Macquarie Group Limited

Wall Street was higher on Friday as a government report showed that the pace of job losses slowed in August. But the US stocks were still in negative territory for the week with the worst performance since early July.

Macquarie Group Ltd. (ASX:MQG) said it has formed a Shanghai-based trust company joint venture with two state-owned companies.

Macquarie Group Ltd. (ASX:MQG) has entered into a joint venture with China Everbright Ltd (HKG:0165) to establish two funds to invest in infrastructure businesses in Greater China with a focus on core infrastructure.

US stocks closed flat overnight after a weaker-than-expected survey on consumer confidence. The Conference Board reported its confidence index fell to 46.6 from 49.3 in June, primarily due to a worsening job market.

Wall Street posted a strong gain overnight with Dow index jumped above 9000 points mark for the first time since January. The market was bolstered by upbeat housing data and favourable corporate earnings.

Yesterday, the Australian share market closed higher on the back of stronger commodity prices. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index rose 49 points, or 1.29 per cent, at 3856, while the broader-based All Ordinaries index gained 49.3 points, or 1.3 per cent, to 3851.5 points.

The Australian shares closed lower as weaker commodities prices weighed on the resources sector. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index fell 30.5 points, or 0.75 per cent, at 4031.7 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index shed 31.1 points, or 0.77 per cent, to 4030.4 points.

The Australian shares were broadly higher. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 rose 76.4 points, or 2 per cent, at 3894.4, while the broader All Ordinaries gained 74.6 points, or 1.96 per cent, to 3887.9 points. Besides the strong lead from Wall Street, the rising commodities prices may also push up the market today.

The Australian share market closed lower with a broad-based selling off after Wall Street's tumble. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index slumped 45.4 points, or 1.2 per cent, at 3755.7, while the broader All Ordinaries index lost 41.4 points, or 1.1 per cent, to 3753.9.

The Australian shares were marginally lower on Friday. On Friday the benchmark S&P/ASX200 ended 10.9 points, or 0.3%, lower at 3769.6, while the broader All Ordinaries fell 6.8 points, or 0.2%, to 3737.9.