Australian shares were flat at market close on Wednesday amid an artificial intelligence-driven rally on Wall Street.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index was little changed to close at 8,765.30.
Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 was flat with a negative bias, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4%.
Brent crude oil futures fell below the $100 mark to trade around $98 per barrel. US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran in New York had made progress.
On the domestic front, the headline seasonally adjusted S&P Global Flash Australia PMI Composite Output Index fell to 50.8 in September from 52.7 in the previous month. While the latest reading is above the 50 mark that separates expansion from contraction, it also marks the weakest growth rate across the third quarter.
In company news, Insurance Australia Group (ASX:IAG) is set to make a public benefits application for its proposed alliance with the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC) after failing to secure Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) approval for its acquisition of RAC Insurance.
Myer Holdings (ASX:MYR) logged AU$0.16 in loss per share for fiscal 2026, compared with AU$0.16 a year ago. For the 52 weeks ended July 25, total sales were AU$4.09 billion versus AU$3.67 billion previously.
Lastly, Strike Energy (ASX:STX) logged AU$0.008 in loss per share for fiscal 2026, compared with a loss of AU$0.055 a year ago. For the 12 months ended June 30, revenue was AU$62.8 million versus AU$72.7 million previously.