Australian shares fell yet another day, dragged down by lower metal prices andthe big miners, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index looked set to break the downward spiral of the last 8 days, but slid 13 points to end the day at 5796.10.
The broader All Ordinaries Index fell 13.8 points to 5857.
Concerns about the US economy dominated the market as well as the newly released jobless figures which could place more pressure on inflation.
Australian Bureau of Statistics released labour force figures for December, reflecting an increase in employment and a fall in unemployment.
This resulted in the unemployment rate falling to 4.3%.
The report showed 20,000 new jobs were filled, and unemployment decreased by 25,000 jobs.
The big banks rallied after yesterday's decline, with Commonwealth Bank the only one to slide down, losing $1.21to $51.53, the lowest it has been since April 2007.
ANZ rose 26 cents to $26.20, National Australia Bank climbed 63 cents to $35.37 and Westpac added 28 cents to $25.69.
