Bourse knocks on door again

The Australian sharemarket was back within sight of record levels on Friday despite posting its biggest single-day fall in three months earlier in the week amid warning signals from Tokyo and Wall Street.
The benchmark ASX 200 index closed the week up 17.7 points at 4854.4 - within 12 points of its record high set on Tuesday - having gained 13.5 points on Friday.
The broader All Ordinaries index closed the week up 21.8 points at 4806.1, after gaining 15.2 points on Friday.
Despite a poor start to the reporting season in the US and a heavy sell-off in Tokyo mid-week that led to a big fall locally on Wednesday, mining and energy stocks continued to buoy the Australian market later in the week.
"The rise in miners' revenues from surging commodities prices will outweigh the cost pressures," said Brian Ingham from Reward Management Australia. "Certainly the brokers' reports have calmed some people in the market."
Rio Tinto gained $3.50 this week to reach $74, adding $1.50 on Friday. UBS analysts raised their estimate for Rio's share price by 12 per cent.
BHP Billiton rose 93c this week to $24.66, adding 21c on Friday, despite questions about its involvement in a scandal over alleged kickbacks paid by the Australian Wheat Board to former Iraqi officials.
Health industry companies were among the biggest losers of the week after Healthscope, Australia's second-largest private hospital operator, warned it had failed to gain the earnings promised as part of the $288 million Gribbles pathology takeover.
Its shares fell 26 per cent this week despite gaining 8 per cent on Friday after issuing a clarifying statement saying earnings from 14 ex-Affinity hospitals recently acquired from Ramsay Health Care were meeting budget expectations. Healthscope's shares closed the week down $1.56 at $4.17 after gaining 30c on Friday.
Other health-related companies fell, including Sigma Pharmaceuticals, Symbion Health and Mayne Pharma.
Toll Holdings shares also slumped after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said it would oppose Toll's takeover bid of Patrick Corp. Toll's shares fell 13 per cent or $2.09 during the week to $11.99, after another 16c fall on Friday.
The AWB, its senior officials grilled over alleged illegal dealings with Iraq, saw 18 per cent sliced off its shares this week.
AWB shares closed down $1.16 at $5.21, down 31c on Friday.
Elsewhere, energy retailer Australian Gas Light jumped 28c to $17.70 after it announced details of its new leadership teams following its demerger into two firms.
In retail, Coles Myer continued it strong performance rising 14c to $10.53 on Friday.
"As the deadline for a Myer sale approaches, people are anticipating that once it is rid of the department stores, it will be more similar to Woolworths with more stable earnings," Nomura Australia's Eric Betts said.