Thanks @shovel40, @mirren, @FlashPoint and morning crew.The...

Thanks @shovel40, @mirren, @FlashPoint and morning crew.

The market climbed off its low after Q3 inflation grew less than expected. Core or trimmed inflation grew 1.2% for the quarter, down from 1.7% in Q2 and versus expectations of an increase of 1.4%. Headline inflation was slightly stronger than expected. Some economists think the data might be good enough for the RBA to sit on its hands again at next month's rates meeting.

The ASX 200 overcame an opening loss of 37 points to reach the halfway mark unchanged. Materials was the biggest drag for a fourth straight session, but well off its low. Gold miners and energy producers bucking the trend.

US futures are firmly higher following after-market updates from Microsoft and Alphabet. S&P 500 futures +0.46%. Nasdaq futures +1.38%.

Personal trading: Took NWE too early and bailed for brokerage. Experimenting elsewhere with a new approach, but just paper trading for the first few days to see how it goes. So far, so good but we all know there's an ocean between paper and having skin in the game.