Good morning and happy Friday, it’s August 18 and you’re reading the ABC’s markets and business live blog.

Let’s get right into it with the fact that overnight, Wall Street had yet another day in the red.

The Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all slipped at the close, and that’s partly because investors are still nervous about what will happen with interest rates in the US.

But in slightly more optimistic news, oil prices appear to have steadied overnight, and that’s had a positive effect on energy stocks — think Exxon, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips.

Across the Atlantic and Europe was also lower during its sessions due to its own interest rate concerns.

Markets in London, France and Germany all fell, while the broader European market was down too.

Back home, and it’s likely the ASX will remain under the pump again today.

We’ve got more corporate earnings dropping soon, but after negative sessions overseas, it remains to be seen whether the local market can consolidate its losses from the week in the final day of trade.

Another indicator to keep an eye on is the Aussie dollar — it fell below 64 US cents overnight, but has recovered some ground since.

That slip was thanks to yesterday’s softer employment on top of the wage data, which has overseas investors contemplating whether the RBA will keep rates on hold in the near to medium term.

Let’s see how the day unfolds, shall we?