The Australian sharemarket started the week in the red, despite mostly positive international leads from Friday night.

The majority of sectors finished underwater, with materials and energy stocks among the worst performers.

The big four banks were mixed on the day; Westpac gained 0.2%, whilst NAB lost 0.1%.

Mining majors were equally directionless, despite stronger commodity prices. BHP dipped 0.5% whilst rival Rio Tinto closed flat.

The ASX 200 declined 14 points (-0.3%) to settle at 4352.

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Evening Marketing Analysis: Soft Close is a post from: Australian Stock Report Market Pulse Blog