Half-time wrap: The share market stepped back from record levels as a three-day mining rebound took a breather and most of the major banks dragged. The ASX 200 eased 22 points or 0.24% following back-to-back record closes for the stock benchmark. Another positive session for gold miners was offset by modest declines in Fortescue, BHP and Rio Tinto. Three of the big four banks fell. ANZ was the exception, inching up 0.5%. This morning's market retrace followed a tech-led rally in the US that left out miners. The S&P 500 rallied 0.73%, thanks in large part to a 5% surge in Apple after the iPhone-maker caved in to political pressure to invest more at home.
Personal trading: Could not get a buy order filled all morning. Wherever I went, the market said, "You want 100,000 shares? Here's 23. You're welcome." Happened five times in five different shares with mild variations: PXX, OSX, LIT, PH2 and VTX. Also missed getting in at the lows in GCM and TMG by a handful of shares. Universe is laughing at me. Screw you, universe.
