At the closing bell, the S&P/ASX 200 was 0.23 per cent higher at 7,138.90.
The rise was driven by the performance of technology and healthcare stocks. Out of the 11 sectors, eight ended the day in positive territory, with the technology sector leading the gains by rallying 3.8 per cent. WiseTech
(ASX:WTC) shares surged by 5.2 per cent, Xero
(ASX:XRO) by 4.2 per cent, NEXTDC
(ASX:NXT) by 3.5 per cent, and Technology One
(ASX:TNE) by 1.8 per cent. Healthcare stocks also saw an uptick, finishing 1 per cent higher, with CSL Healthcare
(ASX:CSL) rising 1.1 per cent, Pro Medicus
(ASX:PME) jumping 3.6 per cent, and Fisher & Paykel
(ASX:FPH) increasing 1.1 per cent.
FuturesThe Dow Jones futures are pointing to a rise of 54 points.
The S&P 500 futures are pointing to a rise of 13.25 points.
The Nasdaq futures are pointing to a rise of 75.25 points.
The SPI futures are up 46 points.
Best and worst performersThe best-performing sector was Information Technology, up 3.76 per cent. The worst-performing sector was Energy, down 1.32 per cent.
The best-performing large cap was WiseTech Global
(ASX:WTC), closing 5.18 per cent higher at $79.81. It was followed by shares in Xero
(ASX:XRO) and Pro Medicus
(ASX:PME).
The worst-performing large cap was Yancoal Australia
(ASX:YAL), closing 4.48 per cent lower at $4.48. It was followed by shares in Mineral Resources
(ASX:MIN) and Evolution Mining
(ASX:EVN).
Asian marketsJapan's Nikkei has gained 1.80 per cent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng has gained 0.46 per cent.
China's Shanghai Composite has gained 1.53 per cent.
Company newsAltech Batteries (ASX:ATC, FRA:A3Y) announced the release of preliminary battery specifications for its CERENERGY battery products. This enables the company to initiate discussions with potential off-take partners. Shares closed 1.08 per cent higher at 9.4 cents.
Azure Minerals
(ASX:AZS) announced broad intersections of high-grade lithium mineralisation. Azure’s MD Mr Tony Rovira said: “These results highlight the exceptional thickness and high grades of lithium mineralisation within the Andover pegmatites.” Shares closed 33.6 per cent higher at 83.5 cents.
Tesserent
(ASX:TNT) has entered into a scheme implementation deed with Thales Australia Holdings to acquire 100 per cent of their shares for $0.13 per share. Chairman of Tesserent, Geoff Lord, said: “Tesserent’s customers are expected to benefit from Thales’ enhanced product suite, global service capabilities and the acceleration of Tesserent’s existing growth.” Shares closed 145 per cent higher at 12 cents.
Commodities and the dollarGold is trading at US$1,973.40 an ounce.
Iron ore is 3.6 per cent lower at US$112.40 a tonne.
Iron ore futures are pointing to a 0.25 per cent rise.
Light crude is trading $0.26 higher at US$67.38 a barrel.
One Australian dollar is buying 67.82 US cents.
