The Aussie market is trading lower heading into the afternoon session, with the XJO currently half a percent underwater.

The soft leads provided by international markets overnight have seen local traders shy away from risk, with all but two sectors currently trading lower.

Hardest hit are healthcare and energy stocks, whilst utilities and consumer staples are holding up.

In company news, Wesfarmers reported better-than-expected full-year net profit this morning, with the result coming in at $1.92 billion against an expected $1.88 billion.

The strong numbers see Wesfarmers up more than 2% for the session.

Around the region, Asian markets are generally weaker; the Hang Seng, Shanghai Composite and Nikkei are all trading to the downside.