Investing.com – Wednesday saw the Australian stock market rally for the fifth consecutive session, fueled by optimism that US interest rates have reached their zenith and rumors of a potential Chinese stimulus package.
The S&P/ASX 200, the benchmark index, closed 0.7% higher at 7088.4 points with 10 of the 11 sectors ending the day in positive territory, while healthcare remaining unchanged.
Mining companies emerged as some of the day’s strongest performers, spurred on by a Bloomberg report suggesting China might issue at least 1 trillion yuan ($210 billion) of additional sovereign debt to fund infrastructure spending and bolster its economy.
Given that infrastructure spending often benefits iron ore producers, shares in mining behemoth Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX:RIO) climbed 1.4% to $113.79, BHP Group Ltd (ASX:BHP) rose 1.3% to $44.73, and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX:FMG) jumped 1.6% to $21.16.
The mining sector also benefited from a rebound in iron ore prices, which had hit a six-week low on Tuesday. The November contract on the Singapore Exchange rose 0.7% to $US111.60 per metric tonne.
Energy stocks gained 0.7% as oil prices crept higher. Brent crude traded at around $US87.81 a barrel, amid ongoing concerns about potential supply disruptions due to conflict in the Middle East.
The Australian market also mirrored a rally on Wall Street, where bond yields fell as more Federal Reserve officials signaled they might halt interest rate hikes.
In domestic corporate news, shares in the Bank Of Queensland Ltd. (ASX:BOQ) plummeted 7.4% to $5.35, marking their biggest daily drop in three years. The bank reported a 70% fall in annual profit and cut the final dividend by $0.03 to $0.21 a share.
Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX:QAN), the Australian airline, saw its shares rally 2.7% to $5.03 after Chairman Richard Goyder agreed to step down from the beleaguered airline’s board next year in response to shareholder pressure.
Despite warning that underlying margins for the first half of this financial year would likely hit the lower end of guidance due to higher-than-expected claim costs, Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX:IAG) saw a slight gain of 0.2% to $5.53.
Telecommunications provider Telstra Group Ltd (ASX:TLS) saw a 0.8% increase to $3.90 following the announcement of its plans to acquire cloud consulting company Versent for $267.5 million.
Meanwhile, the Australian dollar, after five consecutive sessions of gains, fell to US64.24¢, while bond futures tempered expectations of an interest rate increase. Reserve Bank assistant governor Chris Kent reiterated that “some further tightening of monetary policy may be required” to bring inflation back to target.
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