Finance news you need to know today

DONALD Trump has criticised Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet program as too expensive, his latest attack on large defence contractors.

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

1. SYDNEY — The Australian dollar is stronger against the US dollar. At 0630 AEDT on Tuesday, the local unit was trading at 74.92 US cents, up from 74.51 cents on Monday.

2. SYDNEY — The Australian share market is poised to open lower following mixed signals overnight from global markets. At 0646 AEDT on Tuesday, the local share price index was down 22 points, or 0.39 per cent, at 5,533.

3. WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has criticised Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet program as too expensive, the latest attack by the US President-elect on large defence contractors.

4. PARIS — International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde has pledged to fight “allegation by allegation” charges of negligence when she went on trial in Paris on Monday over her role in a huge payout by the French state to businessman Bernard Tapie in 2008.

5. LONDON — British finance minister Philip Hammond has backed the idea of a transition period between Britain leaving the European Union and the finalisation of its new relationship with the bloc, and says EU countries also stand to gain.