ASX 200 live: John Bradley quits Vic govt role; Westpac tips July RBA cut; Xero under pressure after Melio raise

Victorian government official John Bradley quits amid policy pressures. Westpac economist Luci Ellis tips terminal cash rate of 2.85pc. Xero down after institutional capital raising to fund $4bn US buy. 

Shell is plotting a once in a generation oil deal in its early talks to buy BP. Both have significant operations globally, including in Australia. Picture: Paul Ellis/AFP

Welcome to the Trading Day blog for Thursday, June 26. The ASX 200 closed flat at 8550.9 points on Thursday, as investors dumped technology and property stocks.

Wall Street closed mixed with the S&P 500 index flat, the Dow Jones index off 0.3 per cent and the technology-focused Nasdaq rising 0.3 per cent.

Cryptocurrency giant bitcoin is around $US108,000.

The Aussie dollar is trading around US65.30c.

Originally published as ASX 200 live: John Bradley quits Vic govt role; Westpac tips July RBA cut; Xero under pressure after Melio raise