Finance news you need to know today

THE Australian share market looks set to open sharply lower with Wall Street’s negative sentiment infecting local indexes. At 0700 AEDT on Friday, the share price futures index was down 31 points, or 0.51 per cent, at 6,012.

Meanwhile, the Australian dollar has crept a little higher against the US dollar, which has weakened on concern over a possible delay in planned US corporate tax cuts. The local currency was trading at 76.82 US cents at 0700 AEDT on Friday, from 76.79 on Thursday.

WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:

BEIJING — US President Donald Trump blamed past US administrations for the trade deficit with Beijing, and not the Chinese, as he praised President Xi Jinping while also urging him to contain North Korea’s nuclear threat.

DANANG — Talks on pushing ahead the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal without the United States reached a critical point on Thursday as ministers from the 11 countries discussed a proposed agreement in principle.

GENEVA — Indonesia has lost an appeal ruling at the World Trade Organisation in a dispute with New Zealand and the United States over its restrictions on imports of food and animal products including beef and poultry.

LONDON — A large long-term study on the use of the big-selling weedkiller glyphosate by agricultural workers in the United States has found no firm link between exposure to the pesticide and cancer, scientists said on Thursday.

LOS ANGELES — Following a severe backlash over the verification of a far-right extremist who organised the recent Neo-Nazi March in Charlottesville, Twitter announced on Thursday that it was suspending its verification program until further notice.