At noon AEDT on Friday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 13.6 points, or 0.19 per cent, to 7,044.8, while the broader All Ordinaries was down 13 points, or 0.18 per cent, to 7,256.5.
The ASX200 was still up nearly one per cent since last Friday's close after rising 2.2 per cent across Tuesday and Wednesday. Last week it was flat.
US and Australian bond yields had dropped to one-month lows and Brent crude fell under $US78 a barrel for the first time since July following weak economic data out of the US, while gold prices climbed to a 10-day high of $US1,984 an ounce.
The ASX's 11 sectors were mixed at midday, with energy the biggest mover, falling 1.6 per cent as Woodside dropped 2.2 per cent.
The Big Four banks were all lower, with ANZ down 1.2 per cent, Westpac down 0.7 per cent, CBA dipping 0.4 per cent and NAB drooping 0.8 per cent.
In the heavyweight mining sector, Fortescue was up 0.3 per cent, BHP was up 0.2 per cent and Rio Tinto had climbed 0.4 per cent, while goldminers were enjoying stronger gains.
Newmont had climbed 1.4 per cent, Evolution was 5.1 per cent higher and Northern Star had added 3.8 per cent.
Accent Group had sunk 9.6 per cent to a two-week low of $1.9075 as chairman David Gordon told its the footwear retailer's annual general meeting that like-for-like sales were down two per cent for the first 19 weeks of 2023/24.Â
Overall Mr Gordon was upbeat, saying the company's in-stock position, sales and operational plans were well set heading into its three most important trading months of the year.
The Australian dollar was buying 64.65 US cents, from 64.81U S cents at Thursday's ASX close.
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