- Switzer Report - https://switzerreport.com.au -

Banks drag market into the red

The Australian share market is lower, weighed down by losses among the big banks.

Three out of the big four banks were more than half a per cent lower, offsetting gains in the resources sector.

BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto were moderately higher, while OceanaGold was up by nearly seven per cent on the back of a stronger gold price.

Rising oil prices overnight fed into the energy stocks, with Origin leading the sector, up half a per cent.

KEY FACTS

* At 1202 AEDT, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 23.5 points, or 0.45 per cent, at 5,202.9 points.

* The broader All Ordinaries index was down 22.9 points, or 0.43 per cent, at 5,254.1 points.

* The December share price index futures contract was down 25 points at 5,205 points, with 12,416 contracts traded.

* At 1212 AEDT, national turnover was 1.1 billion securities worth $1.35 billion.