Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Australian shares surge at the open following Trump speech

Australian stocks surged 2.85 per cent at the open Thursday on the back of a rally in commodities with investors betting president-elect Donald Trump will pursue business-friendly policies.

File image
File image Source: AAP

At 10.10am on Thursday (2310 GMT Wednesday), the S&P/ASX 200 was up 147.1 points at 5,303.7, following global markets higher after the Republican candidate's shock win of the US presidency.

CMC Markets strategist Michael McCarthy said it appeared a consensus was building "that much of the policy announced during the campaign was a sales pitch rather than a commitment to act".

"Investors ignored the potential for damage to international trade and growth prospects and focussed on Republican control of both houses of Congress as well as the White House. 

"This offers the prospect of reform that could stimulate the US economy," he added.

IG Markets chief strategist Chris Weston said the Australian market was poised for one of its best days in years with strong buying in commodity futures such as iron ore, steel, and copper.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

"US crude has also rallied from its low and this all means huge gains for Aussie stocks today," he said, pointing to the financial, energy and materials sectors as beneficiaries.

Among the big early gainers was global miner BHP, which popped 9.44 percent to Aus$24.69, while Rio Tinto jumped 9.02 percent to Aus$58.57.

The Australian dollar firmed after Trump's win initially sent risk currencies plummeting, and was trading at 76.62, up from 76.19 US cents late Wednesday.


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AFP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world