Thanks @shovel40, @Fiji1 and morning crew. Half-time wrap: The...

Thanks @shovel40, @Fiji1 and morning crew.

Half-time wrap:

The share market shrugged off weak leads after annual inflation held steady for a third month, defying expectations for an increase.

The ASX 200 rallied 26 points or 0.34% by mid-session. Supermarkets, healthcare providers and industrials offered the morning's best sector opportunities. Tech stocks, utilities and iron ore miners dragged.

The market added to early gains following mid-morning news that the monthly Consumer Price Index indicator came in below expectations at 3.4% for the 12 months to February. Economists had predicted a mild up-tick to 3.5%. Core annual inflation fell to 3.9% from 4.1% in January.

"Annual inflation excluding volatile items has continued to slow over the last 14 months from a high of 7.2 per cent in December 2022,” Michelle Marquardt, ABS head of prices statistics, said.

US stocks sagged overnight for a third session since last Thursday's record close. The S&P 500 shed 0.28%.


Personal trading: Sluggish morning. Got a couple of tiddlers on the hook, but volumes are too low to warrant a mention here. Suffering buyer's regret.