Finance news you need to know today

UK PRIME Minister Theresa May has told Scotland unity is crucial to Britain winning a good divorce deal from the European Union.

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

1. SYDNEY — Australian shares look set to open higher, ignoring the lead from overseas markets which have fallen across the board amid fading confidence that US president Donald Trump will get his promised corporate tax reform through Congress. At 0700 AEDT on Tuesday, the share price futures index was up 16 points, or 0.28 per cent, at 5,752.

2. SYDNEY — Meanwhile, the Australian dollar has fallen against the US dollar, despite the greenback sliding 0.4 per cent against a basket of major currencies. The local currency was trading at 76.24 US cents at 0700 AEDT on Tuesday, down from 76.33 on Monday.

3. LONDON — Qatar will invest STG5 billion ($A8.3 billion) in Britain over the next few years, the country’s minister of finance said during a visit to London.

4. EAST KILBRIDE — Prime Minister Theresa May has told Scotland unity is crucial to Britain winning a good divorce deal from the European Union, in a new attempt to persuade the Scottish government to step back from independence demands.

5. LONDON — Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and British Prime Minister Theresa May were unable to find common ground during a meeting in Scotland, just a day before the Scottish parliament is set to sanction another independence referendum.