The chief executive of Suncorp, Michael Cameron, is stepping down after nearly four years in the role, with the board declaring now is the "right time for change." Chairman Christine McLoughlin said in an announcement to investors that a change in leadership would give the financial services group an opportunity to lift its performance.

She said Mr Cameron had overseen major changes to the banking and insurance company's technology systems, an increased focus on customers, and he had led the business during a period of major regulatory change.

"On behalf of the Board I would like to thank Michael for his leadership in accelerating our digital capability and in driving a customer-first culture," she said.

It is understood Mr Cameron's departure was mutually agreed to by him and the board. Ms Holgate said the board had "robust" internal succession planning, and it would also conduct a domestic and international search for potential candidates to fill the job. Suncorp's shares have risen about 15 per cent over Cameron's tenure, which began in October 2015. Shares last traded at $13.90.

Read the full story from Clancy Yeates here

Woolworths has completed its $1.7 billion off-market share buy-back. The buy-back offer was popular with a $24.15 dividend component that Woolworths expects the tax office will soon rule as a fully-franked dividend, plus a $4.79 capital payment. This totals $28.94, a discount on the trading price, which is at $32.70.

Woolworths will pay shareholders on 30 May.

"Completion of the off-market buy-back fulfils the Board's commitment to return the proceeds from the Woolworths Petrol sale to shareholders," chairman Gordon Cairns tells the market this morning.

"Following the buy-back, the Woolworths Group balance sheet will remain strong and allow sufficient flexibility for future growth as the board remains focused on long-term shareholder value creation.''

Air New Zealand has ordered eight new Boeing 787-10 aircraft, to replace its aging fleet of Boeing 777-200s and potentially make it possible for the carrier to non-stop flights to New York. The airline's chief executive Christopher Luxon said the order was a "hugely important decision" for the carrier, with the first of the jets to arrive in 2022.

The eight new aircraft have a list value of $US2.7 billion ($3.9 billion), but airlines usually negotiate significant discounts and the final price tag is confidential. The order sees Boeing emerge over victorious over rival plane maker Airbus, which had pitched its A350 to Air New Zealand in a fierce two-year contest for the contract. It is a welcome boost for Boeing, which has seen its market capitalisation drop by around $60 billion in the wake of two tragedies involving its Boeing 737 Max planes, which remain grounded worldwide.

Read the full story by Patrick Hatch here

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ASX futures down 2 points to 6462

AUD +0.4% to 69.27 US cents
On Wall St: Dow +0.4% S&P 500 +0.1% Nasdaq +0.1%
In New York, BHP , Rio , Atlassian
In Europe: Stoxx 50 +0.7% FTSE +0.7% CAC +0.7% DAX +0.5%
Spot gold -0.1% to $US1289.70 an ounce
Brent crude +2.3% to $US69.29 a barrel
US oil +1.9% to $US59.02 a barrel
Iron ore +1.5% to $US105.32 a tonne
Dalian iron ore +3% to 749 yuan
LME aluminium +0.1% to $US1800 a tonne
LME copper +0.5% to $US5955 a tonne
2-year yield: US 2.16% Australia 1.10%
5-year yield: US 2.12% Australia 1.17%
10-year yield: US 2.32% Australia 1.52% Germany -0.12%
10-year US/Australia yield gap: 80 basis points

IG MARKETS SPONSORED POST

International diplomacy, politics and global trade are at centre of attention to begin the new week. Indeed, that's in part due to the corporate and economic calendar appearing relatively lighter, being the final week of the month; as well as the fact the UK and US are off on public holidays on Monday. But even in the absence of other hard-hitting, high impact news, the confluence of politics-related headlines merits attention in their own right. And it spans the globe: Trump is talking trade in Japan, the Europeans are voting in their Parliamentary elections, and the UK is now searching for a new Prime Minister.

For the next 24 hours, the interest of market participants will turn to US President Trump's visit to Japan, as he chats trade and regional security. Japanese Prime Minister Abe and his team are apparently on the charm-offensive with Trump – treating him to games of golf, and all the other spoils of high-diplomacy.

At-the-moment, risk-appetite is dwindling in financial markets, as the trade-war escalates and the White House hurls threats to its trading partners about imposing higher trade barriers. Market action will be in some-way determined by what commentary comes from Trump after this little summit, and whether he cools his anti-trade rhetoric. SPI Futures are indicating a follow through of this sentiment, pointing to a narrow, two-point drop in the ASX200 this morning. The AUD is back into the 0.6900 handle too, courtesy of a weaker greenback, after US Cored Durable Goods orders data disappointed on Friday – and comes despite a major drop in Australian bond yields, which saw the 10 Year note's yield fall to par with the current cash rate of 1.50 per cent.