Australian shares rebounded as the Reserve Bank of Australia's minutes signalled a cautious approach after three interest rate hikes. Policymakers acknowledged current policy is restrictive, leading to expectations of a near-term pause. Financials, industrials, and real estate stocks drove the gains, while miners dipped.
 Global Markets | Australian stocks rebound from 7-week low as RBA minutes hint at near-term rate pause
Australian shares rebounded from a near seven-week low on Tuesday after minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia signalled a wait-and-watch approach following three interest rate hikes this year. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index rose 1.2% to 8,604.70 points after a 1.5% drop ā€Œon Monday. S&P 500 Top Gainers Cognizant Tech Solns51.40(9.75%) Dominion Energy67.56(9.44%) ServiceNow103.42(8.78%) EPAM Systems100.44(7.98%) S&P 500 Top Losers Regeneron Pharmaceuticals629.68(-9.82%) Coterra Energy32.56(-8.62%) Corning178.55(-6.91%) Seagate Technology Hldgs740.84(-6.87%) "The ⁠RBA ⁠minutes today offered markets a modest sign of relief, with policymakers acknowledging that policy is already sitting in restrictive territory after three hikes this year," Hebe Chen, market analyst at Vantage Market said. "Traders interpreted the tone as less urgent and less aggressive in the near term... A near-term pause now looks increasingly likely, but that does not mean another hike is off the table." Minutes of the ⁠RBA's May ā€Œboard meeting indicated that the central bank regards current monetary policy as adequately restrictive, giving it room to observe the impacts of the ⁠Iran war amid growing inflation and slowing growth. Markets priced in a hold in June and an around 60% chance of a hike in August. Live Events Sarah, Hunter, RBA's assistant governor, said that fears of higher energy costs lifting consumer prices quickly was one reason why the central bank raised interest rates for a third time this year to 4.35% in May, fully reversing the amount of policy easing made in 2025. Financials rose ā€Œmore than 1.7%, with the big four banks up between 1.3% and 2%. Industrials gained 1.2% and real estate stocks climbed 1.8%. Meanwhile, the consumer staples sub-index climbed 3% to a ⁠one-week high, helped by a 3.7% jump in Woolworths after JPMorgan upgraded the stock to "overweight". Miners fell 0.2% tracking the weakness in the commodity prices. Bellwethers BHP Group and Rio Tinto lost 0.1% and 0.2%. Defying a slump in oil prices after the U.S. paused a planned attack against Iran to allow room for negotiations, energy stocks extended gains for the third straight session, rising 0.5% to a near two-week high. New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index rose 1.7% to 12,974.32 points. (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel) (What's moving Sensex and Nifty Track latest market news, stock tips, Budget 2025, Share Market on Budget 2025 and expert advice, on ETMarkets. Also, ETMarkets.com is now on Telegram. For fastest news alerts on financial markets, investment strategies and stocks alerts, subscribe to our Telegram feeds .) Subscribe to ET Prime and read the Economic Times ePaper Online.and Sensex Today. Top Trending Stocks: SBI Share Price, Axis Bank Share Price, HDFC Bank Share Price, Infosys Share Price, Wipro Share Price, NTPC Share Price ...moreless (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel) (What's moving Sensex and Nifty Track latest market news, stock tips, Budget 2025, Share Market on Budget 2025 and expert advice, on ETMarkets. Also, ETMarkets.com is now on Telegram. For fastest news alerts on financial markets, investment strategies and stocks alerts, subscribe to our Telegram feeds .) Subscribe to ET Prime and read the Economic Times ePaper Online.and Sensex Today. Top Trending Stocks: SBI Share Price, Axis Bank Share Price, HDFC Bank Share Price, Infosys Share Price, Wipro Share Price, NTPC Share Price ...moreless As West Asia boils, will Dubai’s loss be a GIFT for India? NSE colocation case: Is CBI facing a dead end? Can GIFT City open doors for Indians missing Korea, Taiwan AI rally? Locker to exchange: How India can become a global gold hub INR35k-cr windfall: What Hormuz crisis, rising crude mean for ONGC, OIL Stock Radar: Sun Pharma breaks out from falling trendline resistance to hit fresh 52-week high; time to buy? 1 2 3