Bourse awaits firmer US signals

The Australian share market was little changed at the close yesterday as investors held back while waiting for the release of major economic data from the US this week.
The market will get a better direction with the release of consumer confidence, job growth, manufacturing and non-farm payroll figures in the US, ABN Amro Morgans client adviser Margaret Morrissey said.
She said the domestic market was like a ship without a rudder.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 firmed 0.6 points to 5024.2 while the All Ordinaries slipped 0.8 to 4996.3.
On the Sydney Futures Exchange the September share price index contract lost 4 points to 5005 on a volume of 12,446 contracts.
Telstra shares provided an anticlimax ending unchanged at $3.50 on the first day of trading since the Government announced it would sell a further $8 billion worth of shares from its 51.8 per cent stake.
However, the telco was the most traded stock, with 81.63 million shares changing hands for a value of $284.22 million.
The usual volume of Telstra shares is around 3 million to 4 million per day and Ms Morrissey said that institutions bought in heavily.
In the resources sector, BHP Billiton firmed 7c to $27.47 while Rio Tinto dipped 2c to $72.88.
Oil and gas producer Woodside retreated 16c to $42.05.
Banking stocks were mixed, with National Australia Bank 20c poorer at $35.65 and the Commonwealth Bank down 5c at $44.65. Westpac finished up 3c at $22.78 while ANZ was steady at $26.45.
Coles Myer, which is being stalked by private equity groups, firmed 2c to $13.82 while supermarket rival Woolworths improved 17c to $20.47.
ABC Learning, which posted an 86 per cent jump in annual net profit, pulled back 30c to $6.40.
Tabcorp raced up 8c to $15.48 after announcing it had entered into a memorandum of understanding with the New Zealand Racing Board to increase coverage of New Zealand and Australian races and combine the betting pools.
Newcrest posted a big jump in annual profit, boosted by the $225 million sale of a stake in the developing Boddington project. Australia's largest gold miner firmed 1c to $19.36 while Newmont advanced 10c to $6.90 and Lihir Gold added 3c to $2.98.
The price of gold in Sydney was $US623.05 per fine ounce, up US80c on Friday's close.
The media sector was mostly positive, with News Corp adding 3c to $25.67 and its non-voting scrip climbing 12c to $24.52.
Publishing and Broadcasting was 15c stronger at $18.15 with Fairfax the odd one out, losing 7c to $3.93.
Market turnover reached 1.02 billion for a total value of $3.28 billion, with 523 stocks up, 559 down and 328 unchanged.