AAP

Gold rose overnight on concerns that a US House vote on Hong Kong could hamper trade negotiations between the country and China and as investors awaited a key Brexit summit but bullion's gains were overshadowed by deficit-hit palladium as it again set a record.

The Australian share market has finished higher for a fifth straight day, closing with its biggest gains in six-and-a-half weeks.

The Australian share market has jumped at the start of trading after a positive lead from Wall Street.

Worley has asked the Foreign Investment Review Board to look at "possible creeping acquisitions" by Beirut-headquartered Dar Group as the ASX-listed engineering and consulting firm aims to fend off a possible takeover by its largest shareholder.

Oil prices fell overnight as investors worried that the unrelenting US-China trade conflict would keep squeezing the global economy and that swelling US crude inventories would further pressure prices.

Gold fell 1.0 per cent overnight as growing risk appetite boosted investor demand for equities while a sustained supply crunch in palladium propelled the price of that precious metal to a record high.

The Australian share market has finished a touch higher despite stocks of media companies and retailers taking a hit amid reports their businesses are suffering.

There are concerns of a measles outbreak at a Fortescue Metals Group mine site in Western Australia after a case was confirmed.

Oil prices slumped more than 2.0 per cent overnight on worries that global crude demand could stay under pressure as a lack of details about the first phase of a US-China trade deal dimmed hopes for a quick resolution to the tariff fight.

Gold gained overnight as optimism over a potential US-China trade deal waned while palladium notched an all-time high driven by short supplies of the auto-catalyst metal.

The Australian share market has closed higher for a third day, playing catch-up after the US and China struck a truce on tariffs after Friday's close.

Covalent Lithium's Earl Grey lithium project has been recommend for approval by WA's Environmental Protection Authority provided its proponents minimise the impact on flora and fauna, including chuditch and malleefowl.

The big banks have said they welcome the competition watchdog inquiry into mortgage pricing, with ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott admitting lenders have not properly explained why their rates do not keep pace with the tumbling cash rate.

Oil prices rose as high as $US60.65 a barrel on Friday after Iranian media said a state-owned oil tanker had been struck by missiles in the Red Sea near Saudi Arabia but bearish oil demand forecasts soon pulled crude off session highs.

Gold fell over 1.0 per cent on Friday, en route to its biggest weekly decline since March, as easing concerns about the US-China trade conflict and Britain's exit from the European Union renewed appetite for riskier assets.

The Australian share market has closed solidly higher amid optimism that progress is being made between the US and China on trade.

Climate activists have brought traffic to a standstill in Perth's CBD as streets were shut down and police arrested protesters causing disruption.

The Australian share market has opened sharply higher as investors keep an eye on US-Chinese trade talks.

Oil prices rose overnight, buoyed by comments by the head of OPEC that the organisation could take action to balance oil markets and that it will decide in December on supply for next year.

Gold prices retreated from a one-week peak overnight while palladium prices marked an all-time high after a report suggested that the Chinese government wants to reach an agreement with the US administration to avoid further escalation of a ongoing trade row.

The Australian share market closed flat after a rollercoaster day caused by conflicting reports about US-Chinese negotiations.

The Perth restaurateur behind The Meatball Bar and MOP Donuts has been found guilty of assault but acquitted over claims he threatened to destroy a man's cafe and put him "in a coffin" over some fruit and vegetables.

AMP is combining its banking and Australian wealth management units in a major restructure, creating a new organisation called AMP Australia.

Orora shareholders are in line to pocket $1.2 billion after the company decided to offload its cardboard packaging unit to Japan's Nippon Paper for $1.7 billion.

Oil prices rose overnight following media reports that China's government was open to a partial trade deal with the United States and after Turkey launched a military operation in northern Syria but a build in US crude inventories limited gains.

Gold eked out gains on bets of further rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve as investors awaited minutes from the central bank's September meeting overnight but hopes of a China-US trade deal buoyed risk sentiment and capped bullion's gains.

The Australian share market has closed lower, as pessimism about the outcome of the upcoming US-China trade negotiations weighs on market confidence.

BHP says big miners' profits will not survive if they simply pay lip service to the social and environmental toll of resource extraction, with the "social value" of a business decision increasingly important to a company's long-term future.

The National Broadband Network has copped an official warning from the competition watchdog after the taxpayer-funded wholesaler allowed one telco to see sensitive pricing information months before its rivals.

Oil prices slid about 1.0 per cent overnight as the US government's plans to blacklist more Chinese companies dampened hopes for a trade deal between the two countries, although unrest in Iraq and Ecuador lent some support to crude prices.

Gold prices gained overnight, bouncing off a one-week low touched earlier in the session, as uncertainties over US-Chinese trade talks and Brexit drove a decline in stock markets and prompted investors to seek refuge in the safe-haven metal.

The Australian share market has closed higher for a third day ahead of another round of US-China trade talks.