Crude oil prices are slightly lower, extending the previous session's losses as the escalating China-US trade dispute casts doubt over the outlook for oil demand.
The Dow and the S&P 500 were little changed at the open while the Nasdaq was firmly higher, propped up by the high-flying technology trio of Apple, Amazon and Microsoft.
Australian shares have made solid gains on Thursday and closed just shy of 6,300 points, with financial and consumer stocks driving gains after positive results for Suncorp and Crown and outweighing a drop in the energy sector.
US stocks were flat on Wednesday after China retaliated to the Trump administration's latest tariffs, escalating trade tensions and muting strong corporate earnings.
Oil prices slid about three per cent on Wednesday as a trade dispute between the United States and China escalated further and after Chinese import data showed a slowdown in energy demand.
The Australian share market has lifted on Wednesday courtesy of strong investor responses to profit reports from Commonwealth Bank, AMP and Tabcorp as well as a lift in mining stocks.
Australian shares are higher in early trade with mining and energy stocks lifting and gains for Commonwealth Bank, AMP and Tabcorp as they post results.
The S&P 500 inched nearer to a record high, lifted by Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft, and a strong second-quarter earnings season that fuelled optimism about the US economy's strength.
Australian shares have retreated on Tuesday as falling metals prices and a slump in Amcor after its giant US acquisition put pressure on the materials sector.
Australian shares have opened lower, dragged down by the mining sector and despite a slight rise on Wall Street overnight as investors applauded a strong US earnings season.
Oil futures have gained after OPEC sources said Saudi crude production unexpectedly fell in July, raising concerns about global oil supplies as the US prepares to reinstate sanctions against major exporter Iran.
The three major US stock indexes closed higher as investors applauded a strong US earnings season with results from Berkshire Hathaway impressing and Facebook getting a boost.
Australian shares rose on Monday, as strong iron ore prices in China helped material stocks while investors were largely focused on earnings due later in the week.
Australian shares have opened higher, led by mining heavyweights BHP and Rio Tinto following a rise in metal prices, and gains on Wall Street on Friday.
Osborne Park-based Georgiou Group has been awarded an $18.7 million contract to construct a privately-funded traffic bridge carrying Great Northern Highway over the Roy Hill rail line, located approximately 25 kilometres south-west of Port Hedland.
Oil prices have strengthened, with US crude gaining nearly 2 per cent after traders saw an industry report suggesting domestic crude stockpiles would soon decline again.
Technology stocks have pushed the S&P 500 and Nasdaq higher, driven by Apple shares as the iPhone maker became the first publicly traded US company worth a trillion dollars.
The Australian share market has closed lower, dragged down by the materials sector following Rio Tinto's first-half earnings miss and further concerns over the trade war between the US and China.
Australian shares are slightly negative in early trade following falls on Wall Street's main indexes overnight and a decline in the shares of mining giant Rio Tinto following its half-year results.
Oil prices fell about 2 per cent as a surprise increase in US crude stockpiles fed concerns about global oversupply, while investors worried that trade tensions could hit energy demand.
The S&P 500 and Dow have slipped as gains in Apple shares were offset by a drop in energy and industrial companies with the US Federal Reserve remaining on course for an expected interest rate hike in September.
The Australian share market has closed slightly lower as falls in banking and energy stocks offset gains in miners BHP and Rio Tinto, industrials and healthcare companies.
