracts with Rio Tinto's Hamersley Iron.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has seized on comments Prime Minister Julia Gillard will make linking a budget surplus to lower interest rates, describing them as an admission of failure.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is defending the Labor government's determination to deliver a 2012/13 budget surplus, but she can't guarantee the federal coffers won't swing back to deficit in later

Mining giant BHP has denied it's recruiting contract employees to replace retrenched union workers for a Queensland coal mine it closed.

Fortescue Metals Group's third quarter iron ore production fell below guidance as a result of cyclones in Western Australia.

Oil and gas producer Santos has maintained its full year production target after lifting its first quarter production and sales revenue.

Asciano and the maritime union have ended a long-running dispute over wages and conditions at its waterfront terminals after both parties approved a new enterprise agreement.

Woodside Petroleum's first quarter revenue is up 20 per cent to $US1.2 billion, despite a 10 per cent fall in production due to the impact of cyclones.

The Australian share market opened slightly higher following gains for the mining giants and despite falls on Wall Street.

Two property surveys released this week have shown marked differences in sentiment between the retail and residential property markets in Western Australia.

Australia has emerged as the second most desired location, behind only the United States, for people to live and work, a report says.

Investors unimpressed by a skein of positive earnings surprises have sold down US stocks, with some nervousness over the eurozone clouding sentiment.

Finance Minister Penny Wong has taken Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to task over his claim that the local economy is underperforming, saying he's "simply wrong".