The Australian share market was higher at noon, led by smaller commodity companies, discretionary retailers and media stocks.
All Ordinaries added 5 points, or 0.11 per cent, to 4,782.
The Australian Industry Group - Commonwealth Bank performance of services index declined 2.3 points in November to a read of 52.5. Anything over 50 signals growth and the result showed that the service sector expanded for a second month.
And the Australian Bureau of Statistics said October retail sales improved 0.3% compared to October. The result was in line with analyst expectations.
The majority of sectors are in positive territory at midday and the sector with the biggest gain is the Consumer Discretionary index which is up 21 points to 1,625.
Woodside Petroleum (WPL) said at a briefing this morning that it would be happy to increase its stake in the project if the opportunity were to arise. There is a possibility that one of the other partners including BHP Billion, BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron may want to pull out. Woodside Petroleum shares are 0.46% lower at $49.57 at midday.
The worst performing sector at midday is the Consumer Staples index, down 10 points to 7,629.
Gold is trading at US$1,225.25 an ounce and the Aussie dollar is trading at 92.9 US cents.
BXB: Picked up $6.43(Analyst said: Buy on the basis of Brambles' longer term leverage to eventual economic recovery. lowers its target on the stock by 40c to $8.20)
Trading is like running a business - and anyone who has run a business successfully will tell you that emotions should have little place in your decision making. Although, because of money and your natural instincts, many people cannot remove their emotions from their trading sufficiently.
