End-of-day summary:
The share market's losing run extended into a fifth session as investors weighed weak jobs data, falling iron ore prices and global rates worries.
Rate-sensitive property stocks sank to a five-week low as the ASX 200 shed 47 points or 0.63%. All but two sectors declined. Financials and consumer discretionary stocks edged ahead.
Negative offshore rate signals outweighed signs that the domestic labour market may be slowing, easing pressure on the RBA to keep hiking rates. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 gave up 0.56% overnight as traders interpreted unexpectedly strong December retail sales figures as likely to delay the start of expected US interest rate cuts.
The market here briefly responded favourably to news that total employment contracted by 65,100 positions last month. However, the fleeting recovery faded as the ABS warned the underlying trend last year was for "strong" growth.
Mining heavyweights BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals hit multi-week lows as iron ore continued to lose ground. Benchmark ore prices declined 0.5% in China this afternoon following a sixth straight monthly decline in steel prices.
