Stocks shake off slow start The Australian share market has shaken off a slow start to push higher after Wall Street made solid gains. Mid-morning, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was 17.6 points higher, or 0.34 per cent, at 5,141.0 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index was up 18.9 points, or 0.37 per cent, at 5,134.1 points. "It's really been a bit of a positive lift from the fact that the US dollar retreated on Friday," IG market strategist Stan Shamu said. On the local market, drilling company Boart Longyear had fallen 4.5 cents, or 8.11 per cent, to 51 cents. The drilling company made a half-year net loss of $329 million as it struggles with a slowdown in mining investment. But Caltex had lifted 44 cents to $19.39 despite its first half profit dropping 13 per cent due to the fall in the Australian dollar and a pipeline outage. Meanwhile, health insurer nib firmed three cents to $3.16 after it reported its net profit had dipped slightly due to the costs of its acquisition of a New Zealand insurance company. In the resources sector, global miner BHP Billiton dipped four cents to $35.60, while Rio Tinto found 26 cents at $60.19. Among the major banks, National Australia Bank lost 18 cents at $32.28, but Commonwealth Bank rose 23 cents to $72.28, Westpac picked up 18 cents to $31.65, and ANZ advanced six cents to $29.70. Earlier this morning, the September share price index futures contract was down nine points at 5,067. The Australian dollar slipped overnight and was recently trading at 89.29 US cents, down about one-quarter cent from late yesterday. In economic news on Friday, the Reserve Bank of Australia is due to release financial aggregates data. In equities news, Virgin Australia, Harvey Norman and Gindalbie Metals are expected to release full year results. Global share markets Tokyo on Thursday rose 0.91 per cent, or 121.25 points, to 13,459.71, while Seoul advanced 1.22 per cent, or 23.02 points, to 1,907.54. In Australia, the market on Thursday finished higher, but activity remains overshadowed by concerns about the Syrian conflict. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 5.2 points, or 0.1 per cent, at 5,092.4 points. ENERGY - Oil prices have fallen after spiking for two days, as traders eyed a possible delay to US-led military action against Syria. PRECIOUS METALS - Gold fell, snapping a five-day rally as a US-led military strike on Syria appeared not to be imminent and investors turned their attention to strong US economic growth and the Federal Reserve's plans to rein in its stimulus program. BASE METALS - Copper futures closed lower on the London Metal Exchange (LME), dragged down by a firm US dollar and apprehension over a possible military strike on Syria.