Shares ended flat on Wednesday, as losses in miners were offset by gains in energy stocks and Wesfarmers, although the benchmark index almost finished in the green after rebounding from the morning's lows.

Wall Street's gains were slight but the S&P500 still ended at its best level since July, helped by a big jump in energy shares and investor confidence that higher interest rates will not derail the economy. The S&P500 is now within striking distance of record highs reached in May 2015.