End of Day Report
ASX200 closes barely changed at 4881.2 up 6.2 points after fighting back from early losses especially in the banking sector. Options expiry day adding to the volatility. Results again dominate as the ‘pick n mix’ performance of individual companies continues. China slips 3.79% with Japan up 1.58%. US futures up 14. Another disappointing days as early gains evaporated into the mist of company reports. After the carnage of the session on Wednesday and a turnaround in oil and the Dow, we had expected a firmer opening. No such luck as continued weakness in major blue chips snuffed that out. It could have been the February options expiry hurting sentiment and creating volatility but banks were once again in the firing line although not quite as brutal as the moves yesterday. Resource stocks picked up with the jury still out in BHP. - See more at: (VIEW LINK)