Healthcare bucks positive sentiment: Aus shares close 1.5% higher

22/06/2021 16:40:00

The ASX200 continued its run in positive territory in the afternoon session to repair damage sustained on Monday. The upward movement reflected positive US investor sentiment, as American punters came to terms with interest rate hikes amidst reflation trade.

Most of the sectors were set in bullish mode, as banks, miners and energy players supercharged the broader rebound on Tuesday. ??Commonwealth (ASX:CBA) was the star performer of the big four banks, soaring 2.2 per cent by 4pm.

Healthcare was the biggest laggard on the market and defied the overall optimistic sentiment of the Australian benchmark, as CSL (ASX:CSL) tumbled 1.5 per cent by the close of trade.
 

At the closing bell, the S&P/ASX 200 was 1.48 per cent or 106.90 points higher at 7342.20.

Futures

The Dow Jones futures are pointing to a rise of 92.00 points.
The S&P 500 futures are pointing to a rise of 9.00 points.
The Nasdaq futures are pointing to a rise of 12.75 points.
The SPI futures are pointing to a rise of 94 points when the market next opens.

Best and worst performers

The best-performing sector was Energy, up 2.24 per cent. The worst-performing sector was Health Care, down 0.63 per cent.

The best-performing stock in the S&P/ASX 200 was Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS), closing 7.41 per cent higher at $1.45. It was followed by shares in Chalice Mining (ASX:CHN) and Redbubble (ASX:RBL).

The worst-performing stock in the S&P/ASX 200 was Nufarm (ASX:NUF), closing 2.16 per cent lower at $4.52. It was followed by shares in Westgold Resources (ASX:WGX) and Appen (ASX:APX).

Asian markets

Japan's Nikkei has gained 3.12 per cent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng has lost 0.23 per cent.
China's Shanghai Composite has gained 0.52 per cent.

Commodities and the dollar

Gold is trading at US$1783.19 an ounce.
Iron ore is 4.90 per cent lower at US$208.15 a ton.
Iron ore futures are pointing to a fall of 2.70 per cent.
Light crude is trading $0.09 higher at US$69.37 a barrel.
One Australian dollar is buying 75.12 US cents.