-- Australian shares were flat with a negative bias at Monday's close as the critical Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East continued to be blocked.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index was little changed to close at 8,766.40.
Brent crude oil futures gained 1.2% to reach $106.57 per barrel. US President Donald Trump cancelled a trip to Islamabad, Pakistan, by US envoys for talks with Iran over the weekend. Iran gave the US a new proposal for reaching a deal on reopening the Strait and ending the war, Axios reported.
In company news, Atlas Arteria (ASX:ALX) has received an unsolicited off-market takeover proposal from IFM to acquire all remaining securities it does not already own at AU$4.75 per share in cash. IFM has indicated that the offer price may increase to AU$5.10 per share if it obtains at least a 45% relevant interest before the offer closes, subject to certain "best and final" conditions. Its shares jumped 13% on market close.
Megaport's (ASX:MP1) wholly-owned unit, Latitude.sh, signed a 36-month contract with a new US-based customer, with a total value of around $25.1 million, representing around $8.4 million in annualized recurring revenue. Its shares closed up 5%.
Lastly, Origin Energy (ASX:ORG) reported March quarter production of 164.5 petajoules, down from 167.1 petajoules a year earlier. The company reported commodity revenue of AU$1.86 billion for the quarter, down from AU$ 2.31 billion a year ago. Its shares were down over 5% on market close.