AAP

Crude-oil prices fell as traders focused on rising US stockpiles amid a global supply glut.

Wall Street stocks have snapped a two-day losing streak, surging after big US banks cleared Federal Reserve stress tests and the dollar retreated from a 12-year high.

Gold has steadied as a retreat in the US dollar from 12-year highs arrested its eight-session slide, although speculation that US interest rates could rise sooner rather than later kept prices under pressure.

The share market has enjoyed its best gains in almost a month due to jobs figures that were good, but not too good to scuttle an expected Reserve Bank rate cut.

Two Pilbara ports have been closed and locals are preparing to take shelter as a cyclone tracks closer to the Western Australian coast.

The jobless rate has eased from its 12 year high but economists expect the recovery will be temporary as the economy continues to struggle.

The Australian sharemarket is flat in early trade as slight gains in the finance sector are dragged down by weak mining and energy players.

Mining billionaire Gina Rinehart has lashed state and federal governments for imposing too many costs on the mining sector amid a commodity price downturn.

The Australian dollar has dropped to a new six-year low as weak Chinese data worries traders and European bond buying boosts the greenback.

US stocks have finished lower in choppy trade as the dollar hit a new 12-year high against the euro.

Oil prices finished mixed after a key report showed US crude stockpiles had swollen to another record high, adding to an oversupplied global market.

Gold prices have fallen more than one per cent, touching its lowest level in more than three months in what looks to be an eighth straight losing session as a robust US dollar and expectations of higher US interest rates curbed appetite for the metal.

Plans to merge Perth's local councils will finally be officially shelved this week.

Gina Rinehart's $US10 billion Roy Hill iron ore project is expected to begin shipping ore in six months and ramp up to 55 million tonnes per annum within 30 months, according to chief executive Barry Fitzgerald.

The Australian share market has closed lower but has clawed back some earlier heavy losses linked to US interest rate rise fears.

The Australian sharemarket has plunged as weak commodities prices drag on the miners and energy players.

A senior central banker has suggested interest rates could be cut again.

The Australian dollar has hit a fresh six-year low as the weakest business confidence in almost two years reminds traders another interest rate cut is likely.

A stronger dollar has pushed oil prices sharply lower, adding to fierce pressure on the market from a global supply glut.

Gold has fallen to a three-month low, pressured by the US dollar's rise to its highest in nearly 12 years and renewed expectations of a midyear interest rate increase in the United States.

The Dow has dumped more than 330 points on renewed worries about higher interest rates and the soaring dollar.

The share market has closed relatively flat as the mining and energy sectors fell on the latest Chinese inflation data and lower iron ore prices.

Car makers and the component industry will get to keep $500 million in funding after a backdown by the Abbott government.

The Australian sharemarket is higher buoyed by strength from the major banks and despite weakness in the resources sector.

The Australian dollar is firmer as traders seek profit by selling a recently resurgent greenback.

Wall Street stocks have notched solid gains following the launch of Apple's smartwatch and a General Motors announcement of $US5 billion ($A6.4 billion) in share buybacks.

Oil prices have finished mixed in a market held back by a strong US dollar and persistent concerns about the global oversupply of crude.

Gold has steadied as the US dollar rally paused and European shares fell, but it remains near a three-month low after a US jobs report boosted expectations that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates soon.

The Australian share market has tumbled, with investors wary of increased chances of an interest rate hike in the US.

One small step for National Australia Bank has become a giant leap for gender equality, after it became the latest company to offer lengthy paid parental leave to new dads.

Iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group is calling on business leaders to create more opportunities for indigenous Australians to end the jobs' disparity.

Tony Abbott says his government has no plans to allow young people to use superannuation to buy their first home - but is happy for the idea to be debated.