Afternoon trading June 13

Thanks @shovel40, @Fiji1, @uncleBuck, @JohnI and morning crew.

Half-time wrap:

Aussie stocks fell for a second day after Israel announced it had attacked Iranian nuclear assets, sending oil sharply higher and triggering a swoon in US stock futures.

The ASX 200 declined 23 points or 0.26% by mid-session.

Energy stocks surged after reports of explosions in Tehran drove Brent crude up almost 8%. Woodside Energy jumped 7.67%, Karoon Energy gained 9.5% and Origin Energy added 6.77%. Gold miners - a traditional haven in times of geopolitical trouble - also rose.

“We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear weaponisation program,” Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu said in a statement. “We targeted Iran’s leading nuclear scientists, working on the Iranian bomb. We also struck at the heart of Iran’s ballistic missile program.”

The wider market faced selling pressure as S&P 500 futures skidded 1.54%. Travel-related companies took a hit. Qantas dropped 4.01%, Corporate Travel Management 5.95% and Flight Centre 2.44%. Tech companies, micro caps and consumer stocks were also amongst the drags.

This morning's Middle East development overshadowed a positive night on Wall Street after mild inflation data bolstered the case for more rate cuts. The S&P 500 firmed 0.38%.


Personal trading: Challenging morning, thanks to events in the Middle East. Playbook for the day went out the window. Traded a fleeting bounce in AUB. Took SLX when the selling finally abated - played out well. Took BRG a little early, but it's coming on.