AAP

The Australian share market has started the day lower, as investors follow the lead from Wall Street, where indices ended lower after disappointing data and rising tensions in the Korean peninsula.

The Australian dollar is down against its US counterpart, back below 76 US cents even though the greenback has also fallen after a round of weaker-than-expected US employment data.

Oil futures have settled up slightly, but well off session highs, after a sharp but short-lived boost from a much bigger-than-expected decline in US inventories of crude oil and petrol.

Gold has eased but hovers above the previous session's two-month low as weaker-than-expected private sector payrolls data fed into a more cautious view on the pace of US interest rate hikes this year and Treasury yields firmed.

The share market has closed slightly weaker as gains by healthcare companies and several miners were offset by falls in the energy and banking sectors.

Removing Western Australia's Disability Services Commission director-general while changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme are under way is like sacking a coach before the grand final, the state opposition says.

Former Australian Workers Union official and accused bagman Ralph Blewitt has protested his innocence and claims he is being made the fall guy after facing a Perth court over the alleged embezzlement of more than $400,000.

Coca Cola-Amatil has suffered a double blow, losing a contract with Australia's largest pizza chain to its rival and failing to get its latest no sugar offering on the shelves of supermarket giant Woolworths.

The Australian share market has started the day in the red, with a slump in oil prices pushing the energy sector lower.

Oil prices have retreated about 4 per cent, ending their longest bull-run in more than five years, as climbing OPEC exports and a stronger US dollar turned sentiment more bearish.

The Australian dollar is lower against its US counterpart which has remained steady, while oil prices have pluneged.

Gold has steadied after Federal Reserve minutes showed a growing split among policymakers on the inflation outlook and the US dollar pares gains, lifting the precious metal above an eight-week low reached earlier in the session.

The Australian sharemarket finished down at the close despite a late rally as global concerns were felt across most sectors except the big miners.

A multi-millionaire industrialist known as Britain's ‘man of steel’ has won the bidding battle for Arrium, ending more than a year of uncertainty for the collapsed South Australian steelmaker.

State opposition leader Mike Nahan expects former premier Colin Barnett to retire from politics this year but believes he first wants to ensure his legacy is not trashed.

US private equity giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts has moved a step closer to a takeover of Vocus Communications following the telco board’s decision to open its books to a non-exclusive due diligence.

The Australian share market has opened lower, with investors in a cautious mood after the ASX posted its strongest session of the year on Tuesday.

The Australian dollar is lower after the Reserve Bank appeared not to be inclined to consider raising its interest rate.

Oil prices flirted with both positive and negative territory on Tuesday, hovering around $US50 a barrel on tentative signs that a persistent rise in US crude production may be slowing.

The share market has posted its strongest session of 2017, as international investors joined the spending spree that followed recent heavy falls. 

The Reserve Bank of Australia has held its benchmark interest rate at 1.5 per cent, leaving the cash rate unchanged for an 11th straight month.

The Australian share market has got off to a cracking start, led by strong gains by banking and mining heavyweights.

The Australian dollar is lower against a strengthening US dollar ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia's interest rate announcement and retail trade figures.

Oil has risen more than 2 per cent, resuming its longest stretch of daily gains in more than five years after data pointed to diminished US output, though analysts said news of rising OPEC production could cap gains.

Gold has fallen to a seven-week low and headed for its biggest one-day loss since November as the US dollar rebounded and 10-year US Treasury yields climbed, weighing on appetite for non-interest bearing bullion.

The Australian share market has closed lower with all sectors except for energy in negative territory.

Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood says the company is back on ‘plan A’ and proceeding with spinning-off its Domain business, after two potential suitors walked away without making a bid.

Mineral sands miner Iluka Resources says shipping of heavy mineral concentrate from South Australia's Port of Thevenard has been suspended following safety concerns over the jetty structure.

Troubled broadcaster Ten Network has secured a $30 million funding package so that it can keep operating while receivers and managers look to sell or recapitalise the business.

The Australian share market has opened flat, with investors in a cautious mood after a sharp decline in the previous session and ahead of local and international data this week.

Gold has eased and remains on track for its first monthly loss this year, as indications by leading central banks that the era of easy money may be coming to a close pushed bond yields higher, hurting the non-interest bearing metal.

The Australian dollar is slightly higher against its US counterpart which has steadied after a series of falls, amid another lift in oil prices and steady iron ore prices.