The Australian share market followed Wall Street into the red today, snapping a two day winning streak. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) fell 26.8pts or 0.6pct to 4559.7, while the S&P/ASX 200 Index (XJO) fell 29.5pts or 0.7pct to 4542.1.

The financial sector eased by 0.9pct. Shares in AXA Asia Pacific (AXA) fell 3.5pct to $5.21 after reporting a fall in 1H net profit. CEO Andrew Penn admitted at an analyst briefing that 2Q was ´´pretty soft´´ for equity flows, and that regulatory uncertainty also had an impact. Mr Penn refused to comment on the NAB's bid for AXA, saying that was up to independent board directors. Shares in the NAB (NAB) fell 0.6pct to $25. AMP Limited (AMP), which had also made a play for AXA late last year, added 0.2pct to $5.38. The Commonwealth Bank (CBA) was off 1.5pct to $52.95 and the ANZ (ANZ) was off 1pct to $23.14. Westpac (WBC) eased by 1.9pct to $23.85. Macquarie Group (MQG) dropped a further 0.8pct to $39.25.

Weaker metals trade saw the materials sector fall 0.7pct. Shares in BHP Billiton (BHP) fell 0.7pct to $40.68 while Rio Tinto (RIO) was off 0.2pct to $72.84, despite announcing further expansion plans, including a US$790 million project in the Pilbara. Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) closed down 1.6pct to $4.32. Gold stocks performed well, with Newcrest Mining (NCM) rising 1.4pct to $33.87 and Lihir Gold (LGL) up 1pct to $4.20.

In the energy sector, shares in Woodside Petroleum (WPL) were firmer by 0.7pct to $42.18 while Santos (STO) gained 0.1pct to $13.50. Oilsearch (OSH) eased by 1.2pct to $5.93 while Caltex (CTX) was down 1.9pct to $10.55.

Retail stocks came under pressure. The consumer discretionary sector fell 1.3pct led by a 14pct drop from outdoor wear retailer Kathmandu (KMD). KMD closed at $1.445 after its FY10 earnings came in lower than expected. David Jones (DJS) fell 2.3pct to $4.67 while Harvey Norman (HVN) closed down 1.4pct to $3.47. Myer Limited (MYR) was off 2.6pct to $3.42.

Telstra (TLS) shares added 1.2pct to $3.31.

West Australian Newspapers (WAN) fell 2.4pct to $6.85. WAN today posted a 10.3pct rise in FY10 profit to $96.2 million. However the media company also cautioned that the new financial year had got off to a more muted start as uncertainty about the government´s planned mining tax and the upcoming federal election dragged on advertising demand. Fairfax (FXJ) fell 2pct to $1.48 while NewsCorp (NWS) dropped 0.6pct to $16.75.

In economic data released today, Australia's trade surplus hit a record high of $3,539 million in June. Exports rose by 7.1pct, out-pacing a 0.2 pct increase in imports.

Tourist departures rose by 6.3pct to record highs in June, out-pacing a 1.8pct lift in tourist arrivals.

More than half of 46 commonly-purchased supermarket items fell in price in the June quarter. In addition, 17 of the items were cheaper than a year ago. Overall a "shopping basket" of the 46 items was actually 15c cheaper than three months ago.

In July, 82,376 vehicles were sold, up 9.3pct over the year. CommSec estimates that sales fell by 4.5pct in seasonally adjusted terms in July. Over the past year sales of 4WD vehicles hit record highs.

Performance of Services index fell from 48.8 to a six-month low of 46.6 in July. A reading below 50 suggests contraction of activity.

CommSec Chief Economist Craig James noted of the data: "The record number of Aussies travelling abroad, when combined with less foreign tourists and less migrants, spells difficult times for retailers. Prices are already falling and are likely to remain under pressure."

The Australian dollar ended the day's trade weaker against the majors, and at 4pm AEST was worth US91.03c, £0.5715 and €68.93c.

On the market overall, a total of 2.14 billion shares were traded, worth $4.56 billion. 491 were up, 544 were down and 335 were unchanged.

At 4.15pm AEST on the Sydney Futures Exchange, the Share Price Index (SPI) futures contract was at 4509, down 28pts.

Ahead tonight, the ADP employment index and Institute for Supply Management's services index for July are released in the US.