Aust shares continue to fall The share market has fallen due to uncertainty about when the US will start to reduce its economic stimulus program, and a slowdown in Chinese manufacturing activity. The minutes of the US Federal Reserve's last policy meeting suggested that the central bank could scale back its stimulus program "in coming months" as the labour market improves. But that contrasted with later remarks made by Fed members that there needs to be a sustained recovery in economic conditions before they could look at easing the economic stimulus. "Markets are very confused about what's going on with the tapering issue," IG market strategist Stan Shamu said. With that in mind, that's why we've seen choppy trade. Mr Shamu said fairly disappointing figures on growth in Chinese manufacturing also weighed on the market. British banking giant HSBC's preliminary purchasing managers' index (PMI) for November came in at 50.4, down from a final reading of 50.9 in October. The index tracks manufacturing activity in China's factories and workshops. A reading above 50 indicates growth, while anything below signals contraction. In the resources sector, BHP Billiton nudged up one cent cent to $37.56 as it said China's economic growth was resilient enough to drive strong demand for commodities for the next 15 years. Rio Tinto added nine cents to $64.82, and Fortescue Metals eased four cents to $5.75. Smaller miners posted heavier falls, including PanAust, down 11.5 cents to $1.535, and Regis Resources, down 17 cents to $3.01. Among the major banks, Westpac reversed 13 cents to $32.29, ANZ lost 10 cents to $31.46, Commonwealth Bank shed 62 cents to $76.10 and National Australia Bank dumped 10 cents to $33.70. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index dropped 19.4 points, or 0.37 per cent, to 5,288.3 points. The broader All Ordinaries index shed 20.3 points, or 0.38 per cent, at 5,284.3 points. The December share price index futures contract was 11 points lower at 5,301 points, with 26,714 contracts traded. National turnover was 1.8 billion securities worth $4.6 billion. The price of gold in Sydney was $US1,247.15 per fine ounce, down $US27.65 on Wednesday's closing price of $US1,274.80.