ASX 200 closes up 36 points in another strong day at 7556 (+0.5%) on Chinese stimulus hopes. The index is up 2.8% since last Friday. Resources were passed the baton today, with quarterlies dominating too, FMG leading the iron ore stocks higher up 2.0%, production numbers beating expectation, Iron ore picking back up in Asia, helping BHP up 1.5% and RIO up 2.8%. MIN powered ahead on its quarterly on some short covering and bargain hunting up 7.1%. PLS kicked a little on broker comments up 2.0%. Gold stocks were mainly firmer, with NST up 0.7% and EVN gaining 1.6%. Oil and gas stocks slightly higher, with both WDS and STO up around 0.7%. Coal stocks better too, WHC up 1.2%. Banks pushed ahead slightly, the Big Bank Basket shrugging off cooling broker talks with a push to $197.02 (+0.2%). MQG eased 0.2%, Insurers doing well, with QBE up 1.4%. Industrials were mixed, healthcare punched higher on RMD results up 6.4%, COH also better, REITs eased, and tech fell slightly on Tesla results. The All-Tech Index down 0.2%. In corporate news, Is Don, is bad apparently as DMP were stuffed crust on lower Asian sales, falling 31.0%, NAN rallied 4.5% after a day to forget yesterday, SYA dropped 9.1% on a strategic review, IPL added 4.7% on plans to return $500m to shareholders. In AAC, its biggest shareholder pleaded guilty to insider trading, the stock rose 1.7%. On the economic front, all eyes on Chinese stimulus and US results. ECB tonight. Tesla falls after hours. In Asian markets, China stimulus hopes. Japan +0.2%, China up 2.1%, HK up +1.3%. Dow Futures up 70 points. NASDAQ Futures down 11 points. 

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