The Australian share market has finished the day little changed from where it began - but for the week it closed in the green for a fourth straight time, its longest weekly winning stretch since the start of the year.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index ended Friday down 2.5 points at 7,501.6, while the broader All Ordinaries rose 2.4 points at 7,730.2.
For the week, the ASX200 rose 0.8 per cent, with its four-week winning streak its longest since a five-week stretch across January and February.
With three days of trading left in 2023, the ASX200 is up 5.9 per cent for the month, 6.4 per cent for the quarter and 6.6 per cent for the year.
Traders were perhaps being cautious on Friday ahead of an overnight US readout of the Fed's preferred metric of inflation, the personal consumption expenditure (PCE) index report for November.
"With almost six cuts implied in the market for next year, market participants will be searching for evidence to support such aggressive rate cuts next year," wrote Capital.com analyst Kyle Rodda.
"The risk is that such positioning is premature, representing an asymmetric risk to markets that could catalyse an unwind in bond and equity prices and launch a rebound in the US dollar."
Seven of the ASX's 11 sectors finished lower and four closed higher.
Energy was the biggest mover, gaining 0.5 per cent as Whitehaven Coal rose 2.1 per cent and uranium developer Boss Energy added 6.6 per cent.
In the heavyweight mining sector, Fortescue added 1.1 per cent to $28.35 while BHP and Rio Tinto were both basically flat, at $49.73 and $134.40, respectively.
Core Lithium plunged 21.2 per cent to 26c after the lithium producer said it would conduct a strategic review of its operations amid the plunging price of lithium ore, which is down 80 per cent year-to-date and 40 per cent since the end of October.
Options being considered include the possible temporary curtailment of mining operations at Core Lithium's flagship Finniss mine near Darwin, which began production less than a year ago.
It has also suspended early works at its nearby BP33 underground mine.
The Big Four banks had a quiet day, with NAB down 0.3 per cent to $30.39, ANZ dipping 0.1 per cent to $25.80, and Westpac and CBA both basically flat, at $22.84 and $110.50, respectively.
Meanwhile the Australian dollar overnight briefly rose over 68 US cents for the first time since July.
A little past 5pm it was buying 67.75 US cents, from 67.51 US cents at Thursday's ASX close.
ON THE ASX:
* The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index finished Friday down 2.5 points, or 0.03 per cent, at 7,501.6.
* The broader All Ordinaries gained 2.4 points, or 0.03 per cent, to 7,730.2.
CURRENCY SNAPSHOT:
One Australian dollar buys:
* 67.75 US cents, from 67.51 US cents at Wednesday's ASX close
* 96.41 Japanese yen, from 96.48 Japanese yen
* 61.60 Euro cents, from 61.64 Euro cents
* 53.40 British pence, from 53.38 pence
* 107.89 NZ cents, from 108.01 NZ cents
