Stocks in Australia Hit All-time High

The S&P/ASX 200 finished 0.5% higher to a new record at 9,175 on Thursday, briefly testing the 9,200 level earlier in the session, lifted by gains in heavyweight miners, healthcare leaders, and technology stocks amid a strong earnings season. Miners extended their rally, climbing 1.2% to close at a fresh peak, supported by continued earnings momentum and steady fund rotation into the sector. Heavyweight BHP rose 2.2% to a record close, while Rio Tinto advanced 3.7%. Firmer copper prices, driven by a post-Lunar New Year pickup in Chinese import demand, added further support. Healthcare stocks also gained 1.6%, led by Ramsay Health Care, which jumped 10.4% after beating first-half profit expectations, while Telix Pharmaceuticals surged 10.9%. Technology shares soared 5.2%, tracking a global rally after blockbuster results from Nvidia helped ease concerns over AI-related risks. Conversely, energy and gold stocks mostly weighed in the index, while financials ended little changed.

The S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.4% to above 9,100 in early Thursday deals, extending its rally to a fresh record peak, as gains in local mining stocks and a strong tech-driven lead from Wall Street lifted the market. Local software stocks led the advance, climbing nearly 4.5% after upbeat earnings from US tech giants Nvidia and Oracle boosted optimism around the AI trade. Logistics software provider WiseTech Global extended gains, up over 6% to a two-week high, while Xero and Technology One added 5.5% and 3.7%, respectively. The heavyweight mining sector also rallied for the fourth straight session, rising 1.6% to an all-time high, driven by robust underlying commodity prices and a nearly 5% surge in Lynas Rare Earths after the world’s largest rare-earths producer posted its strongest first-half profit in three years. Meanwhile, the rate-sensitive financial sub-index fell 0.3% after hotter-than-expected inflation print a day earlier reinforced bets of additional rate hikes this year.

ASX200 increased to an all-time high of 9164.00 Index Points. Over the past 4 weeks, Australia Stock Market Index (AU200) gained 2.63%, and in the last 12 months, it increased 11.2%.