ASX 200 recovers: 9 shares you should have been watching

Local shares traded in the red for most of today, but ultimately managed to end the session higher.

Here's a quick recap:

• S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) up 0.2% to 5239 points
• ALL ORDINARIES (Index: ^AXAO) (ASX: XAO) up 0.2% to 5337 points
• AUD/USD at US 74.6 cents
• Iron Ore at US$55.97 a tonne, according to the Metal Bulletin
• Gold at US$1,321.45 an ounce
• Brent oil at US$46.08 a barrel

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) was one of the key performers for the day. Its shares raced 1.9% higher following broker upgrades from Goldman Sachs and Macquarie.

Of the other banks, National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB) was the next best with a 1.4% gain.

Meanwhile, BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) managed to record a 1.4% gain, with South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) up 3.2%.

Retailer Myer Holdings Ltd (ASX: MYR) announced its full-year earnings results today. The shares rose initially, but ended the day 1.5% lower.

Automotive Holdings Group Ltd (ASX: AHG) also shed 5.1%, while Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) dropped 4.1%.

Cover-More Group Ltd (ASX: CVO), on the other hand, rose 5.2%. SAI Global Limited (ASX: SAI) lifted 3.5%.

Here are Thursday's top stories:

1. Myer Holdings Ltd reports: Are shares a bargain?
2. 3 shares I'd buy right now with $10,000
3. 10 blue chips soaring more than 50% in the past year
4. How CSL Limited turned a $1,000 investment into over $200,000
5. Brokers just upgraded these 3 ASX shares
6. What's all the fuss about FirstWave Cloud Technology Ltd?