Shares rallied 0.8 per cent by mid-day in Sydney, with energy and miners leading gains thanks to a rebound in commodity prices as investors await key US inflation data for clues on the interest rate path.

Utilities and communications were the only two underperforming sectors out of the index’s 11 categories.

Investors shrugged off a bearish Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment survey, which showed the mood dropped sharply in November after last week’s rate interest increase. Separately, a NAB business survey showed conditions in October remained strong but confidence about the future declined.

Shares in mining giants Rio Tinto and Fortescue lifted more than 2 per cent each and BPH Group advanced 1.4 per cent as iron ore futures extended gains into a fourth straight session on optimism about China’s troubled property sector. Gold and lithium producers also climbed.

Santos and Woodside climbed more than 2 per cent.

The major banks were all higher, except National Australia Bank, which fell 2.6 per cent as it traded ex-dividend.

Inflation pickup

On Wall Street, the benchmarks had a cautious session ahead of the consumer price index data with the S&P 500 finishing down 0.1 per cent, the Nasdaq Composite off 0.2 per cent but the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.2 per cent.

Economists polled by Reuters expect headline US consumer price inflation slowed to 3.3 per cent in October from 3.7 per cent the month before, with the core measure that strips out volatile components unchanged.

Fed fund traders imply an 87 per cent chance the Fed holds interest rates in December, rising to 27 per cent in January. They are fully priced for the first rate cut in July next year.

Stocks on the move

Shares in Commonwealth Bank gained 0.7 per cent after it lifted statutory profit by 1 per cent to $2.5 billion in the September quarter even as its profit margin was crunched further.

Telstra reversed early gains to be down 1.1 per cent after flagging that the funding of a digital infrastructure project would come at the top end of the previously announced $1.4 to $1.6 billion guidance.

Online foreign exchange and payments company OFX Group tumbled 11 per cent even though it posed a 5 per cent gain in statutory profit in the six months to September.

Laboratory services giant ALS jumped 6 per cent on slightly better-than-expected results. ALS reported $158 million in net profit for the first half versus market expectations of $156 million.

“It was solid if not spectacular result. Full-year guidance for FY24 was a little underwhelming, but the market was assuming the possibility of a downgrade, hence the rally in the share price,” said Andrew Mitchell, a senior portfolio manager at Ophir Asset Management.

Telix Pharmaceuticals gained 1.8 per cent as it is planning to buy US-based therapeutic company QSAM Biosciences for a total of $US123 million ($193 million) in cash and equity.

Bank of Queensland advanced 0.5 per cent. The regional lender plans to redeem $100 million of capital notes originally issued by Members Equity in 2018.

Origin Energy was the biggest laggard with a 2.9 per cent slump following another twist in its takeover battle. An eleventh-hour effort by Origin’s two North American suitors to overcome the stubborn opposition of Origin’s biggest shareholder, AustralianSuper, to their $20 billion takeover by bringing it into the bid consortium has foundered just hours after the offer was made.