The ASX opened on a strong lead from Wall Street this morning and maintained its gains throughout the day to finish 0.95% higher.
With the Nasdaq jumping more than 2% — led by Nvidia which hit an all-time high — local Tech stocks rallied by a similar amount with Wisetech Global NextDC and Xero Ltd each up around 2%.
The big 4 banks were strong, led by NAB, up 1.31%. As for the big miners, BHP gained 0.62%, Rio Tinto was up 0.19% and Fortescue rallied 0.9%. Lithium and gold explorers were also in demand with Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX:PLS) up 1.84% and West African Resources 1.62% higher.
All GICS sectors ended higher with the exception of Energy, which was hit by a fall in the oil price — a reaction to production price cuts by leading exporter Saudi Arabia.
Retail sales better than expected
Australian retail trade surged by 2% in November, in seasonally adjusted terms, beating market expectations of 1.2%.
This marked the best monthly sales result since pandemic restrictions were lifted in 2021, with record retail spending of $38.6 billion, largely attributed to the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events.
However, analysts suspect this was a one-off with the unexpected increase linked to consumers buying early in the lead-up to Christmas, with a reversal of figures likely in the December report.
In its quest to curb inflation and stabilise the economy, the RBA is keenly monitoring any indications of a slowdown. The central bank maintained the cash rate at 4.35% last month and may look past the distorted higher-than-expected retail sales figures in its economic analysis.
Bond markets, which are fully priced for an interest rate cut in August, were unaffected by the surprise retail figures Nomura rate strategist Andrew Ticehurst said, “Markets appreciate that the November data was boosted by Black Friday-Cyber Monday sales so they took the strong print with a grain of salt.”
In other ABS data released today, building approvals also defied expectations, driven by an increase in new apartment approvals, rising by 1.6% in November to beat the anticipated 2% decline. This follows a notable 7.2% surge in October. New apartment approvals drove the increase.
The unexpected trends in retail and construction sectors for November warrant careful observation in the coming months as they may have implications for the broader economic landscape.
Five at Five
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Biotech 101: The science of life
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Celsius Resources looks to advance Philippines portfolio
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