Share market ends record-setting winning run
The Australian share market has ended its record-setting 12-session winning streak.
The All Ordinaries ended five points lower at 5,770 while the ASX 200 also lost five points to 5,815.
The market was dragged lower by the big mining companies, following surprisingly weak trade data in China which is a key trading partner.
BHP Billiton fell 1 per cent to $31.23, Rio Tinto lost 0.5 per cent to $60.31 and Newcrest mining was 2.5 per cent lower.
The energy sector firmed a little, with Woodside rising 0.5 per cent, but Santos falling slightly.
The banking sector spent much of the day in the red but turned around in late trading when bargain hunters stepped in.
The big four banks ended mixed; Westpac and ANZ were up slightly, while Commonwealth and National Australia bank lost a little.
Retailers lost ground, with Woolworths and Wesfarmers both ending lower. Telstra, meanwhile, was down more than 1 per cent to $6.51.
Shares in Fairfax plunged almost 9 per cent after billionaire Gina Rinehart sold her entire 15 per cent stake in the media group.
Elsewhere, rubber glove maker Ansell lifted its first-half profit by more than a third.
Investors welcomed the news, pushing its shares up more than 5 per cent to $24.30.
About 5:00pm (AEDT) the Australian dollar had weakened on the back of better-than-expected jobs figures from the United States.
It was buying 77.69 US cents, 68.51 euro cents, 50.88 British pence, 92.25 Japanese yen and $1.05 in New Zealand.
West Texas intermediate crude oil was fetching $US51.61 a barrel, Tapis crude oil in Singapore was worth $US59.28 a barrel and spot gold was trading at $US1,238 an ounce.
