AAP

The Australian share market has opened sharply higher on the back of surging oil prices and a lift in base metal prices.

Oil prices have surged four per cent to a three-week high, bolstered by growing conviction that major oil producing countries will agree next week to limit output.

The Australian dollar is higher on the back strong oil prices and a pause in the US dollar's rally.

Gold has rebounded from five-and-a-half-month lows as the US dollar shed some of the hefty gains made the previous week on bets that US President-elect Donald Trump's plans for fiscal stimulus would prove inflationary.

The Australian share market has ended slightly lower after day of choppy trading as investors wonder if US President-elect Donald Trump will implement policies to stimulate the US economy.

Building materials supplier Boral has agreed to buy US firm Headwaters Incorporated for around $US2.6 billion ($A3.5 billion), which Boral says will more than double its US business and help accelerate development of its light building products platform.

The Australian share market has opened lower, following Wall Street's weak leads and amid uncertainty around President-elect Donald Trump's effect on the US economy.

Weaker commodity prices and a soaring US dollar have driven the Australian dollar lower.

Oil prices have settled higher, closing out a strong week that has seen crude buoyed by growing expectations that OPEC will find a way to cap production at the end of the month.

Gold has fallen to its lowest level since late May as the US dollar surged to its highest in more than 13-and-a-half years on expectations of a December US interest rate rise and higher fiscal spending from President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration.

The share market has ended the week with a modest gain due to Telstra's continued rise and a big jump by Myer.

The Australian share market is higher with investors hunting yields and bargains as global bond yields rise on the back of firming US interest rate hike expectations.

Gold has fallen to a five-and-a-half-month low, giving up earlier gains as the US dollar index tapped a 13-and-a-half-year high on strong US economic data and comments by US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen that bolstered the case for raising its interest rate in December.

The Australian dollar has dropped against a strengthening greenback after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen flagged a rate rise could come soon.

Oil prices have settled slightly lower, before falling as much as one per cent in the after-market session as a stronger US dollar outweighs expectations of an OPEC deal to limit production.

The benchmark S&P 500 index rose to within a hair of its record high on Thursday as bank stocks got a boost from bets on higher interest rates and consumer discretionary stocks were helped by economic data and earnings.

Global miner BHP Billiton says it has no clarity over the timing of a potential restart at its Samarco joint venture operation in Brazil, underlining the continuing uncertainty over the business that was hit by a fatal dam disaster last November.

The Australian share market has held onto a slim gain as investors wonder how the US political landscape will change under Donald Trump when he assumes the presidency.

Pizza Hut has bought the troubled Eagle Boys pizza chain and begun converting stores with its own branding.

Telstra is targeting $1 billion-plus in cost savings over the next five years and kicked off a review of its capital needs, amid mounting competition.

Unemployment in Western Australia surged last month, placing it ahead of South Australia as the worst-performing state in October.

Global miner Rio Tinto has sacked two top executives who it sidelined last week over their role in a payments scandal related to the Simandou iron ore project in West Africa.

The Australian share market has slipped in early trade, taking cues from a lower close on Wall Street, as overnight declines in the metals and energy markets weighed down sentiment.

Wall Street has opened lower - a day after the Dow closed higher for the seventh day in a row following Donald Trump's election win - as investors brace for higher interest rates.

Oil prices have eased in volatile trading as the market gives more weight to a bigger-than-expected US crude inventory build than Russia's comments about a possible meeting with Saudi Arabia that has renewed hopes for a production freeze deal.

Gold has eased as the US dollar climbs to a 14-year high against a currency basket, extending a week-long rally driven by a surge in Treasury yields after Donald Trump's election to the US presidency.

Australian shares closed flat as strong gains in energy producers and the big four banks were offset by falls across the resource, health care and consumer discretionary sectors.

Chairman of selectors Rod Marsh has resigned, effective immediately, after Australia's fifth straight Test defeat.

The head of Australia Post says it took longer than he expected to reform the company's haemorrhaging mail business and reduce its losses, delaying the company's expansion overseas.

Australian workers' preference for job security and shorter hours over pay rises has pushed wage growth to a fresh all-time low.

Woolworths shares have slipped after it announced retail expert Sally Macdonald's resignation as Big W chief executive after less than a year in the job.

Retail and mining conglomerate Wesfarmers is considering offloading its east coast coal operations following a doubling of coal prices since June.