The ASX200 has fallen 0.3 per cent, with sentiment dampened by an earnings letdown from AI chip maker Nvidia, the world's second-most valuable company.
The ASX200 finished 0.2 points higher after being down as many as 62 points in morning trading, while the Australian dollar briefly traded over 68 US cents.
The ASX200 has climbed 0.8 per cent as the local currency neared 68 US cents after Fed chairman Jerome Powell declared "the time had come" for US rate cuts.
Brittany Higgins felt toxic and told the journalist who broke the story about her alleged rape in Parliament House that Senator Linda Reynolds hated her.
After being down as much as 0.5 per cent in morning trading, the ASX200 gained steadily in the afternoon to finish slightly in the green and above 8,000.
Former federal minister Marise Payne has told a court about her concerns for Linda Reynolds and Brittany Higgins after the latter's alleged rape in parliament.