The Australian share market is trading slightly lower in what is expected to be a quiet period for the domestic market over the next few days.
Invast Securities chief market analyst Peter Esho said there was little to drive the local bourse on Monday.
“It’s pretty dead to be honest,” he said.
Mr Esho said investors were waiting for economic data out of Europe and US jobs numbers later this week to provide some direction.
“I think local markets will be dead the next couple of days and start to pick up from Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,” he said.
At 1200 AEDT among the big miners, BHP Billiton was off 22 cents at $37.55, Rio Tinto had sagged 59 cents to $67.77, and Fortescue Metals had dumped four cents to $5.78.
Gold miner Newcrest was 12 cents poorer at $8.55.
Among the major banks, Westpac eased 10 cents to $32.24, ANZ reversed five cents to $32.16, and National Australia Bank fell five cents to $34.64, but Commonwealth Bank was up eight cents at $77.66.
KEY FACTS
* At 1205 AEDT on Monday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index had dropped 14 points, or 0.26 per cent, to 5,336.1 points.
* The broader All Ordinaries index had shed 12.1 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 5,339.7 points.
* The March share price index futures contract was eight points lower at 5,304 points, with 10,064 contracts traded.
* National turnover was 544.8 million securities worth $690.53 million.
