Australian Stocks DropAustralia's S&P/ASX 200 index snapped a three-day rise, led by financial stocks after Suncorp Metway Ltd. reported a slide in profit and Goldman Sachs JBWere Ltd. slashed its share-price forecast for the nation's financial shares. Suncorp, Australia's second-largest car and home insurer, reported a 28 percent drop in first-half earnings after credit costs crimped returns and... 

  Todays Australian stock Update THE Australian share market closed firmly in the black following a strong lead from Europe, with Wall Street closed overnight for a public holiday. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 60.7 points, or 1.09 per cent, to 5619.1 while the broader All Ordinaries index had risen 54.6 points, or 0.97 per cent, to 5688.6. On the Sydney Futures Exchange...