Australian shares snapped two days of losses after jobs data edged the odds higher for another interest rate cut by the central bank.  

The S&P/ASX 200 ended 0.6% higher at 6735.1, and now sits almost 0.2% up in the week so far. The biggest gains came from the technology, telecommunications and health care sectors, while the financials inched lower thanks to a 3.4% drop in National Australia Bank as it traded ex-dividend.  

The unemployment rate rose slightly in October to a seasonally adjusted 5.3% and the number of people employed fell against expectations of a rise for the month.  

Major U.S. stock indexes pulled back from their records intraday after a disappointing forecast from Cisco Systems sent shares of the networking giant sharply lower.  

Investors also contended with signs of ongoing friction between the U.S. and China, as the two sides haggle over agriculture purchases, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

That gave investors little enthusiasm to buy riskier assets, such as stocks, and instead encouraged more buying of haven assets, including gold and U.S. Treasurys, analysts said.  

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was recently down 33 points, or 0.1%, to 27751 after the blue-chip index bobbed around the flat line earlier in the session. The S&P 500 fell 0.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.1%.  

Gold futures settled higher, building on gains from a day earlier as weakness in U.S. benchmark stock indexes and a drop in yields on government debt raised the precious  metal’s investment appeal.  

West Texas Intermediate crude futures for December delivery fell by 19 cents, or 0.3%, to $56.93 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Global benchmark January Brent crude, however, was up 18 cents, or 0.3%, at $62.55 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe.  

The WSJ Dollar Index was recently down 0.1% at 91.02 as the U.S. currency declined against the euro and yen.