The Australian sharemarket eased on Monday, with the S&P/ASX 200 falling 19.7 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 8845.2, extending last week’s steep decline. Investors largely shrugged off the US Federal Reserve’s widely expected rate cut, while healthcare and gold miners dragged the local bourse lower.

The Australian sharemarket climbed on Friday, buoyed by strength in financials and materials, following Wall Street’s record-setting session. The S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.7 per cent, or 60.4 points, to 8865.4 at 2:17pm, with 10 of 11 sectors trading higher.

The Australian sharemarket edged lower on Thursday, with profit-taking in the banks and healthcare sector offsetting gains in miners. By 2pm AEST, the S&P/ASX 200 was down 37.4 points, or 0.4 per cent, as six of 11 sectors traded in the red.

The Australian sharemarket lifted modestly on Wednesday afternoon, tracking Wall Street gains, even as heavy losses in miners weighed on sentiment. The S&P/ASX 200 added 23.7 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8827.2 at 2pm AEST, with banks offsetting a commodities rout.

The Australian sharemarket traded lower at midday on Tuesday, weighed down by weakness in the banking and energy sectors. The S&P/ASX 200 fell 57.5 points, or 0.7 per cent, to 8792.1, with seven of the 11 sectors in negative territory.

The Australian sharemarket fell on Monday afternoon, with losses in energy and banking outweighing strength in technology. The S&P/ASX 200 Index dropped 0.4 per cent, or 34.9 points, to 8836.3 by 2.30pm AEST, following Wall Street’s Friday decline.