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

Thanks @shovel40, @Fiji1 and morning crew.

Half-time wrap:

The Australian share market shrugged off a mixed finish on Wall Street as bond yields retreated and a trading update from NAB boosted the major banks.

The ASX 200 rallied 34 points or 0.45% towards its third gain in four sessions. Banks did the heavy lifting after NAB reported a 1.4% lift in half-year statutory profit and an increased share buyback. Shares in the bank gained 2.28%. Westpac firmed 1.4%, ANZ 1.09% and CBA 1.28%.

US stocks finished mixed and well off last night's highs as investors mulled a message from the Federal Reserve that inflation remained too high but further rate hikes were unlikely. The US central bank left benchmark rates unchanged but indicated rate cuts were further off than they seemed at the start of the year.

The Dow clung on to a gain of 87 points or 0.23% after being up as much as 570 points. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq faded to losses of just over 0.3%.


Personal trading: Yesterday's gains look like an outlier in an increasingly challenging week for this trader. Having one of those weeks where trades sour almost instantly. I'm looking at you MTC, RNX and SGC. You've let me down. Shame on you. Well... shame on someone. Waddya mean, look in a mirror?