Afternoon trading July 24

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

Half-time wrap:

Australian shares reached mid-session modestly lower after an early charge stuttered despite fresh US highs following progress in trade deals.

The ASX 200 poked its head past last week's record close in the opening minutes of trade before fading to a mid-session loss of 12 points or 0.13%.

Macquarie Group declined 4.4% on news that CFO Alex Harvey will depart and Q1 net profit was lower than the prior corresponding period. A record quarter helped Fortescue rally 3.57%.

US stocks closed at records overnight after President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Japan, and news media reported a deal with the European Union on similar terms was also close. The S&P 500 climbed 0.78%.


Personal trading: Sluggish. Took PEC too early and had to double down to squeeze a profit. Caught a bounce in BOE for a second day running. Also took LPM on retrace and an annoyingly tiny part-fill in SVY.