Now it's good news for the company's Chief Executive Andrew Mackenzie, who puts the results down to some cost cuts, but also a lifting productivity. 

 

“Well, it's more than just cost-cutting. I mean we both reducing the cost of doing we always do and we are also trying to produce a lot more for existing costs. And when we talk about the broader cost, we say by the end of this financial year in June, we'll then by it saving about 5.5 billion. It's a mixture of the two. Ah, you know, I mean, basic...basically we just make it the prime focus of the company.”

 

Andrew Mackenzie there. 

 

Now a short time ago, the Dow was down slightly. The Nasdaq is up more than half a percent. S&P 500's also risen. In London overnight, the FTSE closed up almost one percent.

 

And looking at commodity prices.

 

West Texas Crude is trading at 103 US dollars a barrel. Tapis Crude is at 116 US dollars a barrel. And gold is trading at 1322 US dollars an ounce.

 

The Australian dollar is buying 90 US cents, 66 Euro cents and 54 pence sterling.