The Australian share market is slightly higher in early trade on the last open for the year, following a jump on Wall Street and European share markets overnight.

It's a shortened trading day and volumes are low, with the market closing at 2:10pm (AEDT).

At 10:50am (AEDT) the benchmark ASX 200 index was up 6 points at 4,077 and the All Ordinaries Index was up 7 points at 4,130 after seeing stronger gains at the open.

Telecommunications and IT stocks are leading the way and some retailers are staging a tentative comeback, with roughly half the stocks on the benchmark index in positive territory.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-30/australia-share-market-open/3752658

Australian shares closed lower for a third straight session, ending a dismal year for investors which saw the market lose 15 per cent, or about $180 billion in value.

At the close of a shortened session, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 14.5 points, or 0.4 per cent, at 4056.6. The broader All Ordinaries index fell 12.1 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 4111.

Financials and energy stocks led the market's losses, both falling 0.6 per cent, while materials slipped 0.2 per cent.

European share markets rose overnight on the first trading day of the year, thanks to better-than-expected manufacturing figures from Germany and China. 

In Germany, the DAX rose 3 per cent to 6,076 and the CAC 40 in Paris gained 2 per cent to 3,222.

Most other major international markets were closed for the New Year's Day holiday.

China's official purchasing managers' index rose to 50.3 last month from 49 in November.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-03/world-markets-close/3756188