ASX 200 clawed back some losses closing up 28 points to 7015 (0.4%). Early euphoria gave way to apathy again. Banks were a strong sector with the Big Bank Basket up to $177.31 (0.8%). NAB leading the charge up 1.2% and MQG managing to eke out a 0.1% rise. QBE and insurers flat, REITs did well as yields fell again, GMG up 1.3% and SCG running hard up 2.0%. Industrials too doing ok, WOW up 0.9%, TCL unchanged as Rozelle Interchange opens up. QAN up 0.4% and TLS pushing ahead. Tech stocks eased, WTC down 0.6% and XRO falling 0.8%. Utilities mixed as ORG fell again. Iron ore stocks tried valiantly to rise early but gave way to gravity with BHP down 0.2% and RIO off 0.3%. FMG clearly didn’t get the memo rising 1.5%.  Iron ore in Asia fell 2% on intervention talk. Lithium stocks mixed, PLS up 0.9% and MIN down 1.2%. Some action in second liners but low volumes. Hold miners once again in demand, NST up 3.5% and finally NEM up 0.6%. Oil and gas fell, Coal mixed. In corporate news, IMU rose 9.9% on positive drug news, PLT rallied 64.7% on solar panel and car loan news, PBH jumped 5.5% on revenue update, CKF rose 9.0% on results and a dividend increase. Did someone say KFC? Asian markets eased, Japan down 0.3%, HK off 0.5% and China unchanged. 10-year yields back to 4.51%.

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