Aussie shares finished lower today, following mixed leads from overseas markets on Friday night.

Almost all the sectors closed in the red, with the exception being utilities.

The big four banks outperformed the overall market but were still weaker on the day. ANZ and CBA were the worst, down 0.5% each.

The mining majors weighed on the market; Rio Tinto lost 1%, while rival BHP dropped 2% after going ex-dividend.

Roc Oil climbed 2.6% after announcing a FY11 profit of US$27.7 million, which compared favourably to a loss of US$35.9 million in FY10. The results beat analyst expectations.

Beach Energy declined 5.4% after posting a 1H FY12 profit of $56 million, a swing from an $88 million loss from the previous correspond period. The results fell short of analyst expectations.

The ASX 200 sank 39 points (-0.9%), to close at 4267.

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Evening Market Analysis: Afternoon Fade is a post from: Australian Stock Report Market Pulse Blog