AAP

Gold prices have risen, hitting a one-month high as the US dollar weakened, but gold retraced gains as US President Donald Trump laid out aggressive plans for infrastructure spending and deregulation.

The Australian dollar is virtually unchanged against its US counterpart after its fall to a three-week low following the Reserve Bank's announcement that it was keeping its interest rate on hold.

 Oil prices have surged to a near one-month high, supported by an unplanned production outage in the North Sea and expectations of a drawdown in US crude and product inventories.

The share market has closed lower as investors cautiously wait for US President Donald Trump's meeting with China's President Xi Jinping.

Gang members using fake identities have been renting homes in Perth and turning them into hydroponic cannabis farms, prompting a warning to landlords.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has been forced to fire a stern warning at mortgage lenders, knowing any change to interest rates is a risk to fragile economic growth, economists say.

The Australian share market has opened lower after a negative lead from Wall Street, and ahead of the Reserve Bank's interest rate decision.

Gold has risen on geopolitical worries, but was trading in a tight range in the absence of any fresh clues on US monetary policy and as the market looked to economic data later in the week for more direction.

The Australian dollar is steady against its US counterpart ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia's interest rate decision later in the day.

Oil prices have fallen as a rebound in Libyan oil output weighs against upbeat economic data from Asia that point to strong energy demand from the region.

Australia's big four banks pushed the Australian share market into positive territory after a choppy session as investors await a flurry of local and international economic data.

Perth Children's Hospital is unlikely to open before the second half of the year, the new Labor state government says, as work continues to find the source of lead in drinking water.

The declining spending power of consumers is hurting retailers and pointing to a revenue squeeze for the federal government, economists say.

Loss-making livestock exporter Wellard is undertaking a share placement and entitlement offer as part of a $52 million capital raising it hopes will allow it to exploit a predicted improvement in trading conditions.

Australian stocks are flat following an early dip with investor nervousness ahead of local economic data releases weighing heavily on the market.

Oil prices are slightly higher, although their three-day rally has run out of much of their steam as a higher US rig count signalled rising production from shale, contributing to the global supply glut.

Gold prices are flat but have notched a quarterly gain of about 8.4 per cent, marking its best quarter in a year, as uncertainty over US president Donald Trump's tax and investment plans and elections in Europe fuel demand for bullion as a safe haven.

The Australian dollar is down against its US counterpart as the greenback stays steady in the last New York trading session.

Investors pushed the Australian share market into negative territory as they banked some profits following its strong run over the previous three trading sessions.

The banking regulator has capped interest-only mortgage lending and is prepared to take more action to address growing price and debt risks in the Australian housing market.

The competition watchdog is concerned that the proposed takeover of Bibra Lake-based wheat and barley seed breeder InterGrain by Australian Grain Technologies could substantially lessen competition in the barley seeds sector.

Australian stocks are trading lower, bucking three straight days of gains and a modestly positive finish on Wall Street.

The Australian dollar is hardly changed against its US counterpart as stronger-than-expected US economic growth figures supported the greenback.

Oil prices have jumped for a third day, lifting to their highest in three weeks after Kuwait backed an extension of OPEC production cuts to reduce a global glut.

Gold has dipped as the US dollar has strengthened, but losses were capped by continuing economic uncertainty around Britain's departure from the European Union and approaching French elections.

A third straight day of gains is taking the All Ordinaries index closer to a nine year high of 6,000 points, as investors continue to react to the failure of US President Donald Trump's healthcare reforms.

Clive Palmer's Mineralogy has again failed in its long-running court battle with its estranged Chinese joint-venture partner over the Cape Preston port in the Pilbara.

Water is being pumped out of a disused iron ore mine on a Western Australian island after pit walls slumped, sparking fears it could collapse and contaminate the ocean on the other side.

Australian stocks have edged higher in early trade on the back of a mixed finish in Wall Street, where energy stocks rose, and after rallying to a near two-year high in the previous session.

The Australian dollar is higher against its US counterpart despite the greenback finding support from promises of further Federal Reserve interest rate rises in 2017.

Oil prices are up more than 2 per cent as US crude inventories grew less than expected, supply disruptions continued in Libya and the OPEC-led output cut by producing countries looked likely to be extended.

Gold has edged up, hovering below Monday's one-month high as uncertainty about Brexit talks, French elections and US president Donald Trump's economic policies boosted safe-haven buying and offset a firmer US dollar.