Finance news you need to know today

A MEXICAN Uber driver who was in the US illegally has been charged with raping, assaulting and robbing four young women.

THE Australian share market looks set to open comfortably higher after the world’s leading index offered positive leads and Wall Street hit record intraday highs.

At 0700 AEDT on Tuesday, the share price futures index was up 26 points, or 0.44 per cent, at 5,964.

Meanwhile, the Australian dollar once again has edged above 80 US cents as the US government shutdown weighs on the greenback.

At 0635 AEDT on Tuesday, the Australian dollar was worth 80.08 US cents, up from 79.94 US cents on Monday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six rival currencies, was down 0.16 per cent at 90.428, close to a three-year low, as the US government shutdown weighed on sentiment.

WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:

CALIFORNIA — California prosecutors say an Uber driver living in the country illegally has been charged with raping, assaulting and robbing young women. San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said Monday that Alfonso Alarcon-Nunez’s alleged victims are between 19 and 22 years old and three were intoxicated when they were assaulted.

LONDON — Facebook has admitted it was “far too slow to recognise” Russian election interference and the spread of fake news on the social networking site.

SEATTLE — No cashiers, no lines, no registers — this is how Amazon sees the future of in- store shopping. The online retailer opened its Amazon Go concept store to the public on Monday, selling milk, potato chips and other items typically found at a convenience shop.

PARIS — Dior designer Maria Grazia Chiuri projected a ludic mood at the Rodin Museum as top actors weighed in on the Time’s Up movement against sexual harassment at the start of Paris couture week.

NEW YORK — Global business travel is expected to thrive in 2018, according to a report by a travel management group, as an improving world economy buoys confidence in the private sector and investment community.

MONDAY HIGHLIGHTS:

MCGRATH — McGrath chief executive Cameron Judson and all but one of the real estate firm’s directors are leaving after the company issued another earnings warning.

DOMAIN — Domain’s shares have plummeted following the surprise resignation of its chief executive Antony Catalano less than four months after the real estate classifieds business listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

RETAIL FOOD GROUP — Retail Food Group has created a new chief executive role to oversee the embattled Australian store network that includes Donut King, Gloria Jean’s and Brumby’s Bakery.

HOUSING PRICES — Capital city home prices fell by 0.2 per cent last week, but Sydney values tumbled twice as fast as the national average.

KOGAN — Online electronics retailer Kogan.com says it has enjoyed record sales and strong cash flow during the Christmas season.