Thanks @shovel40, @Fiji1, @Patterns and morning crew. Half-time...

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

Half-time wrap:

Australian shares gave up early gains to fall for a fourth session as volatility on bond markets and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East subdued buying interest.

The ASX 200 faded to a mid-session loss of four points or 0.06% after earlier rising as much as 35 points. The index is on a losing streak that has knocked it down more than 230 points since last Wednesday.

Bargain-hunters dipped their toes this morning in the likes of telcos, resource and banking stocks. The defensive sectors that outperformed yesterday (healthcare, utilities, consumer staples) lost favour this morning, easing 0.4 - 0.9%.

US stocks finished mixed overnight as bond yields backed off multi-year highs. The Nasdaq gained 0.27%. The S&P 500 faded to a loss of 0.17%.


Personal trading: Nice morning for continuation trades. Pity I didn't have any. Took PIM on retrace. Hesitated just long enough to miss GSM near the low.