AAP

Wall Street ended mixed on Friday, as optimism from a surge in January US job growth was offset by a weaker-than-expected outlook from Amazon.com that battered retail stocks.

The Australian share market has closed flat after a subdued final day of trading with early gains in the mining sector keeping stock prices afloat. 

Qantas has bought 20 per cent of Alliance Airlines and wants to grab an even larger stake of the regional charter operator.

Healthscope has agreed to a $4.5 billion takeover by Canadian investment firm Brookfield, despite rival bidders suggesting they could increase their offer.

Australian shares are flat at noon after the big miners gave up some of their earlier gains amid a subdued day of trading.

Wall Street has ascended, with the S&P 500 wrapping up its biggest monthly increase since 2015 after strong earnings from Facebook Inc added to optimism after the Federal Reserve's dovish remarks.

Gold prices were steady overnight, having earlier hit their highest in nine months after the US Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady and said it would be patient on further hikes, keeping bullion on track for a fourth-straight monthly gain.

Oil prices have risen for a third straight day as production cuts curbed supply from OPEC and its allies, and US monetary policy appeared to be more favourable.

A strong performance by the energy and mining sectors was not enough to save the Australian share market from being weighed down by troubled financials at the close.

Australian cosmetics empire Napoleon Perdis Group has gone into voluntary administration, putting jobs and 56 local stores at risk.

Australian shares are up at the start of trade, with the big miners and energy companies leading the way thanks to a continued rise in iron ore and oil prices.

Oil prices have risen after US government data showed signs of tightening supply and investors remained concerned about supply disruptions following US sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry.

Gold has inched lower but stayed close to its highest in more than eight months as the US dollar ticked up on better-than-expected US private-sector jobs data and investors waited to hear about the Federal Reserve's decision on monetary policy.

US stocks have surged after the Federal Reserve said it would be patient in lifting borrowing costs further this year, reassuring investors worried about a slowing economy.

The Australian share market has closed higher after a fluctuating trading session with the resources sector putting in a strong performance.

There are doubts Chinese government-owned telecommunications giant Huawei will be able to deliver a $136 million contract for Perth’s rail network, after the United States brought criminal charges against the company.

Australian shares have opened higher with the big miners driving the market on surging gold, copper and iron ore prices.

Oil prices have gained more than two per cent after the United States imposed sanctions on state-owned Venezuelan oil company PDVSA, a move likely to reduce the OPEC member's crude exports and relieve some global oversupply worries.

Gold has jumped to its highest in more than eight-months, on doubts surrounding US-China trade relations and ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting with increasing expectations for a pause to the central bank's rate hike trajectory.

Wall Street has been mixed, with technology shares dipping before Apple's quarterly report while a rebound in 3M and other industrials elevated the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

The Australian stock market has closed lower, weighed down by the heavyweight financials and ailing healthcare shares.

Australia's economy will be affected by slower global growth in the next two years, a leading economic forecaster predicts.

TPG Telecom's $2 billion plan to build Australia's newest mobile network looks to be in tatters because of the federal government's ban on using equipment from China's Huawei.

Australian shares have continued to slip under pressure from the heavyweight financial sector, while subdued business confidence has hit the local dollar.

US stocks have tumbled after warnings from Caterpillar Inc and Nvidia Corp added to concerns about a slowing Chinese economy and tariffs taking a bite out of US corporate profits.

Gold was little changed on Monday, hovering near the $US1,300 mark as investors awaited further developments on the US-China trade dispute and the Federal Reserve's interest rate trajectory.

Oil has fallen more than three per cent, heading for its biggest one-day percentage drop in a month due after an increase in US crude drilling pointed to further supply growth.

The Australian share market has powered into Friday's close on a ten-week high thanks to strong performances by the energy and financial sectors despite AMP's woes.

AMP has flagged a 96 per cent drop in full-year profit and a drastically smaller final dividend after confirming it will set aside another $200 million to cover the cost of customer remediation related to issues heard at the banking royal commission.

The Australian share market has inched higher bolstered by strong gains in the energy sector as oil prices continue to climb.

Gold has steadied following initial losses, supported by uncertainties surrounding the government shutdown in the United States and its trade relations with China, but gains were capped by a stronger dollar.

US oil prices have risen by one per cent, boosted by the US threat of sanctions on Venezuela, but gains were capped by record high gasoline inventories and an unexpected big build in crude stocks in the United States.