AAP

September's national unemployment rate of 5.6 per cent was as low as it's been since February 2013, but that's about where the good news from the Australian Bureau of Statistics today ends.

Diversified miner South32 has reported a 4 per cent fall in manganese ore production in the first quarter of 2017, but says its on track to achieve its cost guidance for the majority of its production.

Rio Tinto has slightly trimmed the full-year guidance for iron ore shipments from its Pilbara operations by up to 5 million tonnes, after port and rail maintenance affected shipments in the September quarter.

Woodside Petroleum has reported a sharp increase in September quarter sales revenue and production, helped by record volumes at its liquefied natural gas facilities.

Fortescue Metals Group has pushed down costs and debt further after reporting higher iron ore shipments in the September quarter.

The Australian share market is trading steady, as gains in energy and resource companies were offset by falls in banking and healthcare stocks.

The Australian dollar has made further gains against the US dollar, passing the 77-cent barrier.

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.

Adolfo Valderas has taken over as the new chief executive of CIMIC Group, which is on track to deliver a full-year net profit of at least $520 million.

BHP Billiton has reaffirmed its full-year production guidance across all its segments, other than copper, as it sees early signs of a recovery in the commodities markets.

The Australian share market has opened higher on strong leads from Wall Street and ongoing strength in oil prices.

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.

The Australian dollar is flat as it consolidates gains after rallying to a two-week high overnight.

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.

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.

An Australian Federal Police officer based in Western Australia has been stood down from duty after being charged with drug offences.

The Australian share market has closed higher as resource stocks, in particular BHP Billiton, extend gains on the back of better commodity prices.

Fuel refiner and retailer Caltex has confirmed it has made an offer to buy the service station business of supermarket giant Woolworths.

The Australian share market is slightly higher in listless early trade as investors await cues on the market direction after two days of losses.

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.

A key supporter of the federal government in the Senate, Family First's Bob Day, is quitting parliament because of financial problems with the housing group he founded, which trades as Collier Homes in Western Australia.

Shares in James Packer's casinos operator Crown Resorts have fallen sharply in the wake of China's detention of 18 Crown employees, as investors fear a crackdown on gambling in China.

The Australian share market has slipped lower in early trade as investors try to assess the impact of Federal Reserve comments and stay cautious ahead of key data this week.

Oil prices have fallen slightly as traders balance a stronger US dollar and another increase in the US oil rig count against expectations that more OPEC talk of output cuts will keep crude above $US50 per barrel.

The Australian dollar has bucked the trend and risen against the greenback.