Finance news you need to know today

FRENCH President Francois Hollande has a stern message for United States President-elect Donald Trump.

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

1. SYDNEY — The Australian dollar is little changed against its US counterpart holds steady. At 0635 AEDT on Wednesday, the local unit was trading at 75.45 US cents, up from 75.40 cents on Tuesday.

2. SYDNEY — The Australian market looks set to open higher after Wall Street and major European bourses trade in the green and oil prices jump nearly five per cent. At 0645 AEDT on Wednesday, the share price index was up 17 points at 5,341.

3. WASHINGTON — US retail sales rose more than expected in October as households bought motor vehicles and a range of other goods, pointing to sustained economic strength that could allow the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates next month.

4. SOCHI — Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev after losing trust in him, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says.

5. BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel has signalled a readiness to discuss the parameters of the free movement of people in the European Union, in remarks that may open some room for manoeuvre in talks on Britain’s exit from the bloc.

6. LONDON — A leaked Brexit note that says Britain has no overall strategy for leaving the European Union was written without input from the government, Deloitte says.

7. ATHENS — Drawing a broad lesson from the election of Donald Trump, President Barack Obama says world leaders need to pay attention to people’s very real fears of economic dislocation and inequality in the midst of globalisation.

8. MARRAKESH — French President Francois Hollande is urging US President-elect Donald Trump to respect a global agreement to limit climate change, saying the deal was irreversible and inaction on global warming would be disastrous.

9. SEOUL — Self-driving cars soon will hit the road in South Korea as the country seeks to overtake other nations that have sped ahead with automated driving technology.

10. SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter, facing pressure for not doing enough to curb abusive behaviour on its platform, says it will upgrade some features to better combat cyber-bullying.