Aust stocks set to open lower
The Australian stock market looks set to open lower following falls on Wall Street after better-than-expected US jobless claims figures stoked fears of early Federal Reserve stimulus tapering.
At 0710 AEST, the September share price index futures contract was down 36 points at 5074.
In economic news on Friday, Reserve Bank of Australia assistant governor (Financial Markets) Guy Debelle is scheduled to speak on The Impact of Payments System and Prudential Reforms on the RBA's Provision of Liquidity, at an Australian Financial Markets Association (AFMA) and RBA briefing.
The RBA's Payments System board meeting is also scheduled.
In equities news, Automotive Holdings Group (AHE), Platinum Asset Management (PTM) and AVJennings (AVJ) are expected to post full year results, and Santos (STO) and APN News & Media (APN) are due to post their first half results, while the ANZ (ANZ) is slated to provide a trading update.
In Australia, the market on Thursday edged lower due to mixed reactions to corporate earnings reports.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index dropped 5.0 points, or 0.1%, to 5,152.4.
The broader All Ordinaries index lost 4.3 points, or 0.08%, to 5,136.7.