Australian stocks follow global markets lower: Afternoon market insights

The Australian sharemarket lost almost half a percent today after global bourses traded lower overnight.

At 3.30pm the ASX200 remains a whisper above the 4000 mark, down 0.46% to 4009.3. The broader All Ordinaries index lost 0.48% to 4052.6.

The dollar slipped below parity in overnight trade before regaining lost ground today. It’s currently trading just above parity, buying $US1.00195.

Both the Dow Jones and the NASDAQ lost ground overnight, down 1.1% and 1.9% respectively. Asian markets also traded lower today, with the Nikkei down 0.7% and the Hang Seng 0.5% weaker.