Finance news you need to know

SECURITIES regulators have ordered two United States Citigroup affiliates to pay $244 million to settle charges that they defrauded investors.

(FILES) This July 14, 2014 file photo shows The Citigroup Center in midtown Manhattan. US securities regulators ordered two Citigroup affiliates August 17, 2015 to pay $180 million to settle charges that they defrauded investors by falsely claiming a pair of hedge funds were low-risk. Citigroup collected nearly $3 billion from 4,000 investors by claiming the ASTA/MAT fund and the Falcon fund were low-risk investments akin to investing in government bonds, said the US Securities and Exchange Commission. AFP PHOTO / Timothy A. CLARY/ FILES

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

1. SYDNEY — The Australian dollar is almost flat, following a mixed performance for commodity prices. At 0630 AEST on Tuesday, the local unit was trading at 73.75 US cents, down from 73.77 cents on Monday.

2. SYDNEY — The Australian share market looks set to open higher, following Wall Street’s rise as gains by Apple and Disney lifted the Dow ahead of the release of the Federal Reserve’s minutes. At 0645 AEST on Tuesday, the share price index futures contract was up nine points at 5,311.

3. NEW YORK — US securities regulators have ordered two Citigroup affiliates to pay $US180 million ($A244 million) to settle charges that they defrauded investors by falsely claiming a pair of hedge funds were low-risk.

4. SAN FRANCISCO — Google has given a name to its soon-to-be released operating system for its Android mobile devices: Marshmallow.

5. WASHINGTON — US home builders grew slightly more optimistic about the housing market in August, putting their confidence at levels last seen a decade ago during the debt-fuelled housing boom.

6. LONDON — The average pay of chief executives in Britain’s top companies is 183 times that of the typical worker, according to a new study.

7. NEW YORK — The owner of QVC is buying online flash deal business Zulily in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $US2.32 billion ($A3.14 billion).

8. ANCHORAGE — The federal government has given Royal Dutch Shell the final permit it needs to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska’s northwest coast for the first time in more than two decades.