ASX up 0.6pc amid gains in energy, mining and banking stocks; RBA on inflation watch
ASX closed nearly 0.6 per cent higher, led by Woodside, Santos, BHP and banks. RBA flags rate hikes coming soon amid inflation and wages watch. Boral dumps CFO and AMP confirms Dexus talks.
Welcome to the Trading Day blog for Wednesday, April 19. ASX climbed, led by mining, energy and banking stocks as minutes from the RBA flagged that an earlier interest rate hike may be needed.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 rose nearly 0.6 per cent to 7565.2 after markets were closed over the Easter break.
On Wall Street, stocks turned lower in afternoon trade. The benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 0.1 per cent, the S&P 500 was largely unchanged and the tech-heavy Nasdaq dipped 0.1 per cent.
European bourses closed mainly higher while Asian markets fell after Chinese officials warned off “significant challenges” ahead as Covid-19 lockdowns start to bite.
Global oil prices climbed overnight amid production outages in Libya. Brent crude rose 1.3 per cent to $US113.15 a barrel and the US Nymex crude added 1.2 per cent to $US108.21 a barrel.
Iron ore edged higher, up less than 0.1 per cent to $US155.18 a tonne.
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