Half-time wrap:
Gold miners and energy stocks outperformed during a "flight to safety" on the ASX amid fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East if Israel launches a ground assault on Gaza.
The ASX 200 eased 19 points or 0.27% during a "risk-off" session. Nine of eleven sectors declined. Tech and emerging companies were among the morning's worst performers.
A 5.7% bounce in crude oil on Friday lifted Santos and Woodside around 0.9%. The gold sector jumped 4% following the yellow metal's best session of the year.
The index's ten best-performing stocks this morning were all precious metal miners. Bellevue Gold put on 6.23%, West African Resources 5.94% and Regis 5.03%. Sector heavyweight Newcrest added 4.23%.
US stocks finished mixed on Friday as investors backed defensive stocks over more speculative assets. The blue chips of the Dow edged up 0.12% while the broader S&P 500 lost 0.5%.
