Retailers and Qantas have defied a generally negative trend that has seen the share market slip 0.8 per cent overall.
Shares in Qantas had jumped more than 4 per cent by 12:00pm (AEDT) to just over $1.28 after announcing a share buy-back and early debt repayments.
Myer was up 5.5 per cent at $2.11 after its sales beat low expectations, and its positive result helped drag David Jones 4.7 per cent higher and JB Hi-Fi more than 2 per cent up.
However, the rest of the market is on the slide.
The All Ordinaries index was down 0.8 per cent to 4,375, and the ASX was matching that fall, down 34 points to 4,354.
Resource stocks were sharply lower, with BHP Billiton off 1.5 per cent and Rio Tinto falling 2 per cent.
The major banks were all in negative territory, with CBA leading the decline with a 1 per cent fall.
The Australian dollar was sharply down against the greenback - it has been trading around a cent lower than this time yesterday, as traders avoid risk currencies.
It was worth 103.5 US cents.
