Thanks afternoon crew. Good vibe on the threads today. Conditions must be improving!
End-of-day summary:
Australian shares finished near flat as a rebound in US stock futures sharpened hopes for a recovery on Wall Street tonight following heavy falls on global markets on Friday.
The ASX 200 hit a two-week low before rebounding to a slender gain of 1.7 points or 0.02%.
The early slide followed Wall Street's worst session since May. The S&P 500 sank 1.6% on Friday as anemic jobs growth signalled a slowing labour market, and another round of trade tariffs posed questions about global growth. Europe's stock benchmark dived 1.89%.
A rally in gold helped the domestic materials sector climb 1.22% this afternoon to its first gain in eight sessions. Defensive assets such as supermarkets and Telstra also rose, offsetting declines in banks, industrials and tech stocks.
S&P 500 futures bounced 0.35% in Sunday night US action, implying traders may buy Friday's dip when trade resumes tonight.
