Australian stocks were firmer at noon, as positive economic data from abroad buoyed the local market at the start of the trading week.
At 12.15pm AEDT, the benchmark SP/ASX200 index was up 18.8 points, or 0.41 per cent, at 4,570.6 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index had risen 18.6 points, or 0.41 per cent, to 4,574.5 points.
