S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico Market
Australian equities advanced 43 points, or 0.5%, to 8,739 in early Thursday trade, extending prior gains as a rebound in U.S. stock futures lifted sentiment after an overnight retreat on Wall Street following the Federal Reserve’s first rate hike in three years. Bargain hunting persisted following a near ten-week local low earlier this week, with investors weighing sticky inflation and the likelihood of another Reserve Bank move later this month. Meanwhile, Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock is scheduled to testify before Parliament on Friday. In top trading partner China, mixed August data spurred hopes of fresh stimulus, offering some support. Financials, tech, and manufacturing led advances, offset by weakness in healthcare and resources. The big four banks rallied alongside insurers QBE (1.9%) and IAG (0.8%), while Qantas (2.2%), Bluescope Steel (2.1%), and Ramsay Health Care (1.2%) also outperformed. Energy lagged, with Woodside down 1.5% and Santos off 2.1%.
