4 December 2008 - AEST 8.30am - Currency markets were also becalmed ahead of Fridays US jobs report - European sharemarkets were again higher on Wednesday on expectations of large interest rate cuts by the Bank of England and European Central Bank - US sharemarkets traded on both sides of the ledger on Wednesday with most investors on the sidelines - Crude oil prices settled - Base metal prices posted huge declines - And the price of gold eased as the US dollar strengthened.