The potential U.S. government shutdown is impacting the commodity markets, with oil futures again closing lower - but held their ground above $103 a barrel by the close.
November crude fell 0.5 percent to finish at $102.33 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after touching a low near $101.
Tracking the most-active contracts, prices lost 4.9 percent for September, but gained 6 percent for the quarter.
Australian producers such as Woodside Petroleum (ASX: WPL) and Santos (ASX: STO) have recently bucked the lower oil prices with their shares trading higher, helped by a reduction in the Australian / U.S. dollar in recent months.
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