ASX 200 closes up 7 points at 7393 (0.1%) in another tight-range day. Tiny late surge. Seems BoJ was not a catalyst after all. The song remains the same from the central bank. Good times and bad times from resources as Chinese authorities once again shake a waggly stick on iron ore prices. BHP down slightly, FMG up 0.8%, RIO up 1.1% and MIN up 0.3%. Lithium stocks remain dazed and confused. PLS down 1.5%, IGO off 2.8%. Not a whole lotta love for gold miners today either, as NCM fell 1.8% and NST off 1.7%. Coal stocks had a celebration day, with WHC up 2.9% and NHC better by 3.0%. Healthcare stocks were on a stairway to heaven as CSL rose 0.8%, RMD bucked up 2.3% on broker upgrades, with FPH also doing well. Industrials mixed as REITS fell a little, old skool stocks rambled on, REA up 0.1% and SEK better by 1.0% with bond proxies trampled under foot, TCL off 0.5% and ALX off 2.0%. Banks becalmed with the Big Bank Basket unchanged at $187.93. In corporate news, RBL fell 11.4% as the bubble burst, TLX did well on revenue numbers, and a good outlook, NIC in a trading halt as it said thank you with a big new capital raise and AKE underwhelmed a little on their quarterly update. On the economic front, we had building approvals down as the House of the Holy commitments fell 5.2%. In Asian markets readying for Lunar New Year, China up 0.1%, HK unchanged% but Japan leaping on a lower yen up 1.7%. 10-year yields 3.56%. Dow futures are down 5 points. Nasdaq futures up 14 points.
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