Yesterday the ASX200 finished down 0.1 per cent to 5791
Iron ore miners posted some of the biggest gains, after the bulk commodity hit a 2.5-year high of $US92.34 a tonne overnight, while Chinese iron ore futures were up 3.7 per cent at 731 yuan in late local trade on Tuesday.
The big four banks ended the day mixed. ANZ was down 0.8 per cent, Westpac and CBA were flat, while NAB added 0.8 per cent. Westpac posted a funding and asset quality update before the market opened, but unlike its peers did not disclose profit or revenue numbers.
"There's a truckload of volume going through our banks," said Mr Twisse. "We're seeing double the volume of a normal day in Westpac, and double the volume in ANZ." 1
U.S. equities kicked off the week on the right foot, notching fresh record highs Tuesday following a key naming by the Trump administration and corporate earnings.
The Dow Jones industrial average briefly rose more than 100 points before holding about 90 points higher, with Boeing leading contributing the most gains.
The S&P 500 rose 0.44 percent, with energy and real estate leading all sectors higher.
The Nasdaq composite advanced 0.27 percent.
The U.S. stock market was closed Monday in observance of the Presidents' Day holiday.
Oil prices rose to near three-week highs on Tuesday after OPEC said it was sticking to its agreement to cut production and hoped compliance with the deal would be even higher as it expects other producers join its efforts to curb a global glut. WTI settled up 66 cents, or 1.2 percent, at $54.06, off a session peak of $54.68.
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Gold fell on Tuesday as reinforced expectations of an increase to U.S. interest rates next month pushed the dollar higher, though political and economic uncertainty in Europe and the United States are likely to offer continued price support. Spot gold was down 0.09 percent at $1,236.84 an ounce but has still gained more than 6 percent since the start of the year. U.S. gold futures dipped 20 cents to settle at $1238.90.
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