Ten years after China helped stave off the threat of a global depression, investors are looking once again towards Beijing.

Australia Post's letter delivery service has plunged back into the red and is dragging down the government-owned enterprise's profitability, even as online shopping sees its parcel delivery business boom.

If productivity, production and prices are the three "Ps" that drive miners' earnings, BHP missed on two of its ''Ps.''

Scandal-hit financial advice group IOOF Holdings is taking action to redeem itself with the financial regulator and investors as its two most senior executives remain sidelined awaiting court action.

The world's biggest miner BHP has reported an eight per cent fall in its underlying attributable profit to $US4.03 billion for the December half

Positive sentiment over trade talks have helped override some disappointing results.

S&P/ASX closes higher at 6106, despite big drops in Cochlear, Blackmores, Emeco.

A class action has begun against Australia's largest slot machine maker alleging it has illegally profited from "free-to-play" online casino games in the US.

Energy giant Origin will sell its underperforming Ironbark coal seam gas project to its subsidiary Australia Pacific LNG for $231 million, a third of what it paid for it a decade ago.

Reserve Bank warns higher unemployment and slower growth if house prices fall "much further"