At 10:30 (AEST), the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was down 19.20 points or 0.29 percent at 6,665.0, while the broader All Ordinaries index was down 21.70 points or 0.31 percent at 6,932.00.
Almost every sector on the Aussie share market was losing ground following further disruptions to global markets caused by COVID-19.
The notable exception was materials which lifted not just on the back of a surge by gold miners but also sustained strength in the country's iron ore extractors, pushing the sector 1.5 percent higher.
In the financial space, the big banks sank with Commonwealth Bank down (0.97 percent), ANZ down (0.69 percent), National Australia Bank down (1 percent) and Westpac Bank down (0.82 percent).
Mining stocks rallied with Rio Tinto up (1.79 percent), Fortescue Metals up (0.12 percent), BHP up (2.39 percent) and goldminer Newcrest up (3.18 percent).
The country’s oil and gas producers slumped with Oil Search down (2.52 percent), Santos down (0.78 percent) and Woodside Petroleum down (1.52 percent).
Australia’s largest supermarkets surged with Coles down (0.43 percent), and Woolworths down (0.60 percent).
Meanwhile telecommunications giant Telstra lifted (0.17 percent), the national carrier Qantas lost altitude (1.43 percent) and biomedical firm CSL edged higher (0.03 percent).
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