Following mixed leads, the Australian share market looks set to open flat. US and European indices slipped from last week’s global rally as investors eye the upcoming meeting of the Federal Reserve. Energy shares followed oil prices down overnight on Wall Street.
Meanwhile, the US housing market is showing signs it may be cooling. US new home sales fell 11.5 percent in September from the previous month, according to data released by the Commerce Department
Markets
Wall Street closed mixed yesterday: The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.1 per cent to close at 17,623, the S&P 500 lost 0.2 per cent to close at 2,071 and the NASDAQ gained 0.06 per cent to close at 5,035.
European markets closed mixed: London’s FTSE lost 0.4 per cent, Paris lost 0.5 per cent and Frankfurt gained 0.06 per cent.
Asian markets closed mixed: Tokyo’s Nikkei added 0.65 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.15 per cent, and China’s Shanghai Composite gained 0.5 per cent.
The Australian share market closed lower yesterday: The S&P/ASX 200 Index closed 4 points down to finish at 5,348. On the futures market the SPI is 3 points up.
Currencies
The Australian Dollar at 8:30AM was buying $US0.7242 cents, 47.19 Pence Sterling, 87.68 Yen and 65.53 Euro cents.
Company news Metals X Limited
(ASX:MLX) has poured its first gold bar from the Bluebird processing plant at its Central Murchison Gold Project. The plant has now been fully commissioned with the pouring of an 11.76 kg bar predominately from the production of gravity concentrates and is operating at an average throughput rate in excess of 200 tph. Shares in Metals X Limited closed 0.38 per cent up yesterday at $1.32.
Lucapa Diamond Company Limited
(ASX:LOM) has lodged a new option offer and cleansing prospectus with ASIC. The prospectus advises the offer of new $0.30 options expiring in April 2016 to certain applicants, alongside an offer of $0.20 options expiring in September 2017 to unrelated applicants to be nominated by the Directors. Shares in Lucapa Diamond Company closed 1.33 per cent up yesterday at $0.38.
Ex-dividends
| Name | Code | Date | Amount(cents) | Franking |
| Countplus Limited | CUP | 27/10/15 | 2.0 | 100 |
| Spring Fg Ltd | SFL | 27/10/15 | 2.6 | 100 |
Commodities
Gold has gained $0.10 to $US1,163 an ounce for the December contract on Comex.
Silver has gained $0.01 to $15.84 for December. Copper is flat at $2.35 a pound.
Oil has lost $0.87 to $US43.73 a barrel for December light crude in New York.
