Sydney, July 18, 2007 (ABN Newswire) - Aussie shares generally fell in morning trade, as weaker oil prices weighed down on energy firms such as Woodside Petroleum, while a mixed performance in base metals pressured mining firms.
At Midday the ASX200 index has fallen 47 points to 6,334 and on the futures market the SPI 200's down 60.
Australian electrical and furniture retailer Harvey Norman Holdings said this morning that fourth quarter sales rose 15.4 per cent, boosted by demand for hot-ticket items such as flat-screen televisions and laptop computers. ABN AMRO had forecast total fourth-quarter sales growth of 16.2 per cent. Analysts say Harvey Norman has been gaining market share in its core electronics products, while furniture and bedding sales are improving slowly as the housing market recovers. Shares in the retailer have surged 44 percent this year, against a 12.5 percent rise for the broader market. Shares in Harvey Norman Holdings are 0.18% lower at $5.48
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