AAP

Wall Street's three major indexes have ended higher but well below the session's highs after US President Donald Trump said he would delay a planned hike in tariffs on Chinese imports.

Mining giant BHP Group has reached a settlement with the train driver who was fired over a huge derailment in Western Australia's Pilbara region last year.

Australian shares have finished higher as investors cheered optimism about a potential US-China trade deal.

Lendlease is considering offloading its engineering and services unit after the property and infrastructure group's first-half profit crashed 96.3 per cent to $15.7 million.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was adamant Australia will meet its emissions reduction targets, as he committed $2 billion to a fund which pays businesses to slash pollution.

Australian shares have moved higher as investors cheered optimism about a potential US-China trade deal.

Gold rose on Friday on the way to a second weekly gain as the US dollar was subdued by weak US economic data and hopes of a breakthrough in the US-China trade dispute, with a darkening global economic outlook bolstering bullion.

Oil prices touched their highest since mid-November on Friday and posted weekly gains for the second week in a row, boosted by hopes that US-China trade talks would soon produce a deal, although new record US oil supply limited gains.

Australian shares have finished higher despite a drag from the energy sector weakened by coal exports to China.

Regis Aged Care chief executive Ross Johnston will leave his role with the aged care provider in September.

Automotive Holdings Group has skidded to a first-half loss, scrapping its dividend and cutting its guidance after a flagged $223 million write-down against its struggling car yards and refrigerated logistics business.

Australian shares have opened lower after a negative lead from Wall Street and amid concerns about coal exports to China.

Oil prices sank below recent 2019 highs as US government data overnight showed a sharp build in crude stocks and record production, while concerns about slowing global economic growth weighed on the market.

Gold slipped from a 10-month peak overnight, pressured by signals the US Federal Reserve will not adopt as dovish a stance on monetary policy as previously thought and as investors booked profits, while palladium retreated from a record high.

Australian shares have rebounded from a choppy morning to close higher on the backs of the big banks and discretionary consumer stocks.

Western Australia’s unemployment rate has spiked to a 17-year high, at 6.8 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms, while the national numbers held steady.

Former foreign minister Julie Bishop has declared she is retiring from federal parliament at the next election, about six months after she left the role in the aftermath of a leadership spill.

Santos, Australia's second largest independent gas producer, has reported a more than doubling in full-year underlying profit following the acquisition of Quadrant assets and higher realised prices

Wesfarmers is handing more than $1 billion of the cash it raised by demerging Coles and selling other assets back to shareholders in the form of a special dividend.

Qantas will launch a fresh $305 million buyback despite first-half profit falling 16.3 per cent to $498 million on a big jump in fuel costs.

Westpac is facing a class action for allegedly approving home loans to people who had no prospect of paying them back.

Australian shares have opened flat as investors digest a new round of earnings results.

Palladium jumped above the $US1,500 per ounce mark for the first time overnight, propelled by a stark supply deficit, while gold hit a 10-month high on a weaker US dollar as investors awaited cues on US monetary policy.

Crude prices rose more than 1 per cent overnight to their highest level this year on hopes that oil markets will balance later this year, helped by output cuts from top producers as well as US sanctions on OPEC members Iran and Venezuela.

Australian shares have closed in negative territory as gains by miners failed to outweigh losses from the consumer sector.

National property development company Stockland Corporation has reported a decline in half-year funds from operations and warned of weaker full-year results due to a steep decline in the residential property market.

Fortescue Metals Group has reported a 5 per cent dip in half-year profit, but blew past estimates as it won higher prices for its iron ore, pushing its shares to a two-year high.

Woolworths shares have taken a knock after the supermarket giant reported a disappointing first half and flagged subdued consumer spending for the foreseeable future.

Oil prices were mixed overnight as concerns about global crude oil demand and uncertainty over the latest round of US-China trade talks countered investor optimism around tightening supplies.

Palladium scaled a record peak to within striking distance of the $US1,500 level overnight fuelled by a sharp supply deficit, while gold climbed 1 per cent to hit a 10-month high on a weaker US dollar and global growth jitters.

Gains by Australia's big four banks have propped up the Australian sharemarket after a day of generally disappointing earnings results.

Seven West Media says its half-year net profit has fallen by 13.8 per cent as stringent cost-saving measures failed to offset a fall in advertising revenue, with the group flagging further changes including at its WA operations.