Mixed start tipped for ASX after Wall Street inches higher

The news: Australia's sharemarket could be in for a mixed start when trading begins as US indices tracked higher, helped by gains in travel providers, while the ASX 200 futures pointed lower.

The numbers: The Dow Jones index was up 0.50% to 35,262.82 points, the broader S&P 500 was higher by 0.40% to 4,556.16 and the technology-focused Nasdaq was higher by 0.44% to 14,262.55 in late trade. On the domestic market, the ASX 200 futures was lower by 23 points to 7073 points. The Australian dollar was lower and buying 65.39 US cents.

The context: Travel providers enjoyed gains on Wall Street after crude oil prices fell about 1%. OPEC+ producers delayed a meeting on production cuts, which drove prices sharply lower in early trading. Stocks in Asia and Europe were mixed and trading was easing ahead of holidays in the US and Japan.