Australian shares flat

The Australian share market is flat in sporadic trading that was expected on the final day of the September quarter. IG market strategist Evan Lucas said that hedge funds and large fund managers were balancing their books in line with trading strategies after recent heavy losses. At the start of Tuesday, the ASX200 was down 2.42 per cent for the quarter and 6.42 per cent in the last month. The release of weaker-than-expected Chinese manufacturing data on Tuesday and the performance of Hong Kong's influential share market, where large street protests have rattled investors, could also affect Australian stocks. BHP Billiton opened higher but was weaker by noon (AEST), down six cents to $33.66 While, Rio Tinto was the reverse, opening down but recovering to be up 15 cents at $59.36. Similarly, Woodside had fallen 11 cents to $40.42, but Santos was up three cents to $13.71 and Oil Search had also gained, rising 3.5 cents to $8.955. The supermarket giants were lower, with Woolworths down 12 cents at $33.98 and Coles owner Wesfarmers 19 cents worse at $42.02, according to skynews.com