The Australian market looks set to open higher later this morning, following gains in metals prices overnight.

In the U.S. overnight, stocks switched between small gains and losses in a thinly-traded session.

Traders grappled with a drop in oil prices and a continued impasse between Greece and its creditors over loans, while mixed economic reports offered little guidance about the Federal Reserve's timetable for hiking rates.

The March SPI futures contract was up six points, at 5874.

In equities news, Medibank Private, Cabcharge, Transpacific Industries and Duet Group are expected to post half year results, while James Hardie releases third quarter results and Santos is slated to deliver full year results.

Key numbers

• SPI up 6 points at 5874
• AUD at 77.81 US cents
• Dow Jones -0.20%, S&P500 -0.06%, Nasdaq +0.39%
• FTSE100 -0.13%, CAC +0.71%, DAX +0.37%
• Gold down 0.4% at $US1207.95 an ounce
• Brent oil down 85 US cents at $US59.68 per barrel
• Iron ore untraded

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