Good results spur return of buyers

Shares ended stronger yesterday as solid company profit results helped lift sentiment above the weakness of recent days.
The ASX 200 index finished 25.9 points higher at 4961.9, while the All Ordinaries rose 24.2 to 4928.9.
On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the September share price index contract was 24 points higher at 4938, a 23 point discount off the physical, on a volume of 18,836 trades.
Insurer QBE climbed 55c to $22.35 after reporting a $591 million net profit for the first half of the year, up 20 per cent on the previous first half.
Other insurers also firmed with Insurance Australia Group up 2c to $5.28 and Promina rising 4c to $5.58.
AXA Asia-Pacific rose 1c to $6.40 after it announced the appointment of Andrew Penn as its group chief executive.
Woodside Petroleum rose $1.21, or 3 per cent, to $41.41 after it posted a first half net profit of $524.34 million, up 19.9 per cent.
Hardman Resources fell another 2.5c to $1.38 while Beach put on 1.5c to $1.60.
Gas company Alinta rose 2c to $10.80 after it posted a first half net profit of $80.3 million, up 79 per cent on last year's first half.
Oil Search was hammered, closing 40c or 10.75 per cent lower at $3.32 after AGL said it might dump the Papua New Guinea pipeline project.
AGL fell 34c to $19.14. The company reported an annual net profit of $457 million, down 49.5 per cent on the previous year.
Banking stocks were stronger with the Commonwealth gaining 38c to $44.93 while ANZ rose 24c to $26.89. NAB was up 30c at $36.60 and Westpac rose 22c to $22.95.
Both Tabcorp and UNiTAB were clobbered after the ACCC ruled Tabcorp, down 40c at $14.90, out of the bidding for UNiTAB, which plunged 72c to $13.80. Tattersall's was up 20c at $3.07.
Against the trend in retailing, discounter The Reject Shop climbed 36c to $7.00 after it posted a 39 per cent lift in annual net profit and forecast another strong year ahead.
Woolworths rose 10c to $19.42, Coles Myer was 33c higher at $11.70 but David Jones dipped 3c to $3.18.
The spot price of gold was $US626.20 per fine ounce, down US50c on Tuesday's Sydney close.
Goldminers were mixed with Lihir gaining 5c to $2.81, Newcrest dropping 7c to $19.68 and Newmont rising 2c to $6.70. Bendigo Mining fell 4c to $1.56.
Oil Search was the most traded stock by volume, 76.5 million shares changing hands valued at $256.3 million.
Preliminary market turnover was 1.03 billion shares with a combined value of $4.07 billion, with 499 shares moving up, 535 down and 342 unchanged.