ASX Today Live News & Analysis

The local share market has pushed further into record territory, with the ASX200 closing above 8,000 for the first time ever as markets shrugged off the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Monday rose 58.3 points, or 0.73 per cent, to 8,017.6, while the broader All Ordinaries gained 56.3 points, or 0.69 per cent, to 8,262.4.

Capital.com analyst Kyle Rodda said the Trump shooting would colour everything in the markets to kick off the week.

"The markets have probably dodged their own bullet: if Trump had been hit, the potential social and political unrest in the United States would have caused panic among investors," Mr Rodda wrote.

But it seemed the only impact the shooting had on financial markets was a firmer US dollar and a surge in cryptocurrency prices.

In China, the country's statistics bureau <a href="https://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202407/t20240715_1955620.html">announced</a> that the world's second-biggest economy grew by 4.7 per cent in the second quarter, down from 5.3 per cent in the March quarter and below expectations of a 5.1 rate that economists had predicted.

Every sector of the ASX200 finished higher, with consumer discretionaries and tech the biggest movers, rising 1.4 per cent.

Kmart and Bunnings owner Wesfarmers grew 2.1 per cent to a two-month high of $70 and Wisetech Global advanced 2.5 per cent to $97.64.

Each of the big four banks finished 0.8 per cent higher - CBA at an all-time high of $132.69, NAB at a nine-year high of $37.25, Westpac at a four-and-a-half-year high of $28.11 and ANZ at a four-month high of $29.83.

In the heavyweight mining sector, Fortescue gained 1.7 per cent to $22.48, BHP rose 0.6 per cent to $43.67 and Rio Tinto was basically flat at $119.84.

Lifestyle Communities was the biggest loser in the ASX200, plunging 18.1 per cent to a nearly four-year low of $10.30 after ABC's 7.30 program aired a critical story about the retirement community operator that quoted disgruntled residents.

Lifestyle Communities said all of its fees were clearly articulated and it was proud of the transparency provided in its sales process.

Also, Aussie Broadband slumped 14 per cent to a nearly one-year low of $3.07 after the internet provider said its 2024/25 earnings would be impacted by a $10 million investment in the launch of a new self-serve challenger brand, Buddy Telco.

The ASX200 closed Monday up 5.6 per cent so far this year, for a 7.5 per cent net return including dividends.

The MSCI World Index, which tracks 1,500 large and mid-cap stocks from 23 developed countries, has grown 14.5 per cent over that time.

Saxo Asia Pacific senior sales trader Junvum Kim said the ASX200 stood out with its second-highest dividend yield and price/earnings ratio among major Asian indices, but its year-to-date performance paled to that of the Nikkei 225's 24 per cent rise so far in 2024.

It's also taken the ASX200 four and a half years to climb from 7,000 to 8,000, Mr Kim noted.

The ASX200 first traded above 7,000 back in January 2020, but two months later it plummeted below 5,000 as the COVID-19 pandemic emerged.

In currency, the Australian dollar was buying 67.73 US cents, from 67.65 US cents at Friday's ASX close.

Cryptocurrencies were surging as traders apparently bet the US assassination attempt would bolster the candidacy of Trump, who has pledged Bitcoin-friendly policies.

BTC had hit a two-week high of $US62,900, or $A93,200 on Australian exchanges.

ON THE ASX:

The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index finished Monday up 58.3 points, or 0.73 per cent, at 8,017.6.

The broader All Ordinaries rose 56.3 points, or 0.69 per cent, to 8,262.4.

The NZX 50 Lost -11.83 points (-0.10%) to 12,123.14 while the Nikkei dropped -1033.34 points (-2.51%) at the time of writing, to be closed at 41,190.68