ASX 200 ends down 0.3pc; Qantas, Wesfarmers profits meet estimates; South32's big buyback, Cettire profit slumps; MinRes cans final dividend; Nvidia falls

WATCH LIVE: Westpac CEO Peter King speaking during parliamentary Q&A. CBA boss vows to continue lending to gas projects. Ellison's fortunes hit in MinRes dive. Qantas, South32 flag buybacks as profits fall. Cettire down on profit slump.

Qantas results and commentary in focus among earnings reports from other major corporates. Picture: William West/AFP

Welcome to the Trading Day blog for Thursday, August 29. The ASX 200 index fell 0.3 per cent to close at 8,045.1 points with falls across seven of the 11 sectors, led by energy and consumer-exposed stocks.  Financial was the best performing sector, followed by technology and health care.

The Aussie dollar is trading near US67.93c after Wednesday's July CPI boost.

Originally published as ASX 200 ends down 0.3pc; Qantas, Wesfarmers profits meet estimates; South32's big buyback, Cettire profit slumps; MinRes cans final dividend; Nvidia falls

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