AAP

Macquarie Group remains on course for a full-year profit in line with last year's record $2.1 billion despite a reduced third-quarter contribution from its capital markets-facing businesses.

Australian shares have opened lower, with mining and energy shares weighing, following declines on Wall Street overnight.

The Australian dollar has been one of the best performers overnight and is virtually unchanged against its fellow strong currency, the US dollar.

Gold has jumped one per cent to its highest in nearly three months as worries about the political landscape in the United States and Europe, and a subdued dollar, reinforced investor interest.

Oil prices have fallen more than one per cent as a stronger dollar, ample US supplies and excess speculative length outweighs OPEC output cuts and rising tensions between the United States and Iran.

US stocks slipped on Monday, led by the energy sector as oil prices dropped, while investors awaited the next run of major earnings reports and sought further clarity on President Donald Trump's economic policies.

Fremantle council has passed a motion to support concerts raising funds to help pay the legal fees of those protesting against the Perth Freight Link project.

The Australian share market has given away early gains to close lower after poor domestic retail sales figures, underwhelming Chinese economic data and softening support for the major banks weighed upon investor sentiment.

Mobile phone retailer Allphones has closed 18 stores and made 69 people redundant after it collapsed into voluntary administration, putting at risk the jobs of hundreds more employees around Australia.

Yowie chocolates - Australia's answer to Kinder Surprise - are returning to local shops for the first time after their relaunch in the United States three years ago.

National Australia Bank has warned it will continue to face increased funding costs and competition after first-quarter unaudited cash earnings slipped about 1 per cent to $1.6 billion

The Australian share market has gained ground in early trade, led by the heavyweight banking sector as well as energy and healthcare stocks.

Oil prices have risen after the United States impose sanctions on some Iranian individuals and entities, days after the White House rebuked Tehran for a ballistic missile test.

The Australian dollar is higher against its US counterpart which has slipped amid chopping trading following a smaller-than-expected rise in US wages in January.

Gold is little changed, erasing earlier losses as the US dollar came under pressure from a payrolls report that flagged up weak wage growth in January, weakening the case for near-term interest rate rises.

The Australian share market has closed lower after mining stocks fell in the wake of an unexpected move by China to raise its short-term interest rates.

Western Australian grain growers have delivered the biggest harvest in the history of the state, with CBH Group declaring receival, shipping and freight records were broken across the board.

Crown Resorts should have known its focus on drawing Chinese high rollers to its casinos was a hugely risky strategy, according to a law firm seeking to launch a shareholder class action against James Packer's gaming giant.

Rod Culleton's replacement - his brother-in-law - as One Nation's Western Australian representative in the upper house will be a significant senator upgrade, according to the party's leader, Pauline Hanson.

Australian shares have opened flat as gains in energy companies offset losses across the resource sector.

The Australian dollar has risen above the 76.50 US cent mark, continuing its strong gains against its US counterpart.

Oil prices have retraced early gains amid mounting tensions between the United States and Iran, but prices have still been supported by evidence that OPEC and other big exporters are cutting production.

Gold prices have risen to an 11-week high after the US Federal Reserve gave no clear signal on the likelihood of a March interest rate increase in its latest statement, prompting another drop in the US dollar.

US stocks ended little changed on Thursday as the recent rally continued to stall following President Donald Trump's latest comments on trade and the policies he will pursue.

The Australian dollar has soared past 76 US cents on the back of better than expected trade figures but the share market has fallen as investors continue to be influenced by concerns about US President Donald Trump.

Premier Colin Barnett has criticised the mining industry over its prominent media campaign against Nationals leader Brendan Grylls and his proposed mining tax hike, on the first day of the election campaign.

National Australia Bank has returned nearly $35 million to 220,000 superannuation members who were charged for advice they did not get, while Bankwest refunded more than $4.9 million in mortgage interest payments after overcharging about 10,800 offset account customers for almost a decade.

Investor demand for energy and resource companies, including Woodside Petroleum and Oil Search, are driving Australian shares higher in early trade.

The Australian dollar is higher against its US counterpart even though the greenback recovered some ground following stronger-than-expected US private jobs and manufacturing data.

Oil has pared gains after weekly US supply data suggested a crude glut may persist, despite signs that Russia and OPEC producers are delivering on promised supply reductions.

Gold prices have recovered some of their lost ground as the US dollar pared gains after the US Federal Reserve kept its key interest rate steady at its first meeting since President Donald Trump's inauguration.

Stronger commodity prices have sparked a rally in mining and energy stocks and helped the share market outperform most major global markets.