SYDNEY, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Australian share market was lower on Monday with a slump in materials and financials, the biggest weights on the market.
At 1030 AEST the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was down 15.20 points or 0.24 percent at 6,263.20, while the broader All Ordinaries index was down 13.10 points or 0.21 percent at 6,353.70.
However a rally in oil meant that energy stocks lifted with information technology also strengthening.
Also this week, "the Australian reporting season heats up, but expectations are subdued, with a forecast overall increase in profits of between 4 percent and 7 percent," CMC Markets' chief market analyst Michael McCarthy.
In the financial space, Australia's big banks plummeted with the Commonwealth Bank down (0.80 percent), Westpac Bank down (0.76 percent), National Australia Bank down (0.82 percent) and ANZ down (0.65 percent).
Mining stocks sank with BHP down (0.36 percent), Rio Tinto down (0.93 percent), Fortescue Metals down (0.34 percent), and goldminer Newcrest down (0.71 percent).
The country's oil and gas producers rallied with Woodside Petroleum up (0.33 percent), Oil Search up (0.17 percent) and Santos up (0.55 percent).
Australia's largest supermarket chains bounced with Wesfarmers up (0.14 percent) and Woolworths up (0.69 percent).
While telecommunications giant Telstra dipped (0.18 percent), the national carrier Qantas edged higher (0.08 percent) and biomedical firm CSL dropped (0.19 percent).
