Australian shares rebounded on Thursday to log its strongest trading session in half a decade after U.S. President Donald Trump hit pause on reciprocal tariffs, giving battered markets a much-needed break.
The S&P/ASX 200 index ended 4.5% higher at 7,709.6 points, their best intraday percentage rise since March 2020. The benchmark had lost 1.8% on Wednesday.
Equities in Australian soared as much as 6.3% during the day, but soon lost steam as uncertainty over tariff policies seeped in.
In a stunning U-turn just hours after the tariffs took effect, Donald Trump announced to temporarily lower the hefty duties for dozens of nations, while further ramping up pressure on China, sending global stocks rocketing higher.
The move to raise tariffs on Chinese imports to an eye-watering 125% came after the world’s second-largest economy retaliated by raising its duties on U.S. goods to 84%.
Jessica Amir, a market strategist with Moomoo Australia, said, “Happy days, right? Well, just be cautious. It’s just a pause, not a ban. Negotiations are expected to take place… expect concern around China-facing stocks in particular.”
Australia stocks slide amid global sell-off as trade war escalates
In Sydney, miners recovered some of their previous sessions’ losses to end 6.4% higher - their best day since March 2020. BHP rose 5.7%, while Rio Tinto gained 6.1%.
Financials added 4.4%, with the “Big Four” banks rising between 3.4% and 5%.
Energy stocks were up 5.2%, with sector major Woodside Energy adding 4.7%.
IT stocks jumped 7.6% to their best day since February 2022, led by a 8.4% rise in WiseTech.
Real estate and health stocks echoed the market trend to gain 4.7% and 3.6%, respectively.
New Zealand’s benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index rose 3.3% to 12,201.43 points, in its best day in nearly five years.
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