ASX opened higher, led by the tech sector, as well as a strong push in gold and lithium miners

The Australian sharemarket opened higher, tracking a Wall Street rally, led once again by the tech sector, as well as a strong push in gold and lithium miners.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 0.3 per cent, or 26.8 points, to 8974.4 at the start of trade on Thursday, inching closer to the record close of 9019.10 set on August 21. Seven out of the 11 sectors were in the green.
The materials sector was the best-performing sector. It tracked a higher gold price as the precious metal shattered the key $US4,000 on ounce level, building on a record-breaking rally as geopolitical and economic uncertainty, as well as expectations of further US interest rate cuts.
"With investors now eyeing the next psychological milestone of $US5000 for gold, the biggest beneficiaries could be the ASX-listed mining companies, which continue to capture strong investor inflows," said Michael McCarthy, a market strategist at online trading platform Moomoo.
Gold miners were indeed among the top performers, with St Barbara up 2.7 per cent and Horizon up 0.6 per cent. Evolution, Newmont and Northern Star also gained.
Lithium miners also rose with Mineral Resources up 1.9 per cent and Pilbara 1.5 per cent higher.
All the mining giants also recorded gains. BHP added 1.9 per cent, Rio Tinto 0.9 per cent, and Fortescue 0.6 per cent.
The big banks, however, were mixed. ANZ rose 0.5 per cent, while both Commonwealth Bank and Westpac lost 0.5 per cent. National Australia Bank led losses with a 1.2 per cent decline.
Stocks on the move
In corporate news, the Mexican-themed fast food chain Guzman y Gomez was among the ASX 200's stronger performers after announcing an up $100 billion share buyback and reporting an 18.6 per cent rise in September quarter sales. Shares leapt 4.8 per cent minutes.
Aged care provider Ryman Healthcare advanced 2 per cent after posting a second consecutive quarterly increase in the three months to June.
Lynas Rare Earths rallied 2.4 per cent after inking a partnership deal with Noveon Magnetics, a US manufacturer of sintered rare earth magnets, to supply rare earth permanent magnets for the US defense department and commercial customers.
Agribusiness Elders was among the biggest losers, down 6.8 per cent following the approval by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission of its $475 million acquisition of Delta Agribusiness and the sale of some of its assets.
Financial management provider Netwealth Group rose 1 per cent after reaffirming its 2025-26 guidance of funds under administration net flows "to not differ materially" from the previous year.
Brazilian Rare Earths jumped 3.7 per cent after signing agreements with France's rare earth processing specialist Carester for the supply of heavy rare earth feedstocks and engineering services at a refinery in Bahia, Brazil.
Liontown Resources dropped 0.8 per cent after agreeing to reduce the lithium volumes to be delivered to Ford from its Kathleen Valley site in WA.

Sumber : AFR