•  ASX 200 slightly better in a closing rally with the index up 9 points to 7030 (0.1%). Results focus. Another small range day today with Banks weighing following NAB results down 2.9% with the Big Bank Basket down to $ 175.59(1.5%). CBA results tomorrow with SUN bouncing 2.5% post its numbers and broker updates. Insurers doing well, QBE rising 1.4% and IAG up 1.8%. MQG in demand following Veolia deal, up 0.9%. ASX rose 0.5% and MFG rallying 2.8%. Healthcare better with CSL up 0.5% and RHC better by 0.4%. Industrials also in demand, WES up 1.8%, ALL up 1.4% and TLS up 0.8% with ‘old skool’ platform stocks doing well today. REA up 6.7% on results, SEK up 3.2% and tech better with the All Tech Index up 2.1%. XRO up 3.7% and WTC doing well up 2.5%. Resources coming off the boil slightly with OZL up 0.3% but BHP down 0.8%. Lithium stocks in demand and a huge short squeeze in some. LKE up 15.4% and LTR up 5.3%. Off highs but still strong. Base metals eased, S32 down 0.5%, IGO up 0.3%. Oil and gas stocks mixed. 
• In corporate news, NAB fell 2.9% on slightly disappointing NIM numbers, NWS rose 5.9% as its digital offerings did well, MP1 results squeezed the shorts rising 10.0% and MSB fell 7.0% on yet another capital raising at 75c. 
• In economic news, consumer confidence remains fragile and falling, hitting lowest level since April 2020. Asian markets mixed, Japan down 0.9%, China up 0.1% and HK up 0.3%. 

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