Aus shares have reached a record high, while Myer highlights challenging market conditions. Regis Healthcare and Kelsian have secured significant contracts, and Namoi Cotton has endorsed Olam Agri’s acquisition bid. The Australian dollar has risen sharply, alongside Bitcoin.
At 11:35am, the S&P/ASX 200 is 0.45 per cent higher at 8,228.90.
The SPI futures are pointing to a rise of 28 points.
Best and worst performers
The best-performing sector is Information Technology, up 1.37 per cent. The worst-performing sector is Staples, up 0.05 per cent.
The best-performing large cap is Telix Pharmaceuticals (ASX:TLX), trading 5.7 per cent higher at $19.83. It is followed by shares in Seek (ASX:SEK) and BlueScope Steel (ASX:BSL).
The worst-performing large cap is Atlas Arteria Group (ASX:ALX), trading 2.72 per cent lower at $4.65. It is followed by shares in Computershare (ASX:CPU) and Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN).
Commodities and the dollar
Gold is trading at US$2610.30 an ounce.
Iron ore is 2.4 per cent higher at US$92.60 a tonne.
Iron ore futures are pointing to a 0.95 per cent gain.
One Australian dollar is buying 68.05 US cents.