Thanks @shovel40, @Fiji1, @paddington bear and morning crew....

Thanks @shovel40, @Fiji1, @paddington bear and morning crew.

Half-time wrap:

Spec stocks sat out a rebound at the top end of the market after economic data dampened interest rate worries in the US.

The Emerging Companies Index dipped 0.46%, even as the ASX 200 rallied 55 points or 0.71%. Property stocks, gold miners, telcos and supermarkets paced the rally.

The speculative end of the market has underperformed the top end since its extraordinary rebound from the Covid lows of 2020. While the ASX 200 hit an all-time high last month, the XEC has yet to trade above last year's peak and sits more than 26% below its 2022 record.

Wall Street bounced on Friday as solid durable goods sales and a dip in inflation expectations kept alive hopes of a soft landing for the economy, and tax cuts by year-end. The S&P 500 gained 0.7%.


Personal trading: Took a few on pullback to no great effect yet. Missed the tepid bounce in AGC by half a pip.