AAP

Oil prices rose with US crude futures jumping more than two per cent, as traders continued to focus on supply disruptions and a possible hit to crude output from US sanctions on Iran.

A broad sell-off of technology stocks has pushed the three major US stock indexes lower, with the Nasdaq Composite posting its third consecutive loss of more than 1 per cent for the first time in three years just days after hitting a record high.

Australian shares have finished lower, with investor caution and a weak Wall Street lead robbing the local market of momentum on Monday.

Telstra has hired former SBS boss Michael Ebeid to look after its corporate and government customers, as part of a wider senior executive overhaul announced on Monday.

UPDATED: The massive block of land that once housed the derelict half-built mansion dubbed the "Taj on Swan" in Peppermint Grove has failed to sell at auction, but an offer was accepted on Friday 3 August.

Wall Street's major indexes have closed lower as weak earnings reports from major technology companies led to a big drop for the sector.

The Australian share market has closed stronger, with gains almost across the board and miners buoyed by BHP's deal to sell its troublesome US shale oil assets.

BHP shareholders are set for a windfall after the global miner agreed to sell its onshore US oil and gas assets for $US10.8 billion ($A14.6 billion).

The Nasdaq Composite fell on Thursday as Facebook led a selloff in technology stocks, but the Dow gained as fears of a transatlantic trade war eased after the European Union and the United States agreed to negotiate on tariffs.

The Australian share market has closed flat on Thursday, despite gains for local energy and gold stocks and a positive overnight lead from Wall Street.

Newcrest Mining's fourth-quarter gold output has risen 15 per cent as a timely uptick in production at its flagship Cadia mine enabled it to meet production targets.

Fortescue Metals Group has reported record quarterly iron ore shipments.

Australia's biggest investment bank, Macquarie Group, has its first female CEO.

Nine Entertainment and Fairfax Media have announced a surprise move to combine into a single $4 billion media giant they say will reach more than half of Australia through television, online, print and radio.

Gold has ticked higher, but was still hovering near one-year lows as the dollar slipped, while a lack of clarity over where a trade dispute between the United States and Europe is heading kept markets mostly rangebound.

Oil prices have risen for the second consecutive day after US government data showed domestic crude inventories fell to their lowest levels since February 2015, easing worries about oversupply that have weighed on markets in recent weeks.

The S&P 500 has opened flat as gains in technology shares offset weak earnings from Boeing, General Motors and AT&T, while investors eyed a meeting between President Donald Trump and the head of the European Commission on trade.

The Australian share market has closed lower, hurt by banks, health care and consumer-exposed stocks, including Woolworths and Wesfarmers.

Perth inflation has hit its highest level since 2015, with prices rising 1.1 per cent in the year to June, while national data has again come in below expectations, signalling a likely continuation of loose monetary policy.

Oil prices have risen as the market shifts focus to the possibility of increased Chinese demand, drawing attention away from oversupply worries and trade tensions between China and the United States.

Gold has inched higher as the US dollar slipped and market watchers anticipated US economic growth data on Friday.

US stock indexes have climbed and the Nasdaq hit a new record high as Google-parent Alphabet's strong quarterly results reaffirmed expectations of a robust earnings season and sparked a rally among technology shares.

The Australian share market has closed stronger, buoyed by mining, financial and health care stocks after solid earnings out of the US.

Gold prices have fallen toward one-year lows as the US dollar held on to strength against the currencies of key bullion consumers China and India.

Oil prices have edged lower as the focus turned to oversupply worries, moving away from escalating tensions between the US and Iran, which had driven prices higher early in the session.

US stock indexes have dipped led by losses in shares of Amazon and technology companies, as investors awaited quarterly reports from a host of marquee names to gauge the impact of an escalating trade conflict between the US and China.

The Australian share market has snapped its three-day winning streak to close lower amid global trade war concerns after US President Donald Trump threatened more tariffs on Chinese imports.

Wesfarmers has announced it anticipates the demerger of Coles to be completed by the end of November, after the company’s annual general meeting, and will seek to retain a 15 per cent stake of the business.

Gold prices rose from one-year lows and spot platinum increased more than three per cent after US President Donald Trump criticised the strength of the dollar and interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve, pushing the greenback sharply lower.

US stocks have closed slightly lower as escalating trade anxieties driven by US President Donald Trump's latest tariff threats against China offset a string of robust earnings led by Microsoft.

Oil prices rose at the end of last week as a weakening dollar and lower expected August crude exports from Saudi Arabia supported the market, offsetting concerns about US-China trade tensions and supply increases.

Australian shares have ended the week higher thanks to gains in financials and energy stocks, even as Friday's session was buffeted by an earlier slide in the Chinese yuan and concerns over escalating global trade tensions.