Half-time wrap:
Aussie shares touched a two-week low as iron ore prices slid and employment unexpectedly dipped.
The ASX 200 declined ten points or 0.11% by the halfway mark.
BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals hit multi-week lows as ore prices fell in China for a sixth session. Demand for iron ore has suffered in recent weeks, due in part to a seasonal downturn and also government efforts to reduce overcapacity in the steel sector.
Total employment shrank by 2,000 positions last month, defying economists' expectations for growth of more than 20,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%.
"A good number for those looking for an RBA rate cut in July," tweeted IG market analyst Tony Sycamore.
US stocks closed mixed but little changed overnight after the Federal Reserve downgraded its growth outlook and tempered expectations for rate cuts next year. The S&P 500 dipped 0.03%.
Personal trading: Profits from GCM, AMI, HE8 and SDR. In and out of ICE for brokerage. Also took MP1 and a little PNT.
