Finance news you need to know today

THE US government says it is sanctioning two Middle Eastern exchange houses and an individual accused of helping to funnel cash to the Islamic State group.

HERE are seven things making news in business and finance today.

1. SYDNEY — The Australian dollar is broadly flat against its US counterpart as investors await the US Federal Reserve’s rate decision. At 0630 AEDT on Wednesday, the local unit was trading at 74.95 US cents, flat from 74.94 cents on Tuesday.

2. SYDNEY — The Australian share market is set to open higher as US stocks hit record highs. At 0645 AEDT on Wednesday, the local share price index was up 35 points, or 0.63 per cent, at 5,585.

3. WASHINGTON — US-allied Asian ambassadors on Tuesday urged President-elect Donald Trump to reconsider his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement and keep the U.S. engaged in Asia.

4. WASHINGTON — More than 100 employees of technology companies including Alphabet Inc’s Google, Twitter Inc and Salesforce pledged on Tuesday to not help US President-elect Donald Trump’s administration build a data registry to track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations.

5. LONDON — A 48-hour strike by train drivers crippled rail services Tuesday in southern England as a long-running dispute delayed and cancelled journeys for hundreds of thousands of London commuters.

6. WASHINGTON — All new cars and light trucks would be able to talk wirelessly with each other, with traffic lights and with other roadway infrastructure under a rule the Transportation Department proposed Tuesday.

7. WASHINGTON — The US government says it is sanctioning two Middle Eastern exchange houses and an individual accused of helping to funnel cash to the Islamic State group.