Afternoon trading November 16

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

Half-time wrap:

The share market backed off an eight-week high, adding to early losses after mixed employment data did little to clarify the outlook for interest rates.

At the halfway mark the ASX 200 was off 31 points or 0.43%. Declines in gold miners, energy producers and property stocks outweighed gains for supermarkets, utilities and CSL.

The market showed minimal initial reaction to news the jobless rate ticked up to 3.7% last month even as the economy added twice as many jobs as expected. Total employment increased by 55,000, with part-time jobs making up around two-thirds of the gain. The dollar held broadly steady after the mid-morning release.

Today's lacklustre session followed a modestly positive session on Wall Street, where a strong trading update from Target helped the major indices build on Tuesday's bumper gains. The S&P 500 edged up 0.16%.


Personal trading: Low-key bargain-bin rummage session for me. Caught the low in DNA but only a part-fill. Small position in ICG at the low. Subsistence stuff.