Afternoon trading May 12

Thanks @shovel40, @FlashPoint, @Fiji1 and morning crew.

The share market drifted towards a fourth straight loss, mirroring a similar run this week for the Dow. At the halfway mark, the ASX 200 was down 15 points or 0.21%, continuing a run of modest losses since Tuesday.

Resource stocks were the primary cause of the malaise following sharp retreats in iron ore, copper, nickel and (to a lesser extent) oil and gold. The index of Australian gold miners dropped to a one-month low after Newmont sought more time to carry out due diligence on Newcrest.

Healthcare providers, tech stocks and supermarkets were among pockets of strength.

Personal trading: Instinct said to buy the opening weakness in BHP, but I didn't. Made up for it with a brief ride in FMG in the first half hour. Struggled for ideas since then.