The Australian bourse has had a cautious start to the new financial year, with shares giving up their morning gains in the afternoon to finish basically unchanged.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Tuesday dipped 1.2 points, or 0.01 per cent, to 8,541.1, while the broader All Ordinaries dropped 1.0 point to 8,772.0.
The Australian dollar hit a fresh seven-month high against its weakening American counterpart, buying as much as 65.84 US cents in overnight trading.
At close of business on Tuesday, the Aussie was buying 65.75 US cents, from 65.44 US cents on Monday.
The greenback spiked after Donald Trump's election in November, but has slid since he took office in January, posting its worst start to a year since 1973 amid tariffs that are far more severe than most observers expected.