Half-time wrap:
Aussie shares fell for a second day as China's latest stimulus misfire dragged miners to multi-week lows.
The ASX 200 dropped 29 points or 0.36% by mid-session. Overnight weakness in iron ore and metals drove the materials sector down 1.1% to a seven-week low. Gold miners fell particularly hard as a rising US dollar made dollar-denominated commodity prices more expensive for holders of other currencies.
Cushioning the index from a deeper loss: utilities, tech companies, REITs and consumer stocks. The index's best performers were Afterpay-owner Block and lithium miners Pilbara Minerals and Liontown Resources.
US stocks extended the "Trump rally" into a new week as traders continued to buy likely winners from the change in the White House. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1%. The Dow rallied 0.69%.
Personal trading: I'm flu-ridden and miles off the pace, so wrapping up for the day and heading for bed. I'd be grateful if someone else could launch an after-market thread when the market closes. Will try to get out of bed tomorrow, but no guarantees if this brain fog doesn't lift. Son has Covid - hope this isn't that.
