Aerial imaging and location data company Nearmap affirmed its guidance after experiencing strong growth during the first half of 2018-19.
The company announced the group's annualised contract value grw 42 per cent year-on-year to $78.3 million, drive largely by growth of 107 per cent in the US.
The company reaffirmed its guidance for 2018-19 of cash flow break even excluding its capital raise.
Nearmap plans to expand into Canada during 2019 and expand its product and content range.
Noni B Group has told the market it experienced strong Christmas trading, with like-for-like sales growth of 1 per cent in December.
The company said as a result, it was expecting underlying EBITDA for the first half of 2018-19 to be $29 million, at the upper end of market consensus.
The company is just the second major listed retailer to update the market on its Christmas trading.
Kathmandu said last week its sales for the period were disappointing during Christmas trade.
Bo Seo has the full story here.
Australian shares are trading slightly higher on Thursday morning, buoyed by the energy sector.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index is up 12.7 points, or 0.2 per cent, at 5791.
Woodside Petroleum is leading the gains with a 1.5 per cent increase, Rio Tinto is up 0.7 per cent and Santos is up 2 per cent.
Orocobre is up 5.3 per cent, Speedcast International has climbed 4.8 per cent and Emeco Holdings is up 4 per cent.
BHP Group is weighing the index with a 3.7 per cent loss, Treasury Wine Estates is down 3.3 per cent and Lendlease has slid 1.3 per cent.
Costa Group Holdings is down 32.1 per cent after a big downgrade, Iress is down 3.1 per cent and Coca-Cola Amatil is down 1.9 per cent.
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Wall Street's strong week continues, with Fed minutes giving markets a further boost. Locally, the ASX is set to edge higher at the open, writes Kyle Rodda.
The pointy end of the week has arrived, and so far, the news flow is lining up well for the bulls. The big release, perhaps for the whole week, was this morning's FOMC Minutes. Naturally, the information is old, relevant mostly to the December 19 period in which the central bank met. But given the market turmoil experienced since then, along with January's nascent recovery, this set of Fed minutes has taken on slightly greater significance.
The reception, as far as investors and other bulls are concerned, has been positive. The document reveals a much more dovish Fed than the one that Chairperson Jerome Powell presented at that meeting's press conference. The Powell-put is in, it is being judged: the market has Fed support.
Read the full 8@eight here.
Here are the overnight market highlights:
SPI futures up 10 points at 8am AEDT
AUD +0.6% to 71.80 US cents
On Wall St at 4pm: Dow +0.4% S&P 500 +0.2% Nasdaq +0.9%
In New York, BHP +0.3% Rio +1% Atlassian +0.9%
In Europe: Stoxx 50 +0.5% FTSE +0.7% CAC +0.8% DAX +0.8%
Spot gold +0.5% to $US1291.29 an ounce at 1.33pm New York time
Brent crude +4.4% to $US61.28 a barrel
US oil +4.9% to $US52.23 a barrel
Iron ore -0.8% to $US73.90 a tonne
Dalian iron ore -0.5% to 510 yuan
LME aluminium +0.6% to $US1852.5 a tonne
LME copper +0.9% to $US5958 a tonne
2-year yield: US 2.57% Australia 1.85%
5-year yield: US 2.56% Australia 2.00%
10-year yield: US 2.72% Australia 2.32% Germany 0.27%
US-Australia 10-year yield gap as of 5.29am AEDT: 50 basis points
The second-biggest institutional shareholder of takeover target Healius says its Chinese suitor would have to "significantly" increase its $2 billion offer to get traction with investors.
Justin Hance, portfolio manager and director of international research at the Chicago-based asset manager Harris Associates, backed chairman Rob Hubbard's call to deny Jangho Group due diligence after the board rebuffed the highly conditional proposal on Monday.
Healius said the offer was "opportunistic and fundamentally undervalues" the company and it had initiatives under way that, once completed, would deliver value to shareholders "in excess of" the proposal.
Carrie LaFrenz has the full story here.
Good morning and welcome to Markets Live for Thursday.
Your editor today is William McInnes.
This blog is not intended as investment advice.
Fairfax Media with wires.