Outlook: Aus shares given positive lead December 11, 2015 09:10 AM
US markets have given local stocks a positive lead climbing higher despite further falls in oil prices.
Energy shares pushed Wall Street into positive territory however the S&P 500 is looking flat for the year as companies start winding down for Christmas.
US economic news
The Labor Department reported new applications for US unemployment benefits jumped by 13,000 to 282,000 for the week ended Dec 5, the biggest rise in 5 months.
A separate report also shows that import prices dipped 0.4 per cent in November mainly driven by a 2.5 per cent drop in energy prices.
Markets
Wall Street closed higher yesterday:
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.5 per cent to close at 17,575,
the S&P 500 added 0.2 per cent to close at 2,052
and the NASDAQ advanced 0.4 per cent to close at 5,045.
Economic news
Due out today from the Australian Bureau of Statistics are lending finance figures which include housing, personal, business and lease loans
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