AAP

The Australian share market has closed lower as China's economic slowdown weighs on prices for industrial metals such as copper, nickel and zinc.

Local Government Minister Tony Simpson says he's aware Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi is threatening to resign in the face of another inquiry into her conduct.

Shares in electronics retailer Dick Smith have halved after a sales downturn forced it to abandon its profit forecast.

Supermarket wholesaler Metcash has suffered a 12.7 per cent decline in underlying earnings as the food and grocery price war eats into its bottom line.

The Australian share market is trading flat on the last day of the month following minimal leads from overseas markets.

The Australian dollar has fallen below 72 US cents as last week's weak business investment figures and falling commodity prices weigh on the currency.

Gold has dropped almost two per cent to a near six-year low, set for a sixth straight weekly decline under pressure from a firm US dollar and prospects of a US interest rate rise in December.

The Australian share market has faded into the red after a positive start, dragged back by the absence of a lead from US markets, and investor fatigue.

Australia Post has been given the thumbs up by the consumer watchdog to raise the price of a basic stamp by more than 40 per cent while taking longer to deliver the letters they are stuck on.

The Australian share market has opened higher, following positive leads from European bourses overnight with Wall Street closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Australian dollar is slightly lower as currency traders largely sit on the sidelines ahead of a flurry of key economic data next week.

World oil prices have drifted lower in muted trading conditions amid the Thanksgiving Day holiday in top consumer United States.

The Australian sharemarket has retreated from one per cent gains to end modestly higher.

The pay packet for an average full-time female worker was $27,000 less than a man's last financial year.

Instant cameras, motorised skateboards and electronic fitness products are all on the wishlist as Australian shoppers prepare to splurge more this Christmas.

The Australian share market has opened more than half a percentage point higher, as investors flock back to the banks.

The major US indexes were virtually unchanged at the close of a quiet trading day with gains in healthcare and consumer stocks after data showed US modest economic growth.

The Australian dollar has fallen from its one month low, weighed down by weaker commodity prices.

Oil prices have finished a bit higher after a US inventory report showed increased petroleum supply, but a separate report showed fewer drilling rigs in service.

Gold prices have dropped, hovering just above the lowest level in nearly six years after the US dollar rose on the back of strong American economic data.

Australia's big four banks have pulled the Australian share market more than half a percentage point lower, losing ground for a second straight session.

A consortium of Australian and international investment funds has bought the NSW-based TransGrid "poles and wire" network in a deal worth more than $10 billion.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia will hand back a massive $80 million to customers after discovering it failed to apply fee waivers and other benefits to which they were entitled.

Evolution Mining says it's close to completing its protracted acquisition of smaller rival Phoenix Gold.

The Australian share market has opened flat, with the resources sector offsetting losses in the banks.

A jump in petroleum-linked shares has helped lift US stocks after the Turkish downing of a Russian fighter jet on the Syrian border sparked a rally in the oil market.

The Australian dollar is higher as rising tension between Russia and Turkey and disappointing US economic data drive the greenback lower.

Gold has risen one per cent, recovering from near six-year lows as news that Turkish fighter jets had shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border sparked a rush to safety among investors, weighing on the US dollar.

Global oil prices have surged higher after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border, sparking concerns about rising tensions in the oil-rich Middle East.

Treasury has cut Australia's potential economic growth forecast, while predicting a return to a budget surplus will take longer than previously forecast.

The Australian share market has closed nearly 1 per cent lower, dragged back by the major banks and continued weakness in the resources sector due to lower commodity prices.

BC Iron says it's doing okay in the face of falling iron ore prices and might even diversify into gold or other metals in the future.