Westpac Banking Corp

The 2017 East Coles Corporate Performance Research has been completed and the Top 10 Finalists from the S&P/ASX100 for the 'Best CFO's' category for 2017 (not in ranked order) are: APA, BTT, CTX, JBH, JHG, MQA, QUB, TPM, WES. The Top 10 Finalists from the S&P/ASX101-200 for the 'Best CFO's' category for 2017 (not in ranked order) are: A2M, ALU, BAP, CGC, FPH, GUD, MTR, MIN, RWC, SDF.

Last year some of the Best 'Investment Desirability' stocks in their sectors were AMC, BAP, CSL, GMG, IAG, SEK, TPM and WBC, but which stocks will be the best for 'Investment Desirability' in 2017? Fund managers are able to vote now to determine this year's winners. Voting will be closing down asap.

Boardroom.media and East Coles recently entered a partnership affording Boardroom.media access to East Coles data. As a result of this partnership Boardroom.media will act as a media partner for the annual East Coles Awards Night.

The 2017 East Coles / Transplant Australia Corporate Performance Awards Night will be held at the Ivy Ballroom on Thursday, 21 September.

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, who first challenged ANZ (ASX:ANZ) on unlawful fees in 2010, have recently issued a Class Action against National Australia Bank (ASX:NAB).

Aspire Mining Limited (ASX:AKM) (PINK:ASPXF) is pleased to announce the completion of the placement of 105,860,186 ordinary shares at A$0.19 per share to SouthGobi Resources Limited (TSX:SGQ).

Australian shares opened marginally lower following Wall Street's weak lead. Investors continued to place focus on the local news while the earnings season entered the final stage. The Australian dollar also opened lower on Monday over the federal election uncertainty. The local unit was trading at 88.63 US cents, down 0.44 per cent from Friday's close of 89.03 US cents.

Australian shares fell significantly this morning after the US and European markets shed on concerns over the euro zone's ability to contain its debt crisis. The S&P/ASX 200 index lost nearly 2 per cent shortly after the market opened. On economic news front, today Australian Industry Group releases performance of service index for April, while Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes building approvals data for March.

The Australian sharemarket closed higher Tuesday. Financial stocks were boosted as Westpac's strong earnings result provided a positive sign for the banking sector and Australia's economy. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 22.3 points, or 0.5 per cent, at 4567.8, while the broader All Ordinaries index gained 20.4 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 4590.8.

Yesterday the Australian sharemarket gained as the Chinese government released a report showing that China's exports jumped 17.7 per cent in December. The Australian dollar was stronger on Monday on the positive Chinese trade data and improved domestic jobs data. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index advanced 38.6 points, or 0.8 per cent, at 4950.7, while the broader All Ordinaries index was up 39 points, or 0.8 per cent, to 4981.2.