The local share market has finished basically unchanged, with gains for mining companies balances by losses elsewhere.
The local share market has finished ever-so-slightly higher, with the strength of Australia's mining giants keeping the local bourse in the green, if only just.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Wednesday closed up just 5.3 points, or 0.07 per cent, at 7,365.5, while the broader All Ordinaries had gained 3.8 points, or 0.05 per cent, to 7,561.3.
"Just kind of uneventful at the moment - just up slightly today, basically flat," Tiger Brokers Australia chief investment officer Brett Reynolds told AAP.
Overnight, St. Louis Federal Reserve president James Bullard told Reuters the powerful US central bank should keep raising rates, dismissing fears that aggressive monetary tightening might trigger a recession.
Also overnight, several US corporate giants reported earnings, with Bank of America beating expectations and Netflix slightly missing them.
Tesla, IBM and Morgan Stanley were up next, reporting in the overnight hours between Wednesday and Thursday.
The mining sector finished up 1.1 per cent, buoyed by a rise in the price of iron ore.
BHP added 1.5 per cent to $47.27, Rio Tinto climbed 1.1 per cent to $123.19 and South32 rose 1.6 per cent to $4.50.
Lithium miners had another solid day with Pilbara up 3.3 per cent, IGO gaining 4.0 per cent and Allkem adding 1.8 per cent.
Star Entertainment Group plunged 7.4 per cent to a two-month low of $1.26 after announcing its current earnings performance has been at its worst levels outside of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The troubled gambling company said it would cut 500 roles and conduct a strategic review into its flagship Sydney casino to look into "structural alternatives aimed at maximising shareholder value".
Elsewhere in the consumer discretionary sector, Aristocrat Leisure dropped two per cent, Domino Pizza fell 2.5 and JB Hi-Fi retreated 1.7 per cent.
The big banks were mostly lower with NAB down 0.5 per cent to $28.61, ANZ dipping 0.3 per cent to $24.14, Westpac falling 0.2 per cent to $22.23 and CBA basically flat at $99.37.
In small caps, Rhythm Biosciences plummeted 14.3 per cent to 48c after the cancer diagnostic company said CEO and managing director Glenn Gilbert had tendered his resignation, effective Friday.
No reason was given but the company last month withdrew its Australian application for approval of its bowel cancer test to answer more questions from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The Australian dollar was buying 67.23 US cents, from 67.31 US cents at Tuesday's ASX close.
ON THE ASX:
* The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index finished Wednesday up 5.3 points, or 0.07 per cent, at 7,365.5.
* The broader All Ordinaries gained 3.8 points, or 0.05 per cent, to 7,561.3.
CURRENCY SNAPSHOT:
One Australian dollar buys:
* 67.23 US cents, from 67.31 US cents at Tuesday's ASX close
* 90.49 Japanese yen, from 90.43 Japanese yen
* 61.28 Euro cents, from 61.40 Euro cents
* 53.92 British pence, from 54.21 British pence
* 108.36 NZ cents, from 108.49 NZ cents.
