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ASX down 0.3% near noon: Energy up 0.3%

Australian shares dipped at the open, following a weaker finish on Wall Street after US inflation data for September came in a bit higher than anticipated, alongside weekly jobless claims reaching a 12-month high.

At 11:45am, the S&P/ASX 200 is 0.26 per cent lower at 8,201.90.

The SPI futures are pointing to a fall of 9 points.

Best and worst performers

The best-performing sector is Energy, up 0.28 per cent. The worst-performing sector is REITs, down 0.82 per cent.

The best-performing large cap is Infratil Ltd (ASX:IFT), trading 1.74 per cent higher at $11.09. It is followed by shares in Newmont Corporation CDI
 (ASX:NEM) and Northern Star Resources (ASX:NST).

The worst-performing large cap is Steadfast Group (ASX:SDF), trading 1.8 per cent lower at $5.46. It is followed by shares in BlueScope Steel (ASX:BSL) and WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX:WTC).

Commodities and the dollar

Gold is trading at US$2650.40 an ounce.
Iron ore is 0.5 per cent lower at US$104.25 a tonne.
Iron ore futures are pointing to a 1.66 per cent rise.
One Australian dollar is buying 67.40 US cents.