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

Thanks @shovel40, @Fiji1 and morning crew.

Half-time wrap:

The share market handed back some of yesterday's 61-point gain ahead of the resumption of US trade tonight following the Memorial Day long weekend.

The ASX 200 eased 14 points or 0.18% by the halfway mark. Gains in resource stocks, REITs and supermarkets were outweighed by declines in banks, retailers and industrials.

This morning's retreat came as US equity futures pared gains. S&P 500 futures were lately ahead 0.07% but off overnight peaks.

Back home, consumer confidence slumped last week to its lowest level of the year, according to the ANZ-Roy Morgan weekly survey. The confidence index contracted 1.8 points to 80.2 points, more than 30 points below the measure's long-term average.

Retail sales rebounded last month, but by less than economists expected following a 0.4% contraction in March as higher rates continued to depress spending. April sales expanded 0.1%, half the increase forecast by economists.


Personal trading: Not a lot to show. Half a pip from DXB. Plenty of swings and misses.