After a brief Christmas closedown period, the Australian share market will be back in business this morning, and is expected to open flat according to ASX futures.
This morning, US equities finished slightly higher – with the Nasdaq posting a new record close. The Nasdaq was boosted by technology shares which were by far the strongest performers on Wall Street.
US economic newsThe Consumer confidence index this month came in at 113.7, which beat economists’ expectations of consumer optimism hitting a level of 109.
MarketsWall Street finished higher this morning: The Dow Jones gained 0.1% to close at 19,945, the S&P 500 added 0.2% to finish at 2,269, while the Nasdaq was up 0.45% to close at 5,487.
European markets finished higher as well: London’s FTSE was closed, while Paris and Frankfurt both gained 0.2%.
Asian markets finished mixed: the Nikkei was flat, the Hang Seng was closed, and the Shanghai Composite fell 0.25%.
As for the Australian share market, it last traded on Friday and finished 16 points down at 5,628.
CurrenciesThe Australian Dollar at 8.30am has fallen below the US72c mark, and is buying $US0.7183. The Aussie Dollar is also buying 58.54 Pence, 84.35 Yen and 68.7 Euro cents.
Company newsAFT Pharmaceuticals
(ASX:AFP) has entered an alliance agreement with Italian pharmaceutical company Angelini to licence its Maxiclear cold and flu medication in 16 countries – predominantly in Europe. Some of these countries include Spain, Portugal, Austria, Turkey and Russia. Under this deal, AFT will receive upfront payment, commercial and regulatory milestones and sales royalties – but the amounts haven’t been disclosed yet. AFT Pharmaceuticals closed steady last Thursday at $2.65.
Ex-dividendsTwo companies are going ex-dividend today:
Rural Funds Group
(ASX:RFF) will pay an unfranked dividend of 2.41 cents per share.
While RFM Poultry
(ASX:RFP) will pay a fully franked dividend of 2.51 cents.
CommoditiesGold is up $6.40 to $US1,140 an ounce.
Silver has gained $0.26 to $16.02.
Copper was up 5 cents at $2.52.
Oil is up 81 cents to US$53.83 per barrel.
