Markets: News  

Australian shares flat ahead of BoE, ECB

SYDNEY (MarketWatch) -- Australian shares held steady in early trading on Thursday, as losses for miners offset gains in the health-care sector. The S&P/ASX 200 index traded at 4,170.50, broadly unchanged from the previous session's close. U.S. markets were closed Wednesday and, with central-bank meetings in the U.K. and euro zone due later in the global trading day, "we can expect markets to remain subdued," said Andrew Taylor, strategist at GFT markets. Copper miner PanAust Ltd. declined 1.8% in the mining sector, while steel maker BlueScope Steel Ltd. lost 3.1% after revealing it had made a $21.8 million tax payment. On the plus side, Mesoblast Ltd. rose 1.3% and Cochlear Ltd. advanced 1.1% in the health-care sector.