AAP

Oil prices have settled up nearly six per cent after OPEC struck a deal to limit crude output at its policy meeting in November, its first agreement to cut production since 2008 and after the market crashed on oversupply.

Gold prices have fallen for the second straight day and hit a one-week low, pressured by earlier strength in the US dollar and as investors assessed Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's testimony before a congressional committee.

The share market has closed slightly higher after slipping from its early gains.

AGL Energy has forecast a lift in underlying profit for the current financial year while also announcing a near $600 million share buy-back and a higher dividend payout as it benefits from strong electricity margins.

The Australian share market has opened slightly higher.

Crude oil futures ended the session giving back most of what they gained the previous day.

Gold has fallen as the US dollar and stocks gained ground on the view that Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton got the better of Republican rival Donald Trump in their first debate, denting the safe-haven appeal of bullion and bonds.

The Australian dollar is slightly weaker against its US counterpart after the greenback rose following the first US presidential debate.

The Australian share market has finished lower, however it did claw back some earlier losses following signs Hillary Clinton may be leading Donald Trump after the first US presidential candidate debate.

Australia's interest rates are likely to stay low for years, perhaps even decades, a top global economist warns.

The Australian share market has opened lower.

The Australian dollar has gained against the US dollar as investors await the US presidential debate with Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democrats Hilary Clinton.

Oil has settled up three per cent as the world's largest producers gathered in Algeria to discuss ways to support prices, with nervous trade driving volatility to its highest since a similar meeting to freeze output in April in Doha which failed.

Gold has steadied, after a retreat in the US dollar helped it build on last week's gains but moves were muted with markets awaiting a US presidential debate for pointers as to the outcome of November's election.

Australian shares have ended the week in positive territory after a strong US market pushed local stocks to a fourth consecutive day of gains.

ASX boss Dominic Stevens has apologised for the "unacceptable" outage that stopped trading on the Australian stock market on Monday but defended its handling of the situation.

The Australian share market has opened slightly higher, taking cues from steady gains on Wall Street a day after the US Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates.

US stocks have climbed, with big tech names leading broad gains, building on strength from a day earlier that was fuelled by the Federal Reserve's decision to stand pat on interest rates.

Gold prices rose to a two-week high after the US Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates on hold sent the dollar to its lowest level since the start of last week.

The Australian dollar has fallen against the greenback, but is set to test the 77 US cent level on the back of the US interest rate hold.

The share market has posted a third straight day of gains as major central banks leave their interest settings unchanged to help stimulate economic growth.

Brickworks managing director Lindsay Partridge says Western Australia remains an attractive market despite setbacks during the year, when it undertook a major restructure of its Austral Bricks WA and Auswest Timber businesses.

New Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe has defended the central bank's monetary policy framework, telling a parliamentary committee "we are not 'inflation nutters'".

Indian business couple Pankaj and Radhika Oswal are "very satisfied" with a commercial settlement with the ANZ Banking Group believed to be worth hundreds of millions following their high profile legal dispute.

The stock market has opened 46.3pts higher to 5,385.9.

US stocks have rallied and the US dollar index eased further after the US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, keeping its low-rate environment intact for now.

The Australian dollar has bounced after the US dollar fell as the Federal Reserve downgraded its rate projections.

The share market has closed higher, along with other Asian markets, after the Bank of Japan kept its benchmark interest rate at minus 0.1 per cent.

Wesfarmers chief executive Richard Goyder has taken a substantial pay cut with a halving in his short-term incentive payments after a year in which his Coles-owning conglomerate took a hefty hit to profits.

The collapse of a ceiling section at Perth's Children's Hospital has been blamed by the construction union on builders John Holland doing a "rush job" on remediation work after asbestos was found in roof panels in July.

BHP Billiton is locked in a $1 billion dispute with the Australian Taxation Office over the amount of taxes payable on the sale of Australian commodities to its Singapore marketing business, while its chief executive has seen his annual pay slashed in half follwoing the Samarco dam disaster.

The Australian share market has opened higher.