Investors sold off financial stocks in late trade after Westpac agreed to pay a $35m fine for breaching consumer credit regulations. The ASX 200 declined by 0.3%.

The local sharemarket has slipped 0.1%, held down by heavy falls in the telco and utilities sectors. Banks & miners also declined, while healthcare stocks outperformed.

The local sharemarket is weaker at lunch on Friday with losses in the telcos and materials weighing on the local market with the financials and healthcare are providing some resistance to the weakness. The ASX 200 is down 0.2% or 11 points to 6340.

US sharemarkets fell on Thursday. Investors took profits after four days of gains on reports that President Trump was preparing to apply tariffs on US$200 billion of Chinese goods.

The local sharemarket is a touch higher, however a retreat in financial stocks is weighing on the market. The ASX 200 is up 0.2%, edging closer towards fresh 10.5 year highs.

US sharemarkets rose overnight, led by gains from the tech stocks. The Dow Jones Index rose by over 60 points or 0.2%. The S&P 500 index was up by 0.6% and the Nasdaq lifted by almost 80 points or 1.0%.

US sharemarkets lifted to fresh record highs for a third consecutive trading session on trade hopes. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday that he believed that the US can reach a trade deal with Canada this week.

The banks are continuing the help the market higher, with the ASX 200 up 0.3% to 6,321. Boral shares have surged 8% after releasing its earnings results this morning.

US sharemarkets were firmer on Monday in response to news of a US-Mexico trade deal. Nasdaq rose above 8,000 points for the first time with the Dow above 26,000 points. There is now pressure on Canada and the EU to secure trade deals with the US.

The ASX 200 has climbed 0.6% to 6,304 – its best one-day improvement in two weeks. Banks led the gains, while Blackmores shares surged 11.5% on strong full year sales and profit growth.

The financial sector made an anaemic recovery on Monday, after retreating 4.5% last week – the worst weekly performance for the sector since February 2016. Today, the ASX 200 rose 21 points or 0.3% to 6,268.

It has been a positive start to the week for the local bourse which is up about 0.2% in early trade. Telcos are doing the heavy lifting, while mining & healthcare stocks are also firmer.

Banks, mining & energy stocks suffered heavy losses on Tuesday, dragging the ASX 200 down 1% – its worst one-day fall in five months.

Strength in mining & energy stocks helped the Australian sharemarket finish the session in positive territory on Monday. The ASX 200 rose 5 points or 0.10% to 6,345.

The ASX 200 has finished the session unchanged, with gains from banks & telcos offset by falls in the energy and materials sectors in response to weaker commodity prices.

Investors shrugged off weaker than expected Chinese economic data on Tuesday. The ASX 200 jumped 0.8% to 6,299, helped by gains in the telco, energy and financial sectors.

Local shares are weaker at lunch with the ASX 200 down 13 points or 0.2% at 6,260. Materials and telcos are the main drags on the market with energy stocks outperforming. Amcor (AMC) is down 5% after acquiring US based Bemis for US$6.8 billion.

US sharemarkets rose on Monday. Shares in Facebook rose by 4.5% on reports the social media company was planning new services. The Dow Jones index rose by 40 points. The S&P 500 index rose by 0.4% and the Nasdaq was up by almost 0.6%.

The ASX 200 is down 0.2% on Thursday, held back by falls in the telco and materials sectors. Overnight, the US Federal Reserve left rates on hold, as expected.

Losses grew larger in late trade, with the market weighed down by a 2.2% fall in the materials sector. Investors sold off Rio Tinto shares, after its first half earnings results came in slightly weaker than analyst forecasts.

The ASX 200 is up 0.10% today, as gains from energy, telco, financial and mining stocks outweigh losses in the IT, Healthcare and Consumer Discretionary sectors.

The Australian sharemarket has climbed 1.4% in July, adding to the 3% gain recorded in June. The improvement was thanks to a 7.9% surge in the Telco sector, and stronger industrials, financial & healthcare stocks.

IT stocks are under pressure on Monday, following heavy falls in US tech stocks last week, led by Facebook. The ASX 200 is down 33 points or 0.5% to 6,266.

The ASX 200 has closed down 0.3%, having been down as much as 0.5% in early trade. The telco sector outperformed, rising 1.7%, helping to limit the losses.

The local sharemarket is a touch weaker at mid-session. The focus today is on news that Nine Entertainment and Fairfax are planning a $4 billion merger to create an integrated media giant.

Fairfax shares jumped 8.4% today on news it’s merging with Nine Entertainment to create an integrated media giant. NEC shares dropped 10%.

Investors sold off healthcare, telco and consumer staples stocks today, sending the market down 0.3%. Miners outperformed, following a rise in base metals prices overnight.

US sharemarkets were mixed on Monday. Bank shares rose on the back of rising interest rates as the 10-year US Treasury yield rose. Bank of America (+2.1%) and JPMorgan Chase (+1.9%)

The Australian sharemarket has regained some of yesterday’s losses, closing up 0.6%. Healthcare, mining & consumer staples stocks led the improvements.

The ASX 200 is down 0.9% at the mid-session to start the week, with the majority of sectors deeply in the red. The materials and financials are the main weights and among the largest decliners, The energy sector is outperforming and trading flat.

The ASX 200 fell 0.9% on Monday, with all sectors bar energy in negative territory. The materials and financial sectors weighed most on the broader market. Crop protection company, Nufarm (NUF) fell heavily, by 11% on a revised earnings update.

The ASX 200 is up 0.2% at mid-session, helped by gains from the financials. The materials sector is the lone decliner, following a drop in commodities prices overnight.