The Australian share market closed lower. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 82.6 points, or 2.06 per cent, at 3934.6, while the broader All Ordinaries index fell 76.8 points, or 1.92 per cent, to 3932.5. Resources stocks will benefit from the rise in commodities prices, but could be weighed down by the failure of investment deal between Rio Tinto and Chinese government backed Chinalco.
The Australian share market ended higher on Friday, led by banking stocks. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index rose 62.4 points, or 1.66 per cent, to 3,818.1, while the broader All Ordinaries index gained 59.4 points, or 1.58 per cent, to 3,813.3.
The Australian share market yesterday closed slightly higher with a good lead from Wall Street. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index gained 12.7 points, or 0.3 per cent, at 3801.1, while the broader All Ordinaries index rose 13.7 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 3795.3. There was a sell-off in late trading as investors drew cash to participate ANZ's capital raising.
The Australian share market is expected to open lower today after Wall St fell over one per cent on Friday. On the Sydney Futures exchange, the September share price index futures contract lost 74 points, or 1.49 per cent, to 4,880.
The Australian share market rose 0.9 per cent on Friday as resource stocks, led by gold and oil companies, surged on higher commodity prices and the banks pared early losses.
