The Australian dollar closed lower on Monday after pressure in the wake of an official interest rate rise in India and continued uncertainty in Greece.

Arrow Energy is urging shareholders to accept a sweetened takeover bid from Royal Dutch Shell and PetroChina Co, calling it the right step at the right time. .

Premier Investments expects its underperforming Portmans brand to return to profit within two years, after dragging down the group's first half results.

Agribusiness FarmWorks Australia has started trading on the stock exchange and says it is looking to strengthen its position outside Western Australia.

The Australian stock market has closed lower, with declines across all industry sectors, as investors react to a weak finish on overseas markets on Friday.

Across Asia, regional indices are all weaker after inconclusive direction from Wall Street, with higher metal prices and positive reads on the US service sector being offset by Washington rhetoric about reforms to the healthcare and financial sectors

Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange at the close.

Commercial and industrial property values in south-east Queensland have fallen, while residential values have stayed solid, new figures show.

ANZ Banking Group Ltd has completed the acquisition of Royal Bank of Scotland's (RBS) retail and commercial businesses in Hong Kong.

Drugs maker and distributor Sigma Pharmaceuticals has postponed the release of its full year financial results by as much as more than a week.

Australia still needs to strengthen its economic recovery, and be wary of the speed of winding back its stimulus measures, a business lobby group says.

The Australian share market was lower at noon as weaker resources stocks weighed on the market and most other sectors were relatively flat.

The Australian dollar was weaker at noon as investors digested India's decision to raise interest rates.

Property company Lend Lease Group has appointed Robert McNamara as chief executive of its American division.

Internet and mobile media company GoConnect Ltd will acquire the businesses of Cashmere Media Pty Ltd and PLW Entertainment Ltd.

Stocks of interest on the Australian stock exchange after noon.

Oil Search Ltd says the economic outlook in developed countries is uncertain, with sluggish growth likely to constrain oil prices.

Sino Gas & Energy Holdings Ltd has been suspended from "official quotation" at the request of the company, pending the release of an announcement.

OneSteel Ltd has signed an agreement to acquire a scrap metal recycler with operations in New South Wales and Victoria.

Australians have never had it so good, to coin a phrase. A big call, but Commonwealth Securities chief economist Craig James says a new measurement tool launched on Monday shows that Australians are indeed living in prosperous times.

The Australian dollar opened weaker after the Reserve Bank of India surprised market observers by raising interest rates ahead of its scheduled meeting.

Stocks of interest on the Australian stock exchange today.

Oil prices dived on Friday as the strengthening US currency dampened investor sentiment for dollar-priced crude.

The Australian share market has received negative leads from overseas, with Wall Street indices, metals and oil all closing lower.

NEW YORK - US stocks fell as investors took profits from recent gains and fretted about the global economic recovery following India's interest rate hike.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned the world's wealthiest nations to watch their surging levels of government debt.

Toyota's US shareholders, incensed over a sudden drop in stock price, are heading to court with lawsuits claiming company executives misled investors.

Austar United Communications Ltd's (Austar) majority owner Liberty Global, Inc. says the ownership structure of Foxtel would make mounting a takeover bid for the company too difficult.

Perth's median house price will hit $1 million in the next 10 years, a property price monitoring group predicts.

As Europe looks to Germany for answers on how to bail out debt-stricken Greece, Berlin has become ever more willing to defend its national interests rather than toe the European line, analysts said.