Daytrading August 17 afternoon

Thanks Oscar and morning crew.


Half-time round-up:

Shares turned negative for the week following some high-profile profit misses and after US central bankers warned rate rises remain likely this year.

At 1pm EST the ASX 200 was three points or 0.1% lower at 5529 after earlier falling as low as 5507, around 24 points below the index's close last week. Improvements in the energy sector +1.5%, metals & mining +1% and consumer staples +0.75% were offset by declines in gold -3.9%, health -1.5% and financials -0.6%.

A mixed morning of earnings updates included bouquets for BHP, SHL, CWN, PRY and FBU, and brickbats for QBE, CSL and EVN. Also occupying attention was a suggestion overnight that investors are too complacent about the likelihood of another rate hike in the US this year.

“Comments from [New York Fed President William] Dudley certainly knocked the wind off the market rally,” Matthew Sherwood, head of investment strategy at Perpetual, told Bloomberg. “The market has had a tremendous rally and is probably due for a pullback.”

A mixed morning in Asia saw China's Shanghai Composite drop 0.37%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng advance 0.3% and Japan's Nikkei gain 0.5%. Dow futures were recently ahead by 21 points or 0.11%.

Crude oil futures retreated 25 cents or 0.54% this morning to US$46.33 a barrel. Gold futures were $6.50 or 0.48% weaker at US$1,350.40 an ounce. The dollar was buying 76.86 US cents.


Trading: scratchy morning. Got something out of QBE. Also took LPI, AQI and NWH at what looked like intraday lows.