US stocks ended a choppy session on Thursday with a slight decline as investors digested the latest round of earnings, with a sharp drop in telecoms offset by gains in healthcare.
The Australian dollar is markedly weaker against the US dollar in the wake of disappointing local employment numbers and as its US counterpart climbs on upbeat north American data.
Oil prices have fallen more than two per cent, as a resurgent US dollar encouraged players to take profit on the previous day's rally that sent US crude to 15-month highs.
Gold has eased slightly after three days of gains as the US dollar rose and the European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged, maintaining the parameters of its 1.74 trillion euros ($A2.49 trillion) asset buying program.
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Gold has risen to a two-week high, gaining for the third straight session and breaching the 200-day moving average amid uncertainty over the timing of a US interest rate increase and ahead of the final US presidential debate.
Oil prices jumped as much as three per cent on Wednesday, with US crude hitting 15-month highs after the government reported a surprisingly large drop in domestic inventories for the sixth week out of seven.
The share market has closed higher in the wake of a positive lead from the US, improved commodity prices and an $11.3 billion merger of gambling giants Tabcorp and Tatts Group.
Wall Street has advanced to give the S&P 500 its best day of October on the heels of solid earnings reports from companies such as UnitedHealth and Netflix that put corporate profits on track to snap a four-quarter streak of declines.
Gold prices have risen, supported by weakness in the US dollar index, although receding worries about the outcome of the US election and expectations of a US rate increase in December could mean lower levels.
Oil has settled higher as expectations of OPEC output curbs lifted prices despite forecasts that data would show a second straight weekly build in US crude stockpiles.
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Wagering giants Tabcorp and Tatts Group have revived the likelihood of a merger that would create a $9 billion gambling behemoth, less than a year after initially failing to reach a deal.
Wall Street has ended modestly lower as energy stocks retreated along with oil prices, while Amazon and Netflix weighed on the consumer discretionary sector.
Oil prices have settled lower, weighed by oversupply concerns, with a spike in trade volume driving US prices below US50, but losses were limited amid a projected drop in American shale output.
The price of gold has risen, partly lifted by steady flows into exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and a dip in the US dollar after touching seven-month highs.
The Australian dollar has continued to climb against the US dollar, which traded lower against most of the major currencies in the wake of a softer manufacturing sector report.
The Australian share market has closed lower, led downwards by casinos operator Crown Resorts, which fell 14 per cent after 18 of its employees were detained in China.
