Afternoon trading May 15

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

Half-time wrap:

Aussie shares rose for a seventh day as a jump in employment failed to derail expectations the Reserve Bank will likely cut interest rates next week.

The ASX 200 overcame early weakness to reach mid-session 20 points or 0.24% ahead.

Gains in banks, retailers, tech companies and utilities cushioned the market against declines in resource stocks following overnight weakness in oil, gold and copper.

Total employment increased by a 89,000 last month, almost four times as much as economists expected. An uptick in participation kept the jobless rate steady at 4.1%.

"Overall the jobs mkt remains tight but no tighter than in March. Still expect RBA cut next wk," tweeted AMP chief economist Shane Oliver.

US stocks closed mixed overnight as the China trade war truce rally abated. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1%, while the Dow eased 0.21% to a second straight loss.

Personal trading: Got onto TWE just above the low for a quick early win. Also got half a pip from FHE and a couple of pips from a part-fill in a minnow.