Live: ASX 200 closes at two-month high; Whitehaven Coal falls

Qantas faces court battles on two fronts. Coles boss tips strong Christmas despite rate hikes. Whitehaven Coal dives as rain dampens output. Co-working outfit Victory collapses. Orica shares rise on profit. 

Equity investors are weighing up global and local economic and corporate updates. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Welcome to the Trading Day blog for Wednesday, November 9. ASX 200 ends higher. Whitehaven Coal dives as rain dampens output. Orica shares rise on profit. Ardent's first quarterly profit since Dreamworld tragedy. Coles flags major transformation. Bitcoin falls more than 10 per cent.

The ASX 200 ends up 0.6 per cent at a two-month high of 6999.3.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 closed 0.6 per cent higher, the technology-focused Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.5 per cent and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 1 per cent stronger.

US 10-year bond yields fell to near 4.14 per cent and two-year yields were down to 4.67 per cent.

Oil prices fell with the global benchmark Brent crude down 2.6 per cent to $US95.36 per barrel and US Nymex lost 3 per cent to $US88.91 per barrel.

The gold futures price rose 2.1 per cent to $US1716 an ounce and iron ore futures fell 2.1 per cent to $US85.33 per tonne.