ASX 200 up; CPI steady in Feb; Platinum falls on revenue hit; CVC cans APM bid

Sharemarket has strong push pre-close. Southern Cross Media chair quits over shareholder push. Inflation up 3.4 per cent in 12 months to February. CVC cans $1.8bn APM bid. National Storage board changes after probe.

February inflation data from the ABS will be closely parsed by investors, the RBA and politicians. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Welcome to the Trading Day blog for Wednesday, March 27. The ASX 200 index had a late surge, closing 0.5 per cent higher to 7819.6 points, after February inflation data came in lower than expected.

The Aussie dollar is near US65.29c.