ASX tipped to edge higher on Wall St gains

The Australian share market looks set for a weak opening with stock futures pointing to a 40 point or 0.7 per cent fall at the opening.

The Australian share market is tipped to edge higher after a strong overnight session on Wall Street, where investors were buoyed by signs coronavirus lockdown measures could begin to ease.

The SPI200 futures contract was up 10 points, or 0.18 per cent, to 5,500.0 points at 0800 AEST on Wednesday, suggesting local stocks will climb again after hitting their highest point in a month the previous session.

The S&P/ASX200 benchmark index dipped 27 points in early trading after the Easter break but climbed steadily after the first hour to finish Tuesday up 100.8 points, or 1.87 per cent, to 5,488.1.

The bourse has now recovered 1,085.6 points, or 24.7 per cent from its March 23 nadir – when it had declined 2,794.7 points, or 38.8 per cent, from its February 20 all-time peak.

US stocks surged overnight after the White House said President Trump would be making a number of announcements about reopening the US economy in the next day or two as the health crisis appeared to be easing.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 558.99 points, or 2.39 per cent, to 23,949.76, the S&P 500 gained 84.43 points, or 3.06 per cent, to 2,846.06 and the Nasdaq Composite added 323.32 points, or 3.95 per cent, to 8,515.74.
Gold prices have hit their highest mark in seven years, but oil has slipped as investors bet that a virus-driven drop in fuel demand destruction will be too much for global output cuts to offset.

The Australian dollar was buying 64.43 US cents at 0800 AEST, up from 64.10 US cents at the close of markets on Tuesday.

One Australian dollar buys 69.07 Japanese yen from 69.04; 58.66 euro cents from 58.66; 51.02 British pence from 51.03; 105.51 NZ cents, from 105.02.

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