US markets faded in late trade to finish flat on Thursday. Healthcare did best after Republicans unveiled draft legislation to repeal Obamacare. Oil prices bounced off 10-month lows which briefly helped energy stocks.

US sharemarkets were mixed on Wednesday. Lower oil prices continued to weigh on the energy sector. Bank stocks fell on worries what the flat yield curve means for profits.

The ASX 200 index is down 1.3% or 75 points to 5,681 – hit by heavy falls in the energy, materials, financial and telco sectors.

The price of oil hit 9-month lows overnight which pushed US markets lower after hitting record highs 24 hours earlier. Energy and mining stocks were hit hard. BHP and RIO in London fell by 3%.

Strong gains from technology stocks and banks led both the Dow and S&P500 to record highs and helped the Nasdaq have its best improvement of the year. Hawkish comments from a Federal Reserve official pushed the US dollar higher.

The local share market has kicked off the week in positive territory. However, consumer stocks are suffering heavy falls in response to news that Amazon will pay $13.7bn to buy upscale grocer Whole Foods.

The big news on Friday was Amazon paying US$13.7bn (~A$18bn) in cash to buy organic grocery chain Whole Foods. Wal-Mart fell 4.5%, Costco dropped 7% and Kroger slumped 9%.

The local share market is up 0.4% at mid session, helped by broad-based gains across most sectors. The miners are the main drag on the market, with the materials sector down 0.3%.

The local share market has finished a volatile week in positive territory, with the ASX 200 rising 0.2%. Over the week, the index gained 1.7%, its strongest weekly performance since March 31.

The local share market is losing ground, giving up some of this week’s stellar gains. The ASX 200 is down 74 points or 1.3% with both the energy and materials sectors suffering heavy falls.

US markets were mixed overnight as the Federal Reserve raised rates and announced plans to reduce its $4.5 trillion balance sheet this year. The Dow finished at fresh record highs.

The local share market is recovering some earlier losses after data out this morning showed the economy grew by 0.3% in the March quarter, in line with market expectations.

The local share market has managed to finish unchanged – recovering from a four month low. Gains from healthcare, telco & financial stocks were offset by losses from consumer staples & utilities.

Since hitting a two-month low on Tuesday, the local sharemarket is improving for the fourth day. Almost all sectors are improving with the exception of Utilities.

Despite hitting a two month low on Tuesday, the local sharemarket has steadily improved since and had its best day in nine weeks on Friday. Almost all sectors rose today while Industrials were standouts this week.

The Australian sharemarket is holding onto modest gains at lunch on Wednesday in what has been a difficult month for local equities. Although banks are up today, they have been the main drag on the broader market since news of the Bank Levy.

While shares rose on Wednesday, May was the worst month for the Australian sharemarket since January 2016. Falls from the banks held the market back most while Qantas (QAN) and Fairfax (FXJ) were standouts.

The local share market has lost yesterday’s gains, following heavy falls in the energy sector. The ASX 200 lost 0.7% on Friday. However, it managed to gain 0.4% over the week.

The local share market is under pressure on Friday, as energy stocks suffer large losses. Investors are disappointed with an OPEC deal overnight to extend production cuts only by another nine months.

The ASX 200 has managed to close in the black, helped by gains from Consumer Staples and Telco stocks. The materials sector was a drag on the market.

The ASX 200 is up 0.1% at mid-session, helped by gains in the Industrials, IT, Consumer Staples and Healthcare sectors. Losses from utilities and mining stocks are holding the market back.

The local share market is down 0.5% – extending recent losses. The ASX 200 is on track to record its worst weekly performance since October, amid heightened US political uncertainty.

The local share market has finished a choppy session in positive territory. The ASX 200 rose 0.2%, helped by gains from the Materials, Energy and Telco sectors. Financials weighed on the market after the NAB & Macquarie Group traded ex-dividend.

The local share market has finished the session unchanged, with gains from the banks & telcos offset by weakness from mining & consumer-related stocks.

The ASX 200 slipped 0.9% on Tuesday amid geopolitical tensions and falling iron ore prices. The Telco sector was the worst performer, dropping 4.3%.

Local shares fell for the first time in five days with a slump in mining stocks the main drag. Three times as many jobs as expected were added in March, thanks to a lift in full-time employment.

The Australian sharemarket is coming under pressure after four days of gains. Mining stocks are the main drags on a sliding iron ore price and a quarterly update from Fortescue Metals. Jobs data beat expectations with 60,900 jobs added in March.

The Australian market faded from intraday highs but still managed to rise by 0.3%. The ASX 200 index is less than 1% away from 6000; a level not breached since early 2008.

The Australian sharemarket continues to rally and is closing in on 6,000pts; a level the ASX 200 has not traded above since February 2008. Banks are helping most while BHP Billiton is the main drag.

The local share market has managed to finish higher, with gains from the mining & energy stocks outweighing losses from the banks & telcos.

The Australian market is taking a breather on Friday in what has been a very strong week for local equities. The ASX 200 index is down by 0.2%.

Keep in mind that shares remain near 23-month highs and thanks to gains ~3 per cent from the banks this week, makes March the best month of the year so far and this week the best since November for the ASX 200.

The local share market is climbing higher for a third straight session with the ASX 200 up 0.4% to 5,898.

The local share market has climbed higher again on Thursday, taking this week’s gains to 2.5% – its best weekly performance since November. The benchmark index gained 0.4% today to a 23-month high of 5,896.

The ASX 200 has jumped 0.9%, adding to yesterday’s 1.3% improvement. At the close, Myer revealed Premier Investments was the buyer of a 10.77% stake in the company on Monday.

The local share market is surging ahead again on Wednesday, with the ASX 200 up 0.8% to 5,865.

The local share market is up a strong 0.9% with the ASX 200 trading back above the 5,800 point mark. Banks are the biggest improvers, while energy and industrials are also outperforming.

The ASX 200 has jumped 1.3% to 5,821 – boosted by a rally in the financial sector.

It has been a negative start to the week for the Australian share market, with the ASX 200 down 25 points or 0.5%, adding to last week’s 0.8% decline. Miners, banks & telcos are the worst performers, while utilities are outperforming.

A recovery in the financial sector has helped the ASX 200 finish down just 0.1%, well off its worst levels of the day when it was down about 1%.