The sharemarket recovered some of its early losses but still closed lower today.
At 4.15pm AEST today, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 17.1 points, or 0.34 per cent, at 4950.8 points.
The broader All Ordinaries index was down 22.7 points, or 0.46 per cent, at 4944.1 points.
The market was led lower in the wake of a sharp fall on US markets, concerns about the Boston bombing, and a continuing drop in commodity prices.
OptionsXpress market analyst Ben Le Brun said the local bourse had been expected to perform quite badly on Tuesday after events in the US.
The deadly explosions in Boston and disappointing China economic growth rocked US stocks, sending the broad market S&P 500 down more than two per cent.
"Things could have been a lot worse ... but it (the Australian market) showed a little bit of resilience," Mr Le Brun said. "The market is in watch and wait and see mood."
