The Australian share market was moderately higher at noon following mild gains on Wall Street. At 1200 AEDT, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 31.9 points, or 0.71 per cent, at 4,546 while the broader All Ordinaries index had gained 30.5 points, or 0.67 per cent, at 4,563. On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the March share price index contract was 39 points higher at 4,514 on volume of 19,790 contracts. RBS Morgans Ipswich manager Tony Russell said the volatility in the US market and weakness in precious, metals, the Australian dollar and oil prices had impacted the local market. "The slightly higher finish in the US gave our market gave our market some confidence," Mr Russell said. "With the start the reporting season under way, some of the major players are so on the sidelines, so we're trading between zero to 15 points." Mining giant BHP Billiton was up 51 cents, or 1.29 per cent, at $40.06, while Rio Tinto had advanced 76 cents, or 1.14 per cent, at $67.36. Among the major banks, ANZ had added nine cents to $20.99, CBA was up 56 cents at $53.23, NAB was 13 cents higher at $25.44 and Westpac rose 28 cents to $22.89. On Wall Street on Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 10 points or 0.1 per cent thanks to a late rally after being down as much as 160 points during the session.
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