Finance news you need to know today

CITIZENS of this nation can finally get their Big Macs delivered, with McDonald’s rolling out its long-awaited home delivery trial.

HERE are ten things making news in business and finance around the world today.

1. SYDNEY — The Australian market looks set to open virtually unchanged, following Wall Street’s uninspiring lead. At 0700 AEST on Thursday, the share price futures index was down one point at 5,897.

2. SYDNEY — The Australian dollar is lower against the US dollar as traders shy away from commodity currencies following reports that the United States may withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement. The local currency was trading at 74.74 US cents at 0700 AEST on Thursday, from 74.95 on Wednesday.

3. LONDON — McDonald’s is to roll out a long-awaited home delivery trial as UK consumers continue to embrace the rapidly expanding market.

4. WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump wants to simplify the personal tax code by cutting rates and eliminating deductions used by more affluent Americans.

5. WASHINGTON — The US House of Representative could move soon to consider a bill to fund the government for a week to avoid a shutdown at midnight on Friday and buy time to strike a deal for a long-term funding plan, a House Republican source says.

6. WASHINGTON — A draft executive order that will withdraw the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement is under consideration, a senior administration official says, confirming an earlier report from Politico.

7. BERLIN — The German government is raising slightly its growth forecast this year for the country’s economy, Europe’s biggest, to 1.5 per cent. It is predicting that the economy will expand by 1.6 per cent in 2018.

8. VIENNA — Vienna prosecutors are investigating Airbus Chief Executive Thomas Enders for suspected fraud in connection with a $US2 billion ($A2.7 billion) Eurofighter jet order by Austria more than a decade ago.

9. NAIROBI — Banks in war-ravaged South Sudan have run out of cash and the crunch is exacerbating hunger and widespread famine, the deputy finance minister says.

10. ROME — Alitalia will be sold to the highest bidder and Germany’s Lufthansa is welcome to make an offer for it, Transport Minister Graziano Delrio says, ruling out a government bailout for Italy’s near-bankrupt airline.