The Australian share market is trading lower as uncertainty over a resolution to the Greek debt saga continues to result in choppy trading.

HC Securities senior private client adviser Mark Lennox said the local market was also affected by a continued lack of detail over the timing of interest rate hikes in the US, and tax-loss-related selling by investors before the end of the financial year.

“There was a negative offshore lead flowing through to our domestic market,” Mr Lennox said.

“The Greek stuff is still overshadowing everything.”

But Mr Lennox said the market was not down by much, and there were pockets of strength.

He said the Greek debt crisis was one of the factors sending the market up one day and down the next, but it was still in a upward trend over the near term.

On Wall Street on Wednesday, stocks followed European equity markets lower, dropping sharply on signs of fresh tension during talks between Greece and its international creditors.

Among the major banks at 1200 AEST, Commonwealth Bank had fallen 20 cents to $86.99, National Australia Bank had lost 11.5 cents to $34.405, ANZ had dumped 15 cents at $33.49, and Westpac had reversed 26 cents to $33.41.

In the resources sector, global miner BHP Billiton had lifted three cents to $28.58, Rio Tinto was up 18 cents at $55.85, and Fortescue Metals had dipped 3.5 cents to $2.165.

Mining contractor Macmahon rose 1.8 cents, or 39.13 per cent, to 6.4 cents after the Perth-based company wrapped up the sale of its operations in Mongolia for $US65 million.

KEY FACTS

* At 1204 AEST on Thursday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 38.7 points, or 0.68 per cent, at 5,648.1 points.

* The broader All Ordinaries index was down 36 points, or 0.65 per cent, at 5,635.6 points.

* The September share price index futures contract was 36 points lower at 5,593 points, with 13,786 contracts traded.

* National turnover was 706.2 million securities worth $1.39 billion.