AAP

Financial markets are betting on a rate cut before the end of the year, but Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock has told parliament that would be too soon.

The ASX200 rose 0.2 per cent, despite a mixed labour market report that could keep domestic interest rates on hold through 2024.

A senior staffer of Linda Reynolds has told a defamation trial the senator and her then chief of staff disagreed on how to handle claims by Brittany Higgins.

US stocks have closed mostly higher as investors digested data related to consumer prices from July.

The ASX200 has finished up 0.3 per cent as Commonwealth Bank, Pro Medicus, Evolution Mining, Seven Group and other big companies report earnings.

Senator Linda Reynolds' chief of staff when Brittany Higgins was allegedly raped in parliament may not be able to give evidence to the politician's high-profile defamation trial with her former staffer.

The ASX200 has finished higher, with losses for CSL and Seek and gains for Temple & Webster and goldminers.

Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds believed Bruce Lehrmann's rape trial was politically motivated and Peter Dutton undermined her, a psychologist's notes read to a defamation trial have revealed.

An earnings report by JB Hi-Fi bolstered the consumer discretionary sector, with the ASX200 finishing 0.5 per cent higher.

All three major indexes gain for the day; Expedia rises after Q2 profit beat; Indexes: Dow up 0.1 per cent, S&P 500 up 0.5 per cent, Nasdaq up 0.5 per cent.

The ASX has rallied on a better-than-expected drop in US jobless claims but has finished the week down 2.1 per cent after Monday's big sell-off.

Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds has denied she suspected Brittany Higgins had been raped following an incident in her ministerial office, as her handling of the case is probed at a defamation trial.

Australia's acceptance of nuclear material from the US and UK has been officially approved as part of an updated AUKUS agreement, as the security pact attracts renewed criticism from a former prime minister.

Senator Linda Reynolds has told a defamation trial she was exposing corruption when she sent confidential documents about Brittany Higgins' payout to media.

The ASX200 has finished down 0.2 per cent, with BHP falling to a 21-month low and Mirvac dropping nine per cent on its earnings results.

Senator Linda Reynolds says she sent confidential documents related to Brittany Higgins to a journalist because she believed the attorney-general was "stitching" her up.

The ASX200 has finished 0.25 per cent higher, its second day of modest gains after a 3.7 per cent plunge on Monday.

The ASX200 finished up 0.4 per cent after falling 5.8 per cent over Friday and Monday, its worst two-day drop since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

University peak bodies say a proposed cap on international students is little more than a smokescreen for debate on immigration numbers, a committee was told.

The Australian share market has suffered its worst day in more than four years as rising fears of a US recession sparked global panic selling.

Former defence minister Linda Reynolds must have known Brittany Higgins had been sexually assaulted when she met with her junior staffer, a defamation trial has been told.

Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds says she's looking forward to take the stand as a witness and tell the truth at a defamation trial against Brittany Higgins.

Aid agencies and federal government departments are set to front a Senate committee hearing on Australia's support for Ukraine.

Senator Linda Reynolds' legal team has started its opening submissions in a high-profile defamation trial against former staffer Brittany Higgins.

The ASX200 has dropped 2.1 per cent in its worst performance in 16 months, just two days after its biggest jump in 20 months.

A former PwC chief executive who was linked to the consulting firm's tax leak scandal will be dragged under the spotlight for the first time.

The ASX200 gained 0.3 per cent to close above 8,100 for the first time after Fed chairman Jay Powell talked up a September rate cut in the United States.

The ASX200 rose 1.8 per cent in its best single-day performance since late 2022, while the Aussie fell under 65 US cents for the first time in three months.

The ASX200 finished down 0.5 per cent after slipping more than twice that in early trading, while Fortescue Metals fell to a 20-month low.

The federal government is putting contingencies in place after shares in regional carrier Rex were placed in a trading halt amid speculation about its future.

The ASX200 briefly reclaimed the 8,000 level as traders wait for what one analyst calls the biggest data point of the year for Australia's market.

The Australian share market was 0.8 per cent higher at the bell following goldilocks US economic data and a rally across mining stocks.