The S&P 500 and Dow scored record closing highs on Friday (Saturday morning WST) with the biggest boosts from financial stocks after banks reported strong quarterly results while the latest inflation data supported expectations for a US Federal Reserve rate cut in November.
Wall Street's main indexes closed lower on Thursday (Friday morning WST) as investors looked to higher-than-expected inflation and unemployment claims for indications on the health of the US economy and the path for interest rates.
The ASX200 has risen 0.4 per cent, with Arcadium Lithium soaring 39 per cent after the lithium company agreed to be bought by Rio Tinto for $10 billion.
Wall Street stocks advanced on Wednesday in the US, with the S&P 500 and the Dow scoring record closing highs after the release of Federal Reserve meeting minutes – and ahead of September inflation data and the earnings season.
The ASX200 has finished 0.1 per cent higher, with Rio Tinto announcing after the market closed that it would pay $10 billion to acquire Arcadium Lithium.
Wall Street's benchmarks finished up on Tuesday, recouping some of the previous session's losses, as investors bought back in to technology stocks and investors shifted their focus to upcoming inflation data and the start of third-quarter earnings season.
Wall Street's three major indexes closed down around 1 per cent on Monday while Treasury yields rose, as traders tamped down bets for Federal Reserve interest-rate easing and worried about the Middle East conflict's impact on oil prices.
The Dow has posted a record closing high and the Nasdaq ended with a more than a per cent gain as a stronger-than-expected jobs report reassured investors who had worried the economy may be getting too weak.
American stocks have finished lower ahead of Friday's monthly US payrolls report and as investors kept a watchful eye on growing conflict in the Middle East.
The S&P 500 have ended little changed, with technology shares gaining but investors nervous about Middle East tensions and more US labour data due this week.
Asia stocks sank early on Wednesday, catching up with the sell-off on Wall Street after Iran's ballistic missile strike on Israel provoked fears of a wider regional conflict, while crude oil pushed higher on the risk of supply disruptions.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng yet to open after holiday; US S&P 500 stock index futures weaken 0.16 per cent, after the cash index lost 0.9 per cent overnight.
The ASX200 dropped 0.7 per cent, snapping a three-day win streak after Fed chairman Jerome Powell said the US central bank was in no rush to cut interest rates.
The S&P 500 has sputtered to a record high close, rebounding from a brief setback after Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said the US central bank is in no hurry to implement further interest rate cuts.
