End of Day Report – Tuesday 17 December: ASX 200 up 65 points | Banks lead the charge

 The ASX 200 kicked higher today by 65 points to 8314 (+0.8%) as the usual suspects rallied hard. The Big Bank Basket was up to $261.38 (+1.4%). CBA stood out, rising 1.6% MQG gained 1.0% with insurers doing well too. Financials generally attracting buyers, SQ2 up 1.6% and HMC up 3.0% in tandem with DGT bouncing back hard. REITs also back in demand ahead of the Fed this week, GMG up 1.7% and SCG rallying 1.2%. Industrials, too, moving firmly ahead, ALL up 1.9% with TCL up 2.1% and BXB extending its run up another 0.5%. Both COL and WOW were better with retail finding Xmas cheer, LOV up 2.3% actually, DMP up 1.0% and FLT better. Tech better, WTC up 1.1% and the All-Tech Index up 1.2%. Resources were mixed, iron ore stocks eased slightly, lithium still depressed, gold miners mixed with NEM off 0.5% and WGX up 4.3%. Energy stocks eased again with WDS down 1.0% and PDN off 2.0%. In corporate news, NVX gained 3.4% on a conditional loan from the US DoE. DTL fell 9.8% on a change in Microsoft incentives. KAR fell 9.7% on a shut in for the Bauna gas field in Brazil and APA fell 1.5% as the regulator rejected the Basslink conversion. SPG also returned to a listing after almost 20 years. Canned down 26.9% PPT fell 0.4% on the independent report failing to recommend the offer. Nothing on the economic front. Asian markets trending lower, HK down 0.4%, China up 0.6% with Japan down 0.1%. 10Y yields steady at 4.30%.

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