Thanks @shovel40, @Fiji1 and morning crew. (And thanks...

Thanks @shovel40, @Fiji1 and morning crew. (And thanks @sharebroker1 for the kind words this morning - appreciated.)

Half-time wrap:

The share market reversed early losses after August data showed business conditions remained robust, even as consumers grew more pessimistic about the economy.

The ASX 200 pared an opening loss of almost 37 points to less than a point by the halfway mark. Strength in mining stocks and healthcare providers helped counter weakness in energy producers, banks and telcos.

Business conditions and confidence both improved last month, according to NAB's monthly survey. Conditions rose 2.6 points to 13.4 points. Confidence edged up 0.4 points to 1.7 points.

The news helped offset an earlier report showing this month's rates pause did nothing to soothe consumer pessimism. Westpac's consumer sentiment index eased 1.5% to 79.7.

“The strong message from survey detail is of ongoing intense pressures on family finances” Bill Evans, Westpac chief economist, said.

Personal trading: ARV was a gift at 3.3c. ODE paid off from 1.3c before the next drop, WC8 from 23c. Surprised at how soggy the wider market was earlier this morning, given the overnight leads. Yesterday's positive candles haven't counted for much at much of the top end. US instos taking advantage of overnight currency gains?