Rocklands Richfield PCI Limited

AusTex Oil Limited (ASX:AOK) is pleased to advise the appointment of Mr Kwang Hou Hung as a Non-Executive Director and Deputy Chairman of the Company effective from 18 April 2011.

The Australian shares closed lower on Thursday despite mining shares were stronger on expectations of higher iron ore prices. The fall was largely due to weakness in financial stocks. The market saw some profit-taking selling in miners in the afternoon. At the close, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index fell 22.0 points, or 0.45 per cent, to 4899.4 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index lost 16.3 points, or 0.33 per cent, to 4930.5 points.

Asian shares delivered a positive opening this morning. The Asian bourses were higher in thin trade on the last day of 2009 as commodity prices rose and China pledged to maintain policies that helped pull the world economy out of recession. For the year, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index added 52%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index gained 31% in 2009 and Singapore was up 65 percent over the year. But Wall Street tumbled on the final trading day in 2009. Dow index remains down 26 per cent from its 2007 highs.

Wall Street posted a small gain on Friday despite the Labour Department report showed the US unemployment rate broke above 10 per cent in October, up from 9.8 per cent in September. But the number of jobs lost narrowed to the lowest level in more than a year.

Overnight Wall Street extended its gains on Reserve Bank of Australia's unexpected decision to raise the official interest rate. Investors saw the first rate hike in advanced economies since the global financial crisis as a key indication of recovery. The move also pushed commodities higher with gold soaring to a record.

The Australian shares Wednesday posted a strong gain boosted by miners and banks. The upbeat data on consumer confidence and housing finance also helped to lift the local market. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index rose 89.5 points, or 2.27 per cent, to 4024.4, and the broader All Ordinaries index surged 82.7 points, or 2.1 per cent, at 4016.3.