Thanks afternoon crew. Frantic end to that session. Spec faves...

Thanks afternoon crew. Frantic end to that session. Spec faves got belted left, right and centre. You can never switch off in this game.

End-of-day summary:

The share market overcame early weakness to finish higher for a fourth day as iron ore prices steadied in China, and investors welcomed trading updates from Coles and Woodside Energy.

The ASX 200 bounced more than 50 points off its morning low to a closing gain of 10 points or 0.13%. Coles rallied 5.48% after lifting first-half supermarket earnings 1.6% and liquor earnings 5%. Woodside Energy gained 0.93% despite a 37% deterioration in underlying profit.

BHP and Rio Tinto turned positive and Fortescue Metals trimmed its loss as iron ore prices bounced back to neutral on the Dalian Commodity Exchange.

The market faced early pressure following mild losses on Wall Street overnight ahead of inflation data later in the week. The S&P 500 declined 0.38% from record levels.