Afternoon trading August 28

Thanks Oscar and morning crew.


Half-time round-up:

The ASX extended yesterday's leadership-spill repair work, surfing back above 6300 on a record night on Wall Street.

The benchmark index, the ASX 200, rallied 47 points or 0.8% to 6316 as the big banks pulled further off yesterday's two-month low. The financial sector jumped 1.4%, metals & mining 1% and health 0.9%. Telecoms shed 2.3% after SDA announced a US$135 million acquisition..

"Risk appetite appears to be slowly returning to the bellies of investors, with global equity markets experiencing a synchronized push higher to start the week," IG Markets' Kyle Rodda told Fairfax. "Wall Street has led the charge... overnight adding to the all-time highs achieved at the end of last week."

The S&P 500 advanced 0.77% to a record close after the US and Mexico sealed a trade deal. S&P 500 futures were recently up three points or 0.1%.

“Risk sentiment was given a further leg up overnight with the news that the US and Mexico had agreed on a trade deal to replace NAFTA,” David de Garis, NAB senior economist, told CNBC. “Sticking points over the automotive sector have been resolved.”

China's Shanghai Composite edged up 0.07%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng 0.28% and Japan's Nikkei 0.64%.

Crude oil futures added two cents or 0.02% this morning to US$68.89 a barrel. Gold futures drifted 80 cents or 0.07% to US$1,215.20 an ounce. The dollar was buying 73.34 US cents.



Trading: spent the morning charging into burning buildings, dragging furniture onto the front lawn and trying to sell it, still smouldering, to passers-by. Worked with SDA, AXL (twice), HTA and FIG. Has not yet worked with WBT - anyone want to buy a slightly singed tech company? Still in sound working order: needs a good scrub and polish.