Following weak leads, the Australian share market looks set to open lower. Energy shares dragged US indices lower as oil prices hit new lows. Exxon Mobil and Chevron posted the biggest losses.
Meanwhile US consumer borrowing rose $US16 billion in October to $US3.5 trillion. Data released by the Federal Reserve showed gains from October came from auto and student loans.
Markets
Wall Street closed lower yesterday: The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.7 per cent to close at 17,731, the S&P 500 lost 0.7 per cent to close at 2,077 and the NASDAQ lost 0.8 per cent to close at 5,102
European markets closed mixed: London’s FTSE lost 0.2 per cent, Paris gained 0.9 per cent and Frankfurt gained 1.25 per cent.
Asian markets closed mixed: Tokyo’s Nikkei added 1 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.15 per cent, and China’s Shanghai Composite gained 0.3 per cent.
The Australian share market closed flat yesterday: The S&P/ASX 200 Index closed 4 points up to finish at 5,156. On the futures market the SPI is 14 points down.
Currency
The Australian Dollar at 8:20AM was buying $US.7267 cents, 48.29 Pence Sterling, 89.63 Yen and 67.06 Euro cents.
Economic news
Coming up today Roy Morgan and the ANZ will release its weekly consumer sentiment report. Meanwhile investors will also be eyeing the NAB Business survey for November.
Company news
National Australia Bank Limited
(ASX:NAB) shareholders will have the opportunity to vote on the demerger of its troubled Clydesdale Bank business in January. The spin-off will see 75 percent of the business offered to shareholders. The remaining 25 percent of the new holding company CYBG PLC will be divested by NAB under an institutional offer. Shareholders will get one Clydesdale Bank share for every four NAB shares they own. Shares in NAB closed 0.17 per cent lower yesterday at $29.56.
Japara Healthcare Limited
(ASX:JHC) has confirmed the completion of the acquisition of the Profke residential aged care portfolio, taking place on 1 December as expected. The final net acquisition price for the Profke portfolio was $76 million. The portfolio comprises of four aged care facilities in Queensland and New South Wales. Shares in Japara Healthcare closed 1.13 per cent lower yesterday at $3.02.
Ex-dividends | Name | Code | Date | Amount(cents) | Franking |
| Collins Foods Ltd | CKF | 8/12/15 | 6.0 | 100 |
| Gentrack Group Ltd | GTK | 8/12/15 | 6.5 | 21.25 |
Commodities
Gold has lost $12.50 to $US1,072 an ounce for the February contract on Comex.
Silver has lost $0.28 to $14.25 for March. Copper has lost $0.03 to $2.05 a pound.
Oil has lost $2.29 to $US37.68 a barrel for January light crude in New York.
