Australia Shares Rally as Holiday Break Ends
2026-04-07 00:40
By
Farida Husna
1 min. read
Australian stocks surged 173 points, or 2.0%, to a four-week top of 8,753 in early deals Tuesday, rebounding from the prior session’s losses, as traders returned from holidays amid stronger U.S.
equity futures.
Overnight gains on Wall Street boosted sentiment, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq gaining for a fourth straight rise, their longest winning streaks since January.
Investors monitored potential progress toward a U.S.-Iran ceasefire while weighing President Trump’s forceful warnings of escalation should Iran refuse to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
However, market strength was capped by PMI data showing services activity in Australia shrank in March, the first time since January 2024, as geopolitical risks and rising costs pressured demand.
All ASX 200 sectors contributed to the upturn, led by commercial services, non-energy minerals, financials, and logistics.
Standouts included Lynas Rare Earths (5.3%), Northern Star Resources (4.5%), BlueScope Steel (3.1%), and BHP Group (3.0%).